AJA Io X3 is a portable video I/O device with 3G-SDI, HDMI, and audio connections, connected to your computer via Thunderbolt 3. It's 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 (Thunderbolt 4 compatible) 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 (Thunderbolt 4 compatible) 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 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 Apple silicon
- 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 (Thunderbolt 4 compatible) ports provide host connectivity to a laptop or desktop computer running Windows, macOS, or Linux, with the second port for loop 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, 4x 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.
Thunderbolt Connectivity
Simple to set up and use, Io X3’s Thunderbolt 3 ports (also compatible with Thunderbolt 4) easily connect to a wide range of Apple, Windows, and Linux laptops and desktops, providing instant professional video and audio I/O from your favorite creative application.
Dual Thunderbolt 3 ports allow convenient daisy-chaining of other devices on the same Thunderbolt connection.
Thunderbolt is ubiquitous across both Mac, Windows, and Linux computers and supports the massive bandwidth needed for professional video, audio, data, and more.
AJA Control Room Metadata Toolset
Metadata is the key for managing advanced workflows. AJA is bringing to market an entirely new way to harvest metadata in the SDI signal stream and export the metadata to a sidecar file.
This new feature, called AJA Control Room Metadata Toolset*, is being introduced in Desktop Software v17.1 and adds the following functionality:
-
Supports capture of any metadata type, including SCTE-104 and Dolby Vision metadata, that is part of the SDI Ancillary metadata payload.
-
Using an AJA KONA capture card that supports SDI input and the included AJA Control Room software (such as KONA 5 or KONA X), the card captures the metadata, which is then preserved in a metadata sidecar file.
-
AJA Control Room can playback the metadata to provide quality monitoring.
-
AJA Control Room can export the metadata synchronized with the media on a per-frame basis.
-
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 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 add 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.
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 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 add 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.
Use Case: OBS Workflow for Io X3
Io X3 is directly compatible with OBS Studio, offering a comprehensive toolkit for mixing live video and taking the program content out to streaming destinations. Io X3 again sits at the center of the workflow pictured opposite, providing the necessary video I/O for a four camera source program. Via Io X3's multi-channel support, the 4x HD cameras are connected directly to the 3G-SDI ports of the Io X3 which is connected via Thunderbolt 3 to the host PC or laptop. The host computer runs the OBS Studio software and allows you to view all incoming HD sources in a single multiview via the HDMI port to any display. Audio can be monitored via the built-in analog headphone port. The final PGM stream is output from our switched sources via the host computer.
