AJA Control Room<sup class="trade">™</sup>

AJA Control Room™

Unified Ingest, Playback and Output Software

AJA Control Room™

Overview

Downloads

Software

Overview

AJA Control Room is professional media software for macOS, Windows and Linux, enabling 8K/4K/HD/SD and HDR/SDR workflows in numerous powerful ways. AJA Control Room is designed to be used with AJA hardware devices, and it can also operate as a stand-alone media player with full-screen playback and host system audio monitoring, supporting high quality professional media file types and formats.

AJA Control Room is unified cross-platform software for playback, ingest, monitoring and output with AJA products. Whether you’re using files on a network, capturing a live feed, switching feeds for streaming workflows, or using tape for archival, experience the same smooth interface on macOS®, Windows® or Linux®.

AJA Control Room includes Windows, Linux, and macOS cross-platform support for working with numerous professional media types for 8K/4K/HD/SD including; uncompressed video, the entire Apple ProRes family, the Avid DNxHD/R family, DVCProHD, H.265, H.264 and more, and also provides native 8K support when used with the AJA KONA 5.

AJA Control Room comes bundled with the associated Windows and macOS hardware drivers for KONA, Io® and T-TAP Pro. Installing the Desktop Software package will automatically install AJA Control Room and these drivers and application plug-ins.

 

Features

  • Stand-alone player for professional media formats on Windows, Linux, and macOS; including full support for Apple Metal, macOS Monterey and the Apple M1 chip
  • Use with compatible AJA hardware for ingest, monitoring, playback and advanced output for file/signal/tape-based SDI, HDMI and IP workflows
  • Supports a wide range of file types and codecs including Apple ProRes®, Avid DNxHD/R, DVCProHD, H.265, H.264, uncompressed and DPX
  • Deep Buffer feature assists host-systems (particularly those attached to shared storage) in capturing / playing back high bandwidth video without dropped frames
  • Support for 8K/4K/UltraHD/HD/SD on compatible AJA hardware
  • Support for PQ, HDR10 and HLG on compatible AJA hardware
  • HDR signaling via SDI and/or HDMI outputs for KONA 5, KONA 4, KONA 1, Io X3, Io 4K Plus and T-TAP Pro
  • HDR metadata capture support for KONA 5, KONA 4 , KONA 1, KONA HDMI, Io X3 and Io 4K Plus
  • HDR auto playback detection for KONA 5, KONA 4, KONA 1, T-TAP Pro, Io X3 and Io 4K Plus
  • Host-based Video/Audio monitoring for KONA HDMI (capture only device).
  • Closed Captions support, including 4K Closed Captions for KONA 5
  • Capture media for immediate use in Apple® Final Cut Pro, Adobe® Premiere Pro CC, Avid® Media Composer and other leading NLEs and Effects packages
  • Capture timecode using source video or time-of-day
  • “Burn-in” option for timecode and closed captioning on desktop and/or professional video output
  • Clip countdown to mark/out end of file – for accuracy during switching / live playout
  • Route audio tracks in QuickTime® files to desired output/monitor channels with KONA and Io products
  • Accurate RS-422 VTR control functionality

Apple ProRes Encode/Decode
on macOS, Windows and Linux

AJA Control Room provides seamless bridging of your Apple ProRes workflows across macOS, Windows and Linux.

With full cross-platform support for the entire Apple ProRes family of codecs, AJA Control Room provides comprehensive support for acquisition, production and delivery with the entire set of ProRes data-rates and quality settings. ProRes read and write with AJA Control Room is supported across the entire range of AJA KONA, Io* and T-TAP* devices.

  • OS support: macOS, Windows, Linux Ubuntu, Linux RedHat/Centos
  • Codec support: All Apple ProRes Codecs including 4444 XQ
  • Video formats: 8K/UltraHD2/4K/UltraHD/2K/HD/SD

*Thunderbolt devices support macOS and Windows only.

Elegant User Interface

AJA Control Room’s interface focuses on the task at hand without adding unnecessary clutter. Intuitive controls are instantly recognizable, keyboard shortcuts and context sensitive menus streamline actions, layouts can be customized and user presets saved, making it fast and easy to get your work done.

Create Bins, capture uncompressed video or choose from a range of compression options. Once captured, files can be simply played out through AJA hardware to professional SDI or HDMI devices/destinations, depending upon your choice of AJA I/O hardware.

Full Screen Playback and System Audio Support

AJA Control Room can be used as a free stand-alone professional media player, even on systems without any AJA hardware attached or installed.

When used without AJA hardware, video can be monitored full-screen using the host system GUI, and audio can be monitored with any internal or attached speakers.

Additionally, KONA HDMI customers can utilize this functionality for monitoring (since KONA HDMI is a capture-only device).

Flexible Workflows

AJA Control Room feels, looks and works the same whether your sources and deliverables are files, feeds or tape. With the same intuitive interface available on macOS, Windows and Linux, teams can feel comfortable that when they need to capture, monitor or output media, with the same features, controls and layout are available on whatever system they are working on. AJA Control Panel, which is AJA Control Room’s companion application for configuring your AJA hardware, extends the flexibility and speed for even the most complex and challenging workflows.

Work with 8K, UltraHD2, 4K, UltraHD, 2K, HD and SD resolutions plus a full range of uncompressed and compressed file formats at your disposal, including read/write support for H.264 and H.265, Avid DNxHD/R, plus the entire Apple ProRes family across macOS, Windows and Linux, including ProRes 4444 XQ and many more.

AJA Control Room software supports 12-bit, 10-bit, 8-bit YCbCr and RGB workflows, plus the industry standard RS-422 interface allows layoffs to VTRs with frame accurate control.

8K Capture and Playback with Control Room and KONA 5

At a time when 8K recording devices are prohibitively expensive, unlock the next generation power of 8K capture and playback via KONA 5 and use a more cost effective workstation. Capture 8K ProRes on Windows, Linux or macOS for example, and use the file immediately in your NLE or other application of choice.

4K Closed Caption Support

AJA Control Room software now supports ingest and playback of 4K content that carries Closed Captions when using a KONA 5, KONA 4, Io 4K Plus or T-TAP Pro.

HDR

HDR or High Dynamic Range,  provides the ability to display a wider and richer range of colors, much brighter whites, and much deeper, darker blacks than standard signals allow. This gives your imagery a more ‘dynamic’ look and allows for natural true to life colors to be communicated to your audience.

HDR workflows can also benefit from AJA's Control Room application and it's  companion, AJA Control Panel, which comes complete with built-in HDR test patterns.

AJA Control Room also provides VPID signaling for SDR/HDR Transfer Characteristics, Colorimetry and Luminance transfer characteristics over SDI, bringing flexible output options to your AJA device. 

AJA Control Room can also feed HDMI HDR displays, offering HLG and HDR10 support with HDR Infoframe metadata, in accordance with HDMI 2.0a/CTA-861.G, for compatible KONA, Io and T-TAP products. HDMI ports that were already HDR compatible will work simultaneously, for HDR output via both SDI and HDMI.

AJA Control Room software further offers HDR Auto Playback Detection. Embedded HDR metadata in a recorded .mov file, is read and used to automatically set the HDR format on the monitor(s) connected to the AJA HDMI and/or SDI outputs.

Support for file-based .mov HDR outputs with metadata from Adobe Premiere Pro/Adobe Media Encoder HDR files is also available. Screening those rendered outputs is a simple and hi-quality experience with AJA Control Room. Every frame is presented in its full-quality, at the timing intended, and with the proper HDR format set correctly and automatically.

Explore more of our HDR Solutions here:

HDR Solutions  

Host System Compatibilities

AJA Desktop Software comes with a wide range of tested configurations to help you make an informed choice based on requirements.

Cross-Platform Efficiency

Combine free AJA Control Room software with AJA’s capture and output hardware for an affordable ingest, playback and output station on macOS®, Windows® or Linux®, including full support for Apple Metal and macOS Big Sur. Keep your editing systems focused on editing and offload time consuming tasks to more cost effective workstations.

  • macOS support for 12.x (Monterey), 11.x (Big Sur), 10.15 (Catalina), 10.14 (Mojave).

  • Linux Ubuntu support for 20.04 LTS, 18.04 LTS.

  • Linux Redhat/CentOS (8) and (7) support.

  • Windows 11, 10 and updates.

 

Contact Support

180 Litton Drive, Grass Valley, CA 95945 USA
Phone: +1-530-271-3190, Fax: +1-530-271-3140
Email: support@aja.com

Ask us a question

Register Your Product

Register your AJA product to help us provide you with the highest quality technical assistance.

Register Now