The new TEKVOX TEK-UT, a special edition of its TEK 2 intelligent room controller, performs dynamic transcoding of an RS232 command/control stream from one device format to another in real time.
- TEKVOX's universal transcoder for ‘programming-free’ replacement of projectors or displays with legacy control systems gives A/V integrators flexibility in system upgrades, according to the company. Since it may be impractical or cost-prohibitive to reprogram a legacy control system to control a new display or projector, externally transcoding the old control stream to the new device's format opens new opportunities for owners of legacy systems and the integrators that support them.
"Legacy A/V control systems in which no one has access to or can understand the original code are constant aggravations to our industry's customers," said Mike Slattery, founder and CTO of TEKVOX. "It stops them from replacing their projectors or HDTVs without a complete code re-write. The TEK-UT gives integrators and installers an affordable option to replacing a display or projector by simply translating the old control stream to the new device's format."
The process of transcoding involves taking in a source stream of information in one format and dynamically transforming it into an entirely different output format. Setting up the TEK-UT for transcoding involves using TEKVOX's graphical wizard tools to select an input driver corresponding to the original display's control codes, select an output driver corresponding to the new device's control code, and assign macros to map input codes to output codes.
"The TEK-UT application is both intuitive and powerful," said Jim Reinhart, CEO of TEKVOX. "Customers can save hundreds or thousands of dollars in rework as well as annoying down time versus having to crack open their existing A/V control systems.”
