NAB 2024: Cobalt Digital to highlight a simplified path to ATSC 3.0

Cobalt Digital is set to present a line-up at NAB 2024 that includes solutions for an industry in transition. The comapny, a founding partner in the openGear initiative, will hold continuous demonstrations on stand SU4027 that respond to the industry’s demand for increased capacity, flexibility and ease of use. Specifically, it will bring broadcasters a simple path to ATSC 3.0, an extended line of IP capable multiviewers, an enhanced family of high-density routers and control panels, a quad-channel bidirectional gateway to IP processing in openGear form and a new quad-channel 12G Dante openGear card. The stand will also have products on hand from the company’s existing and extensive platform.

Cobalt has simplified the path to ATSC 3.0 by offering an easy way to convert ATSC 1.0 to an ATSC 3.0-ready signal. This capability, being introduced at NAB 2024, is offered in Cobalt’s 9905-MPx fully featured, multi-function 3G/HD/SD quad-path up/down/cross converter/frame sync/embed/de-embed openGear audio processor. The 9905-MPx also includes the ability to convert four channels of 1080i SDR to 1080p HDR for ATSC 3.0 and support for 3D-LUTs as a standard feature for all paths with available colour correction for downstream HDR systems. This way, stations can get started in ATSC 3.0 by automatically generating a 1080p HDR feed from their existing 1080i or 720p SDR feed, and later switch to a native HDR signal.

Cobalt’s UltraBlue IP-MV multiviewers are available as both a software package and a cloud instance with a WebRTC output. These software-based multiviewers feature an intuitive web interface and are designed to grow with a customer’s needs by incorporating support for compressed and baseband (ST 2110) IP/SDI inputs and outputs. UltraBlue IP-MV can receive audio/video over IP in a variety of protocols and formats with flexible audio routing. Mosaic configurations are a snap with arbitrary sizes and orientations available on multiple screens with graphic overlays, ancillary data, and tallies.

The company will also be showing its openGear SDI series of multiviewers which include the 9970-QS (up to 3G) and 9971 (up to 12G).

NAB 2024 will also see the addition of a new unit to the Cobalt Wave family in the form of a 32×32 crosspoint solution that fits into a 2U frame, a smaller version of the 4U Cobalt Wave RTR-64×64. Both feature full-size BNC connectors, have a single 10/100/1000 Ethernet port for IP-based control, and offer RP-168 switching support. The web-based control allows full setup, salvos, monitoring and preset management. This compact design is specifically optimised for 12G-SDI operation but handles lower SDI rates with ease, as well as ASI and MADI. Cobalt routers feature an open modern control API for third-party integration, as well as support for traditional control protocols.

Control of the Cobalt Wave routers is accomplished by the company’s growing line of control panels developed to accommodate the Wave family. NAB will set the stage for the debut of the Cobalt Wave CP-44 and CP-42L which join the existing 78 and 84L button panels. The CP-44 features 44 back-lit buttons, while the CP-42L features 42 back-lit LCD dot matrix display buttons. The panels allow different setups to be stored and recalled from the browser to provide flexible operations. After customising the panel, simply upload the configuration to a different panel for rapid changes on the network.  The control panels are easily customisable for almost any application using Lua scripts, according to Cobalt.

The new Cobalt Indigo SMPTE ST 2110 is a quad-channel bidirectional gateway available in the openGear form factor. This gateway circumvents the error-prone and expensive need for multiple devices in the data path. Redundant 25G Ethernet interfaces and a complete native ST 2110 stack (including NMOS IS 04/05) provide for an easy-to-manage, fully integrated and cost-effective solution. Cobalt also offers the SMPTE ST 2110 interface as an add-on to the 9905-MPx or 9904-UDX-4K openGear processing cards with the addition of the INDIGO2110-DC-01 daughter-card option.

For the first time, Cobalt will be showing its Pacific 9992-ENC encoder with a daughter card added to provide a ST 2110 input option on this software defined, upgradable encoder.

Also new for NAB 2024 is the Cobalt Aria Aud-Dante – a Dante card in openGear form factor. This quad-channel unit has up to 12G Dante/AES/Madi/embed and de-embed functions with frame sync capabilities. It features two gigabit Ethernet ports, a 64×64 configuration and a full audio router mixer.

The Dante capability is also available on Cobalt’s 9904-UDX/9905-MPx processing cards for maximum functionality and flexibility.

“We are incredibly excited to return to NAB 2024 with a lineup that not only addresses the current needs of broadcasters but provides the future-proof solutions our customers seek as new technologies emerge,” said Suzana Brady, SVP of worldwide sales and marketing, Cobalt Digital. “We invite all attendees to visit Cobalt in Booth SU4027 to see all these technology innovations that are driving our industry closer to ATSC 3.0 and IP.”