Valencia, CA – Megapixel is an innovative technology creator dedicated to delivering state-of-the-art LED processing, monitoring & analytics, and display solutions to the world’s leading entertainment, film, TV, and architectural applications. Aided by superior product design, development, and manufacturing expertise, Megapixel delivers unsurpassed visual performance making any project, no matter how complex, a reality.
Recent projects that have harnessed Megapixel technology include:
- Virtual production stages: Lux Stage at Trilith (Atlanta), NantStudios’ Docklands Studios (Melbourne), ARRI Stage (London).
- Broadcast studios: Emmy award-winning FOX Sports NFL Sunday, ESPN’s Catalyst Stage and Sky Studios.
- Numerous live events: Eurovision, The Killers World Tour, WWE, Glastonbury.
- Real-time XR: XR Studios’ deployments of YouTube Game On, Camila Cabello’s Familia: Welcome to the Family Live TikTok Album Concert.
The HELIOS® LED Processing Platform, pioneered by Megapixel as the first LED Processor capable of native SMPTE ST 2110 and the industry’s first 8K platform, takes another step forward at IBC 2023. Available immediately is an optional 100G QSFP fiber input module for HELIOS. The module expands upon the platform’s existing upgradeable input capabilities that include HDMI, SDI, DisplayPort, and 10G ST 2110.
Jeremy Hochman, Megapixel founder, explains “We couldn’t be happier to be launching this new amazing capability for HELIOS to the broadcast market at IBC. Many of our studio and production partners have been so excited about migrating to SMPTE 2110 but have waited for trusted partners to offer a pre-tested ecosystem. Now there is direct out-of-the-box compatibility with multiple 3rd parties.”
This leap forward in capability is underpinned by Megapixel’s constant strive for innovation in the LED Processing and data distribution space. The 100G input module allows HELIOS to ingest up to 8K60 12-bit natively or 4x 4K60 enabling ultra large canvas sizes. Because HELIOS is bandwidth driven, rather than raster-driven, non-standard canvas sizes are supported such as 16K x 2K and even 32K x 1K.
Phil Galler, President of Lux Machina, explains “Lux Machina believes that the future of production requires an immense increase in bandwidth capacity – to support new innovations in content, larger display canvases and bi-directional control. Megapixel incorporating a 100G solution as part of the HELIOS platform is a huge leap forward for LED processing. We are reliant on these solutions moving forward for our stage designs, on-set operations, as well as live events and broadcast projects. This upgrade should make setup, control and flexibility much easier for our teams globally.”
Megapixel’s commitment to research and development of future technologies is heavily influenced by their global user community and as such the 100G input has been tested extensively with close partners of the business including EPIC Games, NVIDIA and Matrox. Ensuring customers can benefit from rock-solid reliability from day one is required in mission-critical broadcast environments.
“SMPTE ST 2110 will play a significant role in the future of LED stage technology, and with the 100G QSFP fiber input module for the HELIOS system, Megapixel is pushing the envelope in this space,” said Alejandro Arango, Technical Director of Virtual Production at Epic Games. “The ability to have synchronized video streaming from a cluster of render nodes through a bi-directional high-bandwidth pipe means lower latency and superior performance from a more simplified hardware configuration, truly a win-win-win scenario.”
Not only is the 100G connection great for sending large amounts of pixels, it also reduces overall system latency by reducing the amount of equipment in a signal path.
Josh Kerekes, Head of Virtual Production at Pixomondo, expands, “Using ST 2110 reduces latency considerably in environments utilizing camera tracking because the round-trip is not going through an extensive amount of equipment that is all serially connected”.
With the transition from baseband infrastructure in broadcast to full IP-based systems, the native 2110 capabilities of HELIOS position the company for further expansion in this sector. HELIOS has been developed with the philosophy that it operates as a piece of infrastructure within a larger network, rather than a standalone device. This philosophy allows it to slot seamlessly into projects with both legacy signals and IP video requirements.
Megapixel prides itself on the inclusion of its partners in their roadmap and R&D planning process. David Light of NEP Sweetwater says, “We love working with the Megapixel team, and with the adoption of 2110, they continue to show their technical expertise and leadership in this space. 2110 is the future of film, television, and live events and Megapixel is making sure we do not fall behind technical advancement.”
Raed Al-Tikriti, Chief Product & Technology Office at Disguise, “Broadcasters are constantly pushing the boundaries of what XR can do for real-time storytelling, and this explosive growth in the studio market requires expanded network bandwidth capabilities to further enable customers to transition to full IP based systems.”
See the 100G input in action at the ROE Visual booth (7.C26) and Megapixel products in action at the following partner booths at IBC, taking place September 15-18, 2023 in Amsterdam.
- ARRI (12.F21)
- Kino Flo (12.D35)
- LG (3.C48)
- NETGEAR (11.B16)
- ROE (7.C26)
- Sony (13.A10)
- Vizrt (10.A41)
About Megapixel
We are Megapixel. Pioneers of visual technology.
Exceptional Quality. Seamless User Experience. Human Service. Our innovative technology is the gold standard for visual reality.
We are the unrivaled authority in cutting-edge professional display technology and video processing for top-tier brands, creatives, and design-led applications. Led by Jeremy Hochman and Keith Harrison, our team of engineers and designers consistently delivers the most unique and breakthrough LED solutions to market, helping our visionary clients bring their ideas to life in ways that inspire a sense of wonder and make the seemingly impossible possible. With over 200 patents and award wins from Live Design, the Emmys, and the Oscars, we endeavor to always be at the forefront of digital displays and technology for which we set the bar as the industry standard.
