Cobalt Digital Improves 9904-UDX Series of Products

Cobalt’s multi-purpose 9904-UDX series of Up/Down/Cross Converter/Frame Sync/Embed/De-Embed Audio Processors are now accepting 3G Level B-DL signals in addition to 3G Level A, automatically detect the format, and output either 3G Level A or 3G Level B-DL as configured by the operator. In addition, RGB 4:4:4 and YCbCr 4:4:4 formats are also accepted and supported by the built-in framesync as well as all audio de/embed and processing functions.

Prior to the enhancement, the 9904-UDX family already supported all popular formats: 480i, 576i, 720p, 1080i, 1080pSF, 1080p, 4K and provided full up/down conversion between HD/3G, ST 2082 12G-SDI single-wire, and SDM/2SI quad 3G-SDI based formats, with ST 2082 12G-SDI single-wire and quad 3G UHD available at both input and output. This latest version of the 9904-UDX is already in use at The Foundation, a full-service post-production provider known for leveraging the latest equipment and technologies for a superior customer experience.

The Foundation is using the power of Cobalt’s 9904-UDX card to capture a variety of film source material from a DaVinci Resolve as Level-B, process the audio by either delaying, embedding or de-embedding, and sending it back to the Resolve for composition.

“When using a Resolve in dual output mode, HDR & SDR simultaneously, each output is set to Level B and the audio is only embedded on the first output – the HDR. The 9904 is the only openGear card that incorporates that capability which is a very important feature for us,” says John Stevens, Engineering Director at The Foundation. “That coupled with all the formats the Cobalt card supports and its attractive price made it a no-brainer for us!”

If a remote operator needs to have local equipment to monitor the signals, Cobalt now offers the BBG-1300-FR enclosure, which can take many of the existing Cobalt openGear cards into a portable chassis.