How AJA openGear Solutions Improve Rack-Based Video Conversion Workflows
By Stephanie R
The openGear ecosystem provides a flexible, multi-vendor platform where broadcasters can deploy signal converters, multiviewers, and processing cards inside a single managed chassis. AJA’s Hi5-4K card is one example, offering SDI-to-HDMI conversion with HDR support while benefiting from the platform’s centralized browser-based control and redundant power options. By allowing up to around ten cards per frame, openGear enables high-density deployments that simplify infrastructure and provide a scalable approach to modern broadcast and Pro AV signal management. Watch below:
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It’s ISC 2026. We’re on the AJ booth and I’m joined by Andy. Hi Andy. >> Hello. >> So, we’ve done a couple of videos so far. Sure. Um we’re in the mini converter area of the correct but we’re actually talking about open gear which is cool down here. Um before we get into the high five, should we just have a quick um highle explainer about what open gear is? >> Yeah. So, Open Gear is a system developed by Ross and essentially it is a form factor for cards that you can then put your technology onto the card and then those cards then sit in a really neat chassis. So, a frame, an open gear frame. All of those cards are then operated remotely via a dashboard. So, there’s a dashboard that Ross made and you can see all of the cards that you’re using within a single frame. The nice thing is obviously we do a lot of open gear frames uh open gear cards ourselves but other people also use that standard so you can mix and match the cards you need perhaps two different vendors have different cards you need both it’s just one chassis one control interface so it’s really powerful >> so you can have multi- viewers alongside converters >> all sorts yeah you name it you can sit them all happily the the frame is cooled you can put it in your rack and don’t have to worry about it >> well so good introduction to the high five then there >> yeah so the Hi-54 I mean this is just a all day every kind of conversion for our industry. 3G SDI to HDMI 2.0. So very straightforward, supports metadata for HDR and things like that. So you can pass that through. But that form factor, if you imagine maybe you have a bunch of these you need to do instead of having the mini converters which are fantastic and do the job if you need one or two. If you get serious, this is the way to go. It’s just so easy to deploy and manage them. And this is just one example. for most of the mini converters that we do and also the fo so the fiber converters and things like that you can get them all on the open gear format now and they really are it’s it’s such a fantastic thing. >> How many of these would fit in an open gear frame if you just literally wanted to stuff it full of >> uh I think it’s 10. I think it’s 10 in total. It does depend on the back plate because you can lose some real estate because of the back plate. Uh but I think in most circumstances it’s around eight or 10 you will fit in there. So great density and the unit also gives you redundant power supply as well in the frame. So that’s also really useful out there. >> And you only have to learn one interface because although it’s multi vendor, you’re just using the same. >> Super easy. Yeah. Just serves up a website into a a browser and you control from there. Super. >> Imagine this is a bread and butter product for AJ. >> Oh, all day every day. All day, every day. We got involved and we were we were tentative like everything you start slowly. It picked up pace really rapidly. And now anything new that comes out, the first thing most people say to us, “Oh, are you going to get an open gear version of that?” And generally the answer is yes. >> Amazing. So, where can people find out more about all your products? >> If they go to aj.com, there’s plenty of great pages for all of these products. There’s also a mini matrix on there as well where you can try and you can go through exactly what you need, find out all the information for your configuration. >> Amazing. Andy, thank you. You’re welcome. >> Do check out the website and for everything else we’re doing at ISC. That’s at kitplus.com.