Las Vegas, NV, NAB Conference, Booth SL2505 — AJA Video Systems today released FS1-X, a compact single rack-mount frame synchronizer and converter designed to match up disparate audio and video formats in broadcast, mobile and post-production environments. Tapping AJA’s industry-leading conversion algorithms, FS1-X supports up-, down- and cross-conversion between SD and HD signals ensuring the highest quality output possible. Featuring a flexible architecture, FS1-X simultaneously works with 3G/HD/SD-SDI 10-bit video and incorporates a massive number of embedded audio, AES, MADI and analog audio channels.

FS1-X is also available with a Frame Rate Converter (FRC) option. FS1-X’s high quality motion adaptive linear FRC offers smooth motion conversion between a wide range of frame rates, including 1080p 50 to 59.94.

“FS1-X delivers an incredible level of workflow flexibility with support for such a wide range of video formats and high-quality frame rate conversion all in a single rack-mount box,” said Nick Rashby, President, AJA Video Systems. “With the addition of support for the MADI standard, we’re enabling the ability to work with huge numbers of audio channels as well.”

The growth of 5.1 and 7.1 audio has increased the number of audio channels managed in a production. The MADI standard provides a convenient way to transport up to 64 audio channels along a single cable. FS1-X supports both fiber and coax 64 channel MADI input and output. An internal 224x224 audio matrix allows full routing of MADI and all audio coming from SDI, SDI fiber, AES and analog sources for a very large amount of audio processing capability in a single box.

FS1-X also features a unique keyer configuration, allowing incoming signals to be combined in powerful ways. In the case of sidebar keying, where incoming video is converted from SD to HD, rather than stretching the 4:3 aspect ratio to fit in a 16:9 frame, a second signal is used to fill the side of the 16:9 frame. This allows channel identification or other imagery to be placed in that area rather than having black bars on either side. The robust AFD features of FS1-X ensure that the aspect ratio of the outgoing signal is properly identified for downstream devices.

Features include: