Magewell Ultra Encode SDI Plus

About this product

Getting an SDI camera online usually means a computer, a capture card and streaming software, all of which need looking after. The Ultra Encode SDI Plus does the same job in one small box. This hardware streaming encoder takes an SDI video signal and turns it into live streams and recordings without a computer. Connect a camera or mixer output to the SDI input, connect the network, and the encoder sends the picture to streaming platforms, to an NDI network or to another site, while recording a copy if you want one.

What goes in

• Video. One SD, HD or 3G-SDI input, up to 2048×1080 at 60 frames per second, with an SDI loop-through so the signal can carry on to a monitor or mixer.
• Audio. Audio embedded in the SDI signal (up to 16 channels), plus a 3.5 mm line input for a separate stereo source such as a mixing desk feed. A 3.5 mm line output is fitted for monitoring, so you can listen to what is going out.

Analogue audio connects through 3.5 mm line-level sockets rather than XLR, which suits a stereo feed from a mixing desk.

What comes out

• Encoding. H.264 or H.265, with two encoded streams at once (a main stream and a sub stream), so you can send a high-quality version to one place and a lighter version to another.
• Protocols. RTMP and RTMPS, RTSP, SRT (caller or listener), NDI HX2 and HX3, HLS, MPEG-TS over UDP or RTP, RIST (caller or listener), Zixi and TVU ISSP. The same unit serves as a platform streamer, a contribution link or an SDI to NDI converter for NDI HX.
• Destinations. Up to six at the same time. Presets are built in for YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, Wowza and Zixi Broadcaster, which saves entering server details by hand, and streams can be scheduled.
• Bitrate. Up to 62 Mbps for NDI HX3 and up to 32 Mbps for the other protocols, with one NDI HX3 session at a time.
• Overlays. Up to eight overlays per stream.

Recording built in

The encoder has 128 GB of storage built in, so a recording can be made with no card or drive to bring. It can also record to a USB drive or to a network share (NAS). Files are saved as MP4, MOV or TS, and finished recordings can be uploaded automatically to an FTP server, Google Drive or Dropbox, so the file is waiting for you after the event.

Where it earns its place

• No streaming PC. The encoder does the work of a computer, capture card and streaming software in one small box.
• One cable for network and power. It runs from standard PoE (IEEE 802.3af), with a maximum draw of about 8.7 W. A power adapter is in the box for switches without PoE.
• A way out when there is no wired network. Wi-Fi is built in (as a client or as its own access point), and you can add your own USB 4G or 5G modem.
• Stream and record together. Send the live stream out and keep a recording on the internal storage as a backup or for editing later.
• Fits an NDI workflow. NDI HX3 output makes the SDI source available to NDI software and hardware on the network, and tally lights on the unit show NDI programme and preview status.
• Small. 106.6 × 106.2 × 25 mm, with a mounting bracket included.

Setting it up

• Everything is configured in the Web UI from a browser: input, encoding, destinations, recording and overlays. There is nothing to install.
• Several encoders can be managed together with Magewell Control Hub, and the unit also works with Zixi ZEN Master. An API is available for control systems.

Where it sits in the range

If your sources are HDMI as well as SDI, or you want to combine the two as picture-in-picture, see the Ultra Encode AIO. The other models are listed on the Ultra Encode range page.