AJA HELO-PLUS Advanced H.264 Streaming and Recording

AJA HELO-PLUS High-Quality Streaming and Recording

AJA HELO-PLUS is a compact, advanced H.264 streaming and recording stand-alone appliance. HELO Plus offers both SDI and HDMI I/O with the capability to stream up to 1080p60 to a Content Delivery Network and record simultaneously. Two separate streaming destinations can be set up, and recordings can be made to a combination of SD card, USB storage, and NFS or SMB network storage. HELO Plus also provides Picture-In-Picture and graphics functionality in hardware for compelling presentations made simple.

AJA HELO-PLUS v.2.0 firmware adds many new features, including new optional upgrades with a free trial period – PlayToStream, and 4-Channel Audio. PlayToStream offers users the ability to re-stream a previously recorded program at a later date to either or both of the Stream outputs. The system can simultaneously perform PlayToStream and live encoding, sending each to its own Stream outputs. 4-Channel Audio support means you can stream two separate audio pairs via each encode for multi-language support.

AJA HELO-PLUS offers high-quality streaming with ultra-reliable performance for any critical streaming service needs, including eSports, news, sports, education, creator, live events, and beyond.

Hardware

AJA HELO-PLUS is compact, with a very small desktop footprint. It offers stand-alone capabilities with stream and record buttons on the front of the unit as well as LED indicators. Audio level meters provide valuable feedback about incoming audio.

AJA HELO-PLUS is fanless and silent, allowing it to be used almost anywhere without fear of introducing noise. SD card and USB ports are also situated on the front of the unit for easy access.

Remote or Local Control

HELO Plus can be easily configured remotely on a standard web browser, via the Ethernet connection, and using a desktop computer, laptop, or iPad. Every function of HELO Plus is accessible in the Web UI, with multiple HELO Plus devices being easily controllable via a tabbed browser window. Once set up to your requirements, HELO Plus can also be controlled via the stream and record buttons on the front of the device, with audio-level LED meters providing feedback for monitoring, or the system can be controlled directly from the included web-based UI. There’s also the option for remote control via the system’s integrated REST API.

Video and Audio Support

Video Formats

• (HD) 1080p 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94, 60
• (HD) 1080i 50, 59.94, 60
• (HD) 720p 50, 59.94, 60
• (SD) 525i, 625i

Video Codec Support

• H.264/MPEG-4 Encoder

Audio Encoding Parameters

• 32 kbps to 256 kbps
• 48 kHz 2-channel stereo
• MPEG-4 AAC-LC

SRT Support

SRT is an open-source video transport protocol and technology stack, developed and pioneered by Haivision, that optimizes streaming performance across unpredictable networks with secure streams and easy firewall traversal, bringing the best quality live video over the worst networks.

The SRT Open Source Project, supported by the SRT Alliance, is a collaborative community of industry leaders and developers striving to achieve lower latency internet video transport by continuously improving open-source SRT.

HELO Plus includes SRT (plus encryption) to ensure you are well-positioned to deliver streaming video content securely, with low latency and secure reliability.

HELO Plus offers all the professional digital I/O you need to make it the heart of your streaming service. The easy-to-access front panel buttons make starting and stopping your stream simple.

Front of the HELO Plus:

• Record button
• Main and Backup LED indicators
• Stream button
• Streaming LED indicators
• LED Stereo VU meters
• 1x USB 3.2 Gen1 port (5Gb/s) for media recording. This USB connection can supply 1A of current to the storage device, allowing it to work with modern, larger memory sticks.
• USB LED indicator
• 1x SD card slot for media recording
• SD card LED indicator

The rear of the HELO Plus:

• 1x Stereo analog audio input
• 1x Stereo analog audio output
• 1x 3G-SDI input
• SDI signal LED indicator
• 1x 3G-SDI output
• 1x HDMI 1.4a input
• HDMI signal LED indicator
• 1x HDMI 1.4a output
• 1x Dedicated Micro USB port for use with AJA Mini-Config software
• 1x 1GigE network connection for control and SMB recording
• 1x Locking power connector

Operational Flexibility

HELO Plus’ small footprint form factor and silent operation allow it to fit on any desktop, with the operator using the easy-to-access front panel start/stop buttons. But just as simply, HELO Plus can be operated remotely from a desktop or laptop computer via Ethernet, which is especially useful for multiple HELO Plus use cases.

HELO Plus is designed to give you the flexibility to configure and deploy HELO Plus to your needs in the field, home, or studio. HELO Plus fits any streaming need imaginable, from sports, news, creator, education, eSports, remote workflows, and many more.

REST API capabilities provide control for all functions of the HELO Plus, regardless of the scenario, allowing for user-developed integration and automation.

Simultaneous Stream and Record

HELO Plus has the capability to stream and record up to 1080p60 simultaneously in the following combinations:

• Stream to two destinations and record to SD local storage simultaneously
• Stream to two destinations and record to USB local storage simultaneously
• Stream to two destinations and record to NFS/CIFS network storage simultaneously

Having a recorded backup of the video stream provides a high-quality H.264 version for editing applications, with the most suitable storage being selected. Network storage may make more sense for edit sharing, while an SD card or USB recording provides an easy takeaway for clients or editors.

Calendar Integration

HELO Plus opens up a world of new streaming workflows for AV, live events, houses of worship, webcasting, corporate communications, production, and post. HELO Plus offers a scheduler that triggers pre-planned start and stops recording and streaming media, simplifying projects requiring definitive schedules.

The schedule may be programmed locally through HELO Plus’ web UI, importing .ics files, or linking to external calendar providers such as Google Calendar.

Layouts – Powerful Multi-Input Video Processing

HELO Plus brings an exciting layouts feature, allowing multiple inputs to be combined into a single screen with a graphic element overlay. A layout enables the user to combine the SDI input and the HDMI input into a single output stream and then add a graphic (video + key) into that composite. The layout can have up to three layers, and their priority can be arbitrarily adjusted to suit the customer’s needs.

In addition to the layering engine, both the SDI and the HDMI layers can be arbitrarily downscaled and positioned anywhere in the frame. Effectively, each live video source can be used in its picture-in-picture (PiP) element.

The system also has an internal matte generator, which can be used as the background. In this way, the graphic can be keyed over the dual PiP images, which are “over” a flat matte background.

The system can accurately switch from one layout to another frame, allowing the user to “cut” between layouts during a streaming session. Layouts are stored in one of the 20 Presets, allowing users to recall all the parameters needed for a specific purpose. There are ten layouts stored in each preset so that the user can recall the show’s preset and switch between those ten layouts at will.

The graphics system is equally impressive – It stores 20 images in its internal, non-volatile memory.

Dual Streaming Outputs

HELO Plus has dual encoders for streaming outputs, giving the flexibility to create different output settings from a single input source. The two encoders can have different packaging settings and different output frame sizes, which means that a single content stream can be presented in two ways to serve a wider audience.

It can also be duplicated across both encoders for added resilience. Either of these encoder outputs can serve as the source for the HELO Plus recording system as well.

Simple but Flexible

The simplified signal flow for video within HELO Plus neatly highlights the flexibility of the device. Tracing a simple pathway for each video input illustrates the encoder, graphics, recording, and new PlayToStream options.