Description
The AJA Io X3 is perfect for high-quality HDR or SDR video work with up to 60p HD/2K signals or files with support for all major NLE applications as well as other video applications such as OBS Studio, vMix, and Telestream Wirecast. Connecting with a single Thunderbolt 3 cable and providing a second Thunderbolt connector for flexibility, Io X3’s compact and quiet form factor is ideal for on set, in the studio, at an event, or in the edit suite.
Features
- 2K/HD/SD I/O up to 50/60p
- 4x bidirectional 3G-SDI BNC with 16-channel embedded audio
- HDMI I/O with 8-channel embedded audio
- Two Thunderbolt 3 ports with loop-through
- Multi-channel workflow support for OBS/Wirecast/vMix and other applications
- YCbCr 4:2:2 10-bit up to 60p
- RGB 4:4:4 12-bit up to 30p
- VPID signaling for SDR/HDR Transfer Characteristics, Colorimetry and Luminance via SDI
- PQ, HLG, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision Support
- HDR Metadata Capture and Auto Playback Detection
- Multiview output over HDMI, to view up to 4-channels on one screen
- Analog audio flexibility with a choice of 8-channel In or 8-channel Out or 4-channel In and 4-channel out via a standard Tascam connection
- Front panel audio display
- Includes support for the Apple M1 chip and the latest OS versions
- XLR 12V power for battery or AC use (AC adapter included)
- Headphone jack and level control for mobile and live environments
- RS-422 VTR control, Reference, LTC Input and LTC Output
Versatile and Practical Connectivity
The Io X3 rear panel offers a wealth of easy-to-access connectivity for almost any need in SD/HD/2K video pipelines. Power is supplied via industry-standard 4-pin XLR with either the included AC adapter or battery power. Dual Thunderbolt 3 ports provide host connectivity to a laptop or desktop PC or Mac, with the second port for looping through to other Thunderbolt devices. RS-422 is included for machine control of external devices so they can be synchronized for editing. Analog audio is offered via a DB-25 port, with all 8-channels configurable to be in or out. HDMI in and out ports allow for easy monitoring or video input sources to be accessed, including HDR and SDR video. Reference input connects the Io X3 to any master clock source alongside LTC input and output for timecode. Finally, 4 bidirectional 3G-SDI ports can be configured as multi-channel inputs or outputs to suit the video application of choice, offering immense flexibility in the field, editing suite, or on-set.
Universal Compatibility: Thunderbolt 3 via USB-C
Io X3 Plus provides two Thunderbolt 3 ports for true Thunderbolt flexibility.
Thunderbolt 3 doubles the speed of the previous Thunderbolt 2 standard with up to 40 Gps of throughput and utilizes the universal USB-C connection standard for true simplicity over a single cable for today’s leading Mac and PC workstations and laptops.
HDR
HDR or High Dynamic Range provides the ability to display a wider and richer range of colors, much brighter whites, and much deeper, darker blacks than standard signals allow. This gives your imagery a more ‘dynamic’ look and allows for natural true to life colors to be communicated to your audience.
Io X3 provides this support for your 2K and HD HDR pipelines to HDMI and SDI compatible displays in software v16.2 with HLG and HDR10 support with HDR Infoframe metadata, in accordance with HDMI 2.0a/CTA-861.3 and HD.
AJA Control Room software and Io X3 adds support for HDR metadata capture from an incoming SDI or HDMI signal. The captured .mov video file will have embedded HDR metadata, allowing the file to be played back at its intended dynamic range.
AJA Control Room software and Io X3 Plus also provide HDR Auto Playback Detection. Embedded HDR metadata in a recorded .mov file is read and used to automatically set the HDR format on the monitor(s) connected to the HDMI and/or SDI outputs.
Support for file-based .mov HDR outputs with metadata from Adobe Premiere Pro / Adobe Media Encoder HDR files is also available. Screening those rendered outputs is a simple and high-quality experience with AJA Control Room. Every frame is presented in its full quality, at the timing intended, and with the proper HDR format set correctly and automatically.
v16.2 Desktop Software also offers HDR input from HDMI for capturing HDR gaming content and more.
Integrated Digital Audio, Analog Audio Flexibility
Embedded 16-channel SDI and 8-channel HDMI audio are supported as well as analog audio inputs, outputs or both via a standard Tascam DB-25 connection.
Stereo monitoring is also possible with a front panel 3.5mm mini-TRS headphone jack.
The flexible analog audio I/O can be configured to record voiceovers and more with the ability to choose how the DB-25 connection on Io X3 is configured:
- 8-channel, 24 and 16-bit D/A analog audio, 48 kHz sample rate, balanced, using industry-standard 8x XLR or TRS on DB-25 breakout cable (cable not included)
- Balanced Analog Audio I/O:
- Input across Ch. 1-8, Ch. 1-4, or Ch. 5-8
- Output across Ch. 1-8, Ch. 1-4, or Ch. 5-8
High Density, Rack Mountable
Io X3’s compact design offers easy rack mounting, allowing for two Io X3 devices to sit comfortably in just 1RU. This allows for high channel density for up to 8-channels of fully configurable video I/O for applications such as OBS Studio.
Multiview Output
Io X3 offers multi-channel I/O, and the HDMI output port can display all of these sources to one display. Io X3 is fully compatible with OBS Studio software with multiview output offered for clear monitoring of incoming or outgoing video via the convenient HDMI output. OBS Studio can be configured with Io X3 to make monitoring easy, all from a single I/O device.