Black Box MCX Enables Convergence of AV, Data

Black Box, a provider of pro AV connectivity and signal distribution systems, today announced the release of its new MCX multimedia distribution and management system, which takes advantage of modern 10 GbE infrastructure to allow AV and data payloads to exist on the same IT networks.

According to the company, “while enabling truly converged networked AV, Black Box MCX ensures low latency, bandwidth efficiency, and high-quality video and audio.”

“Historically, converged networks have not been practical, and even dedicated 1 Gigabit networks cannot deliver the quality and performance that many AV applications require,” said Jonathan McCune, director of product management for AV and infrastructure at Black Box. “MCX enables true AV/IT convergence at the enterprise level with use of the 10G SDVoE platform. MCX delivers up to 4K 60 hertz 4:4:4 video uncompressed over 10G with the lowest latency and switch times available in the AV marketplace. This eliminates any compromise between low latency, low bandwidth, and high video quality — and does so on the same IT data network that supports the enterprise.”

MCX simplifies and accelerates the process of consolidating AV and data on a single network, enabling organizations in virtually any industry to reduce network management time and costs, as well as total cost of ownership. Black Box says: “Rather than deploy an entirely new network, users can take advantage of the software-defined solution to leverage existing infrastructure for delivery of better-quality audio and video, which can translate to greater customer satisfaction and faster time to revenue.”

MCX makes it possible to manage video walls, video extension (point-to-point and point-to-multipoint), and digital signage on an IT network. Black Box says MCX is also the first commercially available video-over-IP solution to incorporate Dante audio transport. The new Black Box system supports these signals on a mixed fiber/copper network and in mixed use cases, such as individual video wall screens or video walls with advanced multiviewer or picture-in-picture technology. Delivering up to 4K 60 hertz 4:4:4 plus up to 10-bit HDR, MCX allows users to take advantage of fully uncompressed 4K UHD technology.