AJA Bridge Live now supports NDI and HLS with update 1.12

Systèmes vidéo AJA has released version 1.12 of Bridge Live, which brings EST support and output for the HLS protocol to the multichannel live video solution.

Bridge Live is a complete AJA system that enables workflows around remote production, two-way interviews, live event streaming, multi-camera backhaul, on-location contribution, collaborative production, and more. Its 1.12 version receives new features widely expected by the community such as bidirectional support for EST, which facilitates encoding SDI inputs for NDI output to the network and/or receiving NDI for SDI output.

Similarly, the ability to transcode IP video streams to NDI and/or transcode NDI inputs to IP video streams opens the door to a number of new workflows. For example, Bridge Live can now sit at the edge of an event network or NDI facility, allowing professionals to transport outgoing NDI video as a broadcast format, and/or return the stream to NDI for use at a remote NDI production destination.

Nick Rashby, president of AJA Video Systems, believes the latest Bridge Live upgrade “addresses key customer feature requests to streamline operations and provide greater workflow flexibility in the field.” Similarly, Rashby stresses that “this is our first NDI-enabled product, and we couldn’t be more excited to bring the unique capabilities of Bridge Live to the huge range of NDI users around the world.” “Bringing bi-directional NDI I/O and HLS output to Bridge Live offers professionals broader hardware and software integration and a simpler, cost effective alternative to deploying large teams of personnel and resources at remote locations,” the executive concludes.

Highlights of Bridge Live version 1.12 include

• Bi-directional NDI-SDI conversion:
  • Receive NDI and decode to SDI
  • Input and encode SDI to NDI
• Bi-directional NDI-IP Video Streams conversion.
  • Receive NDI and transcode to IP Video Streams (i.e., H.265, H.264)
  • Receive IP Video Streams (i.e., H.265, H.264) and transcode to NDI
  • Integrate remote NDI and non-NDI equipment/facilities via RTP/UDP/SRT
  • Tap directly into the NDI network and provide a conduit to CDNs or other delivery mechanisms
• HLS Output (HD): Input SDI sources and IP Video Streams into Bridge Live and encode them for sharing to widely used devices and software, or via remote screening to iOS and iPadOS devices via HLS.
• Video Preview: With support for Video Preview thumbnails now available in the Bridge Live GUI for SDI Inputs, users receive visual confirmation for correct SDI input/content encoding, even if unable to “go live” to check the content for security.
• UX improvements: Users can explore more intuitive pipeline configuration and options such as “start detecting input” and “set as input” buttons, and enhanced responsiveness.
• A new Factory Reset method: An alternative and rapid method to access factory reset directly from the boot menu.