The VNR 100 digitally records and plays back high-definition computer graphics, video, audio, and data streamed in VN-Matrix® systems. It can record and play back at the same time, increasing duty cycles for expensive source equipment and presentation systems by utilizing both recording and playback features simultaneously. The time-slip feature allows a live event to be recorded while a previous event is played back, and the chase-play feature allows a recording in progress to be streamed with a time-shifted delay. VN-Matrix systems can be configured with multiple VNR 100 units to record and play back synchronized multi-source AV presentations or multi-screen display systems. The VNR 100 is ideally suited for AV streaming and recording applications with the most demanding quality and performance requirements.

Quality-Critical Recording Applications

The VNR 100 is used in applications with the most demanding quality and performance requirements and is ideal for customers with expensive, high resolution imagery from sophisticated, valuable cameras, sensors, and visualization equipment. Its ability to record audio, video, and data while playing back at the same time brings greater productivity to AV systems and allows independent concurrent activities to occur, such the simultaneous recording of an event while playing back content at different locations.

Applications such as Command and Control, AAR, Training and Simulation, Distance Medical Collaboration, Advanced Presentation Systems, and Visualization benefit from the recording of high quality visual data for education and training, event documentation, or forensic analysis. Often, the VNR 100 allows for the documentation of unique experiences that would be too expensive and cost-prohibitive to produce, such as surgical procedures, mission simulation, experiment training and testing systems or critical events that occur in command and control systems. The VNR 100 includes powerful synchronization technology that allows multiple streams to be precisely timed maintaining tight synchronization during playback.

PURE3® Codec

The Extron PURE3® codec applied in VN-Matrix systems streams audio and video across networks with very low latency, maintaining native resolutions, supporting visually lossless image quality, 4:4:4 color sampling, and 8-bit color depth preserving original source quality. The PURE3 codec’s extensive bit rate management and error concealment make the VNR 100 very adaptable to different network conditions, with flexibility to support a wide range of streaming and recording applications. The demanding quality requirements of production and broadcast applications will be well served using higher bit rates, while presentation, collaboration, and monitoring applications may use moderate to low bit rates.

PURE3 encodes video on an absolute frame basis, providing greater reproduction accuracy than predictive compression systems. It also makes tight playback synchronization in multi-channel playback systems possible.

Simultaneous Record and Playback

Many AV streaming applications require the ability to record and play back simultaneously, supporting random access playback of existing material while a live event is recorded. VN‑Matrix streaming systems using VNR 100 allow recording and playback activities to be conducted in different locations independently. Time-slip recording increases accessibility to content, leveraging the value of unique or expensive source equipment and presentation systems. Training and simulation activities benefit greatly from this feature.

Time-Shifted Playback

Time-shifted playback allows a recording in progress to be played before it has been completed. The playback can be initiated on demand. Applications with live but delayed playback requirements are frequently referred to as chase-play, tape-delayed, or time-shifted. This capability is valuable in one-way, live streaming applications where activities in two locations cannot be synchronized. The origination site can start its program and record events while the distant site conducts activities at its own pace, starting playback of the recording at the time of its choosing. House of worship and entertainment applications benefit from this feature.

Managed by VNM Enterprise Controller

VNR 100 is managed by VNM Enterprise Controller as part of a system that includes VN-Matrix encoders and decoders or codecs. The VNM Enterprise Controller allows dynamic control over multiple VN-Matrix units from a single user interface. A highly scalable solution, small or large systems can be constructed that are expandable over time. Complex multi-channel streaming and recording systems can be programmed and managed from a single point using VNM Enterprise Controller.

The VNM Enterprise Controller allows groups of encoders or decoders to be defined as the streaming source or destination for VNR 100 units. Complex arrangements of encoding inputs and decoding outputs for VNR 100 recording systems become a cohesive system managed from a single point using VNM Enterprise Controller. The VNM Enterprise Controller provides access to recording and streaming presets which can be recalled by external control systems.

Transport Controls

The VNR 100 offers transport controls including play, pause, and variable speed playback at 2x 4x 8x speeds in forward or reverse as well as single frame advance in forward or reverse. This range of control allows for efficient and detailed review of content using a simple control interface.

System Synchronization

The VN-Matrix uses Real Time Protocol – RTP, which applies timestamps to streamed and recorded packets. Encoding of video on an absolute frame basis by the PURE3 codec coupled with RTP timestamping and Real Time Control Protocol – RTCP, supports tight synchronization of recorded video stream playout and decoding of video, audio, and data sources. This supports several notable applications including audio-video lip sync, genlocked video decoding, and synchronization of multisource video presentations across multiple VNR 100 units.

Data Recording

The VNR 100 handles the recording and integration of other data sources such as RS-232 commands or Distributed Interactive Simulation – DIS data. DIS data includes information such as networked radio chat or location and object data in simulation applications. Recorded data will be synchronized to the audio and video information during play out.

Storage Packaging

The VNR 100 includes 1 TB of hard disk storage for recording content. The operating system and recording application are held on solid state media. Both the hard disk and operating system are removable and can be secured in data-sensitive applications. A lockable front cover conceals storage media.

Storage Capacity

VN-Matrix streaming bit rates will vary by application. The table below presents the range of storage capacity available from the 1 TByte media drive in VNR 100. Networked Attached Storage – NAS can be used to archive recordings that do not need to be randomly accessible for playback. Secure copy applications can be used to transfer files between VNR 100 and NAS.

Note: Bit rates for stereo audio or ancillary – ANC data for serial digital video sources are not included in values above. The bit rate for stereo audio will range between 0.5 Mbps for compressed voice quality and 2.5 Mbps for uncompressed program quality. Bit rates for transporting complete ANC audio payloads will be 8 Mbps for SDI and 16 Mbps for HD-SDI, and 3G-SDI. 

Applications

• Command and Control
• After Action Review
• Experiential Training Systems
• Simulation Systems
• Advanced Presentation Systems
• Medical Collaboration
• Scientific or Geological Visualization Systems
• Video Documentation Systems
• Recording of videowalls or multi-screen presentations