NAB 2024: Cobalt Digital To Offer Simplified Path To ATSC 3.0

With a focus on answering the needs of its customers with cutting-edge technology, Cobalt Digital has announced plans to present a lineup at NAB Show 2024 that includes solutions for an industry in transition. Cobalt, a designer and manufacturer of edge devices for live video production and master control, and a founding partner in the openGear initiative, will hold continuous demonstrations on Booth SU4027 that respond to the industry’s demand for increased capacity, flexibility, and ease of use.

Specifically, the Company will bring broadcasters a simple path to ATSC 3.0, an extended line of IP capable multiviewers, enhanced family of high-density routers and control panels, a quad-channel bi-directional gateway to IP processing in openGear form and a new quad-channel 12G DANTE openGear card. Cobalt’s booth will also have products on hand from the company’s existing and extensive platform.

9905-MPx openGear card brings HDR to ATSC 3.0 — Cobalt Digital has simplified the path to ATSC 3.0 by offering an easy way to convert ATSC 1.0 to an ATSC 3.0 ready signal. This capability, being introduced at NAB 2024, is offered in Cobalt’s 9905-MPx fully featured, multi-function 3G/HD/SD Quad-Path Up/Down/Cross Converter/Frame Sync/Embed/De-Embed openGear audio processor. The 9905-MPx also includes the ability to convert four channels of 1080i SDR to 1080p HDR for ATSC 3.0 and support for 3D-LUTs as a standard feature for all paths with available color correction for downstream HDR systems. This way, stations can get started in ATSC 3.0 by automatically generating a 1080p HDR feed from their existing 1080i or 720p SDR feed, and later switch to a native HDR signal.

Scalable Software-Based Multiviewer Solution — Cobalt’s UltraBlue IP-MV multiviewers are available as both a software package and a cloud instance with a WebRTC output. These software-based multiviewers feature an intuitive web interface and are designed to grow with a customer’s needs by incorporating support for compressed and baseband (ST 2110) IP/SDI inputs and outputs. UltraBlue IP-MV can receive audio/video over IP in a variety of protocols and formats with very flexible audio routing. Mosaic configurations are a snap with arbitrary sizes and orientations available on multiple screens with graphic overlays, ancillary data, and tallies.

Cobalt will also be showing its openGear SDI series of multiviewers which include the 9970-QS (up to 3G) and 9971 (up to 12G).

Multi-Format COBALT WAVE Routers from SD to 4K — The COBALT WAVE family of routers are flexible, simple to use and easily integrated into any variety of applications with support for signals up to 12G-SDI. At NAB 2024, a new unit is joining the family in the form of a 32×32 crosspoint solution that fits into a 2U frame, a smaller version of the 4U COBALT WAVE RTR-64×64. Both feature full-size BNC connectors, have a single 10/100/1000 Ethernet port for IP-based control, and offer RP-168 switching support. The web-based control allows full setup, salvos, monitoring, and preset management. This compact design is specifically optimized for 12G SDI operation but handles lower SDI rates with ease, as well as ASI and MADI. Cobalt routers feature an open modern control API for third party integration, as well as support for traditional control protocols.

Cobalt’s 12×12 and 24×24 routers in openGear form factor will be at show as well.

COBALT WAVE Control Panels now Available in 4 Configurations —

Control of the COBALT WAVE routers is accomplished by Cobalt’s growing line of control panels developed to accommodate the WAVE router family. NAB will set the stage for the debut of the COBALT WAVE CP-44 and COBALT WAVE CP-42L which join the existing 78 and 84L button panels. The COBALT WAVE CP-44 features 44 back-lit buttons while the COBALT WAVE CP-42L features 42 back-lit LCD dot matrix display buttons. The WAVE panels allow different setups to be stored and recalled from the browser to provide extremely flexible operations. After customizing the panel, simply upload the configuration to a different panel for rapid changes on the network.  The control panels are easily customizable for almost any application using Lua scripts.

Independent Processing Paths on a Single Unit — The new COBALT INDIGO SMPTE ST 2110 is a quad-channel bi-directional gateway available in the openGear form factor. This gateway circumvents the error-prone and expensive need for multiple devices in the data path. Redundant 25G Ethernet interfaces and a complete native ST 2110 stack (including NMOS IS 04/05) provide for an easy-to-manage, fully integrated and cost-effective solution. Cobalt also offers the SMPTE ST 2110 interface as an add-on to COBALT’S 9905-MPx or 9904-UDX-4K very popular openGear processing cards with the simple addition of the INDIGO 2110-DC-01 daughter-card option.

For the first time, Cobalt will be showing its COBALT PACIFIC 9992-ENC encoder with a daughter card added to provide a ST 2110 input option on this software defined, upgradable encoder.

DANTE openGear Card — Brand new for NAB 2024, Cobalt is introducing the COBALT ARIA AUD-DANTE – a DANTE card in openGear form factor. COBALT ARIA AUD-DANTE is a quad-channel unit with up to 12G DANTE/AES/MADI/Embed and De-Embed functions with Frame Sync capabilities. The card features two gigabit Ethernet ports, a 64×64 configuration, and a full audio router mixer.

The DANTE capability can be also available on Cobalt’s 9904-UDX/9905-MPx processing cards for maximum functionality and flexibility.