AJA KONA-HDMI Operation Guide
KONA HDMI
Four Channel HDMI Capture
Installation and Operation Manual
Version 15.2
Published June 3, 2019
Notices
Trademarks
Copyright
AJA® and Because it matters.® are registered trademarks of AJA Video Systems, Inc.
for use with most AJA products. AJA™ is a trademark of AJA Video Systems, Inc. for
use with recorder, router, software and camera products. Because it matters.™ is a
trademark of AJA Video Systems, Inc. for use with camera products.
CION®, Corvid Ultra®, lo®, Ki Pro®, KONA®, KUMO®, ROI® and T-Tap® are registered
trademarks of AJA Video Systems, Inc.
AJA Control Room™, KiStor™, Science of the Beautiful™, TruScale™, TruZoom™,
V2Analog™ and V2Digital™ are trademarks of AJA Video Systems, Inc.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Copyright © 2019 AJA Video Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. All information in
this manual is subject to change without notice. No part of the document may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying or recording, without the express written permission of AJA
Video Systems, Inc.
Contacting AJA Support
When calling for support, have all information at hand prior to calling. To contact AJA
for sales or support, use any of the following methods:
Telephone +1.530.271.3190
FAX +1.530.271.3140
Web https://www.aja.com
Support Email support@aja.com
Sales Email sales@aja.com
KONA HDMI Four Channel HDMI Capture v15.2 2 www.aja.com
Contents
Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Copyright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Contacting AJA Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Chapter 1 – Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
KONA HDMI Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Input / Capture Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
AJA Software & Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
System Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Disk Storage Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Cable Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
KONA HDMI Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Chapter 2 – Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Installation Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Unpacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Shipping Box Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Installing the KONA Card. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Cabling the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
KONA HDMI Cable Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Installing KONA HDMI Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Download . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Software Package Installation and Re-installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Important MacOS High Sierra Installation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Firmware Update Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Chapter 3 – Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Using KONA with Professional Video /Audio Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
KONA HDMI Developer Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Capture Formats using AJA Control Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
AJA Control Panel Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
AJA Control Panel User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Controlling Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Using Multiple AJA Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Presets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Default Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Control Recommendations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Function Screens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
AJA Control Panel Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Control Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Format Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Input Select Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
HDMI Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
LUT Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Presets Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Firmware Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Info Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Appendix A – Specications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
KONA HDMI Tech Specs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Appendix B – Safety & Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Warranty and Liability Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Limited Warranty on Hardware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Limitation of Liability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Governing Law and Language; Your Rights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
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Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
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Chapter 1 – Introduction
Overview
AJA's KONA HDMI card brings the highest quality HDMI capture of video and
audio to computers running Mac, Windows or Linux Operating Systems. The AJA
KONA HDMI card can simultaneously capture two channels of HDMI 2.0 video (up
to 4K/UltraHD p60), up to four channels of HDMI 1.4b video (up to 2K/HD p60), or
combinations of both formats, depending on the controlling application used. SD
HDMI video is also supported.
KONA HDMI Features
• Standard PCIe form factor
• Four full size HDMI inputs
• HDMI 2.0 and 1.4b formats for broadcast supported
• HDR material can be captured / passed-through with AJA Control Room
(including using PS4 Pro as a source for up to 4K/UltraHD p60 HDR content)
• Each HDMI port supports up to 8 channels of embedded audio
• Application Support:
• AJA Control Room (single channel capture)
• Adobe Premiere Pro CC
• Avid Media Composer
• Wirecast (multichannel switching and capture)
• vMix (multichannel switching and capture)
• DirectShow (Windows applications multichannel capture)
• V4L2 (Windows applications multichannel capture)
Input / Capture Capabilities
AJA Control Room
• Single channel ingest of up to 4K/UltraHD p60 on either port 1, or port 2.
• Single channel ingest of up to 2K/HD p60 on any port 1 through 4.
• HDR material can be captured / passed-through (including using PS4 Pro as a
source for 4K/UltraHD p60 HDR content).
Telestream Wirecast
• Single, Dual, Triple or Quad channel ingest of up to 2K/HD p60 on ports 1-4
• Single channel ingest of up to 4K/UltraHD p60 on either port 1, or port 2.
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• Dual channel ingest of up to 4K/UltraHD p60 on port 1, and up to 4K p30 on
port 2 (or vice versa).
• Mixed channel ingest of up to 4K/UltraHD p60 on channel 1, together
simultaneously with two channels of up to 2K/HD p60 on channels 2-4.
NOTE: KONA HDMI cards are configured for Wirecast using the AJA Multi-Channel
Configuration application, not the AJA Control Panel application.
To change between the above ingest configurations, you will need to create
different set ups using the AJA MultiChannel Config Application (installed with
the AJA software package for KONA HDMI). For example, if you want to change
from capturing all four HDMI inputs to capturing one 4K/UltraHD p60 signal on
port 1 and 2K/HD signals on ports 2 and 3, you need to stop capturing, set up
channels on ports 1, 2, and 3 differently, and then resume capturing in the new
configuration.
NOTE: The above combinations are available for AJA SDK developers, V4L2 developers
and DirectShow developers and their customers.
AJA Software & Utilities
AJA’s KONA software and hardware were developed for powerful integrated
video/audio capture, editing, and production with a variety of software, including
AJA MultiChannel Config, AJA Control Panel, AJA Control Room, Telestream's
Wirecast, plus developer supported applications such as vMix and others. With
KONA and a qualified computer, you have the ultimate system for production,
post-production, broadcast, and streaming work. AJA software is distributed as
a unified package which includes all the software, firmware, plugins, and utility
programs for AJA’s Io, KONA, and T-TAP products.
Four retail packages are available, one for Mac, one for Windows, and two for
Linux (one package for Ubuntu, one package for Red Hat/CentOS).
NOTE: Support for the Linux OS retail drivers is based on the Linux application used and
comes from the application’s vendor.
To download AJA software, go to the AJA website:
https://www.aja.com/en/support/downloads
For a complete software compatibility list, see the AJA website link:
https://www.aja.com/en/category/edit/compatibility
Mac, Windows and Linux Packages
These packages include:
Drivers
AJA device drivers for tightly integrated hardware/software operation.
AJA Multi-Channel Config
AJA's multi channel configuration tool for use with Telestream's Wirecast
application.
AJA Control Panel
The Control Panel provides:
• Source selection and control of your AJA hardware.
• A block diagram to show visually what routing and processing is being
performed.
KONA HDMI Four Channel HDMI Capture v15.2 6 www.aja.com
AJA Control Room
Control Room is a cross-platform software application for ingest, playback and
output with AJA devices.
AJA System Test
System Test provides accurate and detailed evaluations of drive and system
performance statistics, allowing you to measure the capabilities of your system
for recording and playing back various resolutions and codecs. The application
includes:
• System Disk Test
• AJA Device Test
• Disk + Device Test
• System Report
The application tests Read and Write, Capture and Playback speeds in both
Megabytes per second and Frames per second. The disk speed tests differ from
standard disk I/O performance applications in that they specifically test the
system under conditions typically encountered with video capture, playback, and
editing.
NOTE: Theoretically the best test is to fill your storage disk to 80% and then test capture
at the highest data rate you will use.
Additional with Mac and Windows Packages
3rd-Party Plugins
AJA provides a dedicated plug-in for Telestream Wirecast which is included when
you install the desktop software package.
System Requirements
AJA Video recommends that your system meet minimum hardware and software
requirements to achieve a satisfactory level of performance. Updates to system
requirements are subject to change.
NOTE: See your software vendor's support pages for GPU recommendations and
additional hardware requirements and recommendations.
AJA recommends:
• Mac OS 10.12 Sierra or later
• Win 10 or later with all updates
• Linux Redhat/CentOS 7
• Linux Ubuntu 14.04 LTS and Ubuntu 16.04 LTS
• 2.5 GHz quad core i7 minimum, for HD
• 3.5 GHz eight core minimum, faster processors and more cores recommended,
for UltraHD/4K workflows, especially with high frame rate
• 16GB RAM minimum, 32GB or more recommended, especially for UltraHD/4K
or High Frame Rate applications
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• A reasonably fast and powerful graphics card, with plenty of on-board
memory. Examples (may be specific to application version and/or host CPU)
include:
• NvidiaK5200
• Nvidia K4200
• Nvidia M6000
• Nvidia M5000
• Nvidia M4000
• AMD W7100
• AMD W8100
• Media storage with adequate bandwidth to sustain the capture and playback
of the material you expect to be working with.
NOTE: For large scale installations with shared storage, or for very high performance
requirements, AJA recommends consultation with an experienced a system
integrator. A consultant will be able to assist with many important variables.
Disk Storage Methods
To ensure performance and quality, the disk storage system used with
the workstation must be able to meet the demands of storing real-time
uncompressed media. At the very minimum, the disk storage system must be
able to provide and maintain a consistent transfer rate from the workstation to
disk (read/write). There are a variety of system configurations and peripherals that
can provide this level of performance.
For more on disk storage performance see "AJA System Test" on page 7.
Cable Connections
KONA HDMI Connectors
The KONA HDMI endplate provides four full size HDMI connectors.
• HDMI port 1 = up to 4K/UltraHD p60 (also capable of 2K/HD and SD)
• HDMI port 2 = up to 4K/UltraHD p60 (also capable of 2K/HD and SD)
• HDMI port 3 = up to 2K/HD p60 (also capable of SD)
• HDMI port 4 = up to 2K/HD p60 (also capable of SD)
KONA HDMI Four Channel HDMI Capture v15.2 8 www.aja.com
Chapter 2 – Installation
Installation Overview
The installation and set up of a KONA card is simple, and may vary slightly
depending on your system.
For the most up-to-date Mac system requirements for KONA, see the following
AJA website:
https://www.aja.com/en/support/kona-system-configuration/
For the most up-to-date Windows system requirements for KONA, see the
following AJA website:
https://www.aja.com/en/support/kona-pc-system-configuration/
Unpacking
Shipping Box Contents
As you unpack your shipment, carefully examine the contents. Ensure you
received everything and that nothing was damaged during shipping. If you find
any damage, immediately notify the shipping service and supply them with a
complete description of the damage. AJA will repair or replace damaged items.
If you find shipping damage, contact your AJA dealer or distributor for details on
how to have your AJA device repaired or replaced.
NOTE: Save packing materials and the shipping box. If you ever require service or move
your system use the packaging materials and box for safe shipment.
Installing the KONA Card
Figure 1. KONA HDMI Card
The KONA card can be installed into a PC chassis, legacy Mac Pro chassis with PCIe
slots, or into a Thunderbolt PCIe external chassis.
1. Turn off power to the host chassis.
2. Remove the power cable from the back of the chassis.
3. Open the chassis.
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4. Locate a recommended PCIe slot (see the AJA website for slot selection
instructions).
5. Remove the backplate from the PCIe slot.
6. Touch the chassis to discharge any body static.
7. Remove the KONA card from its anti-static bag.
8. Carefully insert the card by rocking it slowly into the slot. Ensure the card
aligns properly with the slot opening and is fully seated.
9. Secure the card in the chassis.
10. Close the chassis.
11. Power up the chassis.
NOTE: Always put a RAID controller and KONA on separate PCIe busses. This improves
performance by reducing bus contention.
Cabling the System
KONA HDMI Cable Connections
Example 1: KONA HDMI Digital Video Capture with AJA Control Room
Prosumer HDMI
Video Camera
HDMI
DVR 1
HDMI Monitor
AJA
Control Panel
Selects Which
Source To
Capture From
Control Room
Capture
DVR 2
Graphics
Computer
HDMI
HDMI
HDMI
KONA HDMI Card
(in computer)
Workstation Computer
with AJA Control Panel
and AJA Control Room
Applications
Connect up to four HDMI sources, and then use AJA Control Panel to instantly
select which source to capture using AJA Control Room.
NOTE: AJA Control Room cannot monitor or playback embedded HDMI audio though
the KONA HDMI card (the card has only inputs). However, the audio is captured
along with the video, and / or passed through to your software of choice.
AJA
KONA HDMI Four Channel HDMI Capture v15.2 10 www.aja.com
Example 2: KONA HDMI Multi-Camera Live Stream
Professional SDI
Video Camera
SDI with
Embedded
Audio
Max 90 m (300 ft.)
SDI Cable Length
Mics and Audio Mixer
Prosumer HDMI
Video Camera
HDMI
Prosumer HDMI
Video Camera
HDMI
Graphics
Computer
HDMI
Use a variety of HDMI sources from the same clock family (e.g. p30 with p60,
or p25 with p50), to provide up to four streams of live content delivered to the
application of your choice via KONA HDMI. With a video switching and live
streaming application (i.e. Wirecast or vMix), you can connect up to four HDMI
sources with an installed KONA HDMI card and then live switch between all four
sources for a live stream. In this example, the application (or full screen output
thereof) are being fed to the HDMI monitor via the host computers GPU, while
the show is also bring streamed.
(depending on
video format)
SDI
Max 8 m (25 ft.)
HDMI Cable Length
(depending on
cable design and
video format)
Hi5-PLUS
Mini-Converter
KONA HDMI Card
(in computer)
HDMI
with
Audio
HDMI Monitor
Workstation Computer
with Video Switching
and Live Streaming
Application
Multi-Camera
Live Stream
Internet
Example 3: KONA HDMI with KONA 1 Multi-Camera Live Event
Multiple AJA cards in the same Mac, PC or thunderbolt chassis can be used with
multi-channel switching / capture softwares such as Wirecast and vMix. This
expands your options in terms of different input and output configurations.
Prosumer HDMI
Video Camera
HDMI
Prosumer HDMI
Video Camera
HDMI
Prosumer HDMI
Video Camera
HDMI
Graphics
Computer
HDMI
With a video switching application, you can connect up to four HDMI sources
with an installed KONA HDMI card, live switch between all four sources, and send
the video to a projector using a KONA 1 card installed in the same computer.
Max 8 m (25 ft.)
HDMI Cable Length
(depending on
cable design and
video format)
SDI Video Projector
(in same computer)
KONA HDMI Card
KONA 1 Card
HDMI Monitor
Workstation
Computer with
Video Switching
Application
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Example 4: KONA HDMI Two Gamers Live Stream
Gaming Station
Player 1
Face Camera
Player 1
Face Camera
Player 2
Gaming Station
Player 2
HDMI
HDMI
HDMI
Splitter
Stream or record both gameplay and face cameras for two players using a single
KONA HDMI card.
NOTE: PS4 Pro and other HDR capable consoles will identify the KONA HDMI card as a
valid sink for HDR, meaning HDR gameplay can either be passed-through, and /
or captured.
Installing KONA HDMI Software
NOTE: Always uninstall previous versions of KONA software before updating your
software.
Max 8 m (25 ft.)
HDMI Cable Length
(depending on
cable design and
video format)
KONA HDMI Card
(in computer)
HDMI
HDMI
HDMI
Splitter
Computer with
Live Streaming
Application
HDMI MonitorHDMI Monitor
Internet
Download
Go to the AJA website and download the latest KONA HDMI driver software
containing the AJA Control Panel application:
https://www.aja.com/en/support/downloads/
System software updates may occasionally become available to AJA KONA HDMI
owners on our website (www.aja.com). We recommend checking occasionally for
both software updates and additional product information.
NOTE: If your computer has previously had another video capture or multimedia device
installed, ensure you uninstall any related software before installing KONA HDMI
This will prevent any hardware or software conflicts.
Software Package Installation and Re-installation
Before installing the KONA HDMI software package, ensure that your capture/
editing application is installed as detailed in its user documentation. You cannot
use KONA HDMI with a third-party application until the application has been
installed and run at least once on your workstation. Next, install the AJA software
package.
If you add KONA HDMI supported applications at a later date and have not
previously installed the appropriate drivers, you must run the install program
again selecting the appropriate application support software to be installed.
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AJA Desktop Software firmware and software versions are tightly integrated. If
back-revving to an earlier version, for example, you may be prompted to update
your firmware to match; i.e. update your AJA device to an earlier version of the
firmware than you currently have installed.
Important MacOS High Sierra Installation Information
With the introduction of macOS High Sierra (v10.13), Apple now requires that third
party application developers be identified during kernal extension installations.
Failure to do so will make AJA devices fail to operate (Unsupported AJA Device).
Depending on your macOS version and AJA Desktop Software installation history,
the following installation outcomes are possible:
MacOS Sierra and Earlier Supported Versions
No problems exist for AJA software installation or updates with these earlier
versions of macOS.
Earlier MacOS to High Sierra Update
No problems should occur if you already have the AJA Desktop Software package
installed on macOS Sierra (or earlier) and update your Mac to High Sierra. The
identification of AJA as a trusted developer is passed from the earlier macOS to
the High Sierra macOS.
MacOS High Sierra First AJA Desktop Software Install
No problems should occur if your Mac is running High Sierra macOS, you install
AJA Desktop Software for the first time, and you follow the instructions shown
during installation.
Figure 2. MacOS High Sierra Blocked Message Prompt
Do NOT click OK. Instead click Open Security Preferences (or go to System
Preferences>Security and Privacy) and then click Allow for AJA Video Systems
developer.
Figure 3. MacOS High Sierra System Preferences, Allow Developer
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