Starting with Solo PRO firmware 10.6.2, you may see this prompt while streaming, and it will remain until you clear it:

This new feature is intended to help warn you when there was a video disconnect while streaming, even if later the video input recovers.  Sometimes, the video input may recover within seconds, however, the disconnect likely results a visual artifact in the stream.  Thus, knowing when disconnects occur can help you understand why there may have been a visual problem with your stream.

What Does The Video Source Being Unstable Mean?

This prompt specifically means the input hardware on the unit (either HDMI or SDI) was unable to read the incoming serial information without an error.  And the error was sufficient enough to cause the input hardware to reset, probably resulting in the loss of some visual information during the input process.  The unit firmware can detect these errors and resets, but the exact source of the error cannot be determined just by the presence of the error itself.

So, What Are Some Sources Of Such Input Errors?

Now you know an input error happened that might have resulted in a visual hiccup or problem in your stream - what are some things that can cause such input errors?  Below are some possibilities.

Bad Cable

Sometimes, the issue is just a bad cable: either a cable that was never manufactured correctly, or that has worn out and broken over time. It could be making poor contact with the connectors or otherwise be damaged.  Sometimes this damage will be visible but often times it is not.  This can be relatively easy to fix by just replacing the HDMI cable in use.  If you have replaced the cable, or it is a very new cable, see some other, slightly more complex possibilities below.

Radio Frequency Interference In The Signal

A very common source of such input errors is actually the radio frequency being output by the modems, interfering with the video signal, as some specific cellular channels do overlaps with frequencies used in signals like HDMI.  This problem is much more common in HDMI due to the nature of the way cables are shielded. 

In SDI cables (which are coaxial cables), it is easier to have the cable shielding make a full 360-degree connection to the BNC connector (which is itself round).   But in HDMI cables, it is unfortunately a fairly common practice to have the shielding that is wrapped around the bundle of individual cables itself make contact with the shielding around the connector at only one spot.  This leaves a ring right near the connector that is effectively unshielded, and since the connector is plugged into the unit and near the modems, this can be an issue.

Note that while in the original Solo, RF interference often showed up as a distinctive visual issue like purple and green colors in the video, on the Solo PRO it results in a different visual issue which is often just black frames or lost video entirely.  

What can you do to fix it, if you suspect your video source prompt was caused by RF interference?

1. Use the HDMI extension cable shipped with your unit: this cable is properly shielded (the shielding of the cable makes 360-degree contact with the connector shielding) and was intended to help move a more vulnerable connector away from the modems.  
2. Get a new HDMI cable that is properly shielded: unfortunately, this is easy to say but hard to do, as sometimes "expensive" cables still use the "Single connection point" style shielding and cheap cables use the correct, 360-degree shield.  In addition, cables and manufacturers rapidly change so advice on a "good" cable now is often not valid for more than a few months.  However, if you have repeated problems with instable video input and suspect RF shielding, replacing your cable is highly recommended.  If in any doubt, talk to the reseller you purchased the unit from (particularly if they supplied the HDMI cable), or to LiveU support, for some current advice on cables that are "known good".
3. Inspect the HDMI connector on your unit itself: sometimes, a loose or broken HDMI port can cause the shielding on the cable to not make contact with the ground plane of the unit, and this can let RF interference into the connection at the unit.  Of course, a loose or damaged HDMI port can be its own source of video disconnects.  See below for a bit more about potentially damaged HDMI ports on units.
4. Make sure your cable, and its connectors, are as far from modems as you can place them: for example, note how the LiveU Belt Pack moves the modems off to the sides of the unit and keeps them some distance away from the HDMI connector.  If you are using a setup where the HDMI cable is routed right on top of the modems (and particularly, if the connector or any cable-to-cable connector is right on top of the modems), look for an alternate way to route that cable to avoid this proximity.  It only takes a few inches to make a significant difference in the amount of RF energy being received.
5. Eliminate as many HDMI connections as you can: while it is advised to use the extension cable shipped with the unit, specifically to help move any more vulnerable connector further away from modems, it is similarly advised to not use other dongles, extensions, joiners, right angle connectors, etc.  Each such accessory that also has an connector is another "risk point", since connectors are the weakest link in the HDMI signal path shielding.  If you are using such extensions or joiners, try eliminating them from your setup and see if the situation improves.

All of the above steps can feel like a challenge when trying to configure the best setup for your Solo PRO unit, but the above detail is provided because this type of interference is the most common source of unstable video input issues.  If you have any questions or need any help in working on your video input setup, feel free to contact LiveU Support and discuss it with us!

Damaged HDMI or SDI Input Ports

An unfortunate reality of a physical connector is that it can become damaged over time.  This can be caused by stress on the cable (pulling or bending the port), on physically moving around (pushing inward on the port unintentionally for example), or in more rare cases through too much electricity present on a cable causing damage to internal components.  Much of this type of damage can be discovered through a visual inspection - though, not all of it.

If you suspect that input instability is being caused by damage to your unit's input port, start with a visual inspection of the port.  With HDMI, look for if the port itself is pushed into the unit or no longer at the right angle compared to the chassis of the unit.  With SDI (BNC Connectors), look to see that the middle hole where the pin in the cable inserts is not bent or "spread".  Next, plug in the cable and gently test the connector - it should have very little movement if the connector is in good shape.  If the cable wiggles very easily, quickly falls out when gently wiggling it, or any other sign of physical damage, it is a good indication there has been physical damage to the port.

In some very rare cases, it is possible for the input hardware on the unit to be physically damaged without any visual signs of stress on the port.  This can be caused sometimes by input signals that accidentally carry an electric charge (for instance, from a damaged or defective video source), or can be caused by other means.  One way to test for such issues is:

1. Disable or unplug all modems and stream using only LAN or WiFi (this eliminates RF as a potential source of interference)
2. Don't move the unit around, make sure all cables are well seated and firmly connected
3. Try at least two different video sources; to eliminate the possibility it is your video source (defective camera, etc.)

If under these conditions you still get frequent Unstable Video Input warnings, it is possible the issue is damage to the actual input video circuitry.  

In all cases if you suspect damage to your video input port, please contact LiveU Support. They can check if your unit is still under warranty and provide the options on how to have the unit replaced or repaired either under warranty or not.  

Damaged Camera or Incompatible Video Signals

A bit rarer than the two above cases, it's possible the video output of your camera or other device is either damaged itself, or not compatible with the Solo's input hardware.

This is usually easy to test, by using another video source as a test.  If that video source works fine with your Solo PRO, but your intended video source gives you frequent video stability errors, it may be this case.

If you do not believe your camera or other device is damaged, and that it may instead be a compatibility issue, please contact LiveU support and provide all the details you can about the video source (make, model, settings, etc.) so that it can be investigated.

Conclusions 

The new video stability prompt included in firmware 10.6.2 is intended to help you catch and diagnose video input problems.  Some very common sources of video input problems are outlined in this article.  As always, LiveU support can help you walk through these debug steps and then take the right corrective actions.