Manufacturers Take Pragmatic Approach to 4K Multiviewers

MULTIPLE CITIES 4K/ultra HD is a broadcast/production technology that has generated a lot of discussion and interest, and is seeing increasing use in cinema and television production. It is only a matter of time before the new format is universally adopted the point on which people have yet to agree is precisely when.

For broadcast equipment manufacturers, this vagueness poses a dilemma: If they move into providing 4K technology too aggressively, they risk ending up with bleeding-edge equipment that sits in their warehouses because nobody other than a handful of early adopters is willing to buy it. On the other hand, if these same manufacturers sit back and let their competitors lead on 4K, they risk missing out on the market entirely.

Faced with this damned if you do/damned if you dont dilemma, most multiviewer manufacturers are taking a measured approach to 4K capability, by including some degree of it in their existing HD products. That said, one company Blackmagic Design has decided to claim the bleeding edge by offering a native 4K multiviewer to the world market.

BLACKMAGIC DESIGNS 4K GAMBLE

Introduced at IBC 2014 in September 2014, Blackmagics MultiView 16 multiviewer is being billed as the worlds first native ultra HD multiviewer. The reason: The MultiView 16 can actually feed consumer-grade 4K UHD monitors using single HDMI connections. For broadcasters/producers who prefer to use professional-grade 4K monitors, the MultiView 16 can feed them using pairs of 6G-SDI inputs.

Blackmagic MultiView 16

Each 6G-SDI input comes with automatic frame re-synchronization, allowing each video window to be configured as an independent video monitor. This allows the operator to display up to 16 windows, each one set to their own video standard.

The MultiView 16 makes it possible for operators to get into 4K monitoring economically, by connecting to affordable consumer-grade 4K monitors today, said Dan May, president of Blackmagic Design. At the same time, the system can also support professional-grade 4K monitors, using pairs of 6G-SDI cables.

Blackmagic MultiView 16 Specs

Billed as the worlds first native 4K/UHD multiviewer, the Blackmagic MultiView 16 can connect to a consumer grade 4K monitor using a single HDMI cable, or to a professional-grade 4K monitor using two of the units 6G-SDI outputs.

The nitty-gritty

Installed in a small 1RU chassis for rack-mounting.

Can show up to eight UHD or up to 16 SD-/HD-SDI sources on a single HD or ultra HD. display via SDI or HDMI. Mixing of SD, HD and UHD sources/outputs supported.

Comes equipped with 16 multirate 6G-SDI inputs with loop thru, compatible with all SD, HD and ultra HD equipment.

Each 6G-SDI channel comes with automatic frame re-synchronization. This allows the MultiView 16 to handle simultaneous display of mixed SD, HD and UHD formats.

Users can choose from solo, 2x2, 3x3 or 4x4 grid views.

Supported output resolutions: 1,920x1,080 and 3,840x2,160 pixels.

Equipped with front panel controls: Dedicated source buttons, LCD screen and spin-knob control.

Built in 90-240V AC international power supply; global use.

Remote control via Ethernet using the included Mac and Windows software, or using Blackmagic Videohub hardware control panels.

All of the MultiViews 16 inputs are based on the 6G-SDI standard, with the ability to display SD, HD and (when paired) 4K/UHD video sources.

All 16 inputs feature automatic frame re-synchronization, May said. This allows each video to be akin to an independent video monitor, regardless of the input standard. As a result, customers can mix and match up to 16 different video standards on the same multiviewer.

The input sources can come from cameras, video servers, switchers, routers, external feeds or any other standard HD/4K source. (There are no universal distribution standards yet for 4K/UHD, so do your research before assuming that the device you have will act as a standard 4K source.

The Blackmagic MultiView 16 can support up to 16 outputs in both 1080p HD and native 4K/UHD, to both SDI and HDMI monitors. Available multi-window layouts are 2 x 2 for four sources, 3x3 for nine sources and 4x4 for 16 sources. Using a 4K display, the MultiView 16 can offer four full resolution 1,920 x 1,080-pixel HD video windows when in a 2x2 layout, or 16 half-resolution 1080 HD windows at 960 x 540-pixel resolution in 4x4.

The 1RU unit can be controlled directly using its front panel controls with dedicated source buttons, LCD screen and spin knob. It can also be controlled remotely by Ethernet using included Mac and Windows software, or Blackmagics Videohub hardware control panels.

MANUFACTURERS HEDGE THEIR BETS

It is the Blackmagic MultiView 16s ability to feed a consumer-grade 4K monitor with a single HDMI cable that ultimately justifies its claim to be a native 4K multiviewer. As for multiviewers made by Evertz, Grass Valley and Imagine Communications (formerly Harris Broadcast), they too can support 4K displays, but they do so by adapting their existing HDTV technology.

Our VIP series of multiviewers support 4K monitors by combining four HD-SDI inputs to acquire a single 4K video source, and then outputs 1080p, said Ketan Petal, Evertzs multiviewer product manager. This provides Evertzs customers with the 4K capability they are looking for, on a pragmatic 1080p-centric platform.

Evertz VIPA-VIPX

A similar four-into-one approach is used by Grass Valleys Kaleido family of multiviewers. (The Kaleido line became a Grass Valley product when the company merged with Miranda Technologies earlier this year.)

Using either four HD-SDI inputs or outputs, we can service 4K sources and 4K monitors, said Boromy Ung, Grass Valleys vice president of monitoring and control. This allows our customers to move up into 4K when they wish, while using products that address their current 1080

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