NAB 2017: AJT Systems, BirdDog Partner to Deliver IP Workflow for Sports Broadcasters

AJT Systems (SL9406) and BirdDog are partnering at NAB 2017 to showcase a truly IP workflow for sports productions. BirdDog’s new Studio NDI converts SDI and HDMI to NDI (Network Device Interface), allowing AJT’s LiveBook GFX Graphics Systems’ OCR & DVE Clock Feeds and general purpose DVE to operate in a strictly IP Production Workflow without using an input or resources on your Tricaster.

“We have many customers that have full NDI work flows,” says Ron Linares, AJT Systems’ Company President. “We wanted to give these customers the option to add NDI sources without using resources on their Tricaster. The Birddog converter allows us to cost effectively bring NDI sources into our Sports Graphic system and perform DVEs coordinated with our graphics or Video OCR conversion to data, all without resources or operator workload on the Tricaster. It’s been great partnering with Birddog we are excited to roll this solution out to our customers.”

With this low cost converter and the new competitively priced LiveBook GFX tiers, AJT and BirdDog are delivering high end IP broadcast solutions that are suitable for productions on all levels, from national broadcasters and OTT networks to FaceBook Live!

Formally announced at NAB 2017 this week, BirdDog Studio NDI is the industry’s first HDMI/SDI to NDI encoder, enabling virtually any camera to instantly connect to IP workflows for live productions. BirdDog Studio NDI is 100% compatible with the NDI protocol and is the most scalable, practical IP standard available. NDI is compatible with hundreds of models of production equipment from dozens of manufacturers from edit suites to playout servers, vision switchers and graphics generators, making ideal for integration into any production environment.

“We are excited to be partnering with AJT Systems to enable the next generation of live video workflows,” says Dan Miall, BirdDog CEO. “IP has been spoken about for a long time, but only now are we able to realize some of the true potential that this new era of connectivity offers via technology like NDI. BirdDog together with AJT are showing that stepping beyond baseband SDI is not only a viable, but a desirable move for any modern production.”

IP Productions are enabling a wide range of broadcasters to create a workflow that is more efficient, flexible, and cost effective. Products like the LiveBook GFX sports graphics system that is NDI capable help deliver high end graphics for live sports production in this new IP world. The BirdDog Studio NDI Converter also plays an important role as production environments shift from SDI to NDI. These solutions come at time when they are greatly needed in the industry allowing IP productions to gain traction. And given their relatively low cost, AJT Systems and BirdDog are offering IP solutions that can fit in even the tightest of budgets.

For a live demo of this NDI workflow utilizing the NewTek Tricaster, stop by AJT Systems Booth# SL9406 in the South Lower Hall.