Intuitive, standalone recording and streaming device earns triple accolades at NAB Show for innovation, cost-efficiency, rich feature set and practical benefits

April 23, 2018 — Nanjing, China: Magewell’s debut of its flexible Ultra Stream HDMI standalone streaming encoder at the 2018 NAB Show garnered immediate acclaim, as the company received three significant industry accolades for the intuitive new device. Magewell was honored with a Video Innovation Award (VIA) from the British Columbia Professional Videographers Association (BCPVA) for the second consecutive year, earned a Best of Show Award from NewBay Media’s Video Edge, and was named one of the “Top 5 Products for Churches from NAB 2018” by Church Production Magazine.

Magewell’s Ultra Stream HDMI encoder makes live streaming simple even for non-professional users, enabling them to record or stream high-quality video with one click using on-device buttons or an intuitive smartphone app. Designed for users who want to stream but may have minimal technical knowledge, the encoder is ideal for everyone from church volunteers and educators to live event organizers and gamers.

NewBay’s Best of Show Awards are evaluated by a panel of industry experts and are selected based on innovation, feature set, cost efficiency and performance in serving the industry. Winners are featured in Video Edge, which covers content production and delivery for every screen, and all nominated products are included in a special Best of Show Awards Program Guide that will be distributed in digital form after the event.

“The NewBay Best of Show Awards at NAB are now in their fifth year,” said Paul McLane, NewBay managing director, content. “The program seeks to shine a spotlight on relevant innovations in technology as seen around the million-square-foot exhibit floor of the industry’s top trade show. The list of 2018 winners and nominees gives real insight into where and how rapidly our media tech businesses are evolving.”

Church Production Magazine has served as a leading resource for church technical leadership since 1999, delivering information and education on topics of audio, video, lighting, and streaming technologies used in worship production environments. Each year, its staff, stealth writers and advisors select the top five products for churches from among the thousands of products on display at the NAB Show.

“We have long admired Magewell’s converters and capture cards, which are well-accepted in the church market,” said Brian Blackmore, editor-in-chief and publisher of Church Production Magazine. “Their new Ultra Stream HDMI standalone streaming encoder appears to be an amazing little unit, and could be great for both smaller churches and for larger churches that want to stream from secondary or remote locations.”

The BCPVA’s annual Video Innovation Awards are given to companies who have introduced new products that are game-changers for corporate and event video producers. The 2018 VIA for Ultra Stream HDMI follows last year’s similar honor for Magewell’s USB Capture Plus external capture devices. The award was presented by BCPVA representatives Shawn Lam and Michael Rendulic.

"With the Ultra Stream HDMI, Magewell has again demonstrated an exceptional understanding of the evolving needs of event video production professionals," said Lam. "We were impressed with the device’s feature-richness and price/performance value, and are pleased to award it a 2018 VIA."

Ultra Stream HDMI users can stream to popular services such as Twitch, YouTube and Facebook Live or to a custom-specified RTMP server with a single tap. Streams can be output to multiple target services simultaneously, while real-time video preview in the smartphone app allows easy monitoring. In addition to outputting live streams, the unit can record video as MP4 files to a directly-connected USB drive, embedded storage or the associated smartphone. The device encodes video up to 1080p60 from an HDMI input and also supports 4K sources, down-converting them automatically to HD.

“The Ultra Stream HDMI is designed to make high-quality live streaming remarkably easy for every type of user regardless of their level of technical experience, all while delivering exceptional value,” said Nick Ma, CEO and CTO at Magewell. “We are thrilled that the benefits of this powerful yet intuitive new solution have been recognized with these awards.”

For more information about Magewell and the Ultra Stream HDMI encoder, please visit www.magewell.com.

About Magewell – Founded in 2011, Magewell (www.magewell.com) designs and develops hardware and software for video and audio capture, management, processing and playout. With guiding principles of continuous innovation and providing outstanding customer service, Magewell has earned a strong reputation for the exceptional quality, performance and reliability of its solutions. Distributed globally, Magewell products are used in professional video applications including live event streaming, broadcast, medical imaging, lecture capture, surveillance, video conferencing, gaming and more.