Theatrixx Technologies xVision – Video Converters for Grown-ups

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Theatrixx Technologies xVision – Video Converters for Grown-ups

By Jason Allen.

According to market research, a full 60% of the market for new video converters is to replace units that have broken with use.

This is not going to come as a surprise to anyone working with video who has wrangled cheap, plastic converters with nasty wall-wart power supplies onto the back of temporary displays for digital signage. Theatrixx Technologies, a manufacturer and distributor out of Canada, have had enough of this, and have decided to make a range of converters designed for a serious life in professional AV.

Much like their Canadian audio cousins Radial, Theatrixx make things to last.

The xVision range of nine converters are in serious steel housings with all connectors recessed. If you threw the average video converter at someone, you’d end up in anger management. If you threw an xVision, you’d end up doing 8 to 10 for manslaughter. They have an absolutely brilliant rubber pad and magnet system on the bottom – they can affix to any ferrous surface, or to each other. They can also be mounted in pretty much any other way, thanks to clever slots, grooves, built-in M10, and an included strap.

Unlike anything else on the market, they feature a locking PowerCON and a separate power out so you can run the display device. Internally, the signal connectors are all on separate daughter boards, so if they take a hit, or over-enthusiastic pull, the unit will keep on running. Units with HDMI have locking HDMI connectors, which should be compulsory in pro AV.

Converters available include: HDBaseT to or from HDMI, HDMI to or from SDI, Fibre to or from SDI, an SDI audio de-embedder, SDI distribution 1 in 4 out, and a dual channel SDI repeater.

Every unit does the one thing and does it well, with simple-to-follow alphabetic and colour coding, and LED indicators for signal type, power, and resolution as appropriate. There’s no software, dipswitches or any kind of mucking about – plug them in, and they do what they do.

The xVision range are unique in the video converter market, and are so rugged and, may I add, beautiful to look at, that they will far outlast any other converter, and make you look more professional while they do it. While slightly pricier than some converters, they’ll end up cheaper in the long run.

Brand: Theatrixx
Model: xVision
Pricing: $803 – $1,145 ex GST trade price
Product Info: www.theatrixx.com
Distributor: www.lexair.com.au

This article first appeared in the print edition of CX Magazine March 2018, pp.37-39. CX Magazine is Australia and New Zealand’s only publication dedicated to entertainment technology news and issues. Read all editions for free or search our archive www.cxnetwork.com.au