Overlay Module Version 2.4
Installation and Operation Manual
Thank you for using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module for your ROV.
This instruction manual contains all the information you’ll need for
installing and operating the Overlay Module of the Abyssal OS.
This system includes a processing computer to receive telemetry and
video, process it, and output up to 4 HD video feeds with overlay. An
installation USB Pen is also included, which contains the Supervisor
Application to be installed on an external PC connected to the same
network. There is already a Supervisor application installed on the
processing unit, which can be used instead of an external computer.
Please check the support page on our web site at
www.abyssal.eu/support for the latest software versions.
We are continuously working on new features and improvements. Feel
free to send your feedback to [email protected] so we can build a
system that fits your needs.
Manuel Parente
CTO Abyssal S.A.
What’s new in version 2.4
Improve support for screen scaling.
Implement zda, keypoint sentences.
Support for custom telemetry sentences.
Support for custom recording file names.
Open API for start and stop recording.
Contents
1 Getting Started 7
Introducing Abyssal OS 7
Introducing the Overlay Module for Abyssal OS 8
Hardware Overview (optional) 9
Software Overview 10
2 Setup Instructions 11
Setting up the Hardware 11
1. Power 12
2. Network 12
3. Telemetry 12
4. Outputs 13
5. Inputs 13
6. Examples 14
Installing the software 16
Fresh Install 16
Upgrading a manual installation 17
Main Display Setup 18
Changing the main display 18
Checking which graphics card the displays are connected 19
3 Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software 21
Opening the applications 21
1. Opening the Supervisor application 21
2. Re-opening the overlay application 22
The Launcher Application 23
The Overlay Application 24
The Supervisor Application 25
1. Home 25
2. Overlay Editor 27
3. Video Recorder 29
4. Playback 31
5. Media Gallery 33
6. Dive Log 35
7. Settings 39
The Remote Supervisor 43
1. Configuration 43
2. Application 46
The ABY telemetry format 48
The ABY API telemetry format 49
4 Troubleshooting and diagnosing problems 50
7
Getting Started
Getting Started
Introducing Abyssal OS
Abyssal Operating System for ROVs is the indispensable tool to operate in the harshest
environments with the world’s most advanced 3d technology, augmented reality, and
precise navigation.
The Abyssal OS is a suite of tools for everyone involved in subsea operations. It allows asset
tracking, life-of-field management, mission planning, and much more.
It is especially useful for subsea construction, decommissioning, renewable energy
operations, seabed trenching and well intervention.
A new era of offshore Oil & Gas operations is starting. The increasing complexity of subsea
oil fields requires the most innovative solutions. With the Abyssal Operating System
installed on your Remotely Operated Vehicles (or ROV) you will be able to have an instant
overview of the operation in real time. Using the Augmented Reality System with each of
the ROV cameras, the pilot will be able to locate targets with incredible efficiency.
It’s the perfect tool for supervisors, superintendents and managers. Organize work sites,
keep track of every mission, and manage all the data from the mission in real time. Monitor
multiple assets with live positioning data. Manage multi-ROV operations with safety and
efficiency.
8
Getting Started
Introducing the Overlay Module for Abyssal OS
The Overlay Module for the Abyssal OS is a software and hardware solution that provides
an overlay system for a mission's real-time video feed, with the current telemetry
superimposed.
It offers an easy-to-use, configurable, real-time display of telemetry in different visual
formats (textual or graphic), compatible with all the different video formats.
Abyssal Overlay System is a module already prepared to be used as an interface with
Abyssal OS, the most advanced Visualization System for ROVs currently in the market.
9
Getting Started
Hardware Overview (optional)
The Abyssal OS Overlay package contains:
1 4U Rack PC
3 DVI to HDMI cables
1 HDMI to HDMI cable
3 Display Port to DVI cable
4 BNC to Mini BNC cables
1 Power Cable
1 User Manual
1 Installation USB Pen with Supervisor App for external PCs
Rack PC
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Getting Started
Software Overview
The software consists of 2 different applications: an overlay application and a supervisor
application.
The overlay application has no direct user interaction, and serves to render video with
overlay graphics in a monitor.
The supervisor application is the controller application, in which all interactions are made.
The overlay applications run without the need for running the supervisor application. The
supervisor application is used to monitor and configure the overlays, and can run on the
overlay PC or on an external computer connected to the same network.
In the supervisor application you can:
Manage worksites and their coordinate system
Manage missions (jobs) for each worksite
Manage logs for each dive in a mission
Record jobs and playback the recorded videos
Configure overlays
Manage telemetry inputs
Manage the overlays for each video output
Adjust system units (feet, meters)
See system health (alarms)
Take and review snapshots of Overlay’s applications
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Setup Instructions
Setup Instructions
Setting up the Hardware
12
Setup Instructions
1. Power
Leave the power-cut button off while setting up the hardware. Turn it on when finished.
Connect the power cable to the power socket.
2. Network
Connect your Ethernet cable (RJ45) to the RJ45 jack.
3. Telemetry
If the telemetry source to be used is a serial cable, connect it to a USB port using the
supplied adapters.
For using telemetry via Ethernet (JSON), simply setup the network.
13
Setup Instructions
4. Outputs
Use a DVI to HDMI cable to connect the DVI output port to one of the monitors. Connect
the HDMI end to the monitor and the DVI end to the Abyssal OS System.
Use an HDMI to HDMI cable to connect the HDMI output port to a second monitor.
To connect the last two monitors, link together a Display Port to DVI adapter and a DVI to
HDMI cable. Connect the Display Port end to the Abyssal OS System and the HDMI end to
the monitor.
5. Inputs
Connect each of the 4 BNC cables to your video sources, and the mini-BNC terminator to
the desired video input port in the Abyssal OS System.
SD Format Support
625/25 PAL, 525/29.97 NTSC.
HD Format Support
720p50, 720p59.94, 720p60, 1080p23.98, 1080p24, 1080p25, 1080p29.97, 1080p30, 1080i50,
1080i59.94 and 1080i60.
SDI Compliance
SMPTE 259M, SMPTE 292M, SMPTE 296M
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Setup Instructions
6. Examples
Example of one possible output and input configuration with 4 monitors.
15
Setup Instructions
Example of one possible output and input configuration with 5 monitors.
16
Setup Instructions
Installing the software
To install Abyssal OS Overlay run OverlayInstaller*.exe.
Fresh Install
The default Abyssal OS Overlay installation folder is C:\AbyssalOS Overlay. For a new
installation, we recommend that location.
17
Setup Instructions
Upgrading a manual installation
If another version of Abyssal OS Overlay is already installed in your system, start by
removing the old shortcuts (in start menu and desktop) and auto-start (WIN+R >
shell:startup > remove AbyssalOS shortcuts).
When installing use the same directory to keep the settings. Typically the destination folder
should be C:\AbyssalOS.
18
Setup Instructions
Main Display Setup The user must ensure that the main display is configured to be one of the monitors
connected to the discrete graphics card.
This is important because having the internal graphics card as the main display, may cause
performance issues, especially when recording.
Changing the main display
To change the main display go to Display Settings on windows (right click on desktop >
Display Settings). Select the right display and press “Make this my main display”.
Please use the “Force Restart” shortcut to restart Abyssal OS after switching the main
display.
19
Setup Instructions
Checking which graphics card the displays are connected
Besides checking the cables connecting to the monitors, you can use windows Advanced
Display Settings to check which display is connected to which graphics card.
Open Display Settings (right click on desktop) and click Advanced display settings. Select
a display from the list, scroll down, and press Display adapter properties (as seen in the
image).
These properties show to which display adapter (graphics card) each monitor is connected
to.
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Setup Instructions
As an example, we can see the properties of an NVIDIA (the discrete graphics card) and
Intel (the onboard graphics card):
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
Opening the applications
1. Opening the Supervisor application
You can use the supervisor application to make changes to any of the monitors; there are
three options to open a Supervisor application.
a. Close an open application to free a monitor
If you close one overlay application, you can run the supervisor on that screen. Close one
overlay application by focusing (with a mouse click) the overlay application you want to
close, pressing ALT+F4, and then opening the supervisor application on that monitor using
the launcher.
If the launcher happens to open behind a camera viewer you can use the
Windows Logo + Left/Right key shortcut to move it to the correct desktop.
Monitor 1 Monitor 2 Monitor 3 Monitor 4
Example of a configuration in which the supervisor app was opened in the second monitor
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
b. Use a remote supervisor
You can install a remote supervisor on another machine – using the provided
AbyssalOS.Supervisor.Setup*.exe. This allows you to control the applications from a
different computer, without having to close any of the overlay applications.
The computer running the Supervisor application must be connected to the same network
as the Abyssal OS Overlay Module.
c. Use an auxiliary monitor
If you have a motherboard with onboard graphics card, you can connect a monitor there
and use it for the supervisor application. The overlay applications should open
automatically in the normal monitors (the monitors connected to the dedicated graphics
card) leaving this extra monitor free for the supervisor application.
To open the supervisor application on this extra monitor, open the launcher (start menu >
AbyssalOS Launcher) and choose to open the supervisor on that monitor. Please note that,
for the auxiliary monitor, the launcher will only open the supervisor application.
2. Re-opening the overlay application
If you want to open a previously closed overlay application, use the AbyssalOS Launcher
shortcut in the start menu.
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
The Launcher Application
This application is focused on opening applications on specific screens. Use the mouse on
each screen representation, and click to open the desired application. This application can
be found in the start menu with the name AbyssalOS Launcher.
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
The Overlay Application
The overlay application needs no user interaction, it is remotely configured and controlled
by the supervisor application.
This application is focused on processing the video and overlaying the telemetry
information.
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
The Supervisor Application
1. Home
B
D
E F A
C G
B
D
E F A
C G
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
A) Currently active items – shows the system’s current worksite, mission, and dive log;
B) System Status – turns red or yellow to raise issues, such as failing to connect to the
Abyssal OS Server or finding problems with the telemetry input;
C) Shortcut to take snapshot (Media Gallery);
D) Main Menu;
E) Worksite management – Shows you the current selected worksite, and its geographical
and projected coordinates; clicking on the worksite opens the worksite management –
in which you can add, remove, or edit worksite information; clicking the coordinates
allows you to change the coordinate system that is used on the current worksite;
F) Mission management – Shows you the current selected mission; clicking on the mission
opens the mission management – in which you can add, remove, or edit mission
information.
G) Map – Puts into geographical context vessels, worksites, weather, wind and currents.
This information comes through a specialized service that needs dedicated credentials.
The toggle buttons allow you to select which information is visible.
Geographical Coordinates are used to specify the geographical coordinate system that you are using for that worksite. It is used to parse the positioning system data stream so that the system can convert from Latitude and Longitude to Northing and Easting. Projected coordinates are used to specify the projection system for the Northing and Easting. Additionally, if the system is receiving the positioning data in northing and easting, it uses these coordinates to convert back to Latitude and Longitude for use in the overlay.
NOTE
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
2. Overlay Editor
A B
E
C D
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
A) Overlay Profile List – you can add new profiles, export/import, edit the name, clone or
delete a profile;
B) Tether Management System menu – toggle TMS/Cage telemetry information;
C) Insert text boxes and images;
D) Toggle the edition grid (which makes elements snap to the grid’s points), undo the
previous action (also available with the Ctrl+Z shortcut), and delete profiles;
E) ROV Telemetry menu – toggle ROV related telemetry and positioning information, turn
on/off date and time, worksite, mission, and dive information.
Drag items in the profile overlay to organize them according to your preference. You can also change the font size for each item. Select multiple item(s) with Ctrl+Click.
NOTES
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
3. Video Recorder
The video recorder module is optional.
A
C
B
D
E
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
The Video Recorder allows you to record up to four monitors directly onto the connected
SSD Disks:
A) See a list of connected monitors;
a. Configure a filename prefix for the generated recording;
b. Configure the file partitioning and the recording quality for each monitor;
c. Choose whether to record only to the Client disks, or to also store a duplicate
copy in the Black Box disks;
B) See a list of disks and their space availability;
C) See a conservative estimate for the remaining recording time left with the available
disk space;
D) Start or stop recording monitors;
E) Identify visually which monitors and disks are busy with the recording process.
The disks and their types are identified by their naming scheme:
Client disks are named “SSDC<number>” – e.g. “SSDC12”;
Black box disks are named “SSDBB<number>” – e.g. “SSDBB4”.
The Video Recorder can only record the screen of connected monitors, as they are seen. Black Box disks have automatic rotation. When needed, the system will automatically clean the next Black Box disk for recording. If there is a single Black Box disk, it will not be fully cleared – only its older recordings will be cleared.
NOTES
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
4. Playback
The playback module is part of the recording module.
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
The Playback allows you to review the recorded videos for each camera:
See the list of available videos;
Play or pause playback;
Skip playback.
You can change which camera to play back in which of the quadrants.
Playback of the different videos is simultaneous.
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
5. Media Gallery
A B
C
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
A) Take a new snapshot of the selected applications;
B) Search the snapshots by file name;
C) Review the snapshots, grouped by date:
Expand or collapse a group of snapshots;
Edit the file name of a snapshot;
Open the snapshot’s image;
Open the snapshot’s containing folder and select the file.
If there is an active dive log when a snapshot is taken, an automatic log entry is added that
registers the snapshots.
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
6. Dive Log
The dive log module is optional.
F
C
D F E
G A B
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
The initial screen lists the Dive Logs and their details. Open a Dive Log and see its list of
Dive Log Entries.
a. Dive Logs
A) Generate a mission report for the selected mission.
a. After you select a target folder, the system generates a mission report;
b. The report is a portable HTML5 page which can be viewed in a web browser.
B) Create new Dive Log.
C) Filter Dive Logs by their worksite and mission.
D) Select a Dive Log on the list, double-click it or press the arrow button (G) to go to its
Dive Log Entry list.
E) Mark a Dive Log as the target of all new events by activating it as the current.
F) Fill and edit Dive Log details. The creation date and total time are automatically filled by
the system according to the date of the entries tagged “on deck” and “off deck”.
G) Navigation button to enter Dive Log Entries.
You can open the mission report in any browser. If you wish to copy or share the mission report, include all the files by copying the entire folder.
NOTES
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
b. Dive Log Entries
A) Add or delete entries.
B) List of all events identified by:
TYPE: Info, for user generated. System, Warning or Error, for automatically
generated entries;
B
C
D
A
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
DESCRIPTION: To edit, click on the text or press the edit icon (pencil). Save by
pressing ENTER key or edit icon again;
TAG: Quickly highlight what the entry is related to. To add tag click on the tag area
or press the tag icon to open a list of existing tags. If no tags match your search,
pressing ENTER will create that new tag;
DATE: Automatically filled when a new entry is created. It can be edited by typing
the desired date or by pressing the date icon.
C) Filter entries list by toggling the entry type icons and tags on and off, and by keyword
on search box.
D) Add, edit and delete tags. To edit name double-click on the text or press the edit icon.
Click its color square button to change to another color.
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
7. Settings
d. Telemetry
Telemetry Input Settings – Allows you to invert certain variables according to your
standard. For example, for some ROV models a negative pitch means upwards.
Ethernet Settings – Allows you to start or stop the server that receives SerialTap
(Oceaneering) telemetry and configure the IDs of the ROV and TMS.
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
In the Serial configuration area, you can:
Add new source;
Rescan for new sources (only works if sources are currently streaming);
If you are using a system with multiple units in the same port, you can add a
Unit-ID under the relevant telemetry source;
You can click the “eye” button on a source to see the live feed on that
serial port.
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
e. Video Feeds
These settings allow you to configure each of the video feeds.
Press Identify to show on each overlay application their respective camera name.
You can select the overlay profile for each camera.
Make sure to configure the camera’s field of view, in order to have an accurate artificial
horizon on the overlay.
If you have Pan and Tilt telemetry streaming to the system for a given camera, enable it
and specify its Camera ID.
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
f. System
Here you can choose the length unit in which you are working; it will change how the
telemetry input is interpreted, and the units of any value that appears on screen.
You can also configure the time the system waits before raising a “no positioning” warning.
Choosing the Length Unit tells the system to interpret the data coming through telemetry in that unit. If you choose feet as a unit, the system will interpret 200 in depth as 200 feet.
IMPORTANT
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
The Remote Supervisor
This application allows remote control of an overlay system. It works like a regular
supervisor, except for the video playback which is not available remotely.
1. Configuration
The first time the Remote Supervisor is connected, a prompt will appear. The user should
type in the network name or address of the overlay system. Make sure that both machines
are in the same network.
After typing the machine's name, you can check the connection to it by pressing the Check
button.
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
a. Success
A tick mark inside a circle will appear if the Remote Supervisor can successfully connect to
the selected system.
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
b. Failure
If the connection cannot be established, an X inside a circle will appear. Make sure that the
machine's name is correct and that Abyssal OS is running in said system.
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
2. Application
a. Appearance
The visual appearance of the Remote Supervisor application is identical to the Abyssal OS
Supervisor, with the addition of the connected-to machine in the top left corner.
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
b. Connecting to another system
To change the connection to another system simply click in the current system's name. A
prompt with the Remote Configuration modal will appear. Changing the name of the
system and pressing Connect will close and relaunch the application, connected to the new
target.
The Check functionality works as previously explained.
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
The ABY telemetry format
One of the telemetry input formats accepted by the Abyssal OS is the ABY format. It is a
format developed in-house and has the following variables:
Id of type string;
Heading of type float;
Pitch of type float;
Roll of type float;
Depth of type float;
Easting of type double;
Northing of type double;
Altitude of type float;
Turns of type float;
Payout of type float;
The format of the string is:
$ABY,[Id],[Heading],[Pitch],[Roll],[Depth],[Easting],[Northing],[Altitude],[Turns],[Payout]CRLF
A sample of telemetry in this format is:
[With all fields]
$ABY,ROV002,56.4,3.4,0.3,234,67.144157409668,-125.124866485596,14.9,0.3,5.6
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Using the Abyssal OS Overlay Module Software
[Without Altitude]
$ABY,ROV002,56.4,3.4,0.3,234,67.144157409668,-125.124866485596,,0.3,5.6
When a field has no value, no value is in the feed but the comma is still added. In the
previous example there are two commas between northing and turns – the altitude value
is missing.
Length units
The system assumes that the telemetry comes in the same units as the system is configured
to accept.
The ABY API telemetry format
The system supports a limit API for external commands. The following commands are
supported – all case insensitive:
StartRecord– starts recording all configured feeds;
StopRecord – stops all recording jobs.
The format of the string is:
$ABYAPI,[Command][optional arguments]CRLF
A sample of telemetry in this format is:
[With all fields]
$ABYAPI,StartRecord
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Troubleshooting and diagnosing problems
Troubleshooting and diagnosing problems
Some common issues can be identified and solved by following the troubleshooting
methods described below.
1. In the Camera Viewer, screen is black:
The system is OKAY. This means everything is connected properly but no video is coming.
There are 2 ways of fixing this problem:
Make sure the video provider is ON, i.e. video camera.
Make sure the cable is SDI (Serial Digital Interface) and not an analog cable.
BlackMagic only accept SDI connected to their BNC connectors.
2. In the Camera Viewer, red letters on black background read “NO VIDEO”:
The system is OKAY. However, this message only appears when there are no physical cables
connected to the system.
There are 2 ways of fixing this problem:
Connect an SDI cable with a BNC connector.
Make sure the SDI cable is connected on an input pin and not on an output pin.
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Troubleshooting and diagnosing problems
3. In Camera Viewer, “VIDEO RESOLUTION NOT SUPPORTED BY LICENCE”:
The system is OKAY. This message appears when Camera Viewer is opened on a 4K
monitor and licensee does not have a 4K license.
There are 2 ways of fixing this problem:
Request a new license that includes 4K video.
Open Camera Viewer on a monitor with a 1920x1080 resolution or lower.
4. In Camera Viewer, “NO SDI VIDEO INPUT”:
The system is in WARNING but can recover. This message appears when a monitor is open
that doesn’t have a corresponding input pin on the Capture Card.
Check if there are enough input pins for the monitors.
5. In Camera Viewer, “VIDEO INDEX ALREADY IN USE”:
The system is in WARNING but can recover. This message appears when Camera Viewer is
opened using a camera whose port is already in use.
Check if multiple Camera Viewers are open on the same monitor.
6. In the Camera Viewer, “VIDEO UNAVAILABLE”:
The system is in ERROR and can't recover. This message appears when there's no Capture
Card present on the computer and/or is damaged, or the Capture Card's drivers are not
installed. After installing the card/drivers, restart the computer.