August 30, 2018 — Nanjing, China: Magewell today announced two powerful new products designed to help users reliably bring traditional video signals into live, IP-based production infrastructures using NewTek’s royalty-free NDI® technology. The new Pro Convert HDMI 4K Plus IP encoder hardware provides a standalone, plug-and-play on-ramp from HDMI sources to NDI-based production networks, while the Magewell Bridge software for NDI enables users of Magewell’s popular capture devices to convert one or more channels of source video into live NDI streams. Both products will make their world premieres at the IBC2018 exhibition in Amsterdam, where Magewell will exhibit in stand 8.A84.

“The use of live, IP-based media transport has expanded from its roots in content distribution to become an integral part of many professional production workflows, giving customers massive flexibility while helping reduce deployment costs,” said Nick Ma, CEO and CTO at Magewell. “NDI has been one of the key enabling technologies driving this transition. While some new products such as cameras support NDI directly, many customers want to use their current equipment with NDI-compatible production software. The Pro Convert HDMI 4K Plus and Magewell Bridge for NDI give users a choice of easy-to-use, cost-effective and reliable hardware or software solutions to connect their existing sources to NDI-enabled networks, systems and software.”

"Magewell's award-winning video interface products are highly regarded by media professionals for their reliability and simplicity in bringing high-quality video signals into software-based production workflows, and we are excited that they are now offering similar benefits for NDI-enabled workflows," said Dr. Andrew Cross, president and CTO, NewTek. “Pro Convert HDMI 4K Plus and Magewell Bridge for NDI will let users easily connect existing gear into NDI-based infrastructures, helping more producers join the NDI ecosystem.”

Magewell’s self-contained Pro Convert HDMI 4K Plus encoder converts HDMI 2.0 signals into full-bandwidth NDI streams with extremely low latency and is truly plug-and-play, with automatic input signal format detection and DHCP-based network configuration eliminating the need for manual setup. Source video is converted at its native resolution and frame rate by default, while a browser-based interface offers users control of FPGA-based up/down/cross-conversion, de-interlacing, image adjustments and other video processing. Performing these functions within the Pro Convert HDMI 4K Plus hardware can reduce network bandwidth usage and processing requirements for subsequent tools in the production workflow.

Supporting the growing adoption of 4K video in professional production workflows, the Pro Convert HDMI 4K Plus transforms sources up to 4K Ultra HD at full 60 frames per second. Measuring just 117.5mm by 66.7mm (4.63” by 2.63”) and 23.4mm (0.92”) thick, the exceptionally compact and energy-efficient device can be powered over its Ethernet connection (PoE) or the included power adapter. The Pro Convert HDMI 4K Plus can make HDMI input signals from any type of device available on a network as an NDI source, and offers value-added features for camera-mounted use including tally lights and NDI-based PTZ camera control. Additional Pro Convert models – including 1080p60 configurations for users requiring only 2K or HD resolution – are also planned.

For existing users of Magewell ingest products or customers who prefer a software-based conversion solution, Magewell Bridge for NDI allows video and audio from any Magewell capture device to appear as a live source to any other NDI-enabled software and systems on the network. Running on the Windows operating system, the software is compatible with Magewell’s USB Capture and USB Capture Plus external devices, Pro Capture PCIe cards and Eco Capture M.2 hardware.

The Magewell Bridge software supports all resolutions and frame rates available through the associated capture device – including Ultra HD video with Magewell’s 4K capture models – plus up to eight channels of audio. The software can convert multiple input channels to NDI simultaneously when used with multi-channel capture card models or several Magewell capture devices in the same computer.

For more information about Magewell, please visit www.magewell.com.

About Magewell – Founded in 2011, Magewell (www.magewell.com) designs and develops hardware and software for video and audio capture, processing, streaming and playout. With guiding principles of continuous innovation and providing outstanding customer service, Magewell has earned a strong reputation for the exceptional quality, performance and reliability of its solutions. Distributed globally, Magewell products are used in professional video applications including live event streaming, broadcast, medical imaging, lecture capture, surveillance, video conferencing, gaming and more.

About NDI – NDI is in use on millions of devices and allows multiple video systems to identify and communicate with one another over IP. NDI can encode, transmit and receive many streams of high quality, low latency, frame-accurate video and audio in real time. This benefits any network-connected video device, including video mixers, graphics systems, capture cards, and many other production devices. This makes it possible to exponentially increase the number of sources available for live production switching, without directly attaching to devices, changing locations, or investing in expensive, high-bandwidth networks that simply replace SDI-based workflows. #NDIcentral

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Copyright 2018 Nanjing Magewell Electronics Co, Ltd. All rights reserved. NDI is a registered trademark of NewTek, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders. Features, pricing, availability and specifications are subject to change without notice.