Desktop I/O

Desktop I/O

PCIe Video and Audio Capture and Playout Cards

Overview

KONA cards support the broadest range of creative software for editorial, VFX, color, mastering, HDR, dailies, live streaming, graphics, game capture, and much more. KONA provides powerful I/O solutions for the most demanding tasks from 8K to 4K, Multi-Channel HD, HDR, and Streaming.

KONA has incredibly wide application compatibility. Out-of-the-box, your AJA hardware and software supports Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro, Avid Media Composer, OBS Studio, vMix, Telestream Wirecast, and many more, via AJA’s Desktop software drivers and application plug-ins. Pick your application of choice and KONA connects it to your world.

Connectivity

All KONA cards feature on-board connectivity (SDI or HDMI depending on the model), allowing you to use the card without breakout cables or breakout boxes. Some KONA cards feature an included breakout cable, and some models work with an optional breakout box or Xpand card. From 12G-SDI and HDMI 2.0 to AES, Analog and RS-422 connectivity, KONA has you covered.

Software Compatibility

AJA KONA products are widely supported across the industry by leading third party software and solution vendors. AJA also provides industry best application plug-ins and OS drivers. To confirm compatibility* for your product, visit our handy charts for the latest: 

Compatibility Chart

*For compatibility details please contact your third party vendor.

Apple silicon Support

AJA Desktop Software is optimized for the latest Apple silicon with native support for AJA macOS drivers, application plug-ins, AJA Control Room, AJA Control Panel, and AJA System Test.

AJA Control Panel

AJA’s free Desktop Software for KONA includes AJA Control Panel, a powerful and elegant UI for interfacing with your chosen hardware.

Control Panel provides an easy to understand visual showing how the KONA hardware is currently configured and allows you to make changes. You can change signal input and output parameters and define the video processing that will be performed. The AJA software installer automatically installs the Control Panel application on your computer, and once opened, AJA Control Panel recognizes the connected hardware and provides configuration and settings options appropriate to its capabilities.

Other powerful features include huge flexibility across ingest/output for 8K/UltraHD2*, 4K/UltraHD, 2K/HD and SD, HDR Test patterns, HDR pass-through and signaling, 12-bit pipeline**, up to 12-bit LUT capabilities**, Timecode insertion from source or time-of-day and much more.

*8K/UltraHD2 supported via KONA 5 PCIe card.
**Requires KONA 5 PCIe card.

AJA Control Room

AJA Control Room is unified cross-platform professional media software for macOS, Windows, and Linux, enabling 8K/4K/HD/SD workflows in numerous powerful ways.

AJA Control Room can be used as a stand-alone media player with full-screen playback and host system audio monitoring or used in conjunction with AJA hardware devices, supporting input, output, and monitoring for high quality professional media file types and formats including uncompressed, DNxHD/R, ProRes, H.265, and H.264. The Deep Buffers feature supports sustained playback/capture functionality designed to be immune to temporary interruptions to storage connectivity. Whether you’re using files on a network, live feeds, NDI, or even tape, experience the same smooth interface on macOS®, Windows® or Linux®.

AJA Control Room also includes cross-platform support for the entire Apple ProRes family of codecs on Windows, Linux, and macOS, and adds native 8K support when used with the AJA KONA 5.

AJA Control Room comes bundled free as part of AJA’s Desktop software for KONA®, Io®, and T-TAP Pro®. Installing the Desktop Software package will automatically install AJA Control Room.

AJA Control Room

AJA Control Room Metadata Toolset

Metadata is the key for managing advanced workflows. AJA is bringing to market an entirely new way to harvest metadata in the SDI signal stream and export the metadata to a sidecar file.

This new feature, called AJA Control Room Metadata Toolset*, is being introduced in Desktop Software v17.1 and adds the following functionality:

  • Supports capture of any metadata type, including SCTE-104 and Dolby Vision metadata, that is part of the SDI Ancillary metadata payload.

  • Using an AJA KONA capture card that supports SDI input and the included AJA Control Room software (such as KONA 5 or KONA X), the card captures the metadata, which is then preserved in a metadata sidecar file.

  • AJA Control Room can playback the metadata to provide quality monitoring.

  • AJA Control Room can export the metadata synchronized with the media on a per-frame basis.

*macOS and Windows only

Download Workflow

Industry Leading Support

AJA’s technical support is recognized as among the best in the industry and is available to all AJA customers. If you need assistance with any aspect of your KONA installation, configuration, operation, or encounter any technical issue, AJA Support will work with you to get up and running.

Desktop I/O products are covered by a generous three year warranty. Please see the individual Product’s Manual for additional specifics around warranty conditions for the product itself.