The world’s first 8k60 SDM media engine with HDMI genlock
Horsham (UK), 20th January 2025 – Hive, the multi-award-winning specialist in media control solutions, is set to debut its most powerful media engine yet, the Beeblade Nexus, at ISE 2025. Alongside Nexus, Hive will unveil version 1.2 of its intuitive software, introduce the Nucleus chassis to European audiences and headline the Panasonic Interactive Immersive Experience. Attendees can meet Hive’s leadership team and new members at stand 5E880 in Hall 5 to explore their cutting-edge innovations for live entertainment and fixed installations.
Quote from Mark Calvert, co-founder of Hive:
“We’re on an exciting mission to revolutionise and demystify the media server industry with products that are powerful, compact and easy to use. Our new Beeblade Nexus, combined with our latest Nucleus enclosure and V1.2 software update, offer unmatched performance, functionality and value. Collaborations with industry leaders like Panasonic and ROE further reinforce our commitment to innovation and efficiency.”
Beeblade Nexus: Hive’s most powerful media engine
The Beeblade Nexus is the newest addition to Hive’s award-winning Beeblade family, delivering exceptional performance in a compact, scalable SDM format. Powered by the latest iteration of Hive’s Beeblade computing module, Nexus offers high performance at a fraction of the cost of traditional media servers, ideal for AV professionals seeking powerful, easy to use solutions.
The Nexus introduces a first-in-class daughter board system with optical fibre Ethernet interfaces, supporting 10, 25 and 100 Gigabit connectivity, enabling ultra-high bandwidth uncompressed streams via SMPTE 2110 and NDI. With an 8K60 2.1 HDMI output, Nexus quadruples the pixel count of its predecessor, delivering sharper and more immersive content. In a world-first, the HDMI output synchronises across multiple Nexus devices with +/- 5-microsecond accuracy using Hive’s revolutionary Beesync technology, ensuring perfect frame synchronisation.
Another standout feature is its SMPTE 2110 support, transporting uncompressed video, audio and metadata over IP networks. Available in Q2 2025, this standard is transformative for broadcast and live production environments, offering precision, flexibility and interoperability for next-generation workflows.
The Beeblade Nexus is compatible with any display device with an SDM-L socket, along with all of Hive’s media engine enclosures, including the Nucleus (2x Beeblades in a 1RU chassis) and Beehive (up to 16x Beeblades in a 5RU chassis), allowing users to tailor performance to their specific project requirements. A fully loaded Beehive with 16 synchronised Nexus boards delivers unparalleled performance, supporting x16 8K60 outputs – the highest density media playout device on the market today.
Launch of V1.2 software update
Hive is excited to unveil its V1.2 software update, introducing advanced features including 10-bit HDR support, warp and blend capabilities for multi-projector setups, Vioso camera-based calibration workflows, and a scheduling tool for simplified content management.
Additionally, a new Dataflow page within the Hive interface enables event-driven flowcharts for advanced playback interactions, AI image tools like ImageExtend and ImageUpScale and UDP/OSC data handling for enhanced customisation.
Complementing these features, the Hive Cloud expands connectivity and collaboration options, allowing users to remotely control installations and projects, transforming the way professionals manage their workflows.
Be transported: The Panasonic “Global Teleport” Experience
Hive is proud to power the “Global Teleport” experience, the centrepiece of Panasonic’s stand in Hall 3 (stand 3J500). This interactive attraction allows visitors to upload photos from their phones, dynamically displaying them on a curved screen in real-time, showcasing Hive’s Beeblade media engine and low-latency integration with Unreal Engine and Notch.
Hartmut Kulessa, senior marketing manager at Panasonic Connect, commented:
“We are delighted to collaborate with Hive on this innovative application for ISE. Hive’s media playout technology perfectly complements our projectors’ configurable input slot, creating streamlined, cost-efficient and sustainable installations.”
Visitors can view a mock-up of the “Global Teleport” activation on Hive’s stand (5E880) to delve deeper into the technology behind it.
Additionally. Hive will support ROE Visual at stand 3P300 with LED screen playback and LED pixel mapping solutions, further showcasing its versatility in dynamic visual applications, using 10-BitHDR.
Join Hive at ISE 2025
Hive invites ISE attendees to experience its latest hardware and software innovations on stand 5E880 with daily drinks and giveaways from 4-6pm. To book a demo or meeting, visit hive.run.
