Visual Unity and CESNET Demonstrate New Version Of 4K Gateway Real-Time Low-Latency Streaming Device at Cinegrid

Czech academic association CESNET, in conjunction with leading multimedia solutions provider Visual Unity, has used the Cinegrid International Workshop platform to show a new version of its award-winning product - 4K Gateway for the next generation of 4K

Prague, Czech Republic(12 Dec 2012)

At the CineGrid International Workshop 2012 in La Jolla, California, Czech academic association CESNET, as a partner of the common project with leading multimedia solutions provider Visual Unity, will be demonstrating a new version of its award-winning product - 4K Gateway for the next generation of 4K content distribution supporting low-latency internet video up to 3D 4K.

Hailed as the latest step in the evolution of online video, 4K digital video offers approximately four times the resolution of the most widely-used HD television format, and 24 times that of a standard broadcast TV signal. The cost-effective 4K Gateway streaming device allows film, post production and visualisation companies to harness the power of 4K over unlimited bandwidth/distance in collaborative environments.

The 4K Gateway is currently being integrated into Visual Unity’s vuMedia™ solution. vuMedia™ is a PaaS (Platform as a Service) that includes a comprehensive suite of modules, enabling content owners to deliver video through the internet.

The current version operates in uncompressed mode providing bit-by-bit precise 3D 4K transmission with very low latency. JPEG 2000 compression with a DCI profile and subframe latency will be available in the forthcoming release.

“With the broadcast market discovering 4K format, and 4K taking off in the worldwide film industry, there is an increasing call for ‘faster-than-software’ based compression solutions,” says Jakub Kabourek, CEO of Visual Unity. “Working in conjunction with our partners, we have now integrated JPEG 2000 FPGA-based compression technology into 4K Gateway so that we can meet the new challenges of this growing market.”

At CineGrid, CESNET will demonstrate a collaborative clearing of scanned film tape in a high speed PC network environment. The demonstration will show how 4K Gateway device can facilitate the transfer of 4K video content from a post-production facility in Prague to a cinema in San Diego, through a high speed GLIF fiber infrastructure.

This clearing process is often used by film creators who want to digitize old movies but don’t want to physically move them from the archive where they are stored because of environmental damage concerns and health of the master film stock. Using this process, directors can be remotely located from the archive yet still access the film content. Transferring the content via high speed 4K networks makes the whole process much faster and cheaper and reduces the need for directors and their film to physically travel long distances.

4K Gateway has been developed in cooperation with Visual Unity, an international systém integrátor and Czech academic association CESNET and Prague-based independent post-production facility ACE.
Operating over dedicated photonic networks or shared Internet, 4K Gateway offers very low latency of less than 1 ms plus networking delay, thus ensuring a truly interactive experience. Higher buffering can be optionally selected to compensate for high network jitter or for special applications.

4K Gateway uses industry standard HD-SDI interfaces for eight video inputs and eight video outputs, all working simultaneously in multi-channel full-duplex operation to deliver 4K video. Each HD-SDI channel can operate in full mode (all areas of a frame transmitted) or view mode (only selected areas of a frameare transmitted). The latter allows the transmission of eight HD-SDI channels over a single 10 Gigabit Ethernet interface, thus enabling uncompressed 3D 4K or 4K RGB (4:4:4) transmissions.

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About Visual Unity

Visual Unity is an international Systems Integrator bridging the gap between linear broadcast, IT and IPTV to help clients reach and engage audiences on any screen. Since 1991, the team has been designing and delivering turnkey broadcast and complex multiscreen solutions worldwide – from HD Outside Broadcast vehicles and major playout facilities to live internet streaming and Video on Demand services.
Visual Unity’s award-winning vuMediaTM platform helps broadcasters and content owners control how their brand and assets are managed and monetized in the multiscreen environment. Highly scalable and flexible, vuMediaTM delivers a cutting-edge live viewing experience on the web or any mobile or connected device, comprehensive VoD services, social network integration and secure robust content distribution – all of which can be deployed into existing workflows and business processes.

Visual Unity is based in Prague, London, Cologne, Moscow, Bratislava, Belgrade, Nairobi and Dubai. For further information, please visit www.visualunity.com