Magewell to launch 4K decoder for NDI and SRT at NAB 2020

It is believed to be the industry’s first hardware decoder to support both Newtek’s NDI technology and the Secure Reliable Transport protocol

Magewell will unveil its most powerful decoder hardware to date in booth SU5724 at the 2020 NAB Show (April 19-22 in Las Vegas). Believed to be the industry’s first hardware decoder to support both Newtek’s NDI technology for production-grade media transport and the Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) protocol — developed and open-sourced by Haivision — for internet-delivered H.264 and H.265 streams, the Pro Convert for NDI to HDMI 4Ktransforms IP streams up to 4Kp60 for baseband output over HDMI.

The company is also simultaneously launching a second new model, the Pro Convert H.26x to HDMI 4K, which offers the same rich features as the Pro Convert for NDI to HDMI 4K for users who don’t require NDI support. Both models also support additional streaming protocols including RTSP, RTMP, UDP, RTP and HTTP streaming.

The two new low-latency converters decode input streams up to 4196×2160 at full 60 frames per second for output to baseband monitors, projectors, production or distribution equipment via an HDMI 2.0 interface. Offering the high reliability, assured performance and compact size of dedicated hardware compared to software-based stream playout, they are perfect for applications including multi-site video distribution; image magnification (IMAG); video walls; digital signage; remote production; or bridging legacy and next-generation media infrastructures.

“We have received considerable interest from customers wanting the flexibility of decoding either NDI streams from their internal networks or SRT streams from external sources over the public internet,” said Nick Ma, CEO and CTO at Magewell. “Each technology has its own distinct advantages for different applications, and we are seeing deployments of mixed infrastructures using multiple technologies to support specific production, display and distribution facets of the content chain. With support for NDI, SRT and even more protocols, the Pro Convert for NDI to HDMI 4K gives customers the versatility they need as their IP workflows evolve.”

“SRT was created to enable secure, reliable video transport over unpredictable networks such as the public internet, and we see it as complementary to IP media transport technologies such as NDI that are most commonly used for private networks in production or internal distribution workflows,” said Jesús Carrillo, Director SRT Alliance at Haivision. “Magewell has a tremendous reputation for delivering innovative yet practical solutions that empower its customers to leverage the benefits of the latest technologies. We’re excited that it is developing multi-protocol, SRT Ready solutions that allow users to choose the best technology for their workflows.”

“Magewell’s extensive Pro Convert family of NDI converters have helped make the transition to IP-based workflows simple and cost-effective for countless media professionals ranging from educational facilities all the way up to high-end broadcasters,” said Dr. Andrew Cross, president of R&D Vizrt Group. “It has been a pleasure to work with Magewell on their NDI support, with their new decoders being a clear benefit for all customers interested in IP video.”

The Pro Convert for NDI to HDMI 4K and Pro Convert H.26x to HDMI 4K can automatically optimize output parameters based on EDID metadata of the connected HDMI display, while FPGA-based video processing enables high-quality up/down-conversion between HD and 4K. The compact devices measure just 3.97 by 2.4 inches (100.9 by 60.2mm) with a height of 0.92 inches (23.3mm), and can be powered via external adapter or PoE. Users can manage advanced features of the devices via on-unit controls, a browser-based interface, or connected keyboard or mouse.