Sony 9-Pin Remote Protocol

This is not the offical Sony 9-pin protocol. It is a summary for reference puroposes only. To obtain the protocol document, contact Sony directly.

Updated 6/16/96. Fixed the Prog Speed formula. Added Tables. Added all group 20 descriptions, more info on status bits, and most of the group 40 commands.

Communication Format

The protocol is based on the EIA RS-422-A signal standard, usually at 38.4 kBit/s. The data are sent as 1 start bit + 8 data bits + 1 parity bit + 1 stop bit. Parity is odd: the bitwise sum of data bits 0 -7 and the parity bit is an odd number.

Command Block Format

The controlling device and the controlled device communicate through the interchange of command blocks. The bytes in each command block are assigned as follows:

CMD-1
Indicates the function and direction of the command, according to:
0System control (Master->Slave)
1Return for 0,2, or 4 of cmd-1 (Slave->Master)
2Transport Control (Master->Slave)
4Preset/Select control (Master->Slave)
6Sense Request (Master->Slave)
7Sense Return (Slave->Master)
DATA COUNT
Indicates the number of bytes ( max 15 ) inserted between CMD-2 and CHECKSUM
CMD-2
Designates the command. Refer to the command table for definitions. Ex. CMD-1=0 and CMD-2=0C means LOCAL DISABLE.
DATA-1 to DATA-N
Data which correspond to those indicated by the command. Refer to the command table for data formats.
CHECKSUM
Lower eight bits of the sum of the bytes in the command block.

Communication Protocol

The protocol is initiated by the master. The slave should return a response within 9 msec. The response may be: The master should not send another command until receiving a response from the slave device. The master must also insure that no more than 10 msec lapses between bytes in a command block. The master must immediatly stop sending data when it receives a NAK + Error Data message. If the Error Data contains "Undefined Command" the master may immediatley send another command, otherwise it must wait at least 10 msec before sending another command. When the master does not receive a response from the slave within the 10 msec timeout, it may assume that communications have ceased and take appropriate measures.

Cabling

The pin assignments for the 9-pin cable are as follows:
Pin Master Slave
1 Ground Ground
2 Rcv A Xmit A
3 Xmit B Rcv B
4 Xmit Common Rcv Common
5 Spare Spare
6 Rcv Common Xmit Common
7 Rcv B Xmit B
8 Xmit A Rcv A
9 Ground Ground
Auth - this varies alot: contact individual manufacturers for pinouts.

Command Table

This is the command table for the DVR-2000/2100. It is summarised here for reference purposes only. If you want to order it from Sony call the Kansas City supply center and hope you get someone who knows the part number for the recorder whose protocol you want to use.
CommandResponse
00 0CLocal Disable 10 01 Ack
00 11Device Type Request 12 11 Device Type
00 1D Local Enable 10 01 Ack
20 00 Stop 10 01 Ack
20 01 Play 10 01 Ack
20 02 Record 10 01 Ack
20 04 Standby Off 10 01 Ack
20 05 Standby On 10 01 Ack
20 0F Eject 10 01 Ack
20 10 Fast Fwd 10 01 Ack
2X 11 Jog Fwd 10 01 Ack
2X 12 Var Fwd 10 01 Ack
2X 13 Shuttle Fwd 10 01 Ack
20 20 Rewind 10 01 Ack
2X 21 Jog Rev 10 01 Ack
2X 22 Var Rev 10 01 Ack
2X 23 Shuttle Rev 10 01 Ack
20 30 Preroll 10 01 Ack
24 31 Cue up with Data 10 01 Ack
20 34 Sync Play 10 01 Ack
21 38 Prog Speed Play + 10 01 Ack
21 39 Prog Speed Play - 10 01 Ack
20 40 Preview 10 01 Ack
20 41 Review 10 01 Ack
20 42 Auto Edit 10 01 Ack
20 43 Outpoint Preview 10 01 Ack
2X 54 Anti-Clog Timer Disable 10 01 Ack
2X 55 Anti-Clog Timer Enable 10 01 Ack
20 60 Full EE Off 10 01 Ack
20 61 Full EE On 10 01 Ack
20 63 Select EE On 10 01 Ack
20 64 Edit Off 10 01 Ack
20 65 Edit On 10 01 Ack
20 6A Freeze Off 10 01 Ack
20 6B Freeze On 10 01 Ack
44 00 Timer-1 Preset 10 01 Ack
44 04 Time Code Preset 10 01 Ack
44 05 User Bit Preset 10 01 Ack
40 08 Timer-1 Reset 10 01 Ack
40 10 In Entry 10 01 Ack
40 11 Out Entry 10 01 Ack
40 12 Audio In Entry 10 01 Ack
40 13 Audio Out Entry 10 01 Ack
44 14 In Data Preset 10 01 Ack
44 15 Out Data Preset 10 01 Ack
44 16 Audio In Data Preset 10 01 Ack
44 17 Audio Out Data Preset 10 01 Ack
40 18 In + Shift 10 01 Ack
40 19 In - Shift 10 01 Ack
40 1A Out + Shift 10 01 Ack
40 1B Out - Shift 10 01 Ack
40 1C Audio In + Shift 10 01 Ack
40 1D Audio In - Shift 10 01 Ack
40 1E Audio Out + Shift 10 01 Ack
40 1F Audio Out - Shift 10 01 Ack
40 20 In Flag Reset 10 01 Ack
40 21 Out Flag Reset 10 01 Ack
40 22 Audio In Flag Reset 10 01 Ack
40 23 Audio Out Flag Reset 10 01 Ack
40 24 In Recall 10 01 Ack
40 25 Out Recall 10 01 Ack
40 26 Audio In Recall 10 01 Ack
40 27 Audio Out Recall 10 01 Ack
40 2D Lost Lock Reset 10 01 Ack
4X 30 Edit Preset 10 01 Ack
44 31 Preroll time preset 10 01 Ack
41 32 Tape/Auto Select 10 01 Ack
41 33 Servo Ref Select 10 01 Ack
41 34 Head Select 10 01 Ack
41 35 Color Frame select 10 01 Ack
41 36 Timer Mode Select 10 01 Ack
41 37 Input Check 10 01 Ack
41 3A Edit Field Select 10 01 Ack
41 3B Freeze Mode Select 10 01 Ack
4X 3E Record Inhibit 10 01 Ack
40 40 Auto Mode Off 10 01 Ack
40 41 Auto Mode On 10 01 Ack
40 42 Spot Erase Off 10 01 Ack
40 43 Spot Erase On 10 01 Ack
40 44 Audio Split Off 10 01 Ack
40 45 Audio Split On 10 01 Ack
4X 98 Output H Phase 10 01 Ack
4X 9B Output Video Phase 10 01 Ack
4X A0 Audio Input Level 10 01 Ack
4X A1 Audio Output Level 10 01 Ack
4X A2 Audio Adv Level 10 01 Ack
4X A8 Audio Output Phase 10 01 Ack
4X A9 Audio Adv Out Phase 10 01 Ack
4X AA Cross Fade Time Preset 10 01 Ack
4X B8 Local Key Map 10 01 Ack
42 F8 Still Off time 10 01 Ack
42 FA Stby Off time 10 01 Ack
61 0A TC Gen Sense 74 08 Gen Time Data
79 09 Gen User Bits Data
74 00 Timer-1 Data
74 01 Timer-2 Data
74 04 LTC Time Data
74 05 User Bits (LTC) Data
61 0C Current Time Sense 74 06 VITC Time Data
74 07 User Bits (VITC) Data
74 14 Corrected LTC Time Data
74 15 Hold User Bits (LTC) Data
74 16 Hold VITC Time Data
74 17 Hold User Bits (VITC) Data
60 10 In Data Sense 74 10 In Data
60 11 Out Data Sense 74 11 Out Data
60 12 Audio In Data Sense 74 12 Audio In Data
60 13 Audio Out Data Sense 74 13 Audio Out Data
61 20 Status Sense 7X 20 Status Data
61 21 Extended VTR Status 7X 21 Extended Status Data
62 23 Signal Control Sense 7X 23 Signal Control Data
6X 28 Local Key Map Sense 7X 28 Local Key Map
61 2A Head Meter Sense 7X 2A Head Meter Data
60 2B Remaining Time Sense 76 2B Remaining Time
60 2E Cmd Speed Sense 7X 2E Cmd Speed Data
61 30 Edit Preset Sense 7X 30Edit Preset Status
60 31 Preroll Time Sense 74 31 Preroll Time
60 36 Timer Mode Sense 71 36 Timer Mode Status
60 3E Record Inhibit Sense 72 3E Record Inhibit Status
60 52 DA Inp Emph Sense 71 52 DA Input Emphasis Data
60 53 DA PB Emph Sense 71 53 DA Playback Emphasis Data
60 58 DA Samp. Freq. Sense 71 58 DA Sampling Frequency Data
61 AA Cross Fade Time Sense 7X AA Cross Fade Time Data

Command Formats

00 0C Local Disable
Disables operation of the slave device from its control panel.
00 11 Device Type Request
Slave Responds with
12 11 Device Type
message, with 2 bytes of data:
Model Data
BVU-800 10 00
BVW-10 2X 00
BVW-11 2X 02
BVW-15 2X 03
BVW-35 2X 10
BVW-40 2X 01
BVW-50 2X 30
BVW-60 2X 20
BVW-65 2X 21
BVW-95 2X 22
BVW-96 2X 23
BVW-70 2X 24
BVW-75 2X 25
BVW-D75 2X 46
BVW-9000 2X 47
PVW-2600 2X 40
PVW-2800 2X 41
BVW-35PM 20 18
BVW-65PM 20 29
BVW-95PM 20 2A
BVW-75PM 20 2D
BVW-85P 21 26
BVW-70S 21 2C
BVW-75S 21 2D
WBR-700 21 2D
DVR-2000 3X 10
DVR-2100 3X 11

Where X=0 for NTSC/PAL-M (525) models and 1 for PAL/SECAM models.
00 1D Local Enable
Enable operation of slave device from local panel according to the local enable map set by the "4X B8" Local Key Map command.
10 01 ACK
Slave Sends this when it receives a command from Master.
11 12 NAK
When a communication error is detected, the slave sends this command with a "1" in the following position indicating the appropriate error condition:
76543210
Time Out Framing Error Overrun Error Parity Error X Checksum Error X Undefined command
20 00 Stop
Slave stops current motion.
20 01 Play
Slave Starts to play from current location. When the "Sync play" mode is selected from the System menu on the slave, "Play" has the same effect as 20.34 "Sync Play".
20 02 Record
Slave begins recording. Exactly what happens depends on Auto Mode, record lockout, and edit presets.
20 04 Standby Off
Turns off standby mode. For VTR, this causes the machine to unthread in stop. Affects EE/Tape selection. Available only in Stop mode.
20 05 Standby On
Turns on standby mode. For VTR, this causes the machine to stay threaded when in stop. Affects EE/Tape selection.
20 0F Eject
When this command is received, the slave will eject the tape.
20.10 Fast Fwd
When this command is received, the slave device will run in fast forward mode. The speed depends on the VTR; for the DVR2000 series it is 50 x play speed.
2X.11 Jog Forward
2X.12 Var Forward
2X.13 Shuttle Forward
When these commands are received the slave device will move forward with the speed indicated by DATA-1 and DATA-2.

When only DATA-1 is given, the speed wil be given by

                Tape Speed = 10^((N/32)-2) x play speed.
where N is the value of DATA-1. Some sample values are:
Speed Speed Data
0.1 32 (20H)
1.0 64 (40H)
2.9 79 (4FH)
48.7 118 (76H)

When a more precise speed value is required, then DATA-2 will be added. The speed formula for this case is

     Tape Speed = 10^((N/32)-2) + N'/256*(10^(((N+1)/32)-2)-10^((N/32)-2))

where N is the value of DATA-1 and N' is the value of DATA-2.

auth - in more standard terms, the formula says that DATA-2 is used to linealy interpolate between the value given by N and that of N+1.

The maximum jog speed is set in the System:System menu. The maximum Var speed is 3X play speed. The maximum shuttle speed is 50X play speed.

auth - There is considerable controversy over the minimum speed. For a speed value of 0, the above formula with only DATA-1 gives 10^-2, or .01 x play speed. The standard states that when a speed between 0 and the minumum is given, the slave moves at minimum speed. In fact, many editors and control systems intend a "Shuttle 0" command ( 21 13 00 ) to pause the device and have it stop without disengaging. Devices which fail to do so will creep about 1 frame/second in this situation.

20 20 Rewind
When it receives this command, the slave runs in reverse at maximum speed: on the DVR2000, this is 50xplay speed.
2X 21 Jog Rev
2X 22 Var Rev
2X 23 Shuttle Rev
When receiving one of the above commands, the slave will start running in accordance with the speed data defined by DATA-1 and DATA-2. For the maximum and minimum speed see the 2X.12 Shuttle Fwd command.
20 30 Preroll
When this command is received the slave will search to the preroll position defined as the value obtained by subtracting the preroll time set by the 44.31 Preroll Time Preset command from the IN POINT data stored in the IN ENTRY memory by the 40.10 In Entry command.
24 31 Cue Up With Data
Cues the slave to the indicated time. Time is formatted as follows:
        data-1      data-2      data-3     data-4
      | Frame | | Seconds | | minutes | | hours |
      | 10  1 | |   10 1  | |   10 1  | | 10 1  |
auth - this is how time is represented in all commands and responses using a time code. The numbers indicate that the 10s value is stored in the high nibble and the 1s value in the low nibble. This is not to be confused with the 80-bit SMPTE timecode which is present in the analog timecode track on tape, or with the VITC timecode.
20 34 Sync Play
Prerolls the slave for the preset preroll time, then enters play mode.
21 38 Prog Speed Play +
21 39 Prog Speed Play -
These commands play back the slave device in steps of 0.1% within the range of +/- 25.5% of play speed. DATA-1 contains an 8-bit speed value. The deviation from nominal play speed is
        Deviation(%)=0.1 x speed value
20 40 Preview
20 41 Review
20 42 Auto Edit
When one of these commands is received the slave goes into the indicated mode.

This is all the spec states here. What actually happens is determined by the edit presets, in and out point selections, and ee/tape settings. Basically, all three set the device to the preroll position, and run at play speed up to the in point. In Preview, the slave switches to EE mode at the in point, and out at the out point, simulating the edit without disturbing the recording media. In review, the slave simply continues to play at the in point and rolls to the outpoint. In Auto Edit, the channels indicated by the edit presets are put into record at the in point and the recoding proceeds to the out point.

20 43 Outpoint Preview
Sends transport to preset out point if insert mode is preset.
2X 54 Anti-Clog Timer Disable
Disables the anti-clog timer. This timer is responsible for unthreading the tape upon timeout to save wear on the heads. If a system disables this timer, it should take responsibility for head wear avoidance itself.
2X 55 Anti-Clog Timer Enable
Enables anti-clog timer.
20 60 Full EE Off
Clears all channels from EE mode regardless of EDIT PRESET channels assigned by the 41.30 EDIT PRESET command. It takes the slave 5 frames to perform this operation after it receieves the command.
20 61 Full EE On
Sets all channels to EE mode regardless of EDIT PRESET channels assigned by the 41.30 EDIT PRESET command. It takes the slave 5 frames to perform this operation after it receieves the command.
20 63 Select EE On
This command sets only the preset channels assigned by the 41.30 Edit Preset command to EE mode. The EE mode is cleared by the 20.64 Edit Off command. It takes the slave 5 frames to perform this operation after receiving the command.
20 64 Edit Off
This command will stop recording without affecting the state of motion of the device. Any channels in record will come out in response to this command, after 5 frames of delay. This command also clears the Manual Edit Record mode and the Select EE mode.
20 65 Edit On
This command is used to actually initiate recording. When the device is playing, and the edit presets set by the 4X 30 Edit Preset command are in place, the preset channels will enter record a fixed delay after this command is received. The slave will enter Edit Rec mode at this point. It takes the slave 5 frames to enter Edit Rec after receiving this command.
20 6A Freeze Off
This command un-freezes the output of the device.
20 6A Freeze On
This command freezes the output of the device. There is usually a 2-5 frame delay associcated with the actual freeze.
44 00 Timer-1 Preset
Sets the Timer-1 value to the time code indicated by DATA-1 thru DATA-4. For the time format see the 24.31 Cue Up With Data command.
44 04 Time Code Preset
Sets the Time Code Generator value to the time code indicated by DATA-1 thru DATA-4. The data format is as per the 24.31 Cue Up With Data command, with two additional bits to indicate Color Frame and Drop Frame mode as follows:
Data-1 Bit 7 CF Data-1 Bit 6 DF
0 Off 0 Off
1 On 1 On
44 05 User Bit Preset
This command presets the value given by DATA-1 through DATA-4 to the User Bits of the Time Code Generator
DATA-1DATA-2DATA-3DATA-4
MSDLSDMSDLSDMSDLSDMSDLSD
Bin Grp 2Bin Grp 1Bin Grp 4Bin Grp 3Bin Grp 6 Bin Grp 5Bin Grp 8Bin Grp 7
40 08 Timer-1 Reset
Clears Tape timer 1 to 0
40 10 In Entry
Sets the video in point to the value displayed on the slave. This is the value of the selected tape timer.
40 11 Out Entry
Sets the video out point to the value displayed on the slave. This is the value of the selected tape timer.
40 12 Audio In Entry
Sets the audio in point to the value displayed on the slave. This is the value of the selected tape timer.
40 13 Audio Out Entry
Sets the audio out point to the value displayed on the slave. This is the value of the selected tape timer.
44 14 In Data Preset
Set the Video In Point to the value indicated by DATA-1 thru DATA-4. The time format is as per the 24.31 Cue Up With Data command.
44 15 Out Data Preset
Set the Video Out Point to the value indicated by DATA-1 thru DATA-4. The time format is as per the 24.31 Cue Up With Data command.
44 16 Audio In Data Preset
Set the Audio In Point to the value indicated by DATA-1 thru DATA-4. The time format is as per the 24.31 Cue Up With Data command.
44 17 Audio Out Data Preset
Set the Audio Out Point to the value indicated by DATA-1 thru DATA-4. The time format is as per the 24.31 Cue Up With Data command.
40 18 In + Shift
Increments the Video in point by one frame.
40 19 In - Shift
Decrements the Video in point by one frame.
40 1A Out + Shift
Increments the Video out point by one frame.
40 1B Out - Shift
Decrements the Video out point by one frame.
40 1C Audio In + Shift
Increments the Audio in point by one frame.
40 1D Audio In - Shift
Decrements the Audio in point by one frame.
40 1E Audio Out + Shift
Increments the Audio out point by one frame.
40 1F Audio Out - Shift
Decrements the Audio out point by one frame.
40 20 In Flag Reset
40 21 Out Flag Reset
40 22 Audio In Flag Reset
40 23 Audio Out Flag Reset
Turn off the In Entry, Out Entry Audio In, and Audio Out lamps.

auth - do these have any effect on the status bits?

40 24 In Recall
40 25 Out Recall
40 26 Audio In Recall
40 27 Audio Out Recall
Turn on the In Entry, Out Entry Audio In, and Audio Out lamps.
40 2D Lost Lock Reset
Resets ( sets to 0 ) the Data-8/Bit-6 Lost Lock bit in the 7X.20 status data . The LOST LOCK staus will be set when the servo is unlocked in the Play, Rec, or Edit mode.

4X 30 Edit Preset
This command is used for selecting the edit mode and selection of preset audio and video channels. These values are used by the Edit On and Edit Off comands.
Byte76543210
DATA-1: XInsertAssembleVideoXTCA2 (Cue)A1 (Cue)
DATA-2: XXXXDA4DA3DA2DA1
when the 41.30 command is used, the audio channels are set as per the table in the Edit:Setup menu. When the 42.30 command is used and Bit1 or Bit0 of Data-1 are "1", the Cue channel is selected.
44 31 Preroll time preset
Presets the preroll time given by DATA-1 thru DATA-4. Only the seconds digit int DATA-2 is used, and must be in the range of 0-59. The time format is as per the 24.31 Cue Up With Data command.
41 32 Tape/Auto Select
the Tape/EE mode is seleted by DATA-1 as follows:
 Data-1  Mode 
-----------------
00      Auto ( Tape/EE )
01      Tape
FF      Follows the mode set in the STATE MAP on the SYSTEM menu in Local.
41 33 Servo Ref Select
Selects the SERVO REFERENCE signal according to DATA-1:
 DATA-1  State 
-----------------
00      Auto
01      External
02      Input
FF      Follows the mode set in REFERENCE on the SYSTEM:SYSTEM menu in Local.
41 34 Head Select
auth - this command is not implemented by the DVR2000, but many other systems use it to to select playback/record heads. On the DVR2000 the selection is automatic.
41 35 Color Frame select
Sets the COLOR FRAME mode of the servo system according to DATA-1:
 DATA-1  State 
-----------------
01      2 Field
02      4 Field
03      8 Field
FF      Follows the mode set in LOCK FIELD on the SYSTEM:SYSTEM menu in Local.
41 36 Timer Mode Select
Selects the TIMER system used in AUTO mode, and for display of the IN ENTRY, OUT ENTRY, IN PRESET, OUT PRESET, PREROLL, and CUE UP WITH DATA, etc. according to DATA-1:
 DATA-1  Mode 
-----------------
00      TIME CODE
01      TIMER-1
02      TIMER-2
FF      Follows the mode set in F6:CRNT TM on the HOME menu in Local.
41 37 Input Check
Switches the INPUT CHECK mode on/off as per DATA-1:
 DATA-1 Mode 
00    INPUT CHECK off
01    INPUT signals sent out VIDEO and MONITOR AUDIO OUTPUT connectors.
41 3A Edit Field Select
Assigns the field on which to start the EDIT as per DATA-1:
DATA-1   Mode
-------------
00               Field1/Field2: The edit will start on the field the command
                 was received on 
01       Field 1
02       Field 2
FF       Follows the mode set in F4:TIMING on the EDIT SETUP menu in Local.
The following commands use the field selection:
41 3B Freeze Mode Select
Assigns the contents of the freeze picture to be field or frame as per DATA-1:
DATA-1  Mode
------------
00      Field-1 or Field-2 ( not fixed )
01      Field 1
10      Field 2
11      Frame
4X 3E Record Inhibit
40 40 Auto Mode Off
40 41 Auto Mode On
These commands switch the AUTO mode off and on.
40 42 Spot Erase Off
40 43 Spot Erase On
These commands switch the spot erase mode off and on.
40 44 Audio Split Off
40 45 Audio Split On
These commands switch the audio split mode off and on.
4X 98 Output H Phase
Sets the output Horizontal phase. The 40.98 command sets the H Phase to 0, whereas the 41.98 command sets the H phase according to
        H Phase = DATA_1 * 148 nsec
where DATA_1 is interpreted as a twos complement binary number in the range of -127 to 127.
4X 9B Output Video Phase
Sets the output sync phase. The 40.9B command sets the output sync phase to 0 whereas the 41.9B command sets the output sync phase according to
        Sync Phase = DATA_1 * 74 nsec
where DATA_1 is interpreted as a twos complement binary number in the range of -127 to 127.
4X A0 Audio Input Level
Controls the audio input level. The control mode is assigned by bit 7 of DATA-1. , and the channel to be controled is assigned by bit 6 to bit 0 of DATA-1. When the 41 A0 command is received, the audio input levels of the channels assigned by DATA-1 will be set to their reference levels. When CMDLEN is not 1, the level data will be composed of two bytes per assigned channel in the order DA1, DA2, DA3, DA4, CUE. The DATA-1 bits look like:

Bit76543210
ValueModeXXCueDA4DA3DA2DA1

For Example, when the DATA-1 is 0x11, the command looks like:

DATA-1DATA-2DATA-3DATA-4DATA-5
11DA1 LSBDA1 MSBCUE LSBCUE MSB

The level data are interpreted as per the formula:
Input Level = 20 log [(Level Data)/(4000h)] (dB)
Which gives coverage over the range of +12dB to -infinity.
4X A1 Audio Output Level
Controls the audio output level. When the 41 A1 command is received, the audio output level of the channels selected in DATA-1 will be set to the reference level. Otherwise, it operates as per the 4X.A0 Audio input level command.
4X A2 Audio Adv Level
Controls the audio advance level. When the 41 A2 fixed doc error here command is received, the audio advance level of the channels selectd by DATA-1 will be set to the reference level. Otherwise, it operates as per the 4X.A0 Audio input level command.
4X A8 Audio Output Phase
Sets the autdio output phase. The 42.A8 command determines the audio output phase according to the 16-bit value encoded with the low byte in DATA-1 and the high byte in DATA-2. The values are interpreted as 2s complement binary, and currently have a range of +/- 80 samples. When the 40.A8 command is received, the slave will set the audio ouput phase to its nominal value.
4X A9 Audio Adv Out Phase
Sets the Advance audio output phase. The 42.A9 command determines the audio advance phase according to the 16-bit value encoded with the low byte in DATA-1 and the high byte in DATA-2. The values are interpreted as 2s complement binary, and currently have a range of +0/-50 samples. the 40.A9 will set the audio advance phase to its nominal value.
4X AA Cross Fade Time Preset
4X B8 Local Key Map
When the slave receives the 00.1D Local Enable command, the control panel may be used according to the local key map that was set by this command. When the slave receives the 00.0C Local Disable command all the keys, buttons, and adjustment controls on the control panel are disabled. The Eject button can always be used. If the slave receives the 41.B8 command, the local key map is preset by the block level in accordance with DATA-1. IF it receives the 4X.B8 command ( X > 2 ) The local key map is preset by the Switch level.

Block Level switches:


        Bit 7 Bit 6 Bit 5   Bit 4   Bit 3   Bit 2   Bit 1   Bit 0
                          Tracking Monitor  Audio   Video Transport
                          Control  Control Control Control Control

"1": This function will be enabled when in remote
"0": This function will be disabled in remote.

When DATA-2 or more are added, control data with two bytes per each block assigned by DATA-1 are added following DATA-1.

At present the transport switches are defined as follows:


Bit76543210
1st ByteExecutePrerollSearchRecPlayStopStandby
2nd ByteVarJogShuttle

None of the other blocks have any switches assigned, but rather operate as follows:

Video Control: Video phase and Sync phase can be adjusted on the system menu in remote mode.

Audio Control: Audio levels and output phase can be adjusted on the Audio:DA out menu in remote mode.

Monitor Control: the wfm monitor output selection on the system:wfm monitor menu and the montior level adjustments and monitor out selection on the system:audio monitor menu can be adjusted in remote mode.

Tracking Control: Tracking adjustments in the system:tracking menu can be made in remote mode.

42 F8 Still Off time
42 FA Standby Off time
61 0A TC Gen Sense
60 10 In Data Sense
60 11 Out Data Sense
60 12 Audio In Data Sense
60 13 Audio Out Data Sense
61 0C Current Time Sense
Requests the TIME DATA or USER BITS. Slave responds as per DATA-1:
      Bit 7   Bit 6   Bit 5   Bit 4   Bit 3   Bit 2   Bit 1   Bit 0
                       VITC    LTC   TIMER 2 TIMER 1   VITC   LTC 
                        UB      UB                     TIME   TIME
That is to say that the response follows the bit set in DATA-1 as per the following table
Reqest Response
DATA-1=01 LTC TIME 74.04: LTC TIME DATA
74.14: CORRECTED LTC TIME DATA
DATA-1=02 VITC TIME 74.06: VITC TIME DATA
74.16: HOLD VITC TIME DATA
DATA-1=04 TIMER-1 74.00: TIMER-1 DATA
DATA-1=08 TIMER-2 74.01: TIMER-2 DATA
DATA-1=10 LTC UB 74.05: UB (LTC) DATA
74.15: HOLD UB (LTC) DATA
DATA-1=20 VITC UB 74.07: UB (VITC) DATA
74.17: HOLD UB (VITC) DATA

Now, when requesting timecode, the results depend on the tape speed because at very low speeds ( less than .25 play speed ) it may not be possible to recover timecode. However, if VITC is present, that may be used instead. To automate this decision process, Sony has provided the special 61.0C.03 command which will return the best source of time code as per the table below. Note that when both LTC and VITC are not good you get back the 74.14 corrected LTC data. In this case, the time is actually the last good LTC time corrected by the tape timer.

Tape speed > .25
LTC StatusVITC StatusReturn DataReturn code
OKOKLTC74.04 XX XX XX XX
NGOKVITC74.06 XX XX XX XX
OKNGLTC74.04 XX XX XX XX
NGNGLTC(*)74.14 XX XX XX XX

Tape speed < .25
LTC StatusVITC StatusReturn DataReturn code
OKOKVITC74.06 XX XX XX XX
NGOKVITC74.06 XX XX XX XX
OKNGLTC74.04 XX XX XX XX
NGNGLTC(*)74.14 XX XX XX XX
61 20 Status Sense
When the slave receives a 61.20 Status Sense command, it will respond with a 74 20 Status Data response. The starting byte number and number of bytes requested are encoded in DATA-1, with the starting reg in the high nibble (bits 7-4) and the requested byte count in the low nibble ( bits 3-0 ).
61 21 Extended VTR Status
62 23 Signal Control Sense
6X 28 Local Key Map Sense
61 2A Head Meter Sense
60 2B Remaining Time Sense
60 2E Cmd Speed Sense
61 30 Edit Preset Sense
60 31 Preroll Time Sense
60 36 Timer Mode Sense
60 3E Record Inhibit Sense
60 52 DA Inp Emph Sense
60 53 DA PB Emph Sense
60 58 DA Samp. Freq. Sense
61 AA Cross Fade Time Sense
74 00 Timer-1 Data
DATA-1 thru DATA-4 contain the timer-1 data formatted as per the 24.31 Cue up with data command
74 01 Timer-2 Data
DATA-1 thru DATA-4 contain the timer-2 data formatted as per the 24.31 Cue up with data command
74 04 LTC Time Data
DATA-1 thru DATA-4 contain the LTC data formatted as per the 24.31 Cue up with data command
74 05 User Bits (LTC) Data
DATA-1 thru DATA-4 contain the LTC User bits data formatted at per the 44.05 User Bit Preset command.
74 06 VITC Time Data
DATA-1 thru DATA-4 contain the VITC data formatted as per the 24.31 Cue up with data command
74 07 User Bits (VITC) Data
DATA-1 thru DATA-4 contain the VITC User bits data formatted at per the 44.05 User Bit Preset command.
74 08 Gen Time Data
DATA-1 thru DATA-4 contain the Time code generator data formatted as per the 24.31 Cue up with data command
79 09 Gen User Bits Data
DATA-1 thru DATA-4 contain the Time code generator User bits data formatted at per the 44.05 User Bit Preset command.
74 10 In Data
74 11 Out Data
74 12 Audio In Data
74 13 Audio Out Data
74 14 Corrected LTC Time Data
74 15 Hold User Bits (LTC) Data
74 16 Hold VITC Time Data
74 17 Hold User Bits (VITC) Data
74 20 Status Data
When the slave receives a 61.20 Status Sense command, the following data will be sent back in response according to the request:
Byte No. 76543210
0 X X Tape Out Servo Ref Missing X X X Local
1 Standby X Stop Eject Rewind Fast Fwd Record Play
2 Servo Lock TSO Mode Shuttle Jog Var Tape Dir Still Cue Up
3 Auto Mode Freeze On X CF Mode A Out A In Out In
4 Select EE Full EE X Edit Review Auto Edit Preview Preroll
5 X Insert Assemble Video A4 A3 A2 A1
6 X Lamp Still Lamp Fwd Lamp Rev Srch LED 8 Srch LED 4 Srch LED 2 Srch LED 1
7 X X Aud Split Sync Act X Spot Erase X In/Out
8 Buzzer Lost lock Near EOT EOT CF Lock Svo Alarm Sys Alarm Rec Inhib
9 Fnc Abort X X X X X X X

Description of Bits:

Data 0:
  • Bit 5: Tape Unthreaded (Cassette Out) When the tape is threaded, this is 0. When it is completely unthreaded this is 1. When threading or unthreading, who knows what it is.
  • Bit 4: Servo Ref Missing When servo reference is absent this is 1.
  • Bit 0: Local When remote operation is inhibited by the "remote/local" switch on the panel this is 1.
Data 1:
  • Bit 7: Standby When the tape is threaded and the scanner is locked but the tape is stopped, this is 1.
  • Bit 5: Stop When the machine is in full stop, this is 1. The thread state depends on the tape/ee and standby settings.
  • Bit 4: Eject When the tape is ejecting this is 1.
  • Bit 3: Rewind When the machine is in fast reverse this is 1.
  • Bit 2: Fast Fwd When the machine is in fast forward this is 1.
  • Bit 1: Record This bit goes from 0 to 1 some number of frames after the machine starts recording. For the DVR2000 we measured 5 frames. Others have varying delays on the record status.
  • Bit 0: Play This bit goes from 0 to 1 some number of frames after the machine starts playing. For the DVR2000 we measured 5 frames. Others have varying delays on the play status.
Data 2:
  • Bit 7: Servo Lock 1 indicates servos are locked. This is a necessary condition for an edit to occur correctly.
  • Bit 6: TSO Mode Bit is 1 in tape speed override: in this mode, audio and video are still locked though speed is off play speed by +/- up to 15%.
  • Bit 5: Shuttle
  • Bit 4: Jog
  • Bit 3: Var
  • Bit 2: Tape Dir
  • Bit 1: Still
  • Bit 0: Cue Up
Data 3:
  • Bit 7: Auto Mode
  • Bit 6: Freeze On
  • Bit 4: CF Mode
  • Bit 3: A Out
  • Bit 2: A In
  • Bit 1: Out
  • Bit 0: In
Data 4:
  • Bit 7: Select EE
  • Bit 6: Full EE
  • Bit 4: Edit
  • Bit 3: Review
  • Bit 2: Auto Edit
  • Bit 1: Preview
  • Bit 0: Preroll
Data 5:
  • Bit 6: Insert
  • Bit 5: Assemble
  • Bit 4: Video
  • Bit 3: A4
  • Bit 2: A3
  • Bit 1: A2
  • Bit 0: A1
Data 6:
  • Bit 6: Lamp Still
  • Bit 5: Lamp Fwd
  • Bit 4: Lamp Rev
  • Bit 3: Srch LED 8
  • Bit 2: Srch LED 4
  • Bit 1: Srch LED 2
  • Bit 0: Srch LED 1
Data 7:
  • Bit 5: Aud Split
  • Bit 4: Sync Act
  • Bit 2: Spot Erase
  • Bit 0: In/Out
Data 8:
  • Bit 7: Buzzer
  • Bit 6: Lost lock This bit is controled by the Lost Lock Reset command. It is set when the servos are unlocked in the PLAY, REC, or EDIT modes.
  • Bit 5: Near EOT
  • Bit 4: EOT
  • Bit 3: CF Lock
  • Bit 2: Svo Alarm
  • Bit 1: Sys Alarm
  • Bit 0: Rec Inhib
Data 9:
  • Bit 7: Fnc Abort

auth - here's a code snippet for you c-heads.
char *StatusBitStrings[][8] =
{
        // Data 0
        {"         ","          ","Unthread  ","Svo Ref   ",
         "          ","          ","          ","Local     "},
        // Data 1
        {"Standby   ","          ","Stop      ","Eject     ",
         "Rewind    ","Fast Fwd  ","Record    ","Play      "},
        // Data 2
        {"Servo Lock","TSO Mode  ","Shuttle   ","Jog       ",
         "Variable  ","Tape Rev  ","Still     ","Cue       "},
        // Data 3
        {"Auto Mode ","Freeze On ","          ","CF Mode   ",
         "A Out     ","A In      ","Out       ","In        "},
        // Data 4
        {"Select EE ","Full EE   ","          ","Edit      ",
         "Review    ","Auto Edit ","Preview   ","Preroll   "},
        // Data 5
        {"          ","Insert    ","Assemble  ","Video     ",
         "A4        ","A3        ","A2        ","A1        "},
        // Data 6
        {"          ","Lamp Still","Lamp Fwd  ","Lamp Rev  ",
         "Srch LED 8","Srch LED 4","Srch LED 2","Srch LED 1"},
        // Data 7
        {"          ","          ","Aud Split ","Sync Act  ",
         "          ","Spot Erase","          ","In/Out    "},
        // Data 8
        {"Buzzer    ","Lost lock ","Near EOT  ","EOT       ",
         "CF Lock   ","Svo Alarm ","Sys Alarm ","Rec Inhib "},
        // Data 9
        {"Fnc Abort ","          ","          ","          ",
         "          ","          ","          ","          "},
};

The Status bits communicate much about the progress of a motion command. The precise timing of each signal varies almost from machine to machine, and many edit controlers expect certain timing behaviour of these signals. Herein lie many of the problems associated with edit controllers, edit timing, and just plain wacky transport behavior.

7X 21 Extended Status Data
7X 23 Signal Control Data
7X 28 Local Key Map
7X 2A Head Meter Data
76 2B Remaining Time
7X 2E Cmd Speed Data
7X 30 Edit Preset Status
74 31 Preroll Time
71 36 Timer Mode Status
72 3E Record Inhibit Status
71 52 DA Input Emphasis Data
71 53 DA Playback Emphasis Data
71 58 DA Sampling Frequency Data
7X AA Cross Fade Time Data


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Rick Davis <rld@sgi.com>