Activating your Pearl-2 feature add-ons

Congratulations on buying Pearl-2!

You can purchase feature add-ons to enable new functionality, such as 4K, either when you purchase your Pearl-2 or any time through your distribution channel or our web store.

Pearl-2 systems shipped before November 2016 already include your purchased 4K feature add-on and there is nothing for you to do.

Later this year, regardless of whether or not you purchase the 4K feature add-on with your system, you will receive the base Pearl-2 system, and any add-on updates must be activated via the process outlined below.

Current list of add-ons

There is currently only one add-on available, the 4K feature add-on.

4K feature add-on

The first add-on to be released is the 4K feature add-on.

The base version of the firmware gives you access to:

  • Six simultaneous HD video inputs (4 x HDMI and 2 x 3G-SDI)
  • 6 x 1080p 30 fps encoding (or equivalent)
  • XLR and RCA audio inputs with built-in attenuation

 

The 4K feature add-on gives you access to all of those features, and in addition, provides:

  • 4 x 4K video inputs (2 x 4K HDMI and 2 X 4K SDI)
  • 4 x 4K hardware scaling (4K down to full HD)
  • 2 x 4K video outputs (HDMI)
  • 1 x 4K video encoding

If you have the base version of the firmware, you are able to upgrade your system at any time with the 4K feature add-on through an online firmware add-on, which will update your with all the 4K features.

Activating your 4K add-on might not be necessary, depending on the version of you purchased. As the first Feature Add-on, the 4K add-on was included automatically in some systems. If you purchased the full version of or an early copy with firmware 4.0.0, the 4K add-on was included with your purchase and is automatically activated, so in those cases no action is required.

How-to purchase and install add-ons

Pearl-2 add-ons must be purchased, installed and activated before their features can be used. These instructions can guide you though the process, but for more detail you can also take a look at the add-ons section in our user guide. If you have already purchased an add-on either on our site at our store or by purchasing the full version of Pearl-2, skip to step 3.

  1. To select an add-on to purchase, navigate directly to the Epiphan site store, or use the Shop now button under the Feature add-ons section.

    Alternatively, you can use the Purchase button next to a specific add-on. This directs you to that feature’s purchase page on the epiphan.com site.
    Note that for Pearl-2 Rackmount Twin, you only purchase one instance of the add-on, but you are required to complete the activation process for each system in the Twin.

  2. Once you have purchased the Add-on, you must install and activate it before you can use its functionality. Use the button at the top, Install purchased add-ons, to start the installation and activation process.

    If you have multiple add-ons to install, this button applies to all of them simultaneously.

  3. After clicking on Install purchased add-ons, a message box appears. Click OK to install the add-on, and automatically restart Pearl-2. When it reboots, the Add-on feature is activated.

    If you click Cancel in the message box, installs the add-on, but does not reboot. The add-on is not activated until is rebooted. You can reboot normally, or by using the button in the red box that appears at the top-left of the page.

  4. After you have installed and rebooted your system, you can confirm that the process worked by returning to the Firmware Upgrade page. All activated features indicate that they are activated next to their name.

    If you have multiple add-ons available to install, this button applies to all of them simultaneously.