In its European debut, Lawo introduced the HOME-native .edge (read: dot edge) Hyper-Density SDI/IP Conversion and Routing Platform. Each rear I/O blade provides 48 HD-BNC connectors for SD/HD/3G/UHD SDI interfacing, resulting in 192 SDI/IP conversions per 2RU. .edge is designed as an easy drop-in SDI router replacement and as hyper-density conversion unit for IP and hybrid infrastructures. .edge provides full support for the SMPTE ST2110 suite of standards as well as ST2022-7 redundancy, providing not only advanced essence-based handling but also ensuring seamless protection switching of audio, video and ancillary data streams in both local and wide-area network operations. Designed as software-licensable infrastructure, .edge delivers maximum OPEX flexibility in a hardware-based tool.

Another major introduction at IBC was the new vm_jpegXS virtual module app for the constantly evolving V__matrix platform. Based on the TicoXS codec, which is ISO/IEC2112-1-compliant, the vm_jpegXS app solves two customer goals, providing comprehensive ST2110 compatibility for perfect interoperability while offering higher video compression ratios. vm_jpegXS supports compression ratios between 5:1 and 36:1 and offers 4x encoding + 4x decoding from, and to, JPEG XS (ST2110-22). Uncompressed signals can be interfaced with SMPTE ST2110, ST 2022-6 or SDI. vm_jpegXS is a versatile audio and video tool with ample processing and glue functionality for V__matrix applications.

Lawo’s IP infrastructure management solution HOME got a significant boost in Amsterdam with the introduction of many new features such as health monitoring and native support for 3rd party devices. Plus, HOME is now officially labeled NMOS IS-04 and IS-05 compatible in the controller and registry category. Through the API-based “lives@HOME” program, any third-party device can become a “first-class citizen” and make all desired parameters accessible for control on the network. Other additions to the HOME feature set include Signal Rights Management for audio parameters and System Health, which provides status information about a system’s components with centrally logged information, warning and error entries for convenient monitoring during normal operation. With the addition of C100 processing blades, Lawo’s LCU commentary unit, and the Nova73 router to the HOME inventory, the inclusion of the entire Lawo product portfolio is nearly complete.

The new Audio I/O Extender (AIOX) for Power Core, Lawo’s power-packed software-defined DSP mixing and I/O engine, was also launched at IBC. Each AIOX unit provides up to 8 additional I/O card slots delivering up to 64 additional channels of I/O in just 1RU. As many as 20 AIOX units can connect to one Power Core via coax, twisted-pair or fibre, providing a massive 1,280 total additional analog or digital audio inputs and outputs, plus GPIO. With this exceptional audio signal density and expandable audio capacity, Power Core is the ideal gateway between baseband audio formats and RAVENNA/AES67 IP media networks.

The new Version 10.4 software for A__UHD Core and mc² consoles revealed in Amsterdam adds signal ownership groups, health monitoring and user lists to the available feature set. Signal Ownership Groups allow users to arbitrate resources that are shared on a network. Signals originating from a variety of devices or locations can be combined into logical groups. In production environments this feature helps to isolate control assignments to avoid accidental overrides by other networked consoles. The new software release also provides extended health monitoring features, which are centralized in HOME, featuring status displays of critical system errors, warnings and notifications, displayed in the HOME and mc² user interfaces. A new User List feature makes signal routing for mc² consoles in A__UHD Core systems more intuitive and flexible. To help users cope with the large potential number of signals on networks hosting large-scale productions, the User List feature allows operators to assign all required signals to logical groups, which can be conveniently recalled at the press of a button.

The IBC show in Amsterdam proved once again to be attractive to exhibitors and visitors. The 2022 show was an excellent platform and opportunity to present Lawo’s complete broadcast portfolio and to launch new products and solutions to a technology-hungry and focused broadcast audience.