NovaStar A8s Pro - 512 x 512 Pixel Resolution Receiving Card

The A8s Pro is a high-end small receiving card developed by NovaStar. A single A8s Pro supports resolutions up to 512x512@60Hz.

This receiving card supports the exclusive Multi-Layer Calibration and Image Booster technologies of NovaStar. With other various functions, such as HDR, seam brightness correction, low latency, pixel level brightness and chroma calibration, 3D, individual gamma adjustment for RGB, 90° image rotation, and free image rotation, this receiving card can greatly improve the brightness, grayscale and color performance from every aspect, offering users an ultimate visual experience with a uniform, smooth and lifelike image.

The A8s Pro uses high-density connectors for communication to limit the effects of dust and vibration, resulting in high stability. It supports up to 40 groups of parallel RGB data or 64 groups of serial data (expandable to 128 groups of serial data). Its reserved pins allow for custom functions of users. Thanks to its EMC Class B compliant hardware design, the A8s Pro has improved electromagnetic compatibility and is suitable for various on-site setups that have high requirements.

Features

Improvements to Display Effect

• Multi-Layer Calibration
  • Work with NovaStar's high-precision calibration system to not only support the traditional brightness and chroma calibration, but also generate unique calibration coefficients for lowgrayscale image parts to ensure their uniformity.
• Image Booster (Effects depend on the driver IC)
  • Color Management: Support standard and custom color gamuts, enabling more precise colors on the screen.
  • Precise Grayscale: Individually correct the 65,536 levels of grayscale (16bit) of the driver IC to fix the display problems at low grayscale conditions, such as brightness spikes, brightness dips, color cast and mottling. This function can also better assist other display technologies, such as 22bit+ and individual gamma adjustment for RGB, allowing for a smoother and uniform image.
  • 22bit+: Improve the LED screen grayscale by 64 times to avoid grayscale loss due to low brightness and allow for a smoother image with more details in dark areas.
• HDR
  • Support HDR10 and comply with the SMPTE ST 2084 and SMPTE ST 2086 standards.
  • Support HLG.
• Seam brightness correction
  • The different brightness of seams caused by splicing of modules or cabinets can be corrected to improve the visual experience. The correction is easy and takes effect immediately.
• Low latency
  • The latency of video source on the receiving card end can be reduced to 1 frame (only when using modules with driver IC with built-in RAM).
• Pixel level brightness and chroma calibration
  • Work with NovaStar's high-precision calibration system to calibrate the brightness and chroma of each pixel, effectively removing differences and enabling high consistency for both brightness and chroma.
• 3D
  • Work with the controller that supports 3D function to enable 3D output.
• Individual gamma adjustment for RGB Work with NovaLCT (V5.2.0 or later) and the controller that supports this function to individually adjust red gamma, green gamma and blue gamma, which can effectively control image non-uniformity at low grayscale conditions and white balance offset, allowing for a more realistic image.
• 90° image rotation
  • The display image can be rotated in multiples of 90° (0°/90°/180°/270°).
• Free image rotation
  • Work with SmartLCT and the MCTRL R5 LED display controller to support image rotation at any angle.

Improvements to Maintainability

• Smart module (dedicated firmware required)
  • Work with the smart module to support module ID management, storage of calibration coefficients and module parameters, monitoring of module temperature, voltage and flat cable communication status, LED error detection, and recording of the module run time.
• Automatic module calibration
  • After a new module with flash memory is installed to replace the old one, the calibration coefficients stored in the flash memory can be automatically uploaded to the receiving card when it is powered on, which ensures unchanged uniform display brightness and chroma.
• Module Flash management
  • For modules with flash memory, the information stored in the memory can be managed. The calibration coefficients and module ID can be stored and read back.
• Quick uploading of calibration coefficients
  • Upload the calibration coefficients quickly to the receiving cards to improve efficiency.
• One click to apply calibration coefficients in module Flash
  • For modules with flash memory, when the Ethernet cable is disconnected, users can hold down the self-test button on the cabinet to upload the calibration coefficients in the memory of the module to the receiving card.
• Mapping function
  • The cabinets can be marked on the screen by the color, Ethernet port number and receiving card number, allowing users to easily obtain the locations and connection topology of the receiving cards and quickly complete screen configuration and other operations.
• Settings of a stored image in the receiving card The image displayed when the Ethernet cable is disconnected or there is no video signal can be customized.
• Temperature and voltage monitoring
  • The receiving card temperature and voltage can be monitored. Any exceptions can be reported actively.
• Cabinet LCD
  • The LCD module of the cabinet can display the temperature, voltage, single run time and total run time of the receiving card.
• Bite error detection
  • The Ethernet port communication quality of the receiving card can be monitored and the error data packets can be recorded and reported to help users locate the faults and troubleshoot network communication problems.
• Status detection of dual power supplies
  • When two power supplies are used, their working status can be detected.
• Firmware program readback
  • The receiving card firmware program can be read back and saved to the local computer.
• Configuration parameter readback
  • The receiving card configuration parameters can be read back and saved to the local computer.
• LVDS transmission (dedicated firmware required)
  • Low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) transmission can reduce the number of data cables from the hub board to module, increase the transmission distance, and improve the signal transmission quality and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC).

Improvements to Reliability

• Dual card backup and status monitoring
  • In an application requiring high reliability, two receiving cards can be mounted onto a single hub board for backup. When the primary card fails, the backup card can serve immediately to ensure uninterrupted operation of the display.
  • The working status of the primary and backup receiving cards can be monitored in NovaLCT V5.2.0 or later.
• Loop backup
  • The receiving card and controller form a loop via the primary and backup line connections. When a fault occurs at a location of the lines, the screen can still display the image normally.
• Dual backup of configuration parameters
  • The receiving card configuration parameters are stored in the application area and factory area of the receiving card at the same time. Users usually use the configuration parameters in the application area. If necessary, users can restore the configuration parameters in the factory area to the application area.
• Dual program backup
  • Two copies of firmware program are stored in the application area of the receiving card at the factory to avoid the problem that the receiving card may get stuck abnormally during program update.

Specifications

• Maximum Resolution: 512x512@60Hz
• Electrical Parameters
  • Input voltage: DC 3.8 V to 5.5 V
  • Rated current: 0.5 A
  • Rated power consumption: 2.5 W
• Operating Environment
  • Temperature: -20°C to +70°C
  • Humidity: 10% RH to 90% RH, non-condensing
• Storage Environment
  • Temperature: -25°C to +125°C
  • Humidity: 0% RH to 95% RH, non-condensing
• Physical Specifications
  • Dimensions: 70.0 mm x 45.0 mm x 8.3 mm
  • Net weight: 17.2 g