BlackJack – powerful multichannel recording and replay system

What is a BlackJack? One could describe it as a single server which contains, all advanced developments by SLOMO.TV.

We describe it as the most powerful multichannel recording and replay system in the world at the moment.

First of all BlackJack is the largest number of recording channels – 20 in one system. The system has 24 video ports HD/SD SDI, and the 3G model which became available at the end of 2014 has 24 video ports 3G/HD/SD SDI. All video ports can be configured to operate as an input or output. This allows you to configure the required ratio of video inputs and outputs for a specific task. Standard system configurations in replay mode is 20 inputs and 4 video outputs and in recording for NLE mode – 24 video inputs.

Like all our current 4U systems, BlackJack is based on SSDs. This creates a unique ability to search simultaneously on all channels during recording of 20 channels and handling off 4 playback channels.

That is why, unlike other video server producers, we always characterize our servers by the number of recording channels, assuming that they always have the same number of search channels and at least 2 channel playback.

All modern BlackJack systems are AT – they are equipped with 2 Ethernet 10Gb ports and one 6G SAS port. The 10GbE ports are used for integration with network infrastructure of studios and broadcasters. The 6G SAS port is used for storage expansion. It can be connected to external SAS RAID or DMR™ Station. Since modern SAS architecture allows cascading, several SAS devices can be connected to a single SAS Host port. External SAS RAID can be used to record DMR™ files in native NLE formats. It also can be used to write in parallel to the built-in SSD array, the SLOMO.TV files used to replays. It is understood that if these files are used for replays, the system will not respond as fast as when it runs using internal SSD storage.

BlackJack is equipped with 4 DMR™ Racks for standard 3.5" SATA drives, which are used to record the DMR™ files.

The Trinity option allows you to organize 3 replay workplaces. In addition to Control ZR, each operator has a monitor displaying control interface with built-in multiviewer. The standard Trinity configuration provides each of the three workplaces 6 recording channels and a video output. Everybody works independently and can simultaneously search across all 6 channels and play two channels with transition effects between them. The master operator in addition to standard functions can work with clips created by other operators. It is also possible to configure the system for 2 operators – six channels each.

The DMR™ option provides recording into 2 places – to internal storage in format which, if needed, can be exported, and to any file storage in NLE native format of full-size HD video and its SD proxy.

Usually DMR™ files are recorded on SATA drives installed in the DMR™ Rack. This allows removal of the disks for transfer to the editing system immediately after recording.

DMR™ files can also be recorded to NAS. The latest Gen. 4 of DMR™ technology can write sets of DMR™ files (HD + SD Proxy) into two external places. For example to SATA drives installed in the DMR™ Station, connected via SAS interface, and to a NAS, such as Mediateka RAID, connected via 10GbE.

BlackJack supports a large set of codecs: MJPEG, Apple ProRes 422, DVCPro HD, AVID DNxHD, XDCAM 50Mbit, MPEG2, MPEG4, H264, DVCPro50, DVCProHD, DV25, IMX and containers natively compatible with Apple Final Cut, Avid, Adobe Premiere, GVG Canopus.

It is also by far the most powerful multichannel recording and replay system of almost unlimited flexibility packaged in a single 4U, 56 cm rack-mount chassis weighing 24.5 kilograms.