Demand for higher bandwidth and higher resolution content continues to intensify across industries. In response, AJA Video Systems unveiled Io Xpand, a high-performance Thunderbolt 5-enabled PCIe expansion chassis for AJA KONA and Corvid video and audio I/O cards. Io Xpand unlocks the performance of AJA PCIe I/O cards for video professionals leveraging Thunderbolt 5 laptops and mini-PCs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
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Io Xpand is ideal for creative or live production environments where space is limited and portability matters, including on-set, remote production, and live switching. Video professionals can pair the new chassis with either a KONA 1, KONA 4, or KONA 5 I/O card and a Thunderbolt 5-equipped computer to create a powerful, compact workstation with advanced throughput and video capture/playback functionality. For AJA Developer Partners, most AJA Corvid I/O cards can easily be used with the Io Xpand enclosure to develop smaller-footprint solutions.
AJA’s new Io Xpand chassis includes a 0.8m Thunderbolt 5 cable, Thunderbolt cable lock, power cable, and universal power adapter. It will be offered as a standalone unit, or in three bundles that include the Io Xpand and either a single KONA 1, KONA 4, or KONA 5 card. The KONA 5/Io Xpand bundle provides Thunderbolt 5 laptop and mini-PC users with access to the PCIe card’s high-performance 12G-SDI I/O, additional frame stores, and full I/O stack, including AES/EBU audio and machine control, in a portable, plug-and-play solution.
“Across media and entertainment and proAV, we’re seeing a move toward more compact and highly configurable workstations. With this shift, creative and video professionals are asking for high quality I/O solutions, like our KONA and Corvid cards, that can deliver breakthrough performance on the newest laptops and mini-PCs equipped with Thunderbolt 5,” explained AJA president Nick Rashby. “Io Xpand delivers a convenient, cost-efficient solution for harnessing our Desktop I/O capabilities with a smaller form factor workstation that travels easily.”
