What is the NovaStar CVT8-5GM?
If your control system is built on NovaStar’s 5G architecture, the NovaStar CVT8-5GM is the multimode fiber converter that belongs in it. It takes your 40G optical link and hands you back eight 5G BaseT Ethernet ports, each one carrying up to five times the data a Gigabit port can.
Eight ports can look like a step down from the ten on a CVT10. It is not. With XA50 Pro or CA50E receiving cards behind it, one 5G port carries 2,951,200 pixels at 8-bit and 60 Hz, where a 1G port on the same controller family carries 659,722. The port count fell because each port grew.
What you are choosing here is architecture, not an upgrade. Your CVT8-5GM only belongs in a system built on a 40G fiber output card and 5G receiving cards. If you drop one into a 1G wall, nothing on either side will talk to it.
CVT8-5GM key features
Each port carries what four or five Gigabit ports used to
Your big walls run out of Ethernet ports long before they run out of pixels, and the usual answer is another output card and another bundle of copper. One 5G port here holds 2,951,200 pixels at 8-bit and 60 Hz, and 1,475,600 at 12-bit. Eight cables now do what a rack of 1G ports did for you before.
The connector is MPO, and it is not LC
Your crew will arrive with LC patch leads, the short fiber jumpers every other converter in this range takes, because that is the habit. The CVT8-5GM wants multi-mode 8-core fiber on an MPO connector at 850 nm instead. An LC jumper will not mate with it, and finding that out at load-in costs you a day.
The controller’s optical module is already in the box
You do not have to order the 40G module for the controller end yourself, which is the line item people miss on a first order and then lose a commissioning date to. NovaStar packs two 40G optical modules with the CVT8-5GM, one of them intended for the controller. Both ends of your link arrive in the one box.
One optical port, so there is no standby path
You may be used to the CVT10 and CVT4K families keeping a backup optical port. This one has a single 40G port and nothing behind it, so one cut fiber stops all eight of your ports. Protection has to come from your fiber route or a second converter, because the chassis will not provide it.
NovaStar CVT8-5GM specifications
If you already have fiber in the building, two rows below decide whether you can reuse it at all: the connector type and the reach.
| Ethernet ports | 8 × 5G BaseT, each up to 5 Gbit/s, on CAT6 cable up to 100 meters |
|---|---|
| Optical port | 1 × 40G, hot-swappable, with the module shipped pre-installed |
| Optical module | 40 Gbit/s at 850 nm |
| Fiber to order | OM3 or OM4 multi-mode 8-core, 50/125 µm, MPO connectors, insertion loss ≤ 0.1 dB, return loss ≥ 50 dB |
| Optical distance | 100 m on OM3, 150 m on OM4 |
| Backup optical path | None. There is one optical port |
| Control port | 1 × type-B USB, for program upgrades from NovaLCT V5.4.0 or later. It is not a cascade port |
| Power | 100–240 V~, 50/60 Hz, 1.5 A, PowerCON. Do not connect or disconnect it under power |
| Rated power consumption | 33 W |
| Operating environment | −20°C to +45°C, 10% to 80% RH, non-condensing |
| Dimensions and net weight | 254.3 × 50.6 × 290.0 mm, 2.26 kg, half-1U wide |
| Certifications | RoHS, CE, FCC, IC, UL, CB; FCC Class A |
| Supplied in the box | Power cord, USB cable, two 40G optical modules with one intended for the controller, supporting brackets A and B, connecting piece, screws |
The +45°C ceiling is the tightest in the fiber range and this chassis draws 33 W, so if you are putting several units in a closed rack, you need to work the airflow out rather than assume it.
What else does a 5G system need?
Your 5G system needs all four parts to match: the output card, the converter, the fiber and the receiving cards. NovaStar publishes the two builds side by side, and a CVT8-5GM only appears in one of them.
| Solution | Output card | Fiber converter | Receiving cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1G | MX_4 10G Fiber Output Card | CVT10 or CVT10 Pro | 1G cards such as the A10s Pro |
| 5G | MX_1x40G Fiber Output Card | CVT8-5GM or CVT8-5GS | 5G cards, the XA50 Pro or CA50E |
Your build has to come from one row, not a mix of the two. Put a 40G output card with 1G receiving cards, or a CVT8-5GM with A-series cards, and you have a chain no amount of configuration will make work.
Before ordering, confirm three things: that your controller has a 40G fiber output card fitted, that your cabinets carry XA50 Pro or CA50E receiving cards, and that the fiber between them is 8-core multi-mode terminated on MPO.
Reach is not what this model buys
If you are picking this model for distance, you have picked the wrong part. 100 m on OM3 is the shortest optical figure in the whole NovaStar converter range, and it is the same distance a CAT6 run already covers.
What you get instead is cable count and bandwidth. One 40G optical port carries the load of eight 5G Ethernet ports, so a pull that would otherwise be eight heavy copper runs becomes one MPO trunk, and each of those eight ports then holds several times what a Gigabit port could.
| CVT8-5GM | CVT8-5GS | CVT10-M | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ethernet ports | 8 at 5G | 8 at 5G | 10 at 1G |
| Optical | 1 × 40G, MPO 8-core | 1 × 40G, LC single-mode | 2 × 10G, LC |
| Reach | 100 m on OM3, 150 m on OM4 | 10 km | 300 m |
| Backup optical path | None | None | OPT2 |
| Receiving cards | 5G only | 5G only | 1G |
| Price | $3,277 | $4,029 | $1,150 |
- Order the CVT8-5GM when your system is already 5G and your fiber run stays inside one venue on multi-mode MPO.
- Order the CVT8-5GS when that same 5G system has to cross a site. At $4,029 against $3,277 the difference buys you 10 km and an LC termination instead of MPO.
- Order the CVT10-M when your wall runs 1G receiving cards. It is not a smaller version of this converter; it is the other architecture entirely.
Where a CVT8-5GM is used on an LED display system
You will recognize your own job in these four if it carries a very high pixel count inside a single building, on a system already built around 5G receiving cards.
The limit you have to watch is the reach. At 100 m on OM3 and 150 m on OM4, this is a cable-count and bandwidth product rather than a distance one.
If your 5G system has to cross a site, order the CVT8-5GS. Same eight 5G ports, on single-mode LC fiber to 10 km.
NovaStar CVT8-5GM manual, datasheet and NovaLCT software
Your CVT8-5GM keeps no cabinet data, so swapping one risks nothing you have to read out first. The specification sheet is where the MPO fiber grade and the reach figures come from, and NovaLCT V5.4.0 or later covers a program upgrade over the USB port.
NovaStar CVT8-5GM FAQ
Will a CVT8-5GM work with 1G receiving cards?
No, a CVT8-5GM will not work with 1G receiving cards. It belongs to NovaStar’s 5G solution, which pairs a 40G fiber output card with XA50 Pro or CA50E receiving cards. If your wall is 1G, you want a CVT10 or CVT10 Pro instead.
Why only eight ports when a CVT10 has ten?
You get eight ports rather than ten because each one carries far more. A 5G port holds 2,951,200 pixels at 8-bit and 60 Hz against 659,722 on a 1G port, so eight of them exceed what ten 1G ports could take.
What fiber and connector does it need?
You need OM3 or OM4 multi-mode 8-core fiber on MPO connectors, not the LC duplex used by the rest of the range. An LC jumper will not mate with the optical port.
How far does the multi-mode version reach?
The multi-mode version reaches 100 m on OM3 and 150 m on OM4. If your route is longer than that, the CVT8-5GS covers 10 km on single-mode fiber with an LC connector.
Is there a backup optical port?
No, there is no backup optical port. You get one 40G optical port, and a cut fiber stops all eight Ethernet ports, so your redundancy has to come from the route or from a second converter.
Are optical modules included?
Yes, two optical modules are included. One is fitted in the converter and the second is intended for your controller end, so you can complete the link from a single order.
How long can the copper legs be?
Your copper legs can run up to 100 meters on CAT6 cable, on each of the eight 5G BaseT ports.
Can two units share one rack space?
Yes, two units share one rack space. A single chassis is half-1U wide, and two of them, or one plus the connecting piece in the box, make a 1U assembly. Allow for 33 W each when you plan airflow.
What warranty covers a CVT8-5GM?
Your CVT8-5GM carries three years of serial-tracked manufacturer coverage, because these units come through our authorized US NovaStar channel.
Can I get volume pricing or Net 30 terms?
Yes, you can get volume pricing. Send us the model and the quantity you need. Purchase orders and Net 30 terms may be available for approved schools, government buyers, venues and established integrators.
How do I order a CVT8-5GM?
You order a CVT8-5GM by the chassis, and the listed price is per chassis. Its two supplied modules let one unit serve a controller-to-screen link where your output card is already fitted. Orders placed before 3 PM ET on in-stock items ship the same business day. Contact us to confirm current availability.
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