As the need to stream video for corporate, education, government, casinos, and countless other enterprise applications continues to grow, system integrators often find it challenging to identify solutions that can check all the boxes ensuring performance, reliability, and security.

AMX SVSI N2600 professional-grade 4K60 encoders and decoders are cost-effective, yet powerfully robust solutions that fulfill all the typical must-have requirements as well as offer many added features that open up even more design and use case possibilities.

High-compatibility, low-bandwidth 1080p H.264 streaming, available on N2600 “S” models, is great for distributing video over congested networks and is compatible with third-party devices and networks such as Panopto, Wowza, YouTube, and Facebook.

All N2600 models feature high-quality, low-latency 4K60 4:4:4 MPC codec streaming that is ideal for a wide range of live video and detailed content. They also feature transport of full-bandwidth USB 2.0 signals between encoders and decoders, rarely offered video preview images, and enhanced support for high-security networks.

We touched base with Kyle Barron, Product Manager for HARMAN Professional Solutions Networked AV, to find out what drove the development of the N2600 Series and to dive into the innovations that set this Series far ahead of traditional encoder and decoder offerings.

Kyle, looking back at the history of AMX SVSI why was this the right time to debut a new line of products that would become the N2600 Series?
Great question. When we discussed what might become this next generation of encoders and decoders, we were definitely looking at how we could be a better business partner to our system integrators. First and foremost, we looked at the SVSI line, which was already one of the most robust networked AV portfolios on the market and asked ourselves, “How can we engineer a better solution that best supports their needs and applications?” We wanted to change the paradigm.

Can you share an example of something that inspired this new direction?
Sure. We have been aware of more and more system integrators in higher education spaces adding transcoding peripherals into their applications to take those proprietary streams and transform them into more common H.264 and H.265 streams. And we said, “How can we maximize that technology to actually deliver that capability natively out of a single box?” So, fundamentally we looked for ways that we could deliver more value and get even more out of the technology that we’re putting into these components.

Take an In-Depth Tour of AMX N2600 Series 4K60 Encoders & Decoders

SVSI has always been regarded as a maverick in pioneering networked AV innovation. How does the N2600 lineup live up to that legacy?
When we began developing this product, we wanted to ensure that many of the great features that contributed to the SVSI legacy being well regarded in this industry, continue in this product’s DNA. This supported our long-standing mission to build products that were known for having the highest quality, the lowest latency, and the most innovative feature sets. We continue to work towards being known for having the broadest and most feature-rich portfolio on the market.

“When we discussed what might become this next generation of encoders and decoders, we were definitely looking at how we could be a better business partner to our system integrators… We wanted to change the paradigm.” – Kyle Barron, Product Manager for HARMAN Professional Solutions Networked AV

What were some features that you ensured made the transition to the new Series?
We definitely kept many of the features that our users have grown to love about SVSI and brought them along into this product like local play and host play, video wall processing, the dynamic ability to adjust scale and even take bezels into account, independent routing, VLAN tagging, and so on. With networked AV, networking is really the core piece of it, and we continue to work towards having the most network-friendly and fully functional network products in the networked AV space. That’s been one of our cornerstones since the beginning.

Full-bandwidth USB 2.0 routing in N2600 models allows USB devices such as cameras and conferencing soundbars to be easily integrated into room solutions. Watch this video to learn more.

Can you talk about some of the more innovative features that you integrated into this line?
Absolutely. The N2600 line builds on the video quality of our previous N2400 Series but goes much further. It actually delivers higher video quality with lower latency so it’s a step up even though it’s a less expensive product. We also not only released a wallplate encoder but a wallplate decoder as well, which is fairly unique to this market. These are great for installing behind fixed displays so you don’t have to fight to mount a big clunky box and instead can have a really nice, clean install.

What about the new video preview feature? Can you share more about it?
All of the N2600 models support motion jpeg preview which is both web-friendly and convenient. It is a motion jpeg image that’s captured every two seconds and can then be viewed on the web page of the encoder or the decoder as a preview which can be extremely helpful for installers to be able to plug in a source and see a preview right then of that source. So all you do is point a browser directly to a specific URL of an encoder or a decoder and you can see a live view thumbnail of what’s being encoded or decoded at that moment. It’s a feature we were excited to include.

Wallplate decoders behind displays reduce installation time, require fewer cables, and solve the challenge of where to mount a box. Learn more about the NMX-DEC-N2625-WP Decoder Wallplate.

Let’s talk about dual-stream encoding. How does it work and what sets this product apart?
So our N2600 “S” models support not only the proprietary high-quality, low latency stream but simultaneously encode to H.264 or H.265. So whatever source you have coming in that you’re encoding in the high-quality stream also simultaneously goes out in the 1080P or 720p H.264 or H.265 streams. This was a way to support our customers that were buying two different boxes for encoding and decoding and stacking them together so we’ve just brought the two capabilities into a single box – again ensuring our users have as many robust capabilities that they can take advantage of.

What about the decoders – I understand they also support H.264/H.265 but are there any limitations?
No, quite the opposite. We built this line to be very versatile. It’s not just the encoders but the N2600 “S” decoders that support H.264/H.265 decoding. They can switch back and forth between whatever stream you send them. If you send them a proprietary stream they can decode that. If you send them an H.264/H.265 stream, they can decode that and it doesn’t necessarily have to be our H.264/H.265 stream from our encoder, it could be any H.264/H.265 streams that you might already have in the building. So if you’ve got IPTV streams or you’ve got signage streams that are happening over H.264/H.265, you can use that same decoder and not have another box mounted to the back of your display.

High-quality, low-latency 4K60 4:4:4 MWC streaming delivers excellent video quality for transmitting both live video and detailed content within classrooms, meeting spaces, courtrooms, bars, and other applications. Watch this video to learn more.

How has the open API been received by the market?
Including an open API was really important for us and to find new ways to support our SIs the way they need to be supported. So, with the open API, users are not constrained to use N2600 only with the AMX ecosystem. Even if they have a third-party control system, they will be able to use N2600 video streaming.

And we just announced Dante AV support coming later to N2600 “S” models which was great to see? Why was this important?
That’s right. Dante AV support was always in the works for N2600 “S” models but was just one of those features that will take some time to get implemented but will be announced as officially available via a new firmware update when available. There are so many applications for powerful Dante AV support that we couldn’t be more pleased to be able to announce this addition to the lineup as well. We are proud to include yet another value-add that our SIs will be able to utilize to build even more robust applications.

The N2600 Series open API makes it possible for any control system or application to control the device. Whether part of a larger HARMAN Professional installation or the only AMX product in an install with products from other manufacturers, the open API allows seamless integration.

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Kyle Barron

Kyle Barron is the Product Manager for Network AV at HARMAN Professional. Throughout his 10+ years in the industry, he has focused on the intersection between IT and AV and has held the roles of AV System Designer, System Programmer, Network Designer, Network Engineer, and most recently, Technical Trainer.