Atlona has announced that OmniStream, its first line of AV over IP products, is now shipping and available for orders through authorised OmniStream partners.

The OmniStream family consists of five products to integrate and distribute 4K/UHD video, audio and RS-232 control over Gigabit Ethernet networks, employing off-the-shelf network switches.

It includes features such as high density, dual-channel encoding and decoding, redundant AV networks and streams, encrypted content distribution, network error resilience, broadcast-quality 4K video compression with extremely low latency and the ability to convey 4K video and Dante audio simultaneously over the same network.

The OmniStream 232 Dante network interface can be used for transmitting and receiving two-channel audio over the network and integrates sources such as microphones and PCs into a third-party audio DSP, as well as a larger Dante system.

OmniStream’s network-based approach enables virtually unlimited scalability and low-cost integration, which are not available with conventional matrix switching technology. The new line is also well suited to interconnecting AV between multiple rooms and floors, over an entire building and across a corporate or university campus.

“We created OmniStream as an entirely new platform for dependable, high performance 4K video distribution over enterprise-wide network installations. It redefines AV distribution over IP networks and addresses the many challenges of integrating and managing AV signal routing over Ethernet. It delivers the performance and reliability of traditional AV technologies and satisfies the technical demands of AV pros as well as IT managers,” said Altona director of product management David Shamir.

Dual-channel encoding and decoding allows each OmniStream 112 and OmniStream 122 to process two independent 4K/UHD video streams in a single, half-width rack enclosure. With each encoder and decoder handling two simultaneous streams of the same HDMI source, the dual-channel components can also be configured for system redundancy.

OmniStream features SMPTE VC-2 video compression (SMPTE 2042), a visually lossless codec originally developed by the BBC for high quality imagery in master control video distribution, post-production and archiving. It also has SMPTE 2022 forward error correction for protection against packet loss and the resulting signal dropouts and AES-128 encryption for securing sensitive or protected content in government, military, healthcare and corporate environments.

Decoders feature high performance 4K upscaling and downscaling with 4:4:4 video processing to preserve full colour integrity of computer-generated content. Decoders can down-mix multi-channel audio and deliver de-embedded two channel audio outputs. Automatic display control is available at the AV encoders through RS-232 and CEC and there is an option to display a user-supplied logo, a full-screen image or scrolling text.

The OmniStream devices can be powered using a PoE-equipped Gigabit switch as well as a dedicated power supply and are configured using the free Atlona Management System (AMS) software.

“We looked to do more than just keep pace with the market. We aimed to raise the bar on what customers can expect in AV networking capacity, performance and economy, and we’ve succeeded in every respect. It’s no exaggeration to say OmniStream breaks new ground for the AV industry as well as Atlona,” said David.