The CVW AURORA 4K UHD 12G-SDI Wireless Video Transmission System is one of the few wireless video systems on the market that is capable of sending and receiving a 4K UHD signal.
The AURORA 4K UHD 12G-SDI Wireless Video Transmission System, as its name suggests, is capable of accepting a 4K UHD 4:2:2 10-bit signal over 12G-SDI and then outputting that same signal over 12G-SDI from its RX unit. This allows users of cameras that feature a 12G/6G-SDI output to send 4K UHD wireless video to the RX unit and then watch those images on a compatible 4K UHD monitor.
Teradek’s Bolt 4K LT range can also send UHD video, but that can only be done by inputting a UHD signal through HDMI. The TX unit only features a 3G-SDI input so it won’t accept a UHD signal over SDI.
If you want to send UHD signals over SDI then you need to step up to the Teradek Bolt 4K MAX where both the TX and RX units have 12G-SDI inputs and outputs respectively. The system can send 4K60p video signals from a 12G-SDI or HDMI input to any Bolt 4K series receiver with less than 1 ms of latency
Please be aware that the AURORA 4K is not an uncompressed system like what Teradek offers, instead it uses H.265 encoding and decoding. The video is also only being sent at up to a maximum of 60Mbps and you are not going to get zero latency performance. Conversely, the Teradek Bolt 4K systems send uncompressed video and it has zero latency. As far as I am aware Amimon holds the patent for sending uncompressed 4K wireless video. Amimon is owned by Videndum’s Creative Solution Division (it was formally Vitec), along with Teradek, SmallHD, LightStream, and Wooden Camera, etc.
The AURORA 4K has a claimed operating range of 500m / 1640′.
As far as inputs and outputs are concerned, the TX unit has an HDMI In, 12G-SDI In, 12G-SDI Loop Out, 9-36V DC Input, and a headset jack.
The RX unit has an HDMI Out, 2x 12G-SDI Outputs, a Headset Jack, and a DC (9-36V) Input.
Above you can see a quick video that shows you the various display and menu functions of the system.
You can also connect the system directly to a PTZ camera for full control and video wireless transmission.
What is interesting is that the Headset Jack output can be used as a talk back system (with a compatible headset) so that the camera operator can talk directly to a director or someone else who is where the RX unit is.
In addition to the headset capabilities, the TX and RX units also feature a tally light which is useful when working in live environments or multi-camera productions.
The TX unit features an in-built V-mount plate so you sandwich it between your battery plate and your battery.
Price & Availability
The CVW AURORA 4K UHD 12G-SDI Wireless Video Transmission System certainly isn’t cheap and the only place I could currently find that was selling it was Allied Express in France. They have it listed for € 11,958.74.
Thoughts
The CVW AURORA 4K UHD 12G-SDI Wireless Video Transmission System certainly has some nice features and functionality, but as it doesn’t send uncompressed video, it would be interesting to see if you could tell the difference between seeing compressed H.265 video at 60Mbps on a UHD screen as opposed to uncompressed HD footage.
