Vidikron VP-5000VHDA User Manual

To interface the PlasmaView VHD with a home theater automation/control system or a PC 
running terminal emulation software, connect it to the RS-232 output of the VHD Controller 
as shown in Figure 3-5. Connect your control system or PC to the RS-232 input of the VHD 
Controller as shown in Figure 3-10. 

Configure the RS-232 controller or PC serial port as follows: no parity, eight (8) data bits, one 
(1) stop bit and no flow control. Set the baud rate to 19200, to match that of the VHD 
Controller RS-232 port. 

Serial commands to the VHD Controller take the following form:

• Commands are not case-sensitive. 

• For a single command that takes no parameters, type the command followed by a 

carriage return; for example, to set the aspect ratio to Letterbox, type 
LETTERBOX <Enter>

. 

• For a single command that takes a parameter, type the command, a space or a comma 

and the desired value followed by a carriage return; for example, to set the brightness to 
-10, type BRIGHTNESS -10 <Enter> or BRIGHTNESS,-10 <Enter>. 

• You can also send a string of multiple commands on a single line, separated by commas. 

For example, COMPOSITE,BRIGHTNESS 100,16:9 <Enter> switches to the 
Composite video input, sets the brightness to 100 and sets the aspect ratio to 16:9. 
Command strings can be up to 255 characters long. 

 

6

Avoid combining the ON or POWER 1 commands with other commands on a 
single line. After sending ON or POWER 1, allow at least five (5) seconds for 
the VHD Controller to power up. If you have enabled the ISF splash screen 
(refer to Splash Configure on page 45), allow 15 seconds for the VHD 
Controller to power up.