Blustream 4K video, and RTI Music
Two new launches promise to simplify sending 4K video around a home, or indeed commercial premises, by converting it to a signal which can be carried over conventional networking cables.
Blustream, founded in Melbourne and with regional bases in the UK and US, has the IP250UHD 4K multicast platform, comprising a TX transmitter and video-scaling receivers. They can distribute Ultra-HD and 4K video with HDCP 2.2 over a 1Gb network, using visually lossless compression technology to deliver HDMI, bi-directional IR, RS-232, and USB/KVM signals up to 100 metres over a standard network Cat architecture, or further when using fibre cable. They are also compatible with the increasingly-popular Dante audio-over-IP system, so can also allow integrators to input two audio channels from the video-over-IP system for playout on Dante-enabled devices and extract two channels from the Dante network for playout across the Blustream system.
With multiple configuration options available — including matrix distribution, video wall presentation, one-to-one HDMI extender, and one-to-many HDMI extenders — the multicast platform is suitable for both residential and commercial installations, while the compatibility with Blustream’s IP200UHD platform means integrators can easily add Dante audio to new or existing Blustream video-over-IP systems. More information: www.blustream.com.au
The second system is RTI’s Video over IP (VIP) platform announced in January and shown recently at the CEDIA Expo in Indianapolis. This system also enables distribution of 4K video over a 1Gb network switch, delivering to “virtually unlimited endpoints”, and controlled natively within the RTI control environment. Video preview images show on the touchpanel, remote, or mobile device, so that users can easily see and change what media is playing on which display, anywhere in the system.
RTI has also announced the RTI Music app and the MS-3 Music Streamer (right), which can deliver up to 24bit/192kHz audio into multiple rooms, and with three different concurrent streams possible from the same or different services. It can also access personal music collections on NAS drive or computer drives, with lossless audio (FLAC and ALAC) supported. Current streaming services relevant to Australia include Spotify, iHeart Radio and TuneIn, while the AirPlay interface enables streaming from Apple Music and Amazon. More information: www.connectedmediaaustralia.com.au