Apantac LLC (Portland, OR) announced on February 2nd that it will launch a 4K to Display Port 1.2 converter into the European market at ISE 2015 February 10 – 14. It had previously been announced at NAB 2014 for the North American market.
The Micro-4K-DP accepts four 3G-SDI signals from professional 4K/QFHD @ 50/59.94/60 Hz equipment and is an ideal solution for 4K /UHD production applications. This unit can also be used as a simple fixed Quad-Split.
Samsung LU28D590DS 4K Monitor with DP 1.2Apantac provided Meko with some examples of monitors that could use the Micro-4K-DP, including the Samsung 28” LU28D590DS and the ASUS PB287Q. Both monitors support UHD at 60Hz with DP 1.2 SST technology and are in the $500 USD range. There are several Japanese monitor makers such as Eizo and Iodata that have products that are coming out very soon. However they will be more in the 32″ size range and the prices are much higher. Apantac anticipates several additional monitors in 2015, that are not out yet. Maybe at ISE?According to Apantac, as of today, Display Port 1.2 is the only monitor interface supporting 4096/3840 x 2160 resolution at 50/59.94/60 Hz frame rates and 4:4:4/4:2:2, with 8 and 10 bits sampling. It is expected that eventually “real” HDMI 2.0 interface components (HDMI 2.0 Has Several Flavors so Be Careful – subscription required) will become available supporting these data rates, but the currently available format is actually HDMI 2.0a and it does not.
The Micro-4K-DP Converter is targeted at a variety of professional audio visual applications, including: live events, rental & staging, video wall applications, multiviewer applications, 4K production, as well as many other monitoring and conversion applications.
Apantac is also launching its new modular Universal Matrix at ISE. The modular concept allows users to populate the chassis with various I/O boards up to a maximum 16×16 configuration in a 3 RU frame. It is universal in nature in that it supports a mix of inputs and outputs including HDMI/DVI, remote HDMI/DVI over CAT 5e/6 using HDBaseT technology, SDI, as well as remote HDMI/SDI over fiber. Models for the Universal Matrix system will include:
- 2x HDMI in / 2x HDMI out
- 2x HDMI in – 2x HDBaseT out
- 2x HDMI in – 2x Fiber SFP out
- 2x HDMI in – 1x HDMI clean out
- 2x HDBaseT in – 2x HDBaseT out
- 2x HDMI in – 1x HDBaseT clean out
- 2x SDI in – 2x HDBaseT out
- 4x Universal in – HDMI/DVI/VGA/YPbPr/CVB
Apantac is also launching two new clean switches at ISE. The clean switching technology (developed by Apantac) ensures the user is able to switch between HDMI or multiple formats without the usual screen glitches and random noises or pops.
The Multi-Format Clean Switch (Model: CLN-SW-6×1-M) is a 6×1 seamless switch that manages a wide range of multi-format sources including HDMI, VGA, DVI, YPbPr, and SDI. The switch includes 3x fixed HDMI inputs 3x configurable inputs accepting different formats. Users can opt for the VGA, DVI, YPbPr module with analog stereo, an extra HDMI input module, and an SDI module with embedded audio. It has 1x HDMI and 1x VGA output for glitch/noise-free switching, which support 720P 60 or 1080P 60 output resolutions. The unit automatically up/down converts inputs to user adjustable output resolutions.
The HDMI Clean Switch (Model: CLN-SW-6×1-H) is a 6×1 switch that seamlessly switches between HDMI sources. It accepts 6x HDMI inputs (with audio) and offers 1x HDMI and 1x VGA output with 8 predefined output resolutions up to 1080P. The module offers presentation switcher capabilities such as full-screen, picture-in-picture, side-by-side, and top/bottom presentation modes. The adjustable audio delay feature compensates for external/internal video processing delays.
Apantac is privately held and was founded in 2008. It is led by industry veteran Thomas Tang. In addition to their own products, they represent several manufacturers’ product lines and have a network of partners. This allows Apantac to offer complete audio video solutions and technologies, consultation and service to meet customer’s specific requirements.
The Apantac product line of multiviewers, video walls, extenders, and signal processing solutions is targeted at a variety of professional applications including;
- Broadcast, Media, and Post Production
- Professional Audio Visual
- Command and Control
- IT and Enterprise (small, medium, large)
- Medical Imaging
- Digital Signage
- Government
- Education and Training
The Micro-4K-DP is part of Apantac’s CRESCENT line of signal processing solutions and will be shown at Apantac’s ISE 2015 stand 10-S114. –Matthew Brennesholtz
