Frustum Mode
User Guide
www.7thsensedesign.com
[email protected]
Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
Trademark Information
Delta, Delta Media Server, Delta Nano, Delta Lite, DFM, and Delta Audio Server are trademarks of
7thSense Design LTD. Brand or product names may be registered trademarks of their respective
owners. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and
other countries.
Copyright Information
All Rights Reserved. This document is copyrighted © by 7thSense Design LTD and shall not be
reproduced or copied without express written authorisation from 7thSense Design LTD.
The information in this document is subject to change without notice. 7thSense Design LTD
assumes no responsibility for errors, and/or omissions contained in this information.
Document Revision
Date
Document
version
Software Version
August 2013
1.0
vs2.0 Build 3
August 2015
1.1
vs 2.2 Build 28
Document
Version
Revision Details
Author/Editor:



Helen W
1.1

Applied 7thSense Style Guidelines
Applied new Guide Revision format
Updated screenshots and instructions to meet
software version
Prepared web/portal version
Copyright © 7thSense Design Ltd
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
Table of Contents
An Overview of the Display Modes in Delta ............................................................................................. 4
FLATPLANE MODE .............................................................................................................................. 5
Mesh Mode.................................................................................................................................... 6
Frustum Mode ............................................................................................................................... 7
Frustum Mode Configuration ................................................................................................................... 8
Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 8
Channel View Mode ................................................................................................................................. 8
Interactive Mode ......................................................................................................................... 10
Screen .......................................................................................................................................... 11
Channels ...................................................................................................................................... 12
Defaults Wizard Dialog ................................................................................................................ 15
Media Placement in Frustum Mode ....................................................................................................... 16
Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 16
Flat .............................................................................................................................................. 16
Fisheye ......................................................................................................................................... 16
Channel........................................................................................................................................ 17
Panoramic ................................................................................................................................... 17
Transform Animator .................................................................................................................... 18
Intelligent Resources.................................................................................................................... 20
Test Patterns .......................................................................................................................................... 23
Preview Modes ....................................................................................................................................... 25
Mini Preview ................................................................................................................................ 26
Preview Mode .............................................................................................................................. 27
Delta Media Server Support Documentation ............................................................................... 29
Copyright © 7thSense Design Ltd
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
Welcome to 7thSense Delta Server: an advanced Media Server for playback and
composition of multiple media types.
An Overview of the Display Modes in Delta
Delta can work in one of a number of display modes, depending on your requirements. In each
mode, one or more Delta Servers controls each part of the overall canvas, with one or more
Channels (each one is a video output/projection) available for each, depending upon the size and
requirements of the total output.
In this introductory section, you can read an overview of the display modes, to enable you to
decide which mode is most appropriate to your needs.
This guide is specific to Frustum Mode: an advanced geometric operation mode that automatically
takes care of Domes, Planetariums etc. Alternative guides are available for the other display
modes and other specific functionality: all should be read in conjunction with the Delta User
Guide, which explains the basic concepts of adding and working with content on the timeline.
7thSense also offer an Auto Alignment import functionality for which you need to buy a separate
license. We currently support the following formats:
 MPCDI
 Scalable Display
 Dome Projection
Please see our Delta Auto-Alignment Setup user guide for further information.
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
FLATPLANE MODE
Flatplane Mode is Delta’s standard working mode: a single rectangular canvas is defined for the
whole display, which can consist of multiple Delta Servers if required. The canvas is defined in
terms of width and height in pixels, starting as a single flat plane, but may consist of multiple
channels (projections). Warping/distortion correction can be applied to each layer or per channel
to enable it to fit on flat or curved devices.
Each output channel is defined independently in the settings panel on the left of the screen. In
this example, the curved, widescreen output requires 2 channels (projectors), which are
projecting side-by-side (with Channel 1 currently in view).
Media is placed on the canvas, by default as fullscreen (fits to the total canvas), or you can specify
the media size and location in pixels. You can also map media to a specific channel or a sub-region
of that channel.
For further information on making media fit your output requirements, please see the main Delta
User Guide and our Channel Alignment Guide (Surface Warp).
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
Mesh Mode
Mesh Mode is Delta’s 3D object mode: it is similar in operation to Frustum Mode (see below),
where you can set up virtual projectors to match reality, but the screen surface is a 3D object such
as a building or landscape (as in the example shown below) onto which you can project media.
The Mesh Mode User Guide gives more information about projecting onto 3D objects.
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
Frustum Mode
Frustum Mode is Delta’s mode for displaying media onto domes - spherical or ellipsoid screen
surfaces:
For a full dome/hemisphere projection, radius is defined (in mm), the top elevation is 90, bottom
is 0, left is -180/+ and right is 180
As with the other modes, one or more Delta Servers and channels may be used to place content
on the screen (dome). The canvas may be full dome or partial, using the azimuth (horizontal
angle), elevation (vertical angle) and size (set in width, height and degrees) to position the media
correctly. Various advanced image modes are available such as flat, fisheye, panoramic or
channel mapped, to allow shows to treat the entire screen as the canvas, ignoring projector
boundaries.
Aspect Ratio is the native
video format of this projector,
so 1920 / 1080 = 1.777.
H and V Lens Shift define the
lens of that projector
Lens Zoom defines the zoom
requirement for that lens
Channels are defined in terms
of the physical X Y Z location of
the projector lens in mm
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
Frustum Mode Configuration
Introduction
There are two panels used to configure for a full dome: Channel (a single projected area) on the
left side of the Display Config page, and Canvas Size (full screen) on the right side.
The centre display and playback window contents can either be set to show a single channel or all
channels simultaneously using the drop-down box on the right side.
Channel View Mode
In Channel View mode the currently selected channel is shown in the central area. The channel’s
settings can be altered by typing values into the fields in the left panel.
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
Standard Channel arrangement Off (All In Line):
This is the default setting for the Output Setup
In the playback window, all currently active channels are shown
side by side.
Note: The graphics card arrangement should also match this
configuration.
A 6 x 1 array of outputs may look similar to this:
Off (All In Line) Mode
Matrix Mode (2D Array) enabled:
Matrix Mode arranges the channels in a N x M grid, so in the
example below, a 3 x 2 arrangement will show with channel 1 top
left, channel 2 top middle, channel 3 top right and so on.
Again, the graphics card is usually matched to this arrangement.
A 3 x 2 matrix of outputs may look similar to this:
Matrix Mode
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
Interactive Mode
In Interactive Mode, you can use the mouse or the mouse buttons next to the screen (grid) to
zoom in and out, rotate and shift the view to show the area of interest. This mode is primarily
used in show creation where you can visualise the entire dome.
The GUI and playback windows show the same view and you can click and drag the view on the
playback window as well as the GUI grid.
Left-click and drag:
Pan and tilt the view
Middle-click and drag: Zoom in and out by changing Z
Right-click and drag: Shift the Eyepoint in X and Y
Click ‘L’ for alternate entry: Left,
Right, Top, and Bottom
Click and drag the
grid to position
Click Edit to view/amend
the Interactive View
settings
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Use the mouse icon controls to
manipulate the grid
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
Notes
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In interactive mode, the blends and background distortions are not shown in
the playback window
Moving this view around does not affect the Channel set-up
You can toggle from entering frustums direct or through the ‘L’ button (Lens
calculation): calculate this from Lens Zoom, Aspect and Shifts
Screen shape can be spherical or any type of ellipsoid (e.g. a Rugby ball shape)
by choosing Ellipsoid (in the right-hand Canvas panel) and entering the 3 radii
of the shape.
Screen
In Frustum Mode, the screen defaults to a spherical surface, and the Eyepoint is at the sphere’s
centre. You can set how wide and tall the sphere is in angular terms: the screen/canvas can be a
whole sphere, or a small portion of a sphere simply by restricting the size.
The screen is defined as left, right, top and bottom angles in degrees away from the horizon
straight ahead, which is defined as 0 azimuth and 0 elevation (azimuth being the horizontal and
elevation being the vertical axes).
Projecting onto a partial sphere
In the example above, a screen large enough for 3 channels has been defined. Each channel
needs to be set up according to the eyepoint of the output (projector), to allow for the media to
be played across the full width as required (see section on Channels below)
In the example below, a full 180 degree hemisphere is defined.
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
Projecting onto a full dome
Left and right meet at the same point – 180 degrees
around from 0 degrees – and the top is +90 elevation
– the pole that is dead above the Eyepoint.
Channels
In Frustum mode, a channel is a rectangular view onto the spherical screen. We define this
rectangle by giving the centre a heading, pitch and roll, then defining width by left and right
angles, height by top and bottom angles.
The rectangle is then projected out from the Eyepoint where it intersects the 3D spherical screen,
and everything within that shape on-screen is shown in the playback window for that channel.
In this example, a single channel (also known as the frustum) is shown, defined by the left, right,
top and bottom angles from the centre of the channel (the normal).
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
When you change the heading, pitch and roll of the channel, the centre is rotated around in the
sphere and the left, right, top and bottom angles are then relative to this new centre.
For each channel, enter the angles which define the frustum and position the start point of this by
entering the X Y Z values (in mm) of where the projection eyepoint is. (These default to 0 0 0,
which is the dome centre).
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
Each channel is then output on the playback window. They are completely independent of each
other, and you can apply distortion, blending and colour correction per channel, allowing
individually projected images to be corrected.
When designing a display system, the channel positioning is usually chosen to allow at least a
minimum overlap between channels. In the example above, the overlap near the horizon is the
smallest – this is the limiting point, and the heading offsets would be chosen to keep this above 8
degrees.
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
Defaults Wizard Dialog
Using this dialog, you can quickly set up channels in
a dome.
The most common configuration is shown below,
where the projectors are located at or near the
screen surface, crossfiring onto the opposite side
within the dome. In the dialog below, 6 channels are
forced (rather than use the existing active channel
count), the radio button is set to “Projectors at
Screen”, Force Size is selected, and a typical 1.2:1
lens is shown pitched up by 16 degrees.
This generates the channels shown below in the interactive view – 5 channels around the dome
and a single cap projector. The azimuth of all channels is calculated to give equal overlap, and the
channel 6 cap channel is placed near channel 1 with a wider angle lens (0.8:1) in order to achieve
enough overlap to the cap channel.
Note that for this to work in the real dome, the physical arrangement must match these figures in
terms of XYZ, azimuth offset, pitch and lens choice.
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
Media Placement in Frustum Mode
Introduction
In standard Flat Plane Mode you can add movies, images, video capture and text by dragging and
dropping them onto the timeline: the Screen Location can be set on each of these by typing pixel
position and size into the Resource Editor, which is relative to the canvas size.
In Frustum Mode, you can access the same screen location information by double- clicking or
right-clicking and selecting properties on a timeline resource. However, there are more options
(depending upon the Image Mapping Mode selected) for placing the visual media on the canvas
and we now using angular units (degrees) when choosing position or size.
Flat
In this default mode the resource (image, movie etc) can be placed anywhere on the canvas by
choosing an azimuth and elevation of the centre of that image, then choosing the width and
height in degrees. You can also roll that image around the centre.
Since this is a flat plane intersecting a sphere, a width or height approaching 180 degrees will look
very strange, and should be avoided.
A flat mapped image can be linearly or rotationally animated.
Fisheye
A fisheye mapped image fills the entire screen, covering all channels. This will only be
geometrically correct if the image itself has been produced with the same fisheye characteristics,
although any image can be used if this is not essential.
You can change the heading of the image, and if you clear the fullscreen checkbox, you can set the
bottom elevation that the image will reach.
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
Fisheye mapped images can be rotationally animated
You can also make the Fisheye image full screen by checking the box in the screen location tab.
Channel
A channel-mapped image fits a single channel outline exactly, and you cannot change its size or
position. On the same Screen Location dialog, you can choose which channel it is mapped to. If
you choose an inactive channel, that image will not show up in the playback window.
Channel-mapped images, and especially movies, are used where the imagery contains
information which is exactly right for that channel in terms of the frustum (the left, right, top and
bottom, heading, pitch & roll angles). The imagery needs no or little additional distortion
correction to match the projected image on the dome surface, although you can still adjust the
geometry on that channel,
Channel-mapped images have no animation.
Panoramic
Panoramic images have a cylindrical mapping which enables them to stretch completely around
the screen surface (unlike flat-mapped, which are limited to <180 degrees). These images can be
positioned in azimuth and elevation, and the width and height set.
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
Note that if you are stretching an image right around the canvas, the resolution may look poor
unless the aspect of the imagery matches the aspect of the final shape.
Panoramic images can be linearly animated.
Transform Animator
This resource effect provides Frustum Mode transformation of Azimuth, Elevation, Roll, Width
and Height so that users can quickly create motion effects without creating complex Geometry
resources.
When you add a Transform Animator (TA) to a layer, it affects the resources on that layer when it
is in scope.
Drag and drop a Transform Animator (TA) to your Timeline (on the same layer as the resource
that you want animated). Double-click the TA to open the Resource Editor to enable you to set up
animation:
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
Azimuth / Elevation / Roll
If the Force End Values are enabled, type in the azimuth and elevation where you would like the
resources to move to at the end of the TA resource. Resources will stay at the end values after the
TA has finished.
Speed values
0
Do Nothing
1
Move from the resource current position in one move
2
Move from the resource current position, once around the screen, then to the end
position
3+
Move more times around the dome before ending up at the end position
-1
Move in the opposite direction to +1
-2
Move in the opposite direction to +1, once around the screen
-3+
Move in the opposite direction more times around the dome before ending up at the
end position
If the Force Start Values are enabled, resources will “ping” to the start Az/El/Roll before moving
to the end position as before.
Width / Height
These start and end values are also in degrees, and the size will smoothly animate according to
the settings chosen.
Start / End Enable
Force Start on – Force End on
Move from known position to known position n times around the screen
Force Start off – Force End on
Move from resource current position to known position n times around the screen
Force Start on – Force End off
Move from known position n times around the screen
Using a ‘Flat’ image and the settings in the example above you can see how the image moves/rolls
around the canvas/dome:
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
Note: The grid can be switched off (as in images 5 and 6 above) or can be set between 10% and
100% (brightness) to suit.
It is worth experimenting with the various settings available on the TA to get the effects that you
want. There are 3 tabs available to you within Transform Animation: 3D Absolute, 3D Relative
and 2D Speed.
Intelligent Resources
The server makes some educated guesses about the nature of the media dropped onto the
timeline.
In the example below the display was configured to Frustum Mode then a large, square image
(1500 x 1500 px) was dropped onto the timeline. Although the resource has not been specifically
stored as a fisheye image, as it is square the system assumes it to be in fisheye format, so the
Intelligent Resources set the mapping mode automatically to fisheye. [Hover the mouse pointer
over your resource to view its properties as in the image below].
Automated Fisheye Display
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
The various automatic modes are:
Media
Media Format (Mono Audio Files)
Display
Mode
Automatic
Parameter
Image or
Movie
Square and 1500 x1500 or larger
or Square or has “fisheye” in filename
Frustum
Fisheye mapping
Image or
Movie
Aspect ratio > 2.5 and width >=1500
or Aspect ratio > 2.5 or has “panoramic” in
filename
Frustum
Panoramic
Back
Surface
Projection
If the projectors are on the outside of the dome
and the software is set to draw on the back
surface, in Frustum mode, visual resources will
be placed on Mirrored horizontally
Frustum
Mirror
Image or
Movie
Filename has _L or _left on the end
Filename has _R or _right on the end
Stereo
Left eye
Right eye
Audio
Mono audio and filename is or ends in;
L or left or 1 or ch1
R or Right or 2 or ch2
C or Centre or Center or 3 or ch3
Ls or leftsurround or 4 or ch4
Rs or rightsurround or 5 or ch5
LFE or Sub or 6 or ch6
Lside or rearleft or rl or leftback or 7 or ch7
Rside or rearright or rr or rightback or8 or ch8
9 or ch9
10 or ch10
11 or ch11
12 or ch12
13 or ch13
14 or ch14
15 or ch15
16 or ch16
Any
Speaker;
Left
Right
Centre
Left Surround
Right Surround
Sub
Left Side
Right Side
Output 9
Output 10
Output 11
Output 12
Output 13
Output 14
Output 15
Output 16
Fade
Choose up or down to be opposite from previous
up or down fade / transparency
Any
Direction
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
Note: The Intelligent Resources option defaults to on but can be switched off in the GUI if it is not
required. To switch on/off click:
Configure > Preferences > User Interface > Features
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
Test Patterns
A range of test patterns is available in Frustum Mode.
To test, select CONFIG > Display > TESTPATTERNS and select the pattern that you want to view:
Test Pattern Chequerboard (Frustum Mode)
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
Test patterns available in the drop-down include:
Test Pattern
Type
Description
Timeline
Resource display
Chequerboard
3D test pattern
Shows the resource(s) that are applied to the
timeline at the set time
A set of 15 degree black and white boxes in a sphere
Resolution
2D test pattern
Black Field
Full black output
White Field
Peak white output
Uniformity
50% drive level field
Spherical Dots
3D test pattern
Crosshatch
3D test pattern
Greyscale
3D test pattern
Distortion
Point Distortion
pattern
Genlock
Black / White pattern
This is a vertical or horizontal grill of one pixel off /
one pixel on which fills the screen
A spherical grid of dots, in which the size of the box
and dot size is configurable
A spherical grid of lines, in which the size of the box
and dot size is configurable
A spherical set of grey bars. You can choose the
orientation from 4 settings
Selected when aligning point distortion
When playing, alternately flashes white / black to
allow genlock checking across channels
When the Test Pattern drop-down menu is set to Timeline, the normal timeline contents are
shown in the playback window. When set to Timeline, you can also switch the spherical grid
overlay on/off the Playback Window output using the Grid drop-down list and selecting the
brightness (up to 100%). The size of the grid in degrees is also set in this area of the GUI.
Grid Off
Grid On – 50%
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
Preview Modes
You can Preview the playback window from the remote GUI, enabling show monitoring or more
intuitive show creation. The preview is available in the GUI in 2 locations: the Mini Preview on the
timeline page, or the main preview, which shows a higher resolution version.
Note: ‘Previewing’ puts some load on the server software, so it is only possible to view the
preview while the show is playing if there is sufficient headroom left on the server. Attempting to
view a high-resolution preview may result in dropped frames on the main playback window.
Your preview needs setting up just as you did for Interactive
View to enable you to see it effectively.
To set up the preview as you would like to view the canvas
(dome):
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

Click Preview Setup
Change the values in the side panel
or
Click and drag the grid/use your mouse controls to
move the dome into full view/position
Preview Mode: Before setup
Hold the Ctrl button whilst clicking the
up/down arrows for faster adjustment.
Hold Shift for finer control
Panel field adjustment
Notes:
As you move the image around (click and drag or using the mouse icons), the values in the panel
on the left change to reflect what is in view.
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
You can also move the mesh around the screen this on the Preview output page using the mouse,
although you can lock this capability out using the CONFIG > Preferences > Preview Window
dialog and tick the Lock Preview Window Location checkbox.
Use the mouse controls or click
and drag the image to preview
position
Setting up Preview Mode: Mouse Controls
Mini Preview
To enable the Mini Preview, whilst in TIMELINE view, click the GUI menu View and select Mini
Preview (repeat to switch off again)
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
The mini preview provides a small window above the resources area of a limited resolution.
Preview Mode
In this mode, only the active channel areas are shown with live content. The full screen is shown
and the view can be moved around using the mouse, clicking and dragging the window.
Left mouse button click + drag
Middle mouse button click + drag
Right mouse button click + drag
Reset Button
Change azimuth/elevation (view)
Zoom preview area
Change X Y Z of viewpoint
reset to a straight ahead view
Remember, if you are positioning ‘flat’ image on a mesh which uses multiple channels, it may not
automatically fit the grid (as in the example above). You cannot drag the image into the correct
position, but instead must the resource’s Resource Editor and change the Azimuth and/or
Elevation to align the resource fully within the grid…
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
Image is dropping off the bottom
of the dome: Elevation is 0:00
Change Elevation to 45° to move
the image up into the dome
Remember: Whilst working in preview mode from a remote GUI, moving the image may appear
slow/jumpy at times due to the extra load on the server!
Note: If a custom Preview Recording format is selected from the dropdown on the CONFIG >
Preferences > Preview Window dialog, preview is not available at the GUI.
Click back on TIMELINE to exit Preview Mode.
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Delta Media Player
Frustum Mode User Guide
Delta Media Server Support Documentation
Other 7thSense support documentation that you might find useful can be found stored on your
server or on the 7thSense Portal. These include:
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Delta User Guide – a basic introduction to Delta Server and its functionality
Mesh Mode User Guide – a guide to projecting onto 3D objects
Mesh Mode Introductory Walkthrough – a step-by-step example of using Mesh Mode to
project onto a 3D object
Delta Content Protection System – explanation of Delta’s content encryption and decryption
system whereby content imported onto a Delta Media Server can only be played back if
certain criteria are met
DFM User Guide – explains the. content conversion process
Delta AutoAlignment Setup – a guide to auto-alignment functionality (license required)
Delta Workflow Guide – explanation of the Ingest (media load) process and requirements
Delta Front Panel User Guide – explanation of the front panel of your Delta Server
Delta Monitor User Guide – a single utility used to manage the Delta Server Front Panel,
Network connections and Graphic settings for a Delta Media Server system
External Control and Sequence Help documents – key controls that are used to program your
Delta Server
7th Connect User Guide – a single application used to connect multiple I/O feeds for use with
Delta Media Server systems
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