Arkona technologies will use NAB 2026 to announce a comprehensive series of enhancements to its BLADE//runner platform. The updates focus on usability and workflow flexibility, giving engineers more intuitive ways to configure, control and automate the powerful FPGA-accelerated processing that BLADE//runner is already known for.
BLADE//runner has long delivered ultra-low latency audio/video routing, audio/video processing and compression through its FPGA-accelerated AT300 architecture. The latest enhancements provide more ways to work with that power, from visual offline configuration to automated audio mixing and streamlined control integration.
Leading the new releases is BLADE//planner, a graphical configuration tool that transforms how engineers design and deploy processing workflows. BLADE//planner enables offline configuration of entire system architectures with visual overview and intuitive representation of processing flows. It abstracts functionality so operators can route what they need and pick services – colour correction, audio processing, frame synchronisation – without diving into low-level parameters. However, for those operating at the expert level, it makes over one million controllable parameters accessible, enabling automation at scale while retaining the option for manual blade-by-blade configuration when needed.
Other developments to streamline the way users leverage BLADE//runner’s potential include a new Video Switcher soft panel, which extends operational flexibility through software-based control. Additionally, the Audio Mixer now features AutoMix for automated microphone management in dynamic live production settings.
Furthermore, arkona has upgraded its EasyIP software so that it can now directly support hardkey router panels and the SWP-08 protocol, and are working with technology partner manifold to enable direct PIP routing into the multiviewer. With this, the turnkey IP solution now facilitates interoperability with established control surfaces and yet further streamlines the migration path from traditional router infrastructures to fully IP-based systems.
In terms of enhanced abilities, a new addition includes dedicated HBM-based FrameSyncs for SDI inputs, which leverage high-bandwidth memory to deliver enhanced buffering performance and deterministic synchronisation for SDI sources entering IP workflows. As an added function, the addition of Video ID insertion improves identification and traceability of video flows across large-scale IP systems.
Rainer Sturm, CEO of arkona technologies, commented: “BLADE//runner has always been remarkably powerful – the FPGA architecture gives it performance that software alone can’t match, but a flexibility and scalability that dedicated hardware doesn’t come close to. With this release, we’ve focused on making that power more accessible. NAB gives us the opportunity to not only show off these developments first hand, but to talk through the important use cases we’ve seen this year – across broadcast, enterprise and esports: cases which really highlight just how versatile FPGA-accelerated production tools can be.”
