IBC 2018: Pebble Beach Systems integrates new Matrox NIC card
At IBC 2018 Pebble Beach Systems will be showcasing its Dolphin integrated channel device with enhanced uncompressed IP functionality, thanks to the integration of the Matrox X.mio5 Q25 network interface controller (NIC) card.
Daniel Robinson, head of product development at Pebble, commented: “Dolphin already offers multiple I/O options to cater for the diverse requirements of our growing user base. A wide range of standards and protocols are supported including SDI, uncompressed and compressed IP, and NDI. Integrating the new X.mio5 Q25 SMPTE 2110 NIC card now enables multiple SMPTE ST 2110 UHD streams for uncompressed IP whilst, crucially, not increasing the load on the CPU. This significantly enhances the flexibility of Dolphin for uncompressed IP playout architectures. When the number of inputs is limited, users can encounter glitches and delays when switching between incoming streams. Thanks to the increased number of inputs this NIC offers, multiple uncompressed IP transport streams can be fed to Dolphin concurrently so that when the input is switched, the stream is already running and ready for a seamless changeover. This destination time switching also means that the additional switching hardware is not required.”
“We’re thrilled to be working with Pebble Beach Systems to develop groundbreaking IP playout platforms with unprecedented multi-channel 4K flexibility and performance for SMPTE ST 2110-based infrastructures,” said Alberto Cieri, director of sales and marketing, Matrox Video. “This is exactly the type of solution we envisioned to help broadcast environments seamlessly transition from SDI to uncompressed IP playout workflows. We’re delighted to be showcasing this technology on the Pebble stand at IBC.”
Dolphin is a compact and cost-effective integrated channel device which, operating under the control of Pebble’s Marina automation, delivers highly automated integrated audio, video and graphics functionality for ingest, channel branding and frame-accurate multi-channel playout. The flexible pipeline design enables the virtual output chain to be customised for each channel, specifying the order in which functions including graphics, effects, aspect ratio conversion are handled within the system.
Equipped with 25GbE and 10GbE interfaces, Matrox X.mio5 Q25 features multi-channel IP video I/O from HD to 4K—with zero CPU usage—on-board multi-channel HDR conversions, along with motion adaptive de-interlacing, pristine scaling, and powerful compositing engines for high-density 4K video processing. Designed as a video-aware COTS SMPTE ST 2110 NIC card, X.mio5 Q25 delivers 24/7 reliability and interoperability required of broadcast equipment, while offering the flexibility and scalability expected of IP infrastructures including standard network stack functionality.