Cobalt Digital returns to ISE in Barcelona showing support for the IPMX open standards for AV-over-IP with IPMX-compliant audio monitors, multiviewers, gateways, converters and routers.
UltraBlue MV-SW ST 2110 and IPMX-Compatible Software Multiviewers
Cobalt Digital is coming to ISE 2026 in Barcelona with the message that the IPMX set of open standards and specifications for AV-over-IP is here to stay. The company plans to support their statement at the show with a lineup of IPMX-ready hardware including the COBALT ARIA AUD-MON – which stands out as an IPMX-compliant audio monitor – as well as other IPMX systems such as the SAPPHIRE BBG-2110 mini converters, INDIGO gateways, PACIFIC encoders/decoders, TOPAZ processors and UltraBlue MV-SW software multiviewers.
Cobalt Digital designs and manufactures ST 2110 and SDI signal processing products, and is a founding partner in the openGear initiative. At ISE (Integrated Systems Europe) Cobalt will demonstrate equipment from its very large portfolio, all of which has been optimised for the interoperability, ease-of-use and scalability needed in Pro AV. The show will take place on 3-6 February in Fira de Barcelona, Gran Via.
IPMX-Compliant Audio Monitoring
The fully IPMX-compliant COBALT ARIA AUD-MON audio monitor suits Pro AV environments migrating toward IP-based operations, and features sound monitoring and 16 SDI or 64 MADI metering from a compact rack-mount form-factor. Sound is produced by a Class-D amplifier with DSP and specially selected speaker components. The customisable touch display front panel is configured either with 8 individual volume controls for mixing or with a single volume control for simpler applications. It can also be controlled through a web interface.
Available with external redundant power supplies, the monitor supports a wide range of inputs including 2xSDI up to 12G or MADI, 2 SFP for SDI over fiber, AES, balanced analog audio, and GPI for automation. Other very helpful features include a live video thumbnail and SDI output for monitoring.
Other models from the COBALT ARIA line appearing at ISE including the COBALT ARIA OG-AUD4-DANTE, a quad-channel card with up to 12G DANTE/AES/MADI/Embed and De-Embed functions with Frame Sync capabilities. It has two gigabit Ethernet ports, a 64x64 configuration and a full audio router mixer.
ST 2110 and IPMX-Compatible Software Multiviewers
Cobalt’s UltraBlue MV-SW software multiviewers are made for AV systems transitioning to either ST 2110 or IPMX workflows, and now come with IPMX support. They are supplied either as a turnkey solution with four HDMI heads, or as a software package that runs on customer-supplied dedicated hardware. UltraBlue can receive audio/video content over IP across a variety of protocols and formats with very flexible audio routing, resulting in options to suit many applications.
Mosaic configurations are easily configured. Arbitrary sizes and orientations are available on multiple HDMI screens, complete with graphic overlays, ancillary data and tallies. PIPs can also be arbitrarily placed and rotated. As software, the multiviewers feature a simple web interface and are designed to grow with users’ needs by incorporating support for compressed and baseband (ST 2110) IP/SDI inputs and outputs.
IPMX-capable Compact Converters
Several models in the SAPPHIRE mini converter family of IPMX-capable standalone mini-converters will be at the show. The devices are useful for Pro AV applications that need full functionality and reliability in a small package, converting between IPMX- and SMPTE ST 2110-compatible signals and SDI/HDMI, with support for baseband video and JPEG-XS.
Configurations include single, dual and quad channel, and some models are capable of simultaneously transmitting and receiving. They display incoming IPMX content on HDMI monitors, including content originating from a WAN connection, or convert from HDMI to compressed or baseband IPMX streams.
The SAPPHIRE BBG converters feature dual SFP cages with support for 10G and 25G Ethernet ports and audio sample rate conversion. The receiving units can mix-and-match audio channels without time base synchronization with the video. The converters can be mounted directly behind the monitor to save space, and are very quiet for use in Pro-AV networks and corporate communications.
Gateways for Hybrid IP Infrastructures
Cobalt’s INDIGO gateway solutions, which work as an on-off ramp between ST 2110 and SDI, now support IPMX. Emphasising performance and versatility, the INDIGO OG-2110-BIDI4-GATEWAY is designed to bridge the gap between traditional SDI workflows and modern IP-based infrastructures.
Simplifying interoperability, they can preserve image quality and latency performance while performing routing and format translations, which is critical for large venues, enterprise campuses and production environments transitioning to IP. Also engineered for efficiency and compactness, up to 10 of the cards can be installed in a single 2RU openGear chassis for an impressive 80 total paths of conversion – 40 in each direction. www.cobaltdigital.com
