MX-Coder

MX-Coder is a specialized server that combines a video exchange system with slomo.tv servers, transcoding, network file storage for the editing stations and recording system to 3 alienated 3.5" SATA hard drives in its built-in SATA Rack.

MX-Coder allows concurrent export from slomo.tv servers of recorded material to editing files in the following codecs: XDCAM 422 50Mbit, AVID DNxHD, Apple ProRes, AVC-INTRA.

The resulting transcoded files can be written to:

  • built-in SSD array;
  • to hard disks installed in DMR™ racks;
  • to external RAID, connected via SAS interface;
  • to the NAS via the 10GbE interface.

The MX-Coder has two 1GbE and two 10GbE interfaces, which makes it easy to integrate it into any environment without the use of external Ethernet routers.

The size of the built-in SSD array can be 4 or 8 TB. Transcoded video recorded on this array can be used editing stations. Due to the presence of the two12G SAS interface ports and the built-in RAID controller, the user can connect to the server several external RAID or JBODs to increase the volume of recorded material, or to provide recording duplication to external RAID. Another option is to connect a DMR™ Station with 8/12/15 3.5"SATA drives via the SAS interface, in which case each individual channel can be recorded on a separate disc.

Depending of its XDCAM50 real-time performance, the MX-Coder can provide transcoding of 6 or 8 streams in real time. The 06 model can transcode and write 6 streams of HD video into XDCAM50 in real time. In this case, the user will receive the files immediately after the end of the recording.

If the number of recorded channels exceeds the real-time performance, the recording time will be increased in proportion to the number of channels. For example, if a 6 real-time channels MX-Coder 0604 works with 2 Arrow 442 servers and records 2 hours of 8 video channels, the user will receive the finished files 40 minutes after the end of the recording.

Another advantage of the MX-Coder is its ability to record growing files using the Edit While Ingest technology, in which case the user is able to edit the video one minute after the recording starts.

MX-Coder is recommended for working with Arrow 442/662 and Simple RII servers, which do not have DMR™ technology. Using MX-Coder the user gets practically the same capabilities as are available on big servers working with DMR™. The positive difference is that the MX-Coder can work not in real time, is less demanding on the performance of hard disks and recording can be done on a built-in SSD array accessible to the user through the standard Windows mechanism of Network Share. The only limitation is that only 8-bit versions of codecs are available.

The MX server can also be used with big slomo.tv servers to increase flexibility of their use. For example, perform simultaneous video recording in QuickTime Apple ProRes and MXF XDCAM50 files.

Separately it should be said about the joint work of MX-Coder and video judging systems videoReferee®-4 and videoReferee®-V. If there is a requirement to record all channels in the format of the editing systems to alienated media (hard disks), the MX-Coder successfully accomplishes this task. Several MX-Coders can be simultaneously used to work with one video referee system.

Models MX-Coder

Model Characteristics
0604 4TB SSD; 6 real-time streams XDCAM50; 8 real-time streams ProRes HQ
0608 8TB SSD; 6 real-time streams XDCAM50; 8 real-time streams ProRes HQ
0816 16TB SSD; 8 real-time streams XDCAM50; 10 real-time streams ProRes HQ
0832 32TB SSD; 8 real-time streams XDCAM50; 10 real-time streams ProRes HQ

Especially for working with the MX-Coder a new version of Arrow662 has been created. The Arrow 662M has 10GbE interfaces for networking with MX-Coder and SAS interface for expanding its disk subsystem.