AJA Video Systems has released firmware updates for its OG-Hi5-4K-Plus, OG-HA5-4K, OG-4K2HD and OG-12GM openGear cards. The openGear system is an open-architecture, modular frame system. With it, you can build a bespoke solution for broadcast, production or distribution by adding the cards you need. The AJA cards are for video conversion such as 3G-SDI to HDMI 2.0 for example. The new firmware releases help maintain the integrity of signals and better manage associated metadata. They also include powerful new enhancements such as HDR VPID pass-through, BT.2020 and dual-link support, Dolby Audio compatibility and more.
HDR
HDR is quickly evolving into a production standard. However, this means that more metadata from SDR and HDR equipment has to be carried throughout the chain of signals. The new AJA firmware releases reduce the opportunity for color and brightness errors during this process. It does this via a new VPID metadata pass-through for each openGear card.
Metadata
Additional feature updates include automatic Infoframe generation. There are also custom HDMI metadata and mastering display information generation for HDMI outputs. This streamlines the movement of metadata between SDI and HDMI equipment for simpler workflows. The AJA OG-Hi5-4K-Plus and OG-HA5-4K openGear cards also now have additional HDR capabilities with color space converter support for BT.2020.
Dolby Atmos
More consumers are adopting Dolby Atmos audio sound systems. In turn, this has also driven more use of immersive audio technology in the field. The OG-Hi5-4K-Plus v1.6.1 firmware update preserves the embedded audio pass-through for Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus compressed audio. This also includes DD+ Atmos immersive sound.
Industry standards
“openGear-compatible conversion technology is in high demand, as video professionals across industries look for simpler ways to produce high-end audio and visual content for remote and streaming workflows, live events, post-production, and beyond. To aid in this pursuit, we’ve extended the capabilities of our production-proven openGear cards to support the latest industry standards, including HDR, WCG and BT.2020 color spaces and Dolby Atmos,” shared Nick Rashby, President, AJA Video Systems. “These new improvements are designed to help professionals keep HDR and immersive audio signals and metadata intact as they move throughout various equipment in the production chain, ultimately ensuring a more pristine viewer experience.”
Pricing and availability
You can download the AJA OG-Hi5-4K-Plus v1.6.1, OG-HA5-4K v1.6.1, OG-4K2HD v1.5.1, and OG-12GM v1.2.2 firmware updates for free from AJA’s support page.
