Industry’s First KVM System to Provide Smooth Path to IP, Supporting Hybrid Environments of Mixed Network Connections, Mixed Resolutions Including UHD/4K, and Mix of Physical and Virtual Machines
PITTSBURGH — April 6, 2018 — Black Box, an industry-leading provider of keyboard, video, and mouse (KVM) connectivity and signal distribution systems, today introduced the Emerald Unified KVM Platform. Emerald is the first-ever converged KVM solution for distributing high-quality video, audio, and peripheral signals throughout expanding hybrid environments that include both IP and proprietary direct-connect networks, mixed resolutions up to and beyond UHD/4K, and any number and combination of physical and virtual desktops and servers.
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“As media enterprises continue to migrate from SDI-based signal distribution to all-IP operations, they’re looking to leverage IP’s virtually unlimited scalability and cost savings through the use of commodity, low-cost hardware. At the same time, virtualization offers even greater potential for reducing IT operational overhead and hardware expenses, and also for building resiliency into the network,” said Josh Whitney,Senior Vice President — Technology Product Solutions business at Black Box. “A critical requirement of IP operations is a centralized connectivity platform that can handle the complexities of today’s media environments, including 4K video distribution and support for virtualization.”
“As the first KVM platform to support both IP and direct connections, the Emerald Platform gives enterprises the ability to deploy both IP and proprietary KVM networks from all Emerald units. Customers can scale up as their operation expands, simply by adding endpoints. In this manner, Emerald provides seamless connectivity in a direct-connect SDI environment today, while paving a smooth and easy upgrade path to IP.”
Emerald is the first KVM platform to support DisplayPort 1.2 4K video at 60 Hz and 10-bit color depth over standard IP network switches and connections, enabling pixel-perfect 4K image transmission with mathematically lossless compression. But because Emerald is a true hybrid KVM solution, operations still working primarily in HD can add 4K at their own pace and transition individual user groups as the need arises.
Emerald is also the first KVM solution to provide full support for virtualized environments — enabling connectivity for any combination of physical and virtual servers within a single KVM network and giving operators a smooth and easy migration path to virtualization. The Emerald KVM platform offers virtual machine support for VMware, Microsoft, and Citrix using RDP, RemoteFX and PCoIP.
With the Emerald KVM platform, operations can scale infinitely and gradually across buildings, campuses, and wide area networks, using the existing network infrastructure and switching between sources at speeds of less than a second (IP) and even faster in a direct connect matrix. Regardless of where users reside, their experience is exactly as if their keyboard, monitor, and mouse are connected directly to the CPU they’re accessing. The Emerald KVM platform’s true USB emulation means that users can connect external hard drives, Wacom® tablets, and virtually any other high-speed USB 2.0 device to the KVM network.
Even with unlimited scalability, Emerald KVM helps the IT staff maintain a safe, clean, and secure environment. To ensure reliability and avoid costly network downtime, the network can be configured with redundant paths and server endpoints for fail-safe backup. Emerald was designed with 24/7/365 critical applications in mind, providing for network resilience at every level, all the way up to complete switchover from one control room to a backup control room location.
“Broadcasting and media enterprises, including post and live production, are clear beneficiaries of the Emerald KVM platform. But this innovative and future-proof technology will forever change the way KVM technology can be implemented and utilized across many different application areas, such as medical imaging, industrial automation and command and control rooms,” Whitney added. “With Emerald as a true migration platform, Black Box has taken a large step forward towards helping its customers prepare for the future — offering connectivity solutions for the Intelligent Digital Edge.”
More information on Black Box and its products is available at www.blackbox.com.
Visit Black Box at the 2018 NAB Show, Booth SL10616
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About Black Box
Black Box (NASDAQ: BBOX) is the trusted digital partner. With more than 40 years of experience connecting people and devices, we are dedicated to helping clients embrace the intelligent edge and enable their digital transformation. Our award-winning products and extensive service connect you with your customers, your team, and the world. Every day, our customers trust us to design, deploy, and manage their digital needs including retail IoT solutions, healthcare, and mission-critical control room infrastructures across commercial enterprise and governmental organizations. With a global presence and extensive team of technical experts, we make digital transformation possible whether at one location or hundreds. To learn more, visit BlackBox.com.
Black Box® and the Double Diamond logo are registered trademarks of BB Technologies, Inc. and Emerald is a trademark submitted for registration with the USPTO for Black Box Corporation of Pennsylvania.
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