Grass Valley K2 System Guide v.7.2 - Manual (Page 27)

07 April 2010 K2 System Guide 27
K2 Summit Production Client and K2 Solo Media Server system overview
K2 Summit Production Client and K2 Solo Media
Server system overview
The K2 Summit Production Client and K2 Solo Media Server are purpose-built clients
based on COM Express compact computer with dedicated systems to provide the
video disk recorder functionality. This section explains the major architectural blocks.
Application System
The K2 Summit Production Client and K2 Solo Media Server application system
architecture uses the COM Express form factor to provide functionality similar to that
of standard PC-type computers. The carrier module contains a CPU module, built in
Ethernet, and USB ports. On the K2 Summit Production Client, the carrier module
also includes one PCIe board slot for expansion.
The Application system uses a Windows XP embedded operating system upon which
all internal storage K2 system applications run for configuration and control of the
unit.
Real Time System
Each channel hosts a complete Real Time system that provides the core video disk
recorder functionality. Primary components are as follows:
• Dedicated processor for media access and processing.
• Codec circuits responsible for encoding/decoding video and processing audio and
timecode, including the media-related input and output connectors.
The Real Time system uses a dedicated operating system. This operating system
manages all the hardware involved in controlling the flow of video, audio, timecode,
genlock, and GPI in and out of the K2 system.
Media control and processing
The following section explains how the Application system and the Real Time system
work together to provide K2 system functionality.
The high processing requirements of digital video can overwhelm the processor on a
standard desktop PC, resulting in wait-times that destroy the video’s essential
real-time aspect. The K2 system avoids this problem by providing dedicated systems
that isolate processing needs. The components that work together to provide this
functionality are as follows:
The Application system is dedicated to control, configuration, and networking
functions that do not require real-time accuracy. The Application system has the
following components:
• Application software provides the user interface for operating the K2 system. The
software runs as Windows programs.
• The Media File system manages clips. It includes a database that associates the clip
with its video, audio, and timecode files and a dedicated file system (separate from
the Windows file system) that controls access to the raw data that makes up each
file. Any reading and writing of clips, be it through play and record operations or
through file transfers and media streaming, is managed by the database. The