AJA FS8 Hybrid SDI/IP Media Processor

The AJA FS8 Hybrid SDI/IP Media Processor is a 1RU multichannel frame synchroniser and converter for professional production systems. It prepares SDI and SMPTE ST 2110 signals for broadcast, cine-live, studio, remote and mobile workflows, with up to eight independent HD processing channels or four UHD channels. Its flexible architecture brings video, audio, timing and metadata management together for consistent, standards-compliant signal delivery.

Hybrid SDI and ST 2110 connectivity

The FS8 accepts up to 16 SDI inputs through eight 12G-SDI BNCs plus optional HD-BNC or fibre SFP connections. Its four 25 GbE SFP28 cages support up to eight HD or four UHD ST 2110-20 streams. Any input or output can be assigned to any processing channel, supporting SDI-to-IP, IP-to-SDI, full SDI and full ST 2110 signal paths. HDMI and optional SFP connectivity add further integration flexibility.

Video conversion, HDR and timing

Each processing channel supports frame synchronisation, up, down and cross-conversion, frame-rate conversion, motion-adaptive deinterlacing, region-of-interest scaling and multilayer layouts. Real-time SDR, HDR and wide colour gamut conversion is available through configurable 3D LUTs and live colour-management workflows. Adjustable horizontal, vertical and frame delays align signals to house reference or PTP timing, with delays of up to 60 frames in HD and 30 frames in UHD, or less than half a frame in ultra-low-latency mode.

Comprehensive audio processing

Embedded SDI, MADI, Dante and ST 2110-30 audio are managed through a 459 x 448 mono audio matrix. Processing tools include sample-rate conversion, per-channel delay, gain, phase, mute, mixdown, embedding and de-embedding. Test-tone generators and primary and secondary RJ45 Dante inputs help keep audio correctly assigned and synchronised with processed video.

Operator control and monitoring

An embedded web server provides access to the visual node-based processing pipeline, video previews and system, video processor, audio processor, IP configuration and 3D LUT presets. The front-panel colour LCD displays processor output, audio meters, system status and PTP information, with navigation buttons, Select and Adjust controls, and status LEDs for local checks. Redundant power supplies support continuous operation in critical deployments.