Tascam VS-R: A new benchmark in streaming over IP

Since the days of reel to reel recording, Tascam has been bringing innovation to the world through their focus on providing solutions rather than just products. With the launch of Tascam’s new VS-R series of video encoding, streaming, decoding, and recording devices in early 2020, Tascam’s legacy of game changing products couldn’t have come at a better time.

With society, governments and entire industries having been forced to swiftly transform and revolutionise how they communicate and connect with people, there is increasing demand for the AV industry to be ahead of the game and meet these necessities with proficiency, innovation, and new technologies.

Tascam’s VS-R series of AV Over IP Encoders and Decoders are products that break new ground in live video streaming and are a comprehensive solution for a variety of applications from the corporate boardroom to local government, venues, house of worship, education and just about any environment requiring live video streaming.

The series initially consists of two products, the VS-R264 and VS-R265, providing full HD (1920x1080p) using H.264 video codec and 4k/Ultra HD (3840x2160p) using H.265 HEVC video codec, respectively.

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To provide flexibility, both units are compatible with key streaming protocols such as HLS, RTMP, RTP/UDP, and RTSP, but with added capability to simultaneous stream multiple video formats/protocols. This flexibility gives the user the possibility to stream across several of the leading platforms, such as YouTube, Facebook, Wowza, Diecast, Switch, Safari, Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome, to name a few.

Unicast and Multicast streams are both supported, to provide various streaming options, including, one to one connection between a stream transmitter and receiver, two simultaneous streams to separate destinations, one to many, or many to many connections, allowing a network switch to receive one stream and distribute to multiple locations.

Tascam, universally recognized for the quality of their recording products, have provided the VS-R units with a host of onboard recording functionality.

Content can be recorded in H.264 or H.265 compression rates, either by the SD slot positioned on the front of the unit, or direct to a hard-drive via the USB 3.0 port on the rear, perfect for a quick corporate event set up.

For those integrated environments, the recorded files can be automatically uploaded to an FTP server, in multiple timestamped files, then with the option to remotely delete the files from the VS-R to avoid the local drive from becoming full.

Recording as well as streaming, can be either triggered via the front panel, the local network GUI, or by a Media control system, like Crestron, Extron or AMX. Making it simple for programmers and users alike to use and understand.

On many video products currently in the market place, audio connectivity is low on the agenda, Tascam however believe audio is as important to the client, as the quality of the video streaming.

Utilising their heritage and understanding in audio, the VS-Rs offers fully balanced analogue I/O via Euroblock connectors, with selectable sensitivity levels providing up to +20dBU for integration into professional environments.

Audio can also be embedded and de-embedded to and from the HDMI I/O. There is also a 3.5mm stereo jacks for -10dBV for consumer grade equipment.

If you’re working in a Dante architecture, the VS-R products are designed to complement the Tascam MM and ML Dante convertors, which all come in the same compact form factor, a 1RU ½ rack space, and with the option to power over PoE+ to save on PSU requirements.

For example, paired with the MM-2D/IN-X, which offers two Mic/Line inputs and with full DSP and mixer, you could have the two balanced inputs and two balanced outputs from VS-R which could be then integrated into your Dante network.

For an in-depth product overview, tips and tricks or a live demo, contact audio@cmi.com.au

CX Magazine – June 2020   

LIGHTING  |  AUDIO  |  VIDEO  |  STAGING  |  INTEGRATION

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