Shows Prototype of Mini-Converter That Would Convert IP Video/Audio Signals to HDMI

AJA updated its long-standing line-up of Kona PCIe video capture and playback cards at NAB 2016 with the new Kona IP, an eight-lane PCIe 2.0 card designed for facilities transitioning from SDI to IP video.

The Kona IP looks a lot like a traditional Kona capture card, with an HDMI v1.4 output for monitoring, a BNC jack for reference video or LTC input, and two SFP+ cages ready for use with third-party SFP tranceiver modules for 10 GigE I/O connections to a network switcher.

At launch, the Kona IP supports the SMPTE 2022-6 standard for transporting high-bit-rate video signals over IP networks at up to 1080p60 with 4:4:4 and 4:2:2 color sampling. It also carries 16 channels of embedded 48kHz/24-bit SDI audio and eight channels of embedded HDMI audio. At an NAB press briefing, AJA President Nick Rashby said support for more IP protocols and compression is "coming."

Rashby also said the card was hard at work at NAB, with Sony using it to demo its IP Live production technology, Avid showing it working with Media Composer, and Arista using it as part of a demo of AIMS IP video technology. (Read more about AIMS in our pre-NAB coverage.)

Additionally, Rashby showed what he called a "technology preview" of a new IP-to-HDMI mini-converter, the IPR-1G-HDMI. It will support JPEG-2000 decoding and 1 GigE LAN connectivity, he said, with output to HDMI for monitoring. Look for more on that product in the near future. 

The Kona IP card is expected to ship in May for an MSRP of $2,495.