IBC 2016: AJA Video Systems enhances UHD, HDR, IP offerings

AJA Video Systems has rolled out a number of new converters, firmware updates, and software designed to make it easier than ever for customers to make the move to IP, UHD, and HDR.

Topping the list were improvements to its RovoCam UHD camera system with the new RovoRx-SDI HDBaseT receiver and updated RovoControl v2.0 software. RovoRx-SDI is a companion receiver for RovoCam with four integrated 6G/3G-SDI outputs and HDMI for Ultra HD/HD support. And RovoControl v2.0 adds multicam setup and control and several workflow enhancements to the RovoCam HDBaseT compact block-camera ecosystem.

AJA’s RovoCam is getting a lift, thanks to enhancements introduced at IBC.

“One of the things hotly requested,” notes Nick Rashby, president, AJA Video Systems, “was presets that could be cloned across multiple cameras as well as spot focus that can hold focus in one area of the frame or hold exposure to one area of the frame.”

Capable of Ultra HD, RovoCam is integrated with an HDBaseT interface, offering the most efficient and affordable method of supporting uncompressed video, audio, control, and power over a single Cat 5e/6 cable at lengths of up to 100 meters.

Key features of RovoRX-SDI include four 6G/3G-SDI outputs supporting 6G/3G/1.5G with embedded audio; DA mode for distributing multiple 6G/3G-SDI signals from an HDBaseT source; HDMI output for ubiquitous Ultra HD and HD prosumer displays; REF in/out that can be genlocked with other broadcast gear; USB port for software configuration of SDI settings; and power over HDBaseT (PoH), allowing RovoCam to be powered remotely from its physical location

RovoControl 2.0, compatible with Mac and Windows, is free software that allows users to control RovoCam from companion HDBaseT products in the RovoCam ecosystem —  RovoRx-SDI, RovoRx-HDMI — and Corvid HB-R. Key features include easier multicamera setup and control for up to eight RovoCams; preset control for simple recall and the ability to share presets between RovoCams, including ePTZ settings; greater color and white balance control for users, improving the ability to match other cameras; Gamma detail and visibility enhancer settings added to UI; and improved UART/RS-232 support on third-party RS-232 adapters

RovoCam is available now through AJA’s worldwide reseller network for $2,495; the RovoRx-SDI companion receiver unit will be available soon for $995 (the existing RovoRx-HDMI companion receiver is available now priced at $495).

Also new is ROI-SDI, a powerful scan-converter in a Mini-Converter form factor. It offers flexible image scaling, region-of-interest and image-rotation capabilities, with 3G-SDI input and simultaneous 3G-SDI and HDMI outputs. ROI-SDI makes it easy to customize video signals to meet a range of display demands; users can rotate source signals, define a portion of an image, or reframe the source image from any 3G-SDI signal. It is also capable of splitting an image over multiple display monitors. Running AJA Mini-Config software on a computer, ROI-SDI users can also select a region-of-interest in real time and on-screen and have full control over how that region is scaled to the output resolution, delivering the cleanest picture quality possible.

“Other boxes that are able to do these sort of functions are at least four times as expensive,” says Rashby. The ROI-SDI is priced at $995.

Also exhibited is the C10DA miniature, cost-efficient 1×6 analog distribution amplifier with support for NTSC, PAL, bi-level reference within an incoming analog source, AES, and LTC. Designed for distribution needs related to SD workflows in a range of markets around the world, the C10DA can also be used to distribute tri-level reference for HD workflows when an external reference is fed into the video input.

Other new Mini-Converters include the IPR-1G-HDMI, which decodes VSF TR-01 and other JPEG 2000 streams and formats the data for output on a full-size HDMI 1.4 interface. IPR-1G-SDI decodes VSF TR-01 and other JPEG 2000 streams and formats the data for 3G-SDI BNC output.

“ROI-SDI fulfills the growing demand in the broadcast and production communities for the ability to customize video signals to match multiple display needs without sacrificing budget or space,” says Rashby. “The new IPR-1G-SDI and IPR-1G-HDMI support the latest IP video workflows our customers have been asking for, in a compact, easy-to-deploy, and affordable design.”

ROI-SDI will be available soon through AJA’s worldwide reseller network at a U.S. MSRP of $995. C10DA will be available soon priced at $175. IPR-1G-HDMI and IPR-1G-SDI will each be available for $795.

The company has also announced free v12.5 Desktop Software with new features for KONA IP; it improve redundancy and reliability in broadcast IP pipelines, including SMPTE 2022-7 support for protection switching. It allows users to send the same uncompressed data stream from the top and bottom SFP+ cages onto two separate networks for easy routing of video over IP networks. New v12.5 software support for KONA IP also includes HDR 10 metadata support in AJA control panel. Support for SMPTE 2022-2 workflows with JPEG 2000 is planned for future updates.

“We’re continually exploring how we can alleviate the challenges professionals face in the transition to IP by creating future-proof solutions that will carry facilities through this new era of IP and beyond,” says Rashby. “Our new Mini-Converters and v12.5 software features for KONA IP deliver the latest IP video workflow features our customers have been asking for.”

The IPR-1G-HDMI Mini-Converter will be available soon through AJA’s worldwide network of resellers priced at $795, with the IPR-1G-SDI Mini-Converter also available soon at $795. 

The Ki Pro Ultra, AJA’s next-generation file-based 4K/Ultra HD/2K/HD video recorder and player with a built-in LCD monitor, is also getting improvements with the addition of the support for Avid DNxHD, enabling users to record and play back DNxHD files. The portable device is capable of capturing edit-ready Apple ProRes files in a range of video formats and frame rates up to 4K/60p. Ki Pro Ultra offers flexible input and output connectivity, including 3G-SDI, HDMI, and even fiber for powerful and efficient large-raster and high-frame-rate workflows. Designed to be both portable with a built-in handle or rack-mountable with half-rack–wide 2RU dimensions, Ki Pro Ultra suits a wide range of production and post environments.

The addition of Avid DNxHD .mov support ensures compatibility among files recorded by AJA’s Ki Pro Rack, Ki Pro Mini, and now Ki Pro Ultra products for Avid workflows. MXF OP-1A wrapper versions of these codecs will be added in an upcoming firmware update.