AJA IoXT - Manual (Page 27)

Io XT v10.4 www.aja.com 27
Framebuffer: The framebuffer is the “memory” in Io XT where your third-party applications interface
with the hardware. The framebuffer has a format (called the “Primary Format” and color
space that it follows, as defined in the linked menu screens or via external application
software. It is important to realize that the computer can contain many applications that
can use the Io XT (as you switch from window to window) and it may not always be
obvious which currently controls it.
Figure 22. Control Panel In Use Message
In the top right corner, the Control Panel displays the name of the application controlling
the Io XT. In some cases, applications may not always properly “let go” of the I/O interface
as another takes over—you’ll be able to tell by looking at the Control Panel.
Color Meanings: All items in the Io XT Control Panel block diagram are color-coded to show what is
happening in realtime. This applies to both icons and text. These colors have the
following corresponding meanings:
• Blue: video is same format as the Primary Format (framebuffer)
• Red: the selected operation cannot be performed
• Yellow: reference video (black burst or other reference source)
• Green: indicates that Io XT is performing an active change to the video making it
different from the Primary Format (e.g., down-conversion).
Primary Format: The video format currently assigned to Io XT. This is the format that the framebuffer will
use and is shown in the Control Panel using the color blue.
It is the format that the third-
party application software will either receive from the AJA hardware, or is giving to the
hardware. All icons in blue are the same as the Primary Format used by the framebuffer.
Also any text descriptions in the block diagram that appear in blue also indicate that
something is in the primary format. So, for example, if you see that the input and output
icons are blue, then you know that the same format is used throughout the video path
and that no format conversion is being performed. If a different color is displayed on the
input or output, say green for example, then you know that Io XT is performing a format
conversion in the video path.