MP-200
Dual Channel HDMI to H.264 IP Streaming Encoder
User Guide
v1.2 July, 2024
support@starlink7.com
Introduction
Various HDMI Input Source for IP Streaming Output
- MP-200 is a dual channel H.264 HDMI to IP Streaming encoder to convert various HDMI video/audio source to IP streams for delivery of IPTV over Internet or Local Area IP Network (LAN).
MP-104R is a quad channel ATSC/J.83B QAM modulator to convert IP streams received from Internet or LAN IP network to ATSC / J.83B QAM RF modulation signal for delivery of IPTV over coax network.
IP Streaming to ATSC/J.83B QAM RF Output
Overview
■ Operation Panel (Front)
- 3”x1.2” dot matrix LCD
- Keypad
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Return or escape to upper level menu and cancel the current operation |
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Arrow keys to traverse between menu items or increase / decrease selected parameter value |
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Confirm the selection |
| DATA | 1000Base-T IP streaming output |
| NMS | 1000Base-T Web based configuration |
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• LED 1/3 solid blue……IP streaming on-air • LED 2/4 solid green……HDMI connected with Transport Stream input blinking green………HDMI not connected or no Transport Stream input |
■ Input Interface (Back)
| HDMI 1/2 | HDMI Input |
| SDI 1/2 | (Optional) 3G-SDI input |
| HDMI IN | HDMI Input |
| DC 12V | DC Power Input |
| 1000Base-T | Gigabit Ethernet, RJ-45 |
■ Installation Requirement
- Available video/audio source from HDMI output device
- Available Ethernet/IP network
- Available electrical power socket
■ Package Content
- MP-200 dual channel HDMI to H.264 IP streaming encoder
- AC/DC power adapter
- User Guide
All commands and settings are also available on Web based configuration by connecting the Ethernet port of computers to the NMS port of MP-200. Launch any Web browser and point the URL to http://192.168.0.168 to login with
User name………….. admin
Password………….. 0000
to access configuration pages.
Specifications
HDMI to IP Streaming Encoder
| Input | Interface | HDMI x 2, Optional 3G-SDI BNC x 2 |
| Output | Interface | 1000Base-T RJ-45 x 1 for I P streaming Unicast / Multicast UDP / RTP or Unicast HTTP / HLS (m3u8) |
| Transport Streams | SPTS x 4 or MPTS x 1 | |
| H.264 Video Encoding |
Format | H.264 AVC / HP @ L4.0 |
| Resolutin | I nput 1080 50/60 p/i, 720 50/60p, 576i, 480i | |
| Output: up to 1080 30p | ||
| Bit Rate | I nput: 3 to 12 Mbps | |
| Rate Control | Constant Bit Rate (CBR), Variable Bit Rate (VBR) | |
| Chroma Sampling | 4:2:0, 4:2:2 | |
| Profile | High, Main | |
| Level | 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 4.0, 4.1, 4.2 | |
| GoP Structure | I BP, I PPP | |
| Audio Encoding | Format | MPEG-1 Layer 2, AAC, AC3 |
| Sampling Rate | 44.1 kHz, 48.0 kHz | |
| Bit Rate | 64 to 384 kbps |
General
| Power Supply | 1000Base-T RJ-45 x 1 Web based |
| Dimensions | 12 VDC, 1A |
| Weight | 8.66″ x 8.11″ x 1.73″ (220 x 206 x 44 mm) |
| Environment | 2.2 lbs (1000g) |
| Management/Configuration | Operating Temperature: 5 to 40 °C Humidity: 80% @ 30 °C |
■ IP Streaming Scenario
IP streaming to smart devices (TVs, phones, tablets, computers) requires the IPTV streams generated from encoder/sender/server to reach the decoder/receiver/client over the IP network. The IPTV streams are distributed over WAN/Internet or LAN/Intranet through wired or wireless (e.g. Wi-Fi or cellular) connection on demand basis.
The Internet/Intranet connection bandwidth required for live IPTV streaming is about 9Mbps per channel for 1080p video resolution. Larger streaming server such as YouTube, AWS, Hulu offer higher throughput or bandwidth to deliver the live streaming to millions of users simultaneously.
The output of MP-200 IP streams can be received and played on various smart devices, such as
- Regular TV with Android TV set-top box, IPTV set-top box, or IPTV to HDMI decoder
- Android Smart TV
- Computer, cell phone, tablet
- MP-104R IP to ATSC / J.83B QAM RF modulator for distribution of IPTV over coax network
Video or Media Player App, such as VLC (www.videolan.org), MX player (www.mxplayer.in) from Google Play or Apple store, is required to support Network Streaming in order to play IPTV streams on computer, smart TVs or other smart devices.
Refer to the section Playlist URL for more information about IP streaming protocols and playlist context.
Web Configuration and Remote Control
- Connect the Ethernet (RJ-45) port marked NMS on the front panel of MP-200 to the Ethernet port of a PC with Ethernet cable. Power on MP-200.
- Configure the IP address of the PC to be static IPv4 192.168.0.100.
- Launch a Web browser on PC and type http://192.168.0.168, The default login name is ‘admin’ and the default password is ‘0000’.
The default IP address of MP-201 NMS port is 192.168.0.168. If this address is changed from LCD menu or Web configuration page, write down the new IP address for future use. If the IP address of the NMS port of MP-200 is unknown, press and hold the reset button for 5 seconds to restore the default IP address of NMS port to be 192.168.0.168.
■ Login
The default login name is ‘admin’ and the default password is ‘0000’.
There are 3 sections on Web configuration pages – Summary, Encoder, and System.
Web Configuration – System
■ Network 
Notes:
- IP address of NMS port and DATA port CANNOT be configured in the same subnet to avoid conflict
- Current IP addresses of NMS port and DATA port are displayed on LCD menu
■ Login User Name and Password 
■ Upgrade
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Press Choose button to select firmware file (image.ub) and then Upgrade button to update the firmware. |
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Note: MP-200 reboots after Firmware/Encoder/Boot file update. Wait for 1 minute to allow the unit to boot up. |
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Press Choose button to select boot loader file (bootloader.bin) and then Upgrade button to update boot loader. |
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■ Configuration
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Apply Factory Reset to restore configurations to factory defaults. |
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Download configuration file from the device to PC connected. |
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Upload configuration file from PC connected to the device. |
Web Configuration – Parameters
■ Encoder Parameters
| ♦ Video Bit Rate | 3 to 12 Mbps. For 1080p resolution (1920×1080), suggested bitrate is 4Mbps for Medium bitrate, 8Mbps for High bitrate, and 12Mbps for Ultra High bitrate. |
| ♦ Bit Rate Mode | Selection of Constant Bit Rate (CBR), or Variable Bit Rate (VBR). |
| ♦ Audio Codec | Selection of MPEG II, AC3, or AAC. |
| ♦ Audio Bit Rate (kbps) | Selection of 64,112, 128, 160, 192, 224, 256, 320, or 384 kbps. |
| ♦ H.264 Profile | Selection of High or Main profile. |
| ♦ H.264 Level | Selection of 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 4.0, 4.1, or 4.2 level. |
| ♦ Group of Picture (GoP) | Selection of IBP frames or IPPP frames. |
| ♦ PMT PID | Program Map Table (PMT) Packet ID (PID) between 32 and 8190. |
| ♦ PCR PID | Program Clock Reference Packet ID (PID) between 32 and 8190. |
| ♦ Video PID | Video Packet ID (PID) between 32 and 8190. |
| ♦ Audio PID | Audio Packet ID (PID) between 32 and 8190. |
| ♦ Service ID | Service Stream ID between 1 and 65535. |
| ♦ TS ID | Transport Stream ID between 1 and 65535 |
| ♦ Service Provider | Service Provider name. Maximum 15 characters allowed. |
| ♦ Service Name | Service name. Maximum 15 characters allowed. |
Web Configuration – IP Streams
■ IP Streams
IP video streams can be distributed in Single Program Transport Stream (SPTS) or Multi-Program Transport Stream (MPTS). Each type of stream can be delivered in Unicast address or Multicast address to reach destination over IP network.
Multicast IP address range is 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255 with 224.0.0.0 to 224.0.0.255 reserved exclusively for local network management and maintenance. If Multicast address is used to reach the destination for a video player APP to receive and play the IP streams,
① Both the encoder/sender and the decoder/receiver of IP streams are located in the same Local Area Network (LAN) subnet.
② Both the encoder/sender and the decoder/receiver of IP streams join the same multicast group.
③ The network administrator has configured the routers and firewalls in the LAN to allow Multicast traffic to pass through without blocking.
Input from each HDMI interface can be encoded to one SPTS stream. Inputs from both HDMI interfaces can be encoded to one MPTS stream.
| ♦ Streams | SPTS 1 The 1st output SPTS from HDMI 1 source. SPTS 2 The 2nd output SPTS from HDMI 2 source. MPTS The output MPTS from both HDMI 1 and HDMI 2 source. |
| ♦ Output | Selection of ON/OFF to enable/disable IP stream output. |
| ♦ Protocol | Selection of UDP, RTP, HLS or HTTP as IP streaming protocol. |
| ♦ Play Mode | • UDP or RTP Protocol Selection of Unicast or Multicast for destination address of IP streams. Multicast can ONLY be used where MP-200 and the receiver/decoder are located in the same subnet. • HLS or HTTP Protocol SPTS only. |
| ♦ IP / File | • UDP or RTP Protocol Unicast or Multicast IP address of IP streaming destination. • HLS or HTTP Protocol IP stream URL for decoder/receiver to identify and access. |
| ♦ Port | UDP port number of IP streaming destination (for UDP or RTP only). |
| ♦ TTL | Time-To-Live (TTL) value of IP streaming packets between 1 and 255. |
Playlist URL
■ UDP and RTP
| ♦ Unicast | udp://@destination_IP_address:port_number or rtp://@destination_IP_address:port_number for example udp://@192.168.10.25:2234 where 192.168.10.25 is the IP address of the decoder/receiver of IP streams. |
| ♦ Multicast | udp://@multicast_IP_address:port_number or rtp://@multicast_IP_address:port_number for example udp://@224.1.1.1:2234 where 224.1.1.1 is the multicast IP address. |
■ HTTP Live Streaming (HLS)
| Stream File | http://source_IP_address/h1.m3u8 (for HDMI 1 input) or http://source_IP_address/h2.m3u8 (for HDMI 2 input) for example http://192.168.0.10/h1.m3u8 where 192.168.0.10 is the IP address of the DATA port of MP200 encoder that generates the IP streams. |
■ HTTP
| Stream File | http://source_IP_address:8080/h1.ts (for HDMI 1 input) or http://source_IP_address:8080/h2.ts (for HDMI 2 input) for example http://192.168.0.10:8080/h1.ts where 192.168.0.10 is the IP address of the DATA port of MP200 encoder that generates the IP streams. |
Compliance
■ Warranty
The MP-200 modulator has one-year Limited Hardware Warranty and 90-day free software updates after purchase. This Limited Warranty Statement gives the customer specific legal rights. The customer may also have other rights which vary from State to State in the United States, from province to province in Canada, and from country to country elsewhere in the world. To the extent that this Limited Warranty Statement shall be deemed modified to be consistent with such local law. Under such local law, certain disclaimers and limitations of this Warranty Statement may not apply to the customer.
■ Important Safety Instructions
Basic safety precautions should always be followed to reduce the risk of fire, electrical shock, and personal injury, including the following:
- Do not use this product near water – for example, near a bathtub, kitchen sink, laundry tub, or swimming pool, or in a wet basement; only clean with dry cloth.
- Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus including amplifiers that produce heat. - Do not remove the cover of the modulator, cover the modulator with thick or heavy objects.
- Use only the power cord indicated in this manual if applicable.
■ FCC Class B Equipment
This device has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try and correct the interference by implementing one or more of the following measures:
- Reorient or relocate the device
- Increase the separation between the device and receiver
- Connect the device to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected (applicable only to power line products)
- Consult the dealer or an experience radio or television technician for help
■ Declaration of Conformity for Products Marked with the FCC logo – USA Only
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules license-exempt RSS standard(s). Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
- This device may not cause harmful interference
- This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device
Where applicable standard FCC Part 15, Subpart B ANSI C63.4:2014, the BSL Testing Co., Ltd. performed above specification conformity test and issued certificate # BSL24030234P01-E01 in accordance with local regulation.
■ Declaration of CE and RoHS Conformity
Objects: MP-200 and MP-104R
This declaration of conformity is issued under the sole responsibility of the manufacturer for products of HDMI IP encoders that support single channel or multi-channel IP streaming standards. The object(s) of the declaration described above are in conformity with the relevant Community harmonization legislation:
– Harmonized Directive with RoHS Directive (2015/863/EU) and 2017/2012/EU amending Annex II to 2011/65/EU
– Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive (2014/30/EU)
– LVD Directive (2014/35/EU)
And their amendments.
References to the relevant harmonized standards, including the date of the standard, used in relation to which the conformity is declared:
– ETSI EN 55032:2015+A11:2020
– ESTI EN 62368-1:2020+A11:2020
– ESTI EN 55035:2017+A11:2020
– ESTI EN IEC 61000-3-2:2019+A1:2021
– ESTI EN IEC 61000-3-3:203/A2:2021
– EN IEC 62321-1:2013, 62321-4:2013/AMD1:2017, 62321-6:2015, 62321-7-2:2017, 62321-3-1:2013 62321-5:2013, 62321-7-1:2015, 62321-8:2017
Where applicable, the TMC Testing Service Co., Ltd. performed above specification conformity test and issued certificate # MK24030234P01-S01, MK24030234P01-C01, and MK24030234P01-E01 in accordance with local regulation.
Trouble Shooting
♦ The NMS port is not accessible for configuration of MP-200 encoder
- Make sure the IP address of the NMS port of MP-200 is entered to the Web browser correctly.
The IP address of the NMS port can be displayed on LCD screen by traversing the menu tree. - The IP address of the LAN port of computer connects to the MP-200 is assigned with different IP subnet from the NMS port of MP-200.
♦ Why the NMS and the DATA ports of MP-200 cannot be assigned to the same IP subnet
If IP addresses of the NMS port and the DATA port of MP-200 are assigned to the same subnet, the internal Ethernet switch may transmit the IP streams to the wrong port to forward.
♦ Does MP-200 support DHCP
MP-200 doesn’t support DHCP. Static IP addresses have to be assigned to the NMS and the DATA ports of MP-200. It’s common to connect the DATA port to the router of home network or LAN to deliver IP streams through Internet or Intranet for broader audience, but make sure the static IP address assigned to the DATA port doesn’t duplicate the IP address assigned to other computing devices connected to the same network to avoid IP address conflict.
♦ Where to find good media player App to play IP streams
For Smart or Android TV, media player Apps can be found on Google Play Store or Apple Store. The media player App is required to include the feature of receiving network streams. VLC player from www.videolan.org can be a good choice because it’s a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player and framework that plays most multimedia files as well as DVDs, CDs, VCDs, and and various streaming protocols.
♦ Which protocol is better to be used for IP streams to reach the media player
Either Unicast or Multicast UDP or RTP streaming protocol is recommended. Refer to the section Playlist URL for more information.
Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) and Network Device Interface (NDI) protocols are not supported.
♦ What’s the Ethernet network bandwidth required for IP streaming
Depending on the video bit rate configured on MP-200, minimum 12 Mbps of network bandwidth per channel is required. Lower network bandwidth will cause high latency and jitter of IP stream playback.
♦ What’s the internal memory required for better buffering of IP stream playback
Minimum 8G bytes of free memory is recommended for smart TV, TV box, computer or smart device to avoid video/audio cut off.
♦ Why is IP streams not played well on smart TVs, computers or smart devices
- Check the Ethernet connection of the receiver/decoder and make sure the IP streams distributed by MP-200 are accessible. For example, Ping the MP200 and check the reply time is short enough to reach the receiver.
- Make sure the network bandwidth between the receiver/decoder and MP200 is higher than 12 Mbps per (HDMI) channel.
- Configure MP-200 to use UDP/RTP Unicast or Multicast protocol to transmit IP streams and enter the valid URL playlist context on receiver/decoder to retrieve IP streams.
- If UDP/RTP Multicast protocol is configured on MP-200 to transmit IP streams, make sure the Ethernet/IP router(s) and firewall are not blocking the Multicast traffic inside the same subnet.
♦ How to replace RF modulators with MP-200
The output of MP-200 can be transmitted over Ethernet/IP network, such as Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet cable, instead of coaxial cable, to reach the destination. The receivers/decoders, such as Android TVs, TV boxes, cell phones, computers, or other smart devices, need to access the same Ethernet/IP network through Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable, to retrieve the IP streams for playback. Ethernet over coaxial (EoC) device, such as MoCA, can also be used to transmit the IP streams to reach receivers/decoders.
Notes
STARMAX is a trademark of StarLink LLC
StarLink LLC. Copyright © 2024, All Rights Reserved.
1030 E. El Camino Real, #158
Sunnyvale, CA 94087
www.starlink7.com
support@starlink7.com
Documents / Resources
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STARMAX MP-200 Dual Channel HDMI to H.264 IP Streaming Encoder [pdf] User Guide MP-200, MP-200 Dual Channel HDMI to H.264 IP Streaming Encoder, Dual Channel HDMI to H.264 IP Streaming Encoder, HDMI to H.264 IP Streaming Encoder, IP Streaming Encoder, Streaming Encoder |