At IBC2007, Harris Corp. launched Nexio AMP, a new version of its Nexio server platform that company says “dramatically” expands the function of video transmission servers.

The Nexio AMP (advanced media platform), pairs a high-performance, HD/SD architecture with a range of software-enabled media services. Harris has designed Nexio AMP around its all new AMP MediaCore engine that features a real-time, 64-bit software engine and task-specific multicore CPU/GPU/FPGA processing. I/OI flexibility is provided by new Harris PCI Express Media I/O cards that add host-memory-centric processing. The card features a two-in/four-out HD/SD video interface, eight AES pairs of embedded audio per video I/O, four AES pairs of audio per video I/O and support for Dolby E audio. Nexio AMP also integrates into the newly enhanced Nexio storage area network (SAN).

The NX3601, the first member of the Nexio AMP platform was demonstrated at IBC. It includes an ingest engine, compression and playout and is format agnostic. Other features include software codec support and automatic up/down/cross-conversion, both featured in Harris previous Nexio servers, as well as two- and three-channel HD/SD mixed resolution modes with aspect ratio conversion; four- and six-channel SD modes; support for XDCAM HD and DVCPRO codecs; and choice of Fibre Channel or Ethernet-based storage SAN topologies.

Two NX3601 models will be available: the NX3601 with integrated storage and the NX3601HDX for share storage networks.