Nextologies offers audiovisual transport services with DeckLink cards

Blackmagic Design's DeckLink Duo 2 and DeckLink Quad 2 capture and playback cards make it easy for Nextologies to transport signals across its point-to-point and point-to-multipoint networks.

Nextologies you are using capture and playback cards DeckLink Duo 2 y DeckLink Quad 2 of Blackmagic Design in their point-to-point and point-to-multipoint audiovisual networks. The combination of solutions developed by both companies has been used by several producers and broadcasters around the world, including the boxing company Top Rank as well as in events of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) and in the final of American Idol last May.

Other important events this year in which these solutions were used were the live broadcasts of the moments before the rocket launch SpaceX and the subsequent landing of the astronauts. On the other hand, Nextologies is the technology provider of Associated Press and provides support to numerous media outlets around the world.

Nextologies offers a wide range of products and services related to the audiovisual transport to broadcasters and content owners. Additionally, the company specializes in point-to-point and multipoint networks, control rooms, media players and satellite broadcasts, as well as the development of Internet protocols for television (IPTV), OTT environments and mobile applications.

Since the creation of NEXTV in 2006, its original OTT platform, Nextologies has always been a pioneer in technological innovations. Both its dedicated equipment and the NXT-4 and Nextologies Encoder encoders and decoders use DeckLink Duo 2 or DeckLink Quad 2 capture and playback cards.

Sasha Zivanovic, CEO of Nextologies, comments that "we have used these cards for years because of the flexibility they offer, their availability and the excellent retail price. This has allowed us to be extremely creative when developing new products and services."

"When we first started, buying an encoder or decoder cost our clients more than $25,000. In addition, no one offered a comprehensive audiovisual transport service, so different types of equipment, formats and intermediaries were needed to create solutions, and this was very problematic," adds Zivanovic.

DeckLink cards are the best capture and playback devices for Mac, Windows and Linux computers. The DeckLink Duo 2 model includes four independent 3G SDI connections that facilitate processing of SD or HD formats at a maximum resolution of 1080p60. For its part, the DeckLink Quad 2 version has eight independent capture and playback channels, four of which can be configured in various ways to create custom solutions.

SpaceX launch

One of the events where Nextologies products and DeckLink Quad 2 cards were used was the live broadcast of the SpaceX rocket launch and the subsequent landing of the astronauts.

The company collaborated with the mobile transmission company PSSI Global Services to provide audiovisual connectivity during these events. With producers across the United States working remotely due to the COVID pandemic, PSSI turned to NXT-16 technology developed by Nextologies and used a combination of NXT-4 and NXT-Lite equipment to deliver the primary feed with exceptional quality and minimal latency, allowing production to run smoothly.

The DeckLink Quad 2 models were used in products that Nextologies shipped to the PSSI control center in Burbank, while the DeckLink Duo 2 versions were used in the NXT-4 and NXT-Lite units intended for talent.

Finally, Zivanovic adds that "during the live broadcast of historic events, such as the SpaceX launch, there is no room for technological errors. Foolproof and optimized processes are essential. The ability of DeckLink cards to process multiple SDI connections and their compatibility with all types of formats were essential to making this possible."