Magewell Ultra Encode SDI Plus Module

About this product

Broadcasters, venues and production companies working in SDI often need the programme output, or each camera, sent somewhere else: a streaming platform, a studio in another city, an NDI network down the corridor. The Ultra Encode SDI Plus Module is the hardware streaming encoder that does it from the rack. It takes an SDI signal from a camera or switcher, compresses it, and sends it to streaming platforms, to another site, or onto an NDI network. It can record at the same time. It does all of this by itself, with no computer involved, from a slot in the Magewell Modator 2U chassis. Fit one module per source and a single rack becomes a multi-channel streaming and recording system.

What goes in

• SDI. One BNC input for SD, HD or 3G-SDI, up to 2048×1080 at 60 frames per second, with a second BNC for loop-through to a monitor or other device. It is the module for HD and 2K SDI sources; for a 6G or 12G 4K SDI signal, ask us about the right module.
• Embedded audio. 16 channels of audio embedded in the SDI signal, on the input and the loop-through, so there is no separate audio feed to wire.
• Analogue audio. A 3.5 mm line input (2-channel) and a 3.5 mm line output, ready for a feed from a sound desk. To bring in a balanced XLR microphone or mixer, use an external adapter or interface.

What comes out

• Encoding. H.264 or H.265 (HEVC). There are two encoding profiles, a main stream and a sub stream. The SDI input runs at up to 2048×1080. The encoder can scale the main stream up to 4096×2160 at 30 frames per second, and the sub stream at up to 1080p for a second, lighter version, so you can match each destination to the bandwidth it has.
• Protocols. RTMP and RTMPS, RTSP, SRT (caller or listener), NDI HX2 and HX3, HLS, MPEG-TS over UDP or RTP, TVU ISSP, Zixi and RIST (caller or listener). Facebook, Twitch, YouTube and Wowza are supported natively.
• Destinations. Up to six sessions at once across those protocols, including one NDI HX3 session or two NDI HX2 sessions. That lets you run a contribution link and a public stream from the same module.
• Bitrate. Up to 62 Mbps for NDI HX3 and up to 32 Mbps for the other protocols.
• Audio. AAC encoding with up to 8 channels.
• Recording. To the supplied 128 GB Micro-SD card, an external USB drive or a network share (NFS or CIFS), in MP4, MOV or TS format.

On the network

• NDI HX2 and HX3. These are the compressed, bandwidth-friendly forms of NDI, which travel easily over ordinary networks. For full-quality NDI High Bandwidth, see the Pro Convert encoder modules on the Modator range page.
• Wired Gigabit Ethernet. The module has its own wired Gigabit Ethernet port, the dependable choice for a rack installation.

How it fits in the chassis

• Powered by the chassis. The module slides into a slot of the Modator 2U chassis, which holds up to ten modules and supplies their power. Order the chassis with it if you are starting a new rack.
• Hot-swappable. It connects to the chassis through its Modator interface and can be swapped while the rack is running, so the other channels keep running.
• Its own network socket. The module has its own Gigabit Ethernet port (RJ45), as well as a USB Type-C port for configuration.
• Power and size. It draws at most 14.42 W, inside the chassis limit of 20 W per slot. It measures 184.4 × 30.0 × 81.5 mm and weighs about 322 g.

Setting it up

• You can work at the rack or away from it: the touch screen on the Modator chassis, the Web GUI in a browser, or Magewell Control Hub for managing many devices from one place.
• HTTP-based APIs are provided for custom integration, which lets you drive it from a control system.

Where it sits in the range

The same specification is also available in a standalone form. If one or two channels are all you need, see the standalone Ultra Encode SDI Plus. If your sources are HDMI, see the Ultra Encode HDMI Plus Module. The other modules are listed on the Modator range page.