Green Hippo Distributor TMB Successfully Introduces AViary magpi at NAB

Following on the sneak preview of the Aviary Parakeet on TMB's booth at InfoComm last year, the Aviary magpi was displayed for the first time in America on TMB's NAB booth in Las Vegas, Nevada last month. AViary Video Tools is a new product family of real-time video players from Green Hippo, makers of Hippotizer. The AViary Video Tools range includes Parakeet 4K+, 2KAN 2K+, and magpi 4x HD, each representing a new approach to real-time, high-resolution video playback and control. All are available with a variety of options from the powerful video toolset originally developed for Hippotizer media servers. The company says AViary Video Tools makes high-quality video production and multi-resolution displays accessible to everyone. Products in the range will be introduced throughout 2014.

"magpi had a spectacular debut," says Chris Curran of TMB. "The response to this flexible, mounts-anywhere playback unit was fantastic, particularly among current Hypnotizer users, who felt immediately at home with the AViary interface. This product is exactly what A/V installers have been waiting for: An easy-to-use solution, with a wide range of control options for delivering audio and up to six outputs of full HD playback in a variety of applications from theme parks, to parade floats, to architectural installations. There was also a lot of interest in magpi for use on portable events, from corporate to rock & roll video playback, or any project with a network of multiple small or large displays!"

TMB also demonstrated Green Hippo's new FlexRes codec. Expected to be in full release soon, FlexRes will be a core element of both the Hippotizer and Aviary ranges. Designed and developed entirely by Green Hippo to meet and exceed today's highest standards, and to be ready for the future, the proprietary FlexRes codec is actually unlimited in resolution, just waiting on the world to demand higher resolution playback. FlexRes includes many unique features such as encoding and playback of clips at any aspect ratio; unlimited sizing on Alpha channels; and selectable color subsampling up to 4:4:4 for perfect color reproduction. Other FlexRes features include I-Frame decoding; faster, cleaner play head-scrubbing; high-speed playback (greater than 250%) improved, compared with MPEG-2; reverse playback as smooth as forward playback; and something the company says all show programmers will really appreciate -- faster encoding -- two to three times faster than with MPEG-2. Future plans for FlexRes include direct rendering from Aftereffects and Nuke, incorporating new rendered frames into old versions to streamline encoding processes, and sectional encoding; the ability to encode only the regions you need from large format media.

Last but not least, new Hippotizer media server products displayed at NAB included Rackoon and Chipmunk, The Live Design Projection Product of the Year 2013-14. Now in stock, the Chipmunk 1U rack unit boasts two layers of HD on a single output with optional upgrades for full Hippotizer flexibility and control. Chipmunk rounds out the Hippotizer range from Green Hippo, adding a new dimension in media server flexibility.

Rackoon features six layers of full 1080p HD playback and unrestricted output in a 1U rack mount chassis, plus all the software features of Hippotizer, including full HippoNet compatibility and unlimited PixelMapper universes.

"Rackoon is the perfect single-output solution for users looking for more bounce to the ounce," says TMB product specialist, Mark Anthony Vasquez. "Versatile HD playback in a low-profile 1U design with all the Hippo software? C'mon! This is incredible value for designers and programmers everywhere. This machine is a keeper!"

TMB distributes Hippotizer media servers, and now AViary video tools, in the Americas.

See TMB, Green Hippo, and Aviary at PLASA Focus: Austin, September 9 - 10.