Atlona will release a firmware update to its OmniStream AV-over-IP platform to expand the solution with a range of new features and capabilities designed to benefit corporate, educational, and government AV customers. Scheduled for release in late September, these new enhancements include comprehensive 4K and HDR compatibility, video wall processing, HDCP 2.2 compliance, and AES67 audio-over-IP interoperability.
“In keeping with our mission to help our AV-over-IP customers solve their integration challenges, streamline infrastructure, enhance connectivity, and simplify management, this OmniStream upgrade will continue to enable many new and novel AV system design and problem-solving opportunities, today and tomorrow,” said Nick Bethard, Atlona’s senior product manager.
Topping the list of new features is the addition of high-performance encoding and decoding of UHD at 60Hz 4:4:4. This feature will be available as an optional licensed upgrade for the OmniStream 111 (AT-OMNI-111) single-channel encoder, but will be standard with the OmniStream 112 (AT-OMNI-112) dual-channel encoder as well as the OmniStream single and dual-channel decoders (AT-OMNI-121 and AT-OMNI-122).
The firmware upgrade also adds support for popular HDR formats, including HDR10. In particular, the OmniStream platform will now handle 4K at 60 Hz with 4:2:0 chroma subsampling, 10-bit color, and HDR, making it compatible with Ultra HD Blu-ray, streaming media players and other emerging consumer video sources that deliver HDR content.
The OmniStream product family consists of five distinct products that integrate and distribute critical-quality 4K/UHD video, audio, and RS-232 control over a standard Gigabit Ethernet network with off-the-shelf switches. This enterprise-grade network platform also offers extensive levels of system redundancy and failover, AES-128 encryption, forward error correction, and other measures for reliable, secure IP content distribution.
“With the addition of UHD at 60Hz 4:4:4 and HDR10 support for 4K video over 1GbE networks, among other higher-end video capabilities, Atlona is responding to the requests by our quality-conscious corporate, educational, and government customers for better video resolution, low-latency compression algorithms, and standards compliance,” Bethard said.
HDCP 2.2 compliance adheres to the latest specification for High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP), and is backwards compatible with older HDCP 1.x compliant devices, if permitted by the source content. HDCP 2.2 compliance also allows integration with new and forthcoming sources and displays.
The upcoming OmniStream firmware update will also allow encoded video to be delivered to an array of video wall displays, regardless of size. Additionally, the newly expanded video wall processing capabilities include bezel compensation and image rotation, as well as frame-accurate synchronization between decoders.
With this firmware upgrade, Atlona is expanding the platform’s audio networking capabilities further by adding compatibility with AES67-enabled audio over IP devices and systems for OmniStream encoders and decoders.
The AES67 standard enables audio-over-IP streaming interoperability between OmniStream and a wide range of AES67-enabled professional audio products from other manufacturers. This allows AV consultants, system designers, and integrators to interface OmniStream encoded audio directly with third-party audio DSPs.
The firmware update will also provide text scrolling, which allows the display of announcements, alerts, captions, and notifications with scrolling capability for presentation of extended messages.
“We are committed to continually upgrading the features and capabilities of our OmniStream AV-over-IP platform and adding compatibility that supports key, next-generation AV integration requirements,” Bethard said. “By responding quickly to evolving market demands, we can ensure that our customers continue to benefit from OmniStream AV-over-IP network capabilities and operational efficiencies well into the future.”
OmniStream products are available for order through authorized OmniStream partners, and pricing is available through regional Atlona representatives. For more information about OmniStream, please visit atlona.com/omnistream.
