Live from IBC: AJA, EVS bring zoom function to 4K replays

AJA Video Systems and EVS are working together on bringing zoom functionality to 4K replays: the AJA Corvid Ultra system with TruZoom software is being integrated with the EVS 4K XT3 server.

“EVS’s latest 4K XT3 offers unsurpassed live-replay capabilities to the world’s broadcast community, guaranteeing our highest standards of reliability, control, and connectivity,” says Luc Doneux, EVP Sports Division at EVS. “Thanks to this new development partnership with AJA and the integration of AJA’s Corvid Ultra and TruZoom, we will extend EVS’s 4K offerings with the industry’s most comprehensive live 4K zooming capabilities.”

AJA President Nick Rashby introduced the new concept during the company’s press event today.

“With 4K and Ultra HD, sports and other live-broadcast professionals require ever increasing bandwidths, and AJA’s Corvid Ultra and TruZoom were developed to seamlessly handle those workflows,” he says. “We’re thrilled that industry leader EVS is coming on board as a developer partner, and are confident that they will leverage this technology in innovative ways for end users around the world.”

Announced today at the IBC Conference, AJA’s TruZoom software, in combination with Corvid Ultra and TruScale hardware, allows customers to scale any 16:9 region within 4K frames to HD in real time, making it suitable for sports broadcast, live event production, professional AV, and digital film. TruZoom has already been field-tested by MLB Network, achieving seamless scalability and clarity for replays live on-air.

The Corvid Ultra is an external 2RU chassis designed for mission-critical high-bandwidth applications, including 4K and stereoscopic workflows. Featuring AJA’s TruScale arbitrary scaler, Corvid Ultra can easily adapt to the specific needs of any application, supporting 4K/UHD and 2K/HD/Dual Link/SD workflows. TruScale is real time and keyframeable, meaning that scaling parameters can be changed on a frame-by-frame basis to allow real-time “zoom” effects while maintaining pristine image quality. Corvid Ultra can produce multiple scaled resolutions, including 1080p output from 4K and Ultra HD sources.

In other 4K news, the KUMO v3.0 firmware update allows the compact SDI router family to group inputs and outputs together to handle transport of Ultra HD, uncompressed 4K, and even Canon RAW signals.

“We’re happy about this,” says Rashby. “It’s a great upgrade for people looking for inexpensive 4K routing and even distribution.”

Available in compact 1RU or 2RU form factors and with support for 3G/HD/SD-SDI, KUMO routers are suited for any production environment from mobile-production trucks to live-event A/V rigs. KUMO routers are available in three configurations: KUMO 3232 supports 32 3G-SDI inputs and outputs, KUMO 1616 16 3G-SDI inputs and outputs, and KUMO 1604 16 3G-SDI inputs and four 3G-SDI outputs. The new KUMO firmware also supports ganged dual- and quad-port routing, allowing users to group together multiple inputs and outputs for Dual Link, 4K, and Ultra HD workflows.

Aja is also showing a preview of Io 4K, an evolution of its popular devices for professional video I/O, now updated and customized for Thunderbolt 2 technology and 4K workflows. Io 4K connects to any Thunderbolt 2-enabled device, such as the new Mac Pro, and offers an additional Thunderbolt 2 port for daisy-chaining other peripherals, such as high-resolution displays and high-capacity storage.

The company says Io 4K will offer a broad range of video and audio connectivity, supporting the latest 4K and Ultra HD devices. AJA’s proven conversion technology allows real-time high-quality scaling of 4K and Ultra HD to HD. Io 4K will also seamlessly integrate with leading postproduction and delivery tools, such as Apple Final Cut Pro X, Adobe Creative Cloud, AJA Control Room, Telestream Wirecast 5, and more to be announced.

Key Io 4K features will include portable 4K/UHD and HD/SD capture and playback across Thunderbolt 2 and use with the new Mac Pro for video output up to 4K at 10-bit quality. It also has 4x bidirectional 3G-SDI, 4K/UHD HDMI I/O, and simultaneous SDI and HDMI outputs.