In the ever-converging world of professional audiovisual (ProAV) and broadcast technologies, reliability, interoperability, and scalability are becoming critical benchmarks for success. As the ProAV market increasingly adopts more sophisticated workflows driven by demands for high-resolution video, real-time streaming, and IP-based infrastructures, it is looking toward the broadcast industry for tested, scalable, and future-proof solutions. Among the innovations making this cross-pollination possible is openGear: an open-architecture modular platform that has long served as a backbone for mission-critical broadcast infrastructure.

Developed by Ross Video and supported by a growing ecosystem of over 130 technology partners, openGear is now gaining traction in the ProAV sector. Why? Because it brings with it the broadcast industry’s uncompromising standards for reliability, redundancy, and modularity—qualities increasingly essential in ProAV environments like control rooms, corporate campuses, houses of worship, government facilities, and live event venues.

This article explores what openGear is, its technical advantages, and how it’s reshaping ProAV workflows by offering a broadcast-grade approach to modular infrastructure and system resilience.

openGear is an open-architecture 2RU (rack unit) modular card-based platform. It standardizes the physical form factor, electrical interface, cooling, and control protocol of modular processing cards. Each openGear frame can hold up to 20 interchangeable cards from different vendors, and all are managed by a common control system called DashBoard.

While the frame and architecture were originally developed by Ross Video, openGear is not a proprietary solution. The platform is open to any manufacturer who wants to sign up and develop compatible solutions, fostering innovation and vendor diversity. This interoperability makes openGear particularly appealing in scenarios where reliability and flexibility are paramount.

In the broadcast world, uptime is non-negotiable. Viewers expect flawless delivery of content 24/7, and even a momentary glitch can have significant financial or reputational consequences. openGear was born in this high-stakes environment, where systems must operate continuously and handle complex signal conversions, processing, and distribution.

This reliability-centric design includes features like:

• Dual hot-swappable power supplies: for redundancy without downtime.
• Passive backplane: reducing potential failure points by avoiding active circuitry in the frame itself.
• Card-level hot-swapping: allowing live replacement of individual processing cards without interrupting service.
• Centralized monitoring and remote management: via DashBoard software with SNMP integration for enterprise-level visibility.

These qualities are now highly relevant to ProAV applications, where systems are expected to deliver high performance under similar mission-critical conditions.

ProAV systems are no longer limited to simple matrix switchers or basic signal extenders. The industry now includes:

• Live production for live concerts and corporate events
• Campus-wide digital signage
• Large LED wall venues
• Multiviewer systems for NOCs (Network Operation Centers)
• KVM-over-IP in government and defense
• Event spaces that mix IP, HDMI and SDI environments
• Remote contribution for worship services
• Virtualized or IP-based signal processing

All of these applications require resilient, scalable signal management systems capable of handling multiple formats: HDMI, SDI, fiber, IP (SMPTE ST 2110, NDI, Dante), and more.

This is where openGear fits naturally.

1 - Scalability & Density

openGear frames support up to 20 cards in a 2RU chassis, allowing integrators to build systems that scale gracefully. For example, a large venue may need 16 channels of HDMI-to-SDI conversion for broadcast distribution. Instead of multiple standalone converters cluttering the rack and power infrastructure, openGear consolidates all of them into one clean, manageable frame with central monitoring and redundant power supplies.

Use case 1: A sports arena can deploy several openGear frames populated with up/down/cross converters, distribution amplifiers, and multiviewer modules to feed displays, recording systems, and live broadcast trucks—all from a single chassis.

Use case 2: Outdoor Venue With Large LED Wall.  An outdoor venue featuring a large LED video wall requires extensive signal distribution across both HDMI and SDI formats. Instead of relying on numerous standalone throw-down boxes each with its own power supply and cabling, integrators can deploy openGear frames to consolidate signal distribution and format conversion. By housing multiple hot-swappable cards within a single 2RU chassis, openGear streamlines the infrastructure, reduces power and rack clutter, and ensures a more reliable, serviceable solution for driving the LED wall content.

2 - Modular & Future Proof

Since openGear supports hot-swappable cards, maintenance engineers can have several cold standby cards ready to replace any faulty boards. System designers can build modular systems that evolve over time. Need to add more SDI-to-HDMI converters? Just insert more cards. Need to upgrade to ST 2110 in the future? Swap out legacy cards with IP-compatible modules.

Use case 1: A corporate AV system originally designed for HDMI may later require fiber or SDI support for hybrid events. With openGear, the transition is seamless and cost-effective.

Use case 2: A HD system may be upgraded to UHD. With openGear, the integrator can slowly transition from HD to UHD by swapping out cards or installing upconverters.

3 - Interoperability & Vendor Choice

Unlike proprietary modular systems restricted to a single manufacturer, openGear empowers integrators with the freedom to choose from a diverse ecosystem of over 130 openGear partners—including industry leaders like AJA, Apantac, Cobalt Digital, Ross, and many others. This open, competitive environment fosters continuous innovation and ensures customers are never locked into a single-vendor solution. Instead, they can select the best-in-class products that meet their specific application needs, all within a unified, interoperable platform.

Use case: A university control room may use Apantac multiviewer cards, Cobalt embedders, and AJA fiber transmitters—all within the same frame, controlled through one DashBoard instance.

4 - Remote Monitoring & Management

With the DashBoard control software, system administrators gain centralized visibility into the health and status of every openGear card—locally or remotely. This is crucial for minimizing downtime and ensuring proactive maintenance.

Use case: For a live events company managing LED wall processors and signal converters across multiple venues, openGear enables centralized remote monitoring and control—saving time, and enabling pre-event diagnostics.

5 - Redundancy & Serviceability

openGear’s dual power supply architecture and passive backplane are features typically reserved for high-end broadcast gear. These elements allow ProAV systems to run with maximum uptime even in the face of hardware failures.

Use case: In a command center, openGear ensures that 24/7 display wall feeds or surveillance video pipelines remain uninterrupted, with hot-swappable cards and redundant power ensuring zero signal loss during maintenance or faults.

Real-World ProAV Applications

Government & Defense

Secure facilities often require redundant, high-density processing for secure signal transmission and monitoring. With openGear, agencies can centralize processing tasks (e.g., format conversion, signal distribution, or fiber transmission) while keeping control under a single secure interface.

Higher Education

Universities are increasingly deploying AV-over-IP and hybrid learning environments. openGear provides a unified frame to house converters for lecture capture, streaming, and overflow room displays—managed remotely by IT staff.

Houses Of Worship

Modern worship environments use production-quality video systems to serve in-house and streaming audiences. openGear allows cost-effective integration of multiviewers, scalers, and embedders in a compact format with easy maintenance.

Stadiums & Arenas

Large-scale facilities depend on multi-format routing and conversion to drive in-house displays, scoreboard video, IPTV, and live broadcast feeds. openGear consolidates infrastructure to improve reliability and reduce rack space.

Corporate & Financial Institutions

In boardrooms and operations centers, where uptime and secure distribution are critical, openGear enables real-time signal monitoring, redundancy, and integration with control systems—all while maintaining a clean and professional installation footprint.

Unified Control Across Vendors

A major enabler of openGear’s success is the DashBoard control system, which provides a consistent, GUI-based management interface for all cards, regardless of manufacturer. This software supports:

• Real-time health monitoring
• SNMP alerts
• Firmware updates
• Batch configuration
• Remote access and control

For integrators and IT administrators—many of whom manage systems across multiple buildings or cities—DashBoard’s single-pane-of-glass approach makes openGear a compelling alternative to managing dozens of standalone devices.

openGear Meets IP & UHD

As both broadcast and ProAV transition to IP and UHD workflows, openGear is keeping pace with new demands. Many partners are now offering:

• 12G-SDI cards for UHD workflows
• ST 2110 and IP-based I/O cards
• HDR up/down-mapping
• KVM-over-IP transmitters/receivers
• HDMI, HDBaseT and SDVoE interfaces

This ensures that openGear remains relevant not only for traditional signal processing, but also as a foundation for IP-based and AV-over-IP deployments—a key area of convergence between broadcast and ProAV.

A Broadcast-Grade Backbone For ProAV’s Future

As the ProAV world matures and intersects with broadcast, it faces greater pressure to deliver enterprise-grade uptime, seamless interoperability, and centralized control. In this landscape, openGear emerges not as a niche solution, but as a flexible, reliable, and scalable infrastructure platform.

With its open-architecture, support from a robust ecosystem of manufacturers, and proven performance in 24/7 mission-critical environments, openGear is bringing the best of the broadcast world into the ProAV arena.