By technical editor Matt Allard:
Convergent Design has announced brand new product just days before NAB. It is a 4K/Multi-Stream Player/Recorder Encoder/Decoder for use in the field, or in a rack rack. Athena is the claimed to be first standalone, tapeless player/recorder deck capable of 4K/UHD 60p, 2K/HD 60p, and multi-stream (even in 4K). It also features an industry first, the ability to record/play four HD video streams along with 64 channels of MADI audio.
Athena can be used as a production facility tape deck replacement; a driver for multi-screen video walls; the heart of an interactive multi-panel display for education, entertainment or point-of-sale, a concert or live event multi-camera recorder, and even a system to stream footage live from set back to post or load material remotely. The Athena really does seem to be a very versatile product.
In the news field I can see the Athena being used to record multi-camera interviews either in the field, or the control suites of newspapers and TV stations. Like the Sound Devices PIX 250i and 270i we covered yesterday the Athena shows how several manufacturers are trying to move broadcasters away from proprietary formats to standards like ProRes and DNxHD.
Convergent Design says Athena is not a “PC in a box”, but hardware-based for high efficiency and reliability. It features an easy to use playback system that allows you to load Apple ProRes, Avid DNxHD or DPX files straight from a computer onto an SSD and play on Athena. This makes it a great solution for being able to use pre-shot material in a variety of formats and take them to a client where it can be played out.
Having a built-in screen lets you see exactly what you are playing out or recording. You can also load footage directly onto an SSD mounted in Athena via Gigabit Ethernet (Gig-E).
The design fits in a 1U, Half-Rack space; has a front panel featuring an LCD display for status info and confidence monitoring, a 2.5” SSD slot (up to 2GB current spec) and deck controls; and can operate 24/7 continuously with a low power draw. The auto-start/auto-recovery mode means Athena can start up in seconds and begin or resume operations should power be interrupted.
There are many ways in which the Athena can be used. Here are some examples:
Studio Deck
• Record & Playback Master Deck for any resolution and frame rate format
• Create all deliverables from a single piece of hardware
• Live Multi-Camera capture with live Gig-E streaming to post
Field Production
• Four camera, 64-track audio master recorder for events, concerts
• Stream video & audio content to post or broadcast via Gig-E
• Gang multiple Athenas for large scale events
Digital Cinema
• Feed projectors & monitors of any resolution & frame rate
• 4K up to 60p
• 2x 4K/30p or 2x 2K/60p for 3D stereo projection
• (Tentative Spec) Play DCP formats in 4K or 2K (JPEG2000)
• Load content locally onto SSD for screening room facility
• Load content via Gig-E for mass distribution with encryption protection
Digital Signage
• Feed monitor/projector 4K up to 60p
• Feed 2x 4K/30p streams simultaneously
• Feed 4x 2K/60p streams simultaneously for video walls
• Gang multiple Athenas for large video wall installations
• Stream all outputs simultaneously for video walls
• Stream all outputs independently with local start/stop control for multiple interactive displays
Special Venue
• Trade Show: multiple interactive displays with live feedback via Gig-E
• Concert: large video walls which break into individual screens of content
• Theme Park: Rides or interactive information signage in wait lines
• Installation: Museum, Planetarium, Education/Information Center
• Point-of-Sale Kiosks: Interactive video wall multi-panel solution
• Producers & DPs: Portable player of any resolution & frame rate for client presentations
Current Preproduction Specs
Athena Connectivity:
• Four 6G-SDI outputs, Four 6G-SDI inputs
• Two Display Port 1.2a outputs (4K/60p) with DP/HDMI dual mode
• Two HDMI 2.0 outputs (4K/60p) via DPàHDMI cable
• Four channels of AES audio out via two HD-BNCs
• 64 channels of MADI audio I/O via two HD-BNCs
• 64 channels of Dante audio I/O via Gig-E
• 16 channel SDI embedded audio I/O
• Balanced Professional Stereo analog audio out
• Tri-Level Sync, LTC Time Code, GPIO, Deck Remote Control
• Gig-E for streaming files to Ethernet/Internet
Athena Record/Playback Capability:
• One stream of 4K/QHD up to 60p, two streams up to 30p
• Two streams of 2K/HD 4:4:4 RGB 12-bit up to 60p, four streams up to 30p
• Four streams of HD 4:2:2 up to 30p
• Simultaneously stream online/offline video to post or Cloud via Gig-E
• Record 4K/30p or four streams of HD/30p and simultaneously stream proxy versions via Gig-E
Convergent Design looks to have made another innovative product. Newsshooter will be sure to check it out at NAB.
Athena is debuting as a “product preview” at Convergent Design’s booth at NAB 2014 (Central Hall booth C7113) and is scheduled to show as a production model at IBC 2014, with units shipping in Q4.
