TESSERA SOFTWARE 3.5.1

As of software version 3.5.0, the Control App will no longer be supplied as part of the software release package. Please use the processor feature “Stacking” and/or the API to communicate with multiple processors.

Tessera HD processors (M2, T1 and S4) must be running processor firmware V3.3.2 prior to upgrading to V3.4.1 or later.

Tessera HD processors (M2, T1 and S4) must be running processor firmware V2.3.2 or later prior to upgrading to V3.0.1 or later, or the upgrade will fail requiring a SD card restore.

Due to a new hardware revision, SX40 and S8 processors with serial numbers starting with 02 are only compatible with software versions 3.4 and above. Any attempt to downgrade the processor software version lower than 3.4 will be rejected.

The Tessera S8 processor requires software version 3.0 or later.

As of software version 3.5.1 and onwards, the M2, S4 and T1 will contain “Tessera Gen 1 Built-in” instead of the public pack, which is a snapshot of the public pack as of 3.5.0. To get access to the very latest fixtures, the public pack can be downloaded as usual from the downloads page and imported to the M2, S4 or T1.

Software version 3.5.1 introduces a change in the way we present fixture firmware and configs in our UI. Previously, the “Firmware” column in the online menu shows panel firmware version in the format: firmware version + revision e.g. 3.5.0 r20. Firmware versions 3.5.1 and onwards will now show this information in 2 columns instead of 1, which are: “Firmware version” and “Panel Config”. The Panel Config tells the tessera system how to drive the specific panel hardware.

This change has taken place to improve our internal processes and will not impact user workflows in any way. The system will flag to the user if either the Firmware version or Panel config of the connected panels are different to the pack loaded into the fixture library.

The full Frame Store functionality is only supported on SX40 and S8. Frame Store allows up to 12 images to be stored on SX40 and S8 processors which can either be uploaded to the processor or captured from an active source. Imported images can be JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF and TIFF formats and up to a maximum resolution of 4096 x 4096.

Frame Store can be accessed by clicking on the Test Pattern tile and selecting the Frame Store tab. Double clicking on thumbnail selects the image to be displayed and a single click will select the frame to be edited. Double clicking on the Test Pattern tile will toggle it between enabled and disabled. On M2, S4 and T1 processors only one uploaded image can be stored.

Frame Store properties with example images.

TIFF and PNG files that support 16-bit and alpha channels are supported. However, 16-bit bitmaps will be converted to 10-bit.

Export All exports all the bitmaps in the Frame Store to the chosen destination.

Browse allows the user to select an image or multiple images from the file browser.

Video Snapshot takes a video snapshot from the currently selected input. The processor captures a 10-bit image, which stored as a 16-bit RGB TIFF file.

Export button allows the selected image to be exported to the selected destination in the file browser.

Remove deletes the image file from the processor.

Scaling Mode maps the selected image to the Active Area. 1:1 maps the image 1:1 to the active area. Stretch stretches the image both horizontally and vertically to fit the active area. Fit scales the image to cover the maximum possible area within an active area while maintaining the aspect ratio. Fill scales the image to cover the entire active area while maintaining aspect ratio.

Enable Alpha mode selects whether to use the alpha channel if one is present. 16-bit bitmaps with an alpha channel are converted to either 10-bit without an alpha channel or 8-bit with alpha channel.

The enable alpha mode of a 16-bit TIFF file with alpha channel. 

The enable alpha mode of an 8-bit PNG file with alpha channel.  

Format selects the format of the image. From Input uses the format of the currently selected input. SDR selects standard dynamic range, PQ uses the PQ EOTF, and HLG uses HLG EOTF.

PQ Max CLL Override this allows the PQ Max CLL to be overridden by a specified amount.

Note: That in the case that the active input is HDMI, this setting is applied after the Input Overrides settings and therefore if “From input” is desired it also needs to be set to “From input” in the Input Override settings

Colour Space selects the colour space from Rec 2020, DCI-P3, Rec 709 and ACEScg.

Use native colour space checkbox ignores the Colour Space selection and uses the native colour space of the file.

User Number a user number is a number that you can assign to a bitmap/frame which can be referenced via the API or for Stacking. When used with Stacking if frame ‘1’ is selected on the leader processor, frame ‘1’ will be selected on the other processors. When adding a new frame, the next available user number will be automatically assigned to it. User Numbers can be from between 1 and 50.

Frame Store properties with user number range and PQ Max CLL Override.

Processors with a Freeze button on the front panel are given an option to trigger a frame from the frame store instead of freezing the screen.

To use this feature, select Frame from the Freeze Button Behaviour drop-down menu, then select the frame you would like to be displayed in the frame selection box that appears below the Freeze Button Behaviour drop-down.

The front panel buttons can be disabled by unchecking the Enable Buttons checkbox.

The Frame Store feature replaces the Custom Test Pattern feature.

In order to keep consistency within the user interface after the addition of Frame Store, the behaviour of the test pattern UI has changed. Previously, single clicking a test pattern activated the pattern. Now, a single click within Frame Store or test patterns highlights it, but doesn’t make it active to better facilitate file management. A pattern is only made active when double clicked.

As part of the Tessera Software version 3.5, the ShutterSync feature has been divided into Eye and Camera Viewer types.

Features our original camera-centred ShutterSync functionality.

ShutterSync enables the Tessera SX40 and S8 Processors to tune the LED panels refresh rate to the camera for the best performance. This helps prevent unsightly artefacts such as scan-mux lines and poor exposure because the camera is not open for long enough to capture LED panels’ complete PWM cycle. This feature is found under the Network settings and must be used in conjunction with Genlock.

ShutterSync Camera settings

It is possible to select from two different ShutterSync modes, these are:

Speed: Direct manual shutter speed (1/x) or exposure time entry.

ShutterSync Speed mode

Angle: The shutter angle and camera frame rate entry (used to calculate resulting exposure time).

ShutterSync Angle mode

Prioritise Refresh Rate: Enabling this feature will drive LED panels at the highest possible refresh rate and complete the maximum number of PWM cycles within the camera’s exposure time. How this feature behaves is dependent on the panel type and its maximum refresh rate. There are some situations where this feature can be useful; such as when a camera is using higher shutter speeds. It is worth trying both with and without Prioritise Refresh Rate ticked to see which works best for a particular camera setup.

The supported shutter speeds map directly to each panel type’s frame rate range, examples of this are:

The corresponding shutter angles depend on the camera’s frame rate:

ShutterSync does not affect network pixel capacity. It is recommended that camera tests are still carried out as part of the setup process.

Dark Time Insertion aims to reduce motion blur in fast moving objects in content by inserting some dark time in the frame period. Dark Time Insertion can be helpful in simulator or esports applications.

ShutterSync Eye settings

Dark Time Insertion is enabled by ticking on the checkbox in the Eye Viewer in ShutterSync.

Dark Time Mode allows Time or Percentage to be selected from the drop box.

Dark Time Mode Time allows a specified time in milliseconds within the frame period to be set to dark. Dark Time Mode Percentage allows a percentage of the frame period to be dark.

Sensor Type

As part of the Tessera Software version 3.4 update, the ShutterSync features the option to change the camera Sensor Type. There are three options: Any, Global Shutter and Rolling Shutter. By default, the Sensor type is set to Any, which regardless of sensor type, gives the broadest camera compatibility and is likely to give the best results on camera with the most leeway on Genlock Phase Offset. Global and Rolling Shutter give the system more information to work with, allowing greater precision. Rolling Shutter additionally allows the entry of the camera sensor readout time. This can help to reduce visual flicker whilst maintaining on-camera performance. However, the Genlock Phase Offset must be more accurately specified.

Example of Rolling Shutter option enabled.

SX40 and S8 processors now support Stype RedSpy markers and Custom Hidden Markers in addition to MoSys StarTracker markers . Hidden Markers can be overridden on a per group basis.

Hidden Markers no longer require Frame Multiplication but can be shown for a fraction of the frame, long enough to be detected by the Hidden Marker camera. Using Hidden Markers like this requires ShutterSync and requires the sensor type and readout time, and the Only Show When Camera Shutter Closed checkbox to be ticked.

Background Gain: This controls the gain of the video content behind the markers.

Blackout Affects Markers: if this is left unticked then blackouts affect the video and not the markers.

The Mo-Sys StarTracker system usually uses retro-reflective marker stickers which are typically positioned on the LED volume ceiling. The markers are automatically generated and overlaid on the video content being displayed, with the ability to configure colour and size of the markers from within the processor user interface.

To enable the StarTracker Marker star map you need to Enable the StarTracker Markers checkbox in the Hidden Markers section of the Camera property editor.

StarTracker options:

Distance to Tracker: This is the distance from the tracking markers to the StarTracker camera.

Marker Size Scaler: This scales the size of each marker without changing the position of the tracker or layout of the StarTracker star map. This is different to changing the Distance to Tracker value which would affect each markers position.

Marker Gain: This sets how bright markers are, e.g. if the Red Marker Gain is set to 100%, the red marker is displayed at the maximum brightness of the red LEDs. If the Red Marker Gain is set to 50% the red marker is displayed at 50% of the red LED brightness.

Star Map Seed: This is the seed value that is used by the random number generators in each panel. Changing the seed will change the position of each marker for that colour. Using the same seed on two different processors allows the same star map to be generated, this is not ideal in multiple processor set ups. However, using a different seed will force a different star map on each processor, which is recommended in these situations.

Video content with StarTracker markers overlaid.

The Stype RedSpy system is now supported in addition to Mo-Sys StarTracker.

The Stype RedSpy system is now integrated into the SX40 and S8 in addition to MoSys StarTracker. The following options are available:

Distance to Tracker: This is the distance from the tracking markers to the RedSpy camera.

Marker Size Scaler: This scales the size of each marker without changing the position of the tracker or layout of the RedSpy.

Marker Gain: This sets how bright markers are as a percentage of the current screen brightness.

Marker Seed: this is the seed value that is used by the random number generators in each panel. Changing the seed will change the position of each marker. Using the same seed on two different processors allows the same marker map to be generated, although this is not ideal in multiple processor set ups. However, using a different seed will force a different marker map on each processor, which is recommended in these situations.

It is now possible to use a custom marker bitmap. This bitmap can be uploaded to the processor from Remote or from a USB key. The supported format is PNG with an alpha channel. It can also be uploaded via IP using the API. See the API documentation for more information.

File: This field shows the selected bitmap.

Browse: Allows the user to select an image from the file browser.

Clear: Clears the selected file.

Scaling Mode: Maps the selected image to the Active Area. 1:1 maps the image 1:1 to the active area. Stretch stretches the image both horizontally and vertically to fit the active area. Fit scales the image to cover the maximum possible area within an active area while maintaining the aspect ratio. Fill scales the image to cover the entire active area while maintaining aspect ratio.

Marker Gain: Allows the markers to be coloured by red, green and blue gain. 1-bit per colour channel is supported, so markers can be coloured red, green, blue, yellow, cyan and magenta in addition to white.

From 3.5.x Tessera software releases will now be notarized by Apple. This means that new software releases will be checked by Apple for ‘malicious components’ and Apple will issue a ‘ticket’ for Brompton to ‘staple’ to each notarized software release. This tells the Apple Gatekeeper security feature when the software is installed and executed that the code has been checked by Apple for malware and gives the appropriate warning when the release is run for the first time.

Tessera platforms now can send a log of its actions to a syslog server. Syslog is enabled by checking the relevant tick box in Processor preferences and providing an IP address for the syslog server. Syslog (system logging protocol) is a standard for message logging, and on Tessera platforms, logged events that would have been stored on the processor can be sent to a syslog server.

Email notifications allow the processor to send notifications to specified email addresses when certain conditions happen on the processor.

Import and Export allow email notification settings to be imported and exported to/ from a location in the file explorer such as a USB key so that email notification settings can be shared on other processors. The email notification settings use a simple .xml format.

In the email table section:

• The Add button allows the addition of a SMTP Server IP address and an email address combination row.
• Test sends a test email to the specified email address.
• The SMTP Server field allows the entry of an IP address for a SMTP Server.
• The Email Address field allows the entry of an email address.
• The Duplicate button adds a duplicate of a selected SMTP Server and email address row, which can be easily edited.
• Remove removes a selected SMTP Server and email address row.

In the notification section the choice of Conditions is as follows:

• Processor Boot
• Video Source Lost
• Timing Source Lost (i.e. genlock)
• Panel Offline
• Device Error
• Processor Fan Failure
• Cable Redundant Loop Error
• Redundant Partner Lost

Each email address can have its own selection of conditions that the processor can send notifications to by ticking the relevant checkbox for each condition.

Significant overhaul of fixture pack sync mechanism to improve performance and stability. This is particularly relevant for systems that have large numbers of fixture packs on the processor.

Enable Brightness Limit is a new checkbox in Global Colour which allows the setting of a brightness limit. Ticking the checkbox allows the entry of a brightness value less than or equal to the maximum fixture brightness in the project.

It is now possible to import or export Direct Connect settings.

In the example above we have two processors in Direct Connect: Upstage BR and Upstage BL. We can export the settings of these processors by clicking on the Export button. This outputs a .json file to a selected destination, such as a USB key, which can then be imported into other processors by using the Import button in Direct Connect.

You can now Beacon panels directly from the canvas by selecting the panel and right-clicking and selecting Beacon from the drop-down menu. Beaconed panels are then highlighted on the canvas.

The Device ID of a fixture is now displayed on the panel OSD or can be displayed in Online Panels. The Device ID contains the hex codes for the manufacturer, family, and type for a fixture. The Device ID is also displayed in the Online Panel View, but as an option. To reveal the Device IDs in the Online Panel View, right-click on the heading. This displays the Online Panel View options. Tick the Device ID to reveal the Device ID column.

The colour picker has been updated to make it consistent across all the features that use the colour picker.

A new keyboard shortcut allows switching between horizontal and vertical in the Seams Adjustment section of OSCA:

The key to the left of the 1 key (the ‘ key on US PC, MacOS and UK PC keyboards and the § key on UK and International English MacOS keyboards) switches between horizontal and vertical seams and vice versa. Pressing the key once makes the switch and pressing the key again returns to the original selected seam.

There are now two scaling modes which use different sampling methods: Lanczos Scaling and Nearest Neighbour are two different image scaling algorithms, each with distinct characteristics and use cases:

Lanczos Scaling and Nearest Neighbour are two distinct methods for image scaling, each with unique characteristics and applications.

Lanczos Scaling is particularly effective at preserving fine details and minimising artefacts such as aliasing and blurring. It is the preferred method for scaling camera pictures.

Nearest Neighbour is ideal for scaling images where maintaining sharp edges and pixel integrity is crucial, like in pixel art or low-resolution graphics.

Scrolling Colour Bars have been added to Test Patterns.

Stacking Camera Settings
Stacking Camera settings can cause panels to blackout before reconnecting. To avoid this issue it is recommended that once you have used stacking to set the parameters in the Camera tile, that you disable stacking.

XD and panel firmware updates when Failover is enabled
It is not recommended to have Failover enabled when updating the firmware of Panels and XD’s, otherwise the update may fail. To recover from this state, both of the processors should be rebooted.

Processor fails to lock to certain YCbCr 4:2:0 HDMI inputs
Certain resolutions and bit depths, and changing source bit depth can cause the processor to fail to lock to YCbCr 4:2:0 inputs. This can normally be resolved by a hot plug of the source.

Adding additional video delay in the processor settings causes video snapshot to be non-functional
Eyedropper tool in Colour Replace will also become non-functional when additional video delay is used.

Switching the Phase Offset type to Absolute when on Active Input can state “Not locked”
If the processor gets into this state, switching to the opposite control method (Remote or Local) where you saw the problem will rectify it.

Processor output can be affected by some operations when Freeze is enabled
– Enabling/Disabling frame store test pattern with a non-native colour space changes the colour space to the whole frame
– Changing the input from HDMI to SDI or vice versa, with different scaling settings, causes displacement of a frozen frame store frame.

Exporting a frame store with 12 images to USB can cause the processor to watchdog under certain circumstances
Disabling the watchdog in processor settings can allow the USB export to complete.

IP Control and firmware reload
IP Control can cause issues with firmware reload when upgrading or downgrading from software versions prior to 3.4.3. It is recommended to either disable IP Control or close the project before initiating a firmware reload from software versions prior to 3.4.3

S4 firmware reload
When upgrading an S4 processor to/from 3.1.0.BETA4 firmware, after firmware reload has finished, the processor will not reboot automatically and will require a manual reboot. After reboot, the processor will operate as normal.

Version compatibility
In order to use V3.0.1 or later, it is necessary to run all elements of the system (processor, XDs and panels) on V2.3.1 or later. For panels where V2.3 firmware is not available please continue using V2.2 processor firmware.

Restore factory defaults/format SD card can cause fixture library instability
If you perform either of these operations please reboot your processor before browsing to the fixture library window as this may otherwise be unstable.​​

Tessera Remote may fail to import project files
In some cases, Tessera Remote may fail to import project files from local storage. As a workaround create the project from scratch or use a local monitor, keyboard and mouse to import the project file before connecting with Tessera Remote.​​

Some input devices on KVM switches do not work
We have had reports that trackpads may not function correctly when connected to the processor via a KVM switch. As a workaround we recommend using a mouse, or connecting input devices directly to the processor’s USB ports.​​

Monitors connected via DisplayPort-to-VGA adapters may be unstable
Local user interface monitors connected to the processor via certain active DisplayPort-to-VGA adapters may give an unstable image or the monitor is not detected at all. As a workaround we recommend using a DVI or DisplayPort monitor.