NANJING, China—Magewell has introduced two new members of its Ultra Encode family of live media encoders designed for a variety of applications, ranging from live streaming and remote contribution to IP-based production and distribution. It has also announced that it will highlight them during ISE 2024, Jan. 30-Feb. 2, in Barcelona, Spain.
Available immediately through the company’s global network of authorized resellers, the new Ultra Encode HDMI Plus and Ultra Encode SDI Plus combine encoding and delivery flexibility with simultaneous multi-protocol streaming, file-based recording, NDI HX3 support, 4K encoding at 30fps, Power over Ethernet (PoE) support and advanced live production features.
"While our core Ultra Encode models and flagship Ultra Encode AIO continue to be immensely popular, some customers want the higher bitrates, expanded formats, recording capabilities and multi-protocol simultaneous streaming of Ultra Encode AIO but in a more compact, camera-mountable form factor," said James Liu, vice president of engineering at Magewell. "The new Ultra Encode Plus models fit perfectly into the middle of the product line, meeting these needs and making the Ultra Encode family ideal for even more use cases."
The Ultra Encode HDMI Plus can encode at resolutions up to 4096x2160 at 30fps from its HDMI interface, while the Ultra Encode SDI Plus encodes up to 4K at 30fps from the device's 6G-SDI input. Both support multiple video encoding formats and technologies, including H.264, H.265 (HEVC), NDI HX2 and NDI HX3, as well as many streaming protocols, such as RTMP, RTMPS, SRT, RTSP, RTP, HLS and TVU's ISSP technology, the company said.
Video can be encoded at bitrates up to 32Mbps (62Mbps for NDI HX3), while up to eight channels of audio can be encoded in AAC format. Two concurrent encoding profiles with distinct combinations of resolution, frame rate and bitrate can be specified, it said.
Configurable presets enable easy streaming to YouTube Live (via RTMP or HLS), Facebook Live, Twitch, the Wowza Video platform (via RTMP or SRT) or custom targets. Ultra Encode Plus models can stream to up to six different target destinations simultaneously. It can stream concurrently in multiple protocols. Inputs also can be recorded as files on the device's internal storage, an external USB-connected drive or networked storage, it said.
The compact form factor of the Ultra Encode Plus enables camera mounting. Its metal chassis measures 4.2 inches square (106.6mm by 106.2mm) and is one inch (25mm) high. Integrated tally lights indicate program or preview usage of NDI HX outputs in live production environments. The devices offer loop-through connections as well as line-level analog audio input and output. They can be powered via PoE or the included power adapter. The encoders feature built-in Wi-Fi network connectivity and an RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet port, the company said.
The new encoders can be configured, monitored and controlled through an intuitive, browser-based web interface. Centralized remote management and control of multiple units is available through the Control Hub software. Manual control and scheduled streaming and recording are available through the web UI, while HTTP-based APIs are available for systems integrators and third-party developers to incorporate Ultra Encode Plus into their solutions, it said.
See Magewell at ISE 2024 Stand 5E71.
More information is available on the company’s website.
