FlexStream Smart Headend Series

MX-400 SERIES

The Customizable MX-400

Each product in the FlexStream MX-400 series addresses the specific needs of its respective market. West Pond has created solutions for Hospitality, Senior Living, Stadiums & Arenas, and Broadcast Infrastructure as well as many others.

If none of our existing hardware solutions meet your exact needs our engineering services team can work with you to create a custom configuration.

For a list of available options see the features, architecture, and specs tabs below. For a list of available preconfigured models, and the features they provide, see the product comparison grid below.

Prebuilt, or design your own

We provide a nice collection of preconfigured units, but our specialty is our creativity. Check out our list of available input and output modules, then contact us about building your own configuration.

FlexDM Remote Management

Use FlexDM to manage West Pond devices from anywhere on any device. Create and manage a video playback channel at multiple sites. Check the status of a customer’s RF network. Turn one or more TVs on or off. All this through one web site.

Compact, All-in-one Solution

The MX-400 makes TV headend simple. Other solutions require modulators, capture devices, encoders, multiplexers, TV tuners, Ethernet switches, and lots of cabling. The MX-400 has it all.

FlexStream MX-400

Choose a pre-built configuration, or custom configure your MX-400 to:

  • Create TV channels that convert TVs into digital signs.
  • Create TV channels that advertise local attractions, menu specials, and resort amenities
  • Create TV channels that train staff, direct visitors, announce daily events, or show a tv guide
  • Create security TV channels that show the doorbell entrance, parking lot, or lobby.
  • Use IP cameras, including security cameras, as TV channel video to create a beach cam, lobby cam, or doorbell cam TV channel.
  • Leverage your existing media sources such as cameras, PCs, DVRs, DVD players, radio, Antenna TV, Satellite TV, and more.
  • Create channels from video recorded from a PC, DVD, Mobile Phone, Camera, or other media source.
  • Convert IPTV to RF and RF to IPTV, or do both simultaneously.

MX-400 benefits:

  • Adding custom TV channels will:
    • Provide targeted content to your specific audience, keeping them engaged and happy
    • Reduce or eliminates Cable/Satellite subscription fees
    • Turn low resolution SD TV into high resolution HDTV by adding L-Bar graphics to the screen.
  • The FlexStream MX solution is best in class because:
    • Economical solution for enterprise cable TV “cord cutters”.
    • Extremely flexible architecture adds value to any TV headend.
    • Interfaces to a wide variety of devices that can be TV channel sources.
    • Designed for easy installation and management.
    • Outputs digital TV via ASI, RF (cable TV), and streaming IPTV.

Can be configured for use in:

Senior Living

Hospitality

Stadiums

Also: Applications in healthcare, entertainment, restaurants and bars, corporate, education, houses of worship, government, military, and apartment buildings.

MX-400 Base Model

The MX-400 is the most versatile member of West Pond’s smart headend family. The 1RU form factor supports 4 GigE network ports, four exposed, and 4 internal expansion modules. These expansion capabilities provide a wide variety input sources and output transports for the MX-400 broadcast quality multiplexer to process. Video sources include HDMI, Component, Composite, HD-SDI, DTV tuners, ASI, Cameras, and IPTV. Outputs include IPTV, ASI, and DTV modulated RF. West Pond provides a variety of market specific software packages including the TS (transport stream multiplexing), CC (channel creator), HY (hospitality) and the ST (stadium). Available software features include video streaming, video capture, video encoding, HTML video wrapping – digital signage, SPTS/MPTS multiplexing and grooming, IPTV and cable TV streaming, in-house cable network monitoring and troubleshooting, display controls, and more. The MX-400 can be configured to perform the functions of one, many or all of the following traditional headend components.

Video Server / Streamer: Load 30 hours or more of video files onto the MX-400 and create custom TV channels via our built in video server. Create a looping playlist or schedule playback at specific times. Manage channels and video content on one or more systems using FlexDM.

Video Encoder (HDMI / Component / Composite / S-Video): Capture video and audio from any of these ports and encode it to broadcast quality standards. This box supports h.264 and MPEG2 video and a variety of audio formats.

Digital Signage Player: The HTML5 video wrapper combines video streams with HTML5 media to create a dynamic multi-media experience on a TV channel for viewing on one or more TVs without a digital signage player. This powerful tool is made simple through presentation templates provided by West Pond. See https://westpond.com/templates for a list of recent templates.

Cable / Terrestrial / Satellite TV Set Top Box Receiver: Integrated DTV tuner replaces shelves of clunky receivers and messy wiring.

Demux-Remux Multichannel Multiplexer: Our integrated scalable broadcast quality multiplexer replaces the need for external rack mounted multiplexers.

GigE Switch: 4 internal GigE ports reduce the need for and external managed switch and simplify wiring in a mixed LAN environment. Our system can communicate with your IPTV LAN, your in-house LAN, security cameras, and other devices while still leaving spare ports to manage the system.

Multi-channel modulator: The MX-400 supports up to 5 frequency and modulation agile modulators.

Monitor TV / IRD: The MX-400 front panel display reduces the need for IRDs or diagnostic TVs. The front panel QVGA screen provides a live view of every multiplexer input. The RF monitor tuner scans all channels simplifying installation and enabled diagnosing and resolving issues remotely.

Display controller: Every display on your in-house TV network can now be controlled via the integrated display control system. A display control device is installed at the TV that the MX-400 uses to control TV functions such as power, volume and channel. Conceptually this feature is similar to having a remote control that simultaneously sends commands to one, many, or all of your TVs.

Software Features:

  • Multi-channel video server with timed and looping playlists
    • Convert any video recording to a TV compatible file using the West Pond FlexDM service
  • Video capture from a variety of sources
    • HDMI, Composite, Component, S-Vid, DTV tuner, IP cameras, and more.
  • HTML5 digital signage player with live video overlay
    • Presentation templates make signage easy
    • Many templates available
  • HD AV encoding
    • TV compatible encoding and signaling
  • Broadcast quality TS multiplexer
    • Multiple inputs, multiple outputs
  • Standard agile, frequency agile, RF modulator
    • ATSC, DVB-T, ISDB-T
  • Multi-standard RF monitor
  • RF display controller
    • RX-50 controls
  • RF TV and IPTV compatible
    • Simultaneously supports both RF and IPTV
  • Web UI with video thumbnails, status, and configuration

 

Manageability:

  • Front panel graphical configuration and status
  • Front panel video of all mux inputs
  • Web UI, password protected, configuration from anywhere
  • USB Configuration for bulk processing
  • REST API
  • SNMP status
  • Monitor tuner
    • Finds open frequencies
    • Monitors MX-400 output
  • FlexDM remote management

Base Hardware:

  • Form factor: 1RU, 19 inch rack, 328.2 mm (12.92 inch) L X 442.2 mm (17.41 inch) W X 44.0 mm (1.72 inch) H
  • Base Weight: Less than 6 lbs
  • Shipping weight: Configuration dependent
  • Operating Temp.: 0º – 45ºC (32º-113ºF)
  • Humidity: 10 – 95% RH, non-condensing
  • Input voltage: 100 – 240VAC , 50-60Hz
  • Power: 100 watts – Actual consumption is configuration dependent
  • Cooling: Fan cooled. Positive pressure, ~20 cfm air flow front to back.
  • Compliance: FCC class A/CE (TBD)
  • Rack mounting: Mounting ears provided
  • Cabling: Power cord included, others provided with optional hardware
  • Front panel configuration: Management LAN network connection
  • Front panel video: QVGA. H.264 & MPEG2 decode and scaling
  • Standard Inputs/Outputs:
    • 4x GigE
    • 2x External USB Host Ports
    • 2x low profile exposed expansion modules
    • 2x full profile exposed expansion modules
    • 4x internal expansion modules
    • 32 GB of SSD storage
  • Warranty:
    • 1 year repair or replace + software updates
    • 1 year FlexDM remote management subscription included
    • Extended warranty available
    • MADE IN USA

Hardware Module Add-on Options:

  • ASI Out
  • ASI In/ASI Out
  • Dual ASI In/ASI Out
  • Single US Cable QAM, ISDB-T, DVB-T, 8-VSB modulator
  • Quad US Cable QAM, ISDB-T, DVB-T, 8-VSB modulator
  • Quad ATSC DTV tuner
  • Quad ISDB-T DTV tuner
  • Quad DVB-T/T2 DTV tuner
  • Dual DVB-S/S2 receiver (clear QAM content only)
  • Cable TV Monitor Tuner US Cable QAM
  • Cable TV Monitor Tuner DVB-T/T2
  • Cable TV Monitor Tuner ISDB-T
  • Six Port Composite Video/Audio Capture
  • Single HDMI/Component/Composite/S-Video capture w/audio
  • Dual HDMI capture w/audio
  • HD-SDI capture w/audio
  • SSD storage up to 4TB
  • RS-232

Transport Stream Sources

  • Ethernet
    • 4 independently managed GigE ports.
    • IPTV, Digital Cameras, other MX-400 units, 3rd party encoders
    • UDP/RTP input auto detect
    • RTP/RTSP input support (converted to TS)
  • Decode/Encode
    • Decode DTV content from RF, IP, ASI, etc.
    • Encode HD-SDI, HDMI, Component, Composite, S-Video, and other sources.
    • TV compatible real time encoding. ATSC, DVB, ISDBT
    • Overlay HTML5 on any video to add multi-media before encoding.
    • Encode HTML5 without video for simple signage channels.
  • DTV
    • Terrestrial broadcast TV, cable TV (clear QAM), and satellite TV (unencrypted)
  • ASI input
    • Up to 2 ports
  • Video streaming
    • Multichannel video steamer
    • Playlist and schedule driven
    • >20 Gbytes on board storage, expansion to 4TB
    • WebUI with file upload and progress bar
    • FlexDM cloud based transcoding and channel management

Transport Stream Processing

  • Maximum aggregate bitrate input/output: ~500Mb/s – Constrained by input device, output device, & CPU usage
  • Maximum number of MPTS inputs: Not limited
  • Maximum number of MPTS outputs: Not limited – Constrained by CPU usage or output devices
  • Maximum video elementary streams per program: Not limited
  • Maximum number of audio elementary streams per program: Not limited
  • Maximum number of data streams per program: Not limited
  • UDP unicast & multicast UDP input/output TS support
  • SMPTE 2022 FEC Pro-MPEG
  • RTP/RTSP input support (converted to TS)
  • Transport packet size: 188/204 byte

Transport Stream Multiplexing

  • Demultiplexer/Remultiplexer
  • Program filter and mapping (“cherry picker”)
  • PID filter and mapping
  • PSI (PAT/PMT) signaling
  • ATSC, DVB-T, ISDB-T signaling including user definable channel labeling descriptors
  • PSI, PSIP, ATSC, DVB-T, ISDB-T table merging
  • PSIP parental control insertion and override
  • PCR dejittering and restamping
  • Rate smoothing
  • Time stamping
  • TS CBR and VBR

Transport Stream Outputs

  • RF via DTV modulation
  • IPTV via GigE ports
  • ASI

Transport Stream Analytics

  • Presented via Web UI and front panel QVGA
  • Dynamic input/output stream stats
  • Signaling verification
  • Video thumbnails in web UI

 

FlexStream Comparison Table

Choose from a preconfigured model or use our “Engineering & Integration Services” to create the perfect solution for your needs.

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Are you looking for a different feature set for your facility's TV system?

We can customize our devices to meet your  programming needs. Contact us today to discuss the specific needs of your correctional facility.

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