The Future of Video is 4K

Written by Anthony Caruana, editor of Macworld Australia

The future of video is 4K. And that means finding ways to move ever-increasing volumes of data smoothly. AptoVision is a software development company that has written the algorithms to transport high resolution AV over IP. In an industry first they are transporting 4K over a 10Gbe network.

AptoVision’s Director of Business Development for APAC, Gerry Wilkins says “AptoVision represents the true convergence of AV and IT by developing technology that allows an AV and an IT Network to operate on the same hardware and cable infrastructure. This has the potential to save end users hundreds of thousands of dollars in cost for a large system”.

The technology they have developed has been recognised globally.

AptoVision’s BlueRiverNT is a system for managing uncompressed 4K UHD COTS. It was recently awarded as the ISE 2015 Best of Show. The BlueRiver NT technology is built around a chip that enables the extension, switching and routing of real-time, uncompressed Ultra-HD (4K and below) video.

And, back in 2014, they won a Deloitte Fast 50 award, being recognised for their technology, vision, business model and ethics.

“AptoVision are the first company in the world to offer a solution to distribute uncompressed 4K video and an IT network over the same hardware platform. This is done with Zero Frame latency,” says Wilkins.

The focus on 10Gbe is a look into the future. AptoVision’s CEO Kamran Ahmed says the company’s sweet-spot for growth will be five years from now when most switches will be 10Gbe. Today’s market is still dominated by 1Gbe switches but that is changing as Cisco, Juniper and other networking companies push things along.

Certainly, research suggests 10Gbe networks will dominate the market by 2017.

Although AptoVision is just four years old, they have been refining the product and investing in research and development with a long-term view. The BlueRiver NT hardware is already in its fourth iteration despite the company’s young age.

With a clear desire to continue pushing the envelope of what’s possible with the transmission of video across networks, Wilkins told us about what AptoVision has planned for the upcoming Integrate show being held in Melbourne on August 25-27.

“At this show we will demonstrate a world’s first showing 4K/60 4:4:4 video on a single cable. In addition this platform allows users to matrix switch, multi-view process and display video walls all on the same set of hardware”.

While all of this sounds great, there’s a significant value proposition. In the past, being able to send high quality video across a network meant running a separate LAN. However, the AptoVision BlueRiver NT solution makes it possible to deliver video across the LAN.

For more information on AptoVision’s products visit www.aptovision.com