At NAB 2019, Datavideo announced the NVS-33, an H.264 standalone streaming encoder and recorder. The NVS-33 has HD-SDI and HDMI inputs for video as well as stereo RCA unbalanced audio connections, for use when embedded audio is not available or desired. The NVS-33 can stream and record at different bit rates simultaneously, although I am disappointed to see how low the maximum is, as I’ll explain ahead, together with four questions I asked Datavideo. The NVS-33 records onto an SD card in NTFS, FAT, or exFAT. The latter is my favorite.

Datavideo states that the front panel operation with easy-to-use buttons makes this encoder desirable for many applications such as houses of worship, education, corporations and live event production. In addition to a bit rate selection button on the front panel, the NVS-33 has video input selection, stream, record, and stream + record buttons. Once the NVS-33 is setup initially using a computer or a tablet with a web browser, users can simply press one button to start their streaming and recording.

Four questions I asked Datavideo

I asked the following four questions of Datavideo. Here are the questions and answers:

QUESTION 1: Is it correct that the maximum streaming bit rate of the NVS-33 is only 10 megabits per second, not 20 megabits per second?

ANSWER 1: Yes, streaming is 10mbps and recording is at 16mbps (can be at the same time).

QUESTION 2: Is it correct that although the NVS-33 accepts 1080/24.000p and 1080/23.976p (aka 1080/23.98p), it cannot record or stream at either of those framerates (forced to convert the framerate and and stream/record them at 25p, creating extra frames), or is that in omission in the spec sheet I found online?

ANSWER 2: Datavideo responded yes. Even though 23.976 and exact 24 are accepted on the input, they are not available on the encoding side, so they are retimed.

QUESTION 3: When recording on a card that is formatted as exFAT, will single files over 4GB be allowed, or does it record sequential files under 4GB?

ANSWER 3: Long recordings over 4GB is OK for a single file.

QUESTION 4: Does Datavideo currently offer any H.265 encoder/recorder?

ANSWER 4: Not yet. We will have a new encoder (probably 4Q that will offer this option. Our new PTC-140 camera will offer H.265 now, if you just need one camera in a workflow. Keep in mind, this product will start shipping in May of this year. There will be new features, functions, bug fixes, etc as the product matures in the market. Some of these specs might change, including the bit rate for streaming. The product will sell for US$699 and offers SDI and HDMI inputs with analog audio inputs. At this price point, the NVS-33 fits is a good fit for the worship, corporate and prosumer market.

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Availability and price

The NVS-33 has an MSRP price of US$699 and will be available June 2019 according to Datavideo. More information can be found here.

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