Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada – 6 January 2014 – AptoVision, a Montreal-based technology company, is launching its new BlueRiver™ NT chipset at ISE 2014, Amsterdam. The new chipset is the world’s first and only mainstream chipset to enable the transmission and switching of real-time, uncompressed Ultra-HD AV signals with zero-frame latency over off-the-shelf (OTS) Ethernet switches. Replacing custom AV Matrix switches with standard Ethernet switches cuts the cost of AV matrix switching equipment by 60% while also eliminating the associated R&D cost, procurement complexities and inventory risk.

Integrated into source-side AV transmitters and display-side AV receivers, the BlueRiver™ NT chipset transmits uncompressed Ultra-HD (4K) HDMI-video, 32 channels of audio, USB 2.0ⁱ and useful control signals over fibre or copper cabling using a packet-based architecture allowing the signals to be switched through standard OTS 10G Ethernet switches. Proprietary technology to handle arbitration, source clock recovery, bandwidth management and network configuration ensures real-time, pixel for pixel, zero-frame latency transmission.

“The high time-to-market, cost and risk associated with developing, certifying, manufacturing, testing and stocking multiple configurations of custom AV Matrix switches prevents many AV equipment manufacturers from competing effectively in the market for AV signal distribution equipment,” said Kamran Ahmed, CEO and co-founder of AptoVision. “By leveraging the large variety and numerous available configurations of OTS Ethernet switches, our BlueRiver NT uniquely enables such AV equipment manufacturers to deliver a complete AV signal distribution platform without the R&D effort or procurement and inventory risk associated with custom AV Matrix switches.”

AV signal distribution systems based on AptoVision’s BlueRiver NT platform offers numerous other benefits, including:

• Unmatched I/O density: OTS Ethernet switches deliver a 96-port switch in a 2U chassis, 60% smaller than equivalent custom AV switches.
• Unprecedented cost savings: OTS Ethernet switches are 60% less costly than equivalent custom AV switches.
• Increased flexibility. Providing a standard LAN backbone, other networking gear can be used on the same AV network.
• Built-in scalability and future-proofing: Adding I/Os beyond the maximum density of the installed configuration is as easy as connecting another switch using the high bandwidth up-links instead of replacing the entire switch as in the case of custom AV switches
• Embedded local management: BlueRiver Smart-setup auto-configures every BlueRiver device even in the most complex networked systems.
• Widely available control software. Decades of pre-existing R&D for LAN monitoring and control can be leveraged for AV switching without the need to develop custom control software.

The BlueRiver NT technology will be on show at AptoVision’s booth (#10-K137) during the ISE tradeshow. Requests for a meeting or a guided demo can be sent to sales@aptovision.com.