NAB 2010: CompleteCoverage From B&C
Video encoding supplier Streambox used NAB to launch Avenir,
its latest portable video transport system.
Seattle-based Streambox first found traction with its
proprietary ACT-L3 encoder that runs on a laptop and can deliver high-quality
live video over broadband connections. It has since developed a range of
professional encoder and decoder products, and recently has been experimenting
with bonding wireless 3G and 4G cards together to improve the throughput and
quality of service.
The new Avenir is the company's first hardware-based encoder to
offer both 3G/4G wireless network bonding for high-quality HD or SD transport
in a fully portable form factor, enabling live or file-based video transport
over a variety of low-data-rate networks. Avenir, which will ship in June and
will be priced around $15,000, can combine four wireless data cards in a device
that fits in a backpack.
By bonding four 3G/4G cards together, Avenir can achieve a
total throughput of up to 20 megabits per second over wireless networks, said
Streambox "applications evangelist" Ben Larson, good enough to transmit HD
video in either the 1080-line interlace or 720-line-progressive HD formats. The
device can also transmit SD content in NTSC or PAL format at data rates ranging
from 64Kbps to 8Mbps.
Avenir has a lightweight, rugged chassis and a range of
power options including AC and DC connectors as well as a Li-Poly battery
system. It features an intuitive touch-screen interface that allows users to
connect quickly and easily via their choice of network connections, which can
include dual Ethernet and BGAN satellite devices as well as bonded 3G/4G cards.
The Avenir also features a wireless user interface for browser-capable PDAs
such as the iPhone, iPod touch, and BlackBerry devices, which enables users to
control the encoder from a separate location.
