Magewell Ultra Stream SDI

About this product

Many venues already have an SDI camera on a long cable run and nobody who wants to operate a streaming PC. The Ultra Stream SDI takes that camera feed and puts it online on its own: set it up once from a phone app or a browser, then press the buttons on the unit to start and stop. It is a small standalone hardware streaming encoder and recorder for one SDI source, with no computer in the chain.

What goes in

• Video. One SDI input on a BNC connector, for SD, HD and 3G-SDI signals up to 2048×1080 at 60 frames per second, so you can connect an SDI camera or switcher output directly. An SDI loop-through passes the signal on to the next device.
• Audio. Up to 16 channels embedded in the SDI signal come in with the picture, or you can use a microphone on the 3.5 mm input. A 3.5 mm headphone output lets you listen to the SDI audio, a quick way to confirm sound before the event starts.

What comes out

• Streaming. Facebook, Twitch and YouTube are supported natively. It also streams to any server that uses RTMP or RTMPS, and supports RTSP. It runs two streaming sessions at the same time, for example two platforms.
• Encoding. H.264 or H.265 (HEVC), up to 1920×1080 at 60 frames per second. The main stream goes up to 8 Mbps and a sub stream up to 2 Mbps. Audio is two-channel AAC.
• Recording. To the 32 GB of internal storage, a USB flash drive, or a paired mobile device, and it can record to these simultaneously. Files are MP4 or MOV, ready for editing or sharing. Recordings can be uploaded to an FTP server, Dropbox or Google Drive, which lets you share them from the venue.

Where it earns its place

• Simple to operate. Once it is set up, starting and stopping is done on the unit itself or in the app. Indicator lights show the input signal, network, Wi-Fi, USB drive and whether it is recording or streaming, so a glance tells you it is live.
• A recording as well as a stream. The stream depends on the internet connection. A recording made in the box at the same time is kept safe whatever the connection does.
• Your SDI chain carries on. The loop-through output feeds the next SDI device while the unit streams, so you can add it in line in an existing installation.
• Wired or wireless. Gigabit Ethernet and Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) are built in, so the unit can sit wherever the SDI cable ends. A 3G / 4G USB modem, bought separately, is also supported.
• Small and low power. 94.2 × 94.2 × 22.3 mm, running from the supplied 5 V adapter and drawing about 7.2 W at most.

Is it the right model?

Choose the Ultra Stream SDI when you want HD streaming over RTMP, RTMPS or RTSP to one or two destinations, with a recording alongside, and controls you can hand to a volunteer. For SRT, NDI or more simultaneous destinations, see the Ultra Encode range below.

Getting it going

• Use Magewell’s smartphone app or the Web UI in a browser; you can do the whole setup standing next to the camera. The unit has Bluetooth 4.0 BLE as well as Wi-Fi.
• Units can be registered with Magewell Control Hub for central management, a help when you look after several venues.
• HTTP APIs are provided for integration with other systems.

Where it sits in the range

For an HDMI source there is the Ultra Stream HDMI. If you need SRT, NDI or more simultaneous destinations, look at the Ultra Encode SDI and the rest of the Ultra Encode range, which offer those protocols. Both Ultra Stream models are on the Ultra Stream page.