Converters and Scalers
BirdDog Flex 4K IN | 4K Full NDI Encoder with Tally, Comms, PTZ Control, PoE+, and DC Power Output
Product Code: BDFLEXENC
Suggested Retail Price £352+VAT
View Product Variations Where to buy VideosStock status: In Stock; available from resellers
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Contact Our Technical Team4K NDI® in an incredibly small package. Flex delivers everything you have come to expect from BirdDog’s one cable solution including Tally, Audio Intercom, Video, Audio, PTZ Control, and Power all down a single Ethernet cable. With 3 models to choose from in the Flex Family is a Flex to perfect for your workflow needs.
With a footprint only slightly larger than a credit card, the Flex 4K NDI Encoders and Decoders are the smallest on the planet. Because sometimes the biggest things are also the smallest.
Sometimes the biggest features are also the least obvious. Flex 4K NDI has unmatched thermal design and whisper quiet fans to keep Flex cool and fresh even on the hottest days and in direct sunlight.
BirdDog’s revolutionary Studio NDI gave the world NDI, Power, Video, Audio, Tally, and Audio Intercom all done a single Ethernet cable. Flex 4K IN and Flex 4K BACKPACK take it one step even further and provides an additional 15w extra power allowing you to use the DC output to power your monitor, recorder, or even your camera.
Flex’s revolutionary Halo Tally system is built right into the Flex Family and it requires zero configuration when connected with any NDI enabled software based production system. The Halo Tally is designed to be seen by the camera operators as well as the on air talent.
Flex BACKPACK is the ultimate upgrade for your camera top monitor recorder. Featuring an NP style battery connection, and 15w power output, it allows you to encode NDI, power your monitor, and record all at the same time. With great power comes great responsibility.
Full NDI® is a variable bit rate codec. In normal circumstances BirdDog recommends allowing around 140Mbps in HD, or 6 streams per 1GbE cable with some headroom. In 4K it is recommended to allow around 300Mbps or 3 streams with some headroom to allow for any unforeseen spikes.
If you aren’t lucky enough to own a BirdDog PTZ camera with full NDI natively then Flex can become the ultimate sidekick. Plug in HDMI to encode beautiful and Full NDI, and attach a PTZ control cable to have PTZ passthrough control. Perfect upgrade for your PTZ camera while waiting for Santa to bring you a BirdDog.
Every element of Flex packaging is 100% recyclable and soy based ink is used to further reduce the BirdDog foot print. There are no printed manuals inside the box, instead you can download the most up to date version anytime from our website.
Team up Central Lite with any NDI® source, including all BirdDog hardware capable of creating NDI® sources, you can now drive your NDI® streams to any BirdDog Studio NDI or Mini to decode NDI® back to SDI or HDMI.
Open up a web browser (Chrome preferred) on the same network as Flex and login into Dashboard for total control of all settings. Change resolutions and frame rates, unlock new features with the latest firmware, and more.
Comms Lite is your free Audio Intercom solution. With support for four BirdDog devices, plus a director, Comms Lite is a great way to start using Audio Intercom in your live productions.
| Feature | Flex 4K IN | Flex 4K BACKPACK | Flex 4K OUT |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUPPORTED VIDEO FORMAT | |||
| UHD 2160p | 25.00, 29.97, 30.00 | ||
| HD 1080p | 25.00, 29.97, 30.00, 50.00, 59.94, 60.00 | ||
| HD 1080i | 50.00, 59.94 | ||
| HD 720p | 50.00, 59.94, 60.00 | ||
| VIDEO I/O CONNECTIVITY | |||
| HDMI 2.0 Input | Yes | - | Yes |
| HDMI 2.0 Output | - | Yes | - |
| AUDIO INPUT | |||
| HDMI | 2Ch, 48kHz | - | 2Ch, 48kHz |
| 3.5mm AUDIO | Microphone/line input | ||
| AUDIO OUTPUT | |||
| HDMI | - | 2Ch, 48kHz | - |
| 3.5mm AUDIO | Stereo Headphone/line output | ||
| VIDEO CODEC SUPPORT | |||
| NDI (Full bandwidth i-frame compression) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| TALLY | |||
| Integrated Tricolour Halo Tally | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PTZ CONTROL | |||
| 2.5mm 4-pole RS232 (VISCA) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| NETWORK CONNECTIVITY | |||
| Ethernet RJ45 1000baseT w/integrated PoE (Power over Ethernet) |
Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Embedded Web configuration Panel | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| WEIGHTS & DIMENSIONS | |||
| Size | 107×63×31mm | 107×63×42.5mm | |
| Weight | 140g | 150g | |
| POWER | |||
| PoE (Power over Ethernet) | PoE+ 802.3at | ||
| DC Input | DC 12v (30w max) | ||
| DC Output | DC 12v (15w max) | - | DC 12v (15w max) |
| NP style Battery Output | - | - | Yes |
4K Full NDI Encoder with Tally, Comms, PTZ Control, PoE+, DC Power Output, and L-Series Battery Mount
[BDFLEXBP]
4K Full NDI Decoder with Tally, Comms, PTZ Control, and PoE
[BDFLEXDEC]
5 Year Extended Warranty for Flex 4K IN
[BDBDFLEXENCEXT5]
4 Year Extended Warranty for Flex 4K IN
[BDBDFLEXENCEXT4]
Camera Mount for Flex 4K Family
[BDFLEXCM]
BirdDog NDI converters are devices that enable you to convert video and audio signals from HDMI or SDI sources to NDI streams, or vice versa, over IP networks. NDI stands for Network Device Interface, and it is a technology created by Vizrt (formerly NewTek) that allows low-latency, high-bandwidth video transmission over standard Ethernet cables. SDI on the other hand, has generally become the industry standard and stands for Serial Digital Interface, and it is a technology that allows uncompressed video transmission over coaxial or fibre optic cables.
New to BirdDog, NDI, or Video over IP? Well, here are just a few reasons why BirdDog cameras are having their day.
The video production market is transitioning towards IP. Whether it will ever get there 100% or will find a balance between HDMI, SDI and Ethernet remains to be seen, but we are without doubt entering a phase where crews and installers are weighing up the benefits of IP technology for each project. Why IP?
