Description
The Io X3 is a portable Thunderbolt 3 video I/O interface designed for professional SDI and HDMI workflows. It provides real-time 2K/HD/SD capture and playback capabilities and supports HDR and SDR formats. The compact chassis and dual Thunderbolt ports make it suitable for on-set, studio, and post production use.
Io X3 features four bidirectional 3G-SDI BNCs with 16-channel embedded audio and full HDMI I/O with 8-channel embedded audio. It supports YCbCr 4:2:2 10-bit up to 60p and RGB 4:4:4 12-bit up to 30p. HDR formats supported include PQ, HLG, HDR10 and Dolby Vision along with HDR metadata capture and auto playback detection.
Performance includes multichannel I/O for up to 2Kp60 and compatibility with major NLEs and streaming applications such as OBS Studio, vMix, and Wirecast. The device supports VPID signaling over SDI and HDMI HDR Infoframe metadata per HDMI 2.0a/CTA-861.3. High frame rate performance depends on host Thunderbolt bandwidth and system capability.
Connectivity is comprehensive – dual Thunderbolt 3 ports with loop-through, 4x bidirectional 3G-SDI, HDMI in/out, RS-422 machine control, REF input, LTC in/out, DB-25 Tascam-style analog audio, and a front panel headphone jack. The DB-25 analog audio can be configured as 8-channel in or out or split as 4-in/4-out. Power is via 4-pin XLR with included AC adapter or optional battery via XLR.
Typical applications include NLE monitoring and I/O, multi-camera live streaming, timeline streaming from editing applications, and keying workflows for graphics and playout. The HDMI multiview output allows monitoring of up to four channels on a single display. The RS-422 port and REF/LTC support enable integration into larger facilities and frame-accurate capture environments.
Io X3 is rackable two-up in 1RU and built for quiet mobile environments. It includes Apple silicon support in AJA Desktop Software and front panel audio meters for quick level checks. The toolset for metadata capture and AJA Control Room integration helps preserve and playback HDR and ancillary metadata for accurate media handoff.