AJA introduces openGear OG-C10DA card at IBC 2024

The Kona IP25 IP audio and video I/O card leads the way in hardware innovations AJA facing IBC 2024, an event in which the company also introduces new and long-awaited software improvements, as well as a first step in the world of virtualization.

The new Its IP25 It features 10/25GbE SFP connectivity, multi-channel UltraHD support, and other powerful features designed to meet the demands of evolving full-fledged and hybrid SMPTE ST 2110 ecosystems. Designed for broadcast, TV/cinema, mobile units, venues, studios, schools, houses of worship, new facility construction, post-production and AJA development partners, this 8-lane PCIe Gen 4.0 card aims to adopt the latest IP standards by providing uncompressed bi-directional SMPTE 2110 support.

Configuration and control of the Kona IP25 is done through a user interface accessed through the host computer. Once all the IP parameters, The card works similarly to any other AJA Kona card. Kona IP25 can be accessed through AJA's industry-best OS drivers and application plug-ins or through the AJA NTV2 software development kit (SDK). All SMPTE ST 2110 processing and control functions are managed on board, including Networked Media Open Specifications (NMOS), PTPv2 (Precision Time Protocol), and AJA SDK, ensuring no additional software or loading is required on the host computer.

Kona IP25 supports a wide range of video formats HD, 2K and UltraHD, and is also compatible with HDR passthrough. The card includes a 1GbE RJ45 connector to expand control options. KONA IP25 can be paired with AJA IPT-10G2 and IPR-10G2 mini converters to convert SDI/HDMI to/from SMPTE ST 2110 or housed alongside other AJA PCIe cards in the same server to access baseband I/O.

Nick Rashby, president of AJA, confirms that the Its IP25 It is a response to user demand, who “have been asking for a new video/audio capture and playback card with SMPTE ST 2110 25GbE capability.”

New AJA OG-openGear cards from AJA

AJA has also revealed the keys to the OG-C10DA, solution openGear with eight BNC outputs plus one BNC output with loop output or processing option. The solution, which supports analog video NTSC or PAL, two- and three-level video reference, AES3-id unbalanced digital audio and LTC signal type distribution, is supported by software Ross DashBoard, making remote setup and control of the OG-C10DA intuitive. In this way, AJA points out, production teams can Easily distribute multiple copies of an incoming signal and upscale composite video content with gain adjustment for long cable runs when needed.

Designed for broadcast facilities and mobile units, as well as for the production of events in straightThe OG-C10DA expands options for analog signal distribution while simplifying infrastructure needs. Paired with the openGear rackmount frame AND-X-FR From AJA, OG-C10DA can be used together with a timing generator AJA GEN10 HD/SD/AES as a source input that can be distributed to any video device that requires a Ref In signal. It can also be used to distribute AES3 or LTC.

To Rashby, the OG-C10DA “unlocks all the popular features and performance resilience of our C10DA distribution amplifier within the openGear ecosystem, and features more outputs, giving production teams an easier way to grow as new equipment is added to video workflows.”

Additionally, the firm has presented today OG-ColorBox, a new device that incorporates the proven set of color management and conversion tools ColorBox from AJA and a intuitive web user interface in a format openGear. Offering ultra-low latency, high dynamic range (HDR) and wide color gamut (WCG) 4K/UltraHD video processing, extensive HDR/WCG conversion options, color correction, and custom look-up table (LUT) processing for live production, this solution aims to satisfy almost any any color needs in live production- From color correction of special cameras to camera log processing and real-time SDR to HDR transformation, among many other functions.

"OG-ColorBox provides an arsenal of tools to alleviate these pain points, taking the incredible and proven feature set of our award-winning ColorBox and integrating it into the industry-standard, high-density openGear form factor. It supports multiple color and look management approaches and enables conversion between SDR and HDR for single-master HDR workflows, conversions that require real-time processing using custom LUTs, and much more, all with unprecedented low latency," says the AJA CEO.

The company has also advanced the version 3.0 of ColorBox. Available in October 2024 as a free download, it brings a host of OG-ColorBox features to the ColorBox device, including access to the new modo SDR a Dolby Vision Preview and compatibility with ARRI Alexa 35 LogC4 Wide Gamut 4 WVO in Live mode via Colorfront license. With the update, ColorBox users will also have access to a configurable ACES AMF pipeline, added support for .CLF and .CTF files, the ability to configure SDI and HDMI outputs for color space and bit depth, and other improvements.

Diskover Media Edition is updated to version 2.3 and arrives at Ngenea and RioBroker

AJA has announced new plugins on the opening day of IBC 2024 Diskover Media Edition for data orchestration solution Tired of PixitMedia y RioBroker of Spectra Logic, a media archiving and management platform, along with an update to software v2.3. For Rashby, these collaborations are “crucial” in order to achieve the desired “interoperability” with the company's data visualization system.

A new plugin AJA y PixitMedia provides direct access to the data orchestrator on the Ngenea Data Acceleration Platform within the Diskover Media Edition user interface. The integration allows users to view data across their Diskover Media Edition storage and then transfer it to the appropriate destinations using Ngenea, a secure solution for transporting data to/from globally distributed cloud, object and tape storage, and traditional network attached storage (NAS), without leaving the Diskover Media Edition UI.

On the other hand, the new plugin RioBroker de Diskover Media Edition de AJA permite a las organizaciones de M&E ver, acceder y tomar decisiones más informadas sobre el contenido de sus archivos (objeto, cinta y nube) al extraer los metadatos de los archivos de la base de datos de RioBroker y presentarlos al usuario. También ayuda a impulsar las políticas de retención de medios para conservar y preservar el contenido en las clases de almacenamiento adecuadas, equilibrando el coste y la velocidad de acceso.

In addition to the Ngenea and BlackPearl RioBroker plugins, AJA Diskover Media Edition users can also benefit from the v2.3 UI improvements: the time reduction how long it takes to install, configure, and manage Diskover Media Edition, mitigating potential human error when working with text files, or the adding a PDF viewer which avoids the need to access the source file.

AJA's first step in the virtualization of its solutions

AJA concludes its participation in IBC 2024 by offering the first details of Virtual Kona, a new virtualized, software-defined video capture/playback solution that the company is developing in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS). Virtual Kona integrates AJA's NTV2 software development kit (SDK), used by developers around the world, to create high-quality workflow solutions with AJA video I/O cards, along with AWS Cloud Digital Interface (CDI). Combined, the technologies break down the barriers between on-premises and the cloud for media production, allowing third-party developers to create solutions in both environments for a wide range of applications spanning from broadcast to live streaming, post-production and beyond.

Virtual Kona and the AJA SDK provide a direct add-on to AWS CDI, making it possible for any Kona-compatible software application to connect to the cloud for I/O. This eliminates the need for developers to code an integration from scratch, while offering all of the same media and metadata capabilities that AJA's line of audio and video I/O cards are known for, but in a virtual environment. Third-party applications and hardware solutions that take advantage of the integration will be able to manage uncompressed video, high resolution, high dynamic range (HDR) between the cloud and local workstations located almost anywhere in the world to support visual effects, color correction, editorial, broadcast and playout graphics, streaming and other needs.

"AWS CDI provides the network technology to transport live content with extremely low latency in the cloud, while Virtual KONA and the AJA SDK provide the fast and reliable I/O necessary to move media and metadata in and out of that network to and from local workstations, making the technologies highly complementary. Collaborating with AWS on this integration has been an incredible experience and we are excited about its preview at IBC," he concludes. Rashby.