What is the NovaStar HDR Master 4K?
If your screen can show HDR but your content is all SDR, the NovaStar HDR Master 4K is the video processor that closes that gap: it converts ordinary SDR video into HDR10 or HLG on the way through, so you get the wider color range and the deeper blacks without waiting for anyone to re-master the content.
It runs the other way too, turning an HDR source back into ordinary video for the times your player is ahead of the screen rather than behind it.
Everything else it does is in service of that. It scales, it lays out layers, it holds backgrounds and logos, and it feeds your screen over HDMI, fiber or SDI — but the reason to buy this box rather than a cheaper processor is the conversion.
It is a 19-inch rack chassis with pluggable input and output cards, so the connectors you get are decided by the cards fitted rather than by the chassis. At 50.5 mm tall it does not fit a single rack unit — allow two.
Can you have 4K and sharp text at the same time?
No, not once you switch HDR on. HDR content carries 10 bits of color per pixel, and at that depth this box makes you pick one or the other. You can have 3840×2160@60 with some of the color information thinned out, or you can have every pixel keeping its own full color and a ceiling of 2560×1600@60. The trade is the same at 12-bit. NovaStar’s table calls the thinned version YCbCr 4:2:2 and the full one RGB or YCbCr 4:4:4.
Video is the forgiving case. Moving pictures on an LED wall look right with the thinned color, which is why 4K is the normal choice for them and nobody in the room sees what was dropped.
Text is the unforgiving one. Small lettering, a spreadsheet, a drawing, a live computer desktop — anything with a hard edge goes soft and slightly colored unless every pixel keeps its own color. If that is what your wall shows, your real ceiling with HDR running is 2560×1600@60 per output, not 4K.
Turn HDR off and drop to 8-bit and the box opens up: 4096×2160@60 with full color on every pixel, or 8192×1080@60 for a long strip. If your wall is a banner rather than a rectangle, that second figure is the one to plan against.
So settle two questions before you order. Does your content need HDR, and does it need hard edges? Your answers set the resolution you can have, and that decides whether this box fits the build.
HDR Master 4K key features
An HDR button you can hit in front of a client
Selling HDR is easier when someone can see it turn on. The front panel has a dedicated HDR key that switches the SDR-to-HDR conversion in and out live, so an A/B comparison on the actual wall takes one press rather than a settings menu.
A small screen beside it shows the red, green and blue levels arriving from your source while you do it, which is how you tell whether the source or the conversion is responsible for what you are looking at. Broadcast engineers know that display as an RGB parade.
A dead player does not stop the show
Stand a second source behind the first and the box moves to it by itself, with nobody hunting for the right menu while a room watches. NovaStar calls the setting input hot backup, and you arm it once during commissioning.
The number buttons on the front carry status LEDs that tell you which sources are connected and which are actually in use, so the state of the backup is readable at a glance.
Your wall stays in step with the rest of the rack
In a broadcast or multi-screen room, a processor running to its own clock shows up as a tear or a stutter where two pictures meet. Feed this one your house sync and it locks to it, then passes the same feed down the chain rather than stopping it there. The GENLOCK connector takes both bi-level and tri-level reference.
NovaStar HDR Master 4K specifications
The rows worth checking against your rack are the depth, the power draw and the noise figure, since this is a fan-cooled rack box that may end up near an audience.
| Conversion | SDR to HDR10 or HLG, and HDR10 or HLG back to SDR |
|---|---|
| Input card | 1 × HDMI 2.0, 1 × DP 1.2, 4 × 12G-SDI — up to six 4K×2K@60Hz inputs at once |
| Output cards | One with 1 × HDMI 2.0 and 4 × 10G fiber; one with 1 × HDMI 2.0 and 4 × 12G-SDI. Both carry the same content |
| Maximum output | 4096×2160@60Hz, or 8192×1080@60Hz on a wide strip, at 8-bit |
| 10-bit and 12-bit ceiling | 3840×2160@60Hz on YCbCr 4:2:2; 2560×1600@60Hz on RGB or YCbCr 4:4:4 |
| Content protection | HDCP 2.2 and 1.4 on HDMI; HDCP 1.3 on DisplayPort |
| Sync | GENLOCK in and loop, bi-level and tri-level |
| Backgrounds and logos | Up to 10 backgrounds at up to 8192 px, and 10 logos at up to 512 px, imported by USB |
| Power | 100–240 V, 3 A, 50/60 Hz; 120 W maximum |
| Chassis | 482.6 mm wide, 442.5 mm deep, 50.5 mm high; 7.5 kg. Taller than one rack unit — allow two |
| Noise | 50 dB(A) typical at 25 °C |
| Operating environment | 0 °C to 45 °C, 10% RH to 85% RH non-condensing |
| Certifications | CE, FCC, IC, RoHS |
Figures come from NovaStar’s HDR Master 4K specifications. Cables are generous in the box: two HDMI, a DP, a Mini DP to DP, Ethernet and four regional power cords.
Two output cards, but only one picture
You get the same image out of both cards, and that is the thing to settle before you design a system around this box. NovaStar states plainly that the fiber output card and the SDI process card carry the same content — two cards is not two independent screens.
What you are buying is the same image in three formats at once: HDMI, four 10G fiber ports, and four 12G-SDI. That suits a wall that needs a fiber run and an SDI feed to a broadcast truck from one source.
The four fiber ports copy each other in a fixed pattern rather than working as four separate feeds. Ports 1 and 2 each carry a copy of what leaves the HDMI socket, port 3 repeats port 1, and port 4 repeats port 2. They are labelled OPT 1 to OPT 4 on the card.
So that pairing buys you a spare path if a fiber gets cut, and a way to feed two fiber converters from one box. They never give you four different parts of one screen.
If your job genuinely needs two different pictures, this is the wrong box and a video processor with independent outputs is the right one.
What to check before you order
Three things, and the SDI cabling is the one that costs money if you get it wrong. For a 12G-SDI source NovaStar specifies CANARE, L-4.5CHD+ or UHDTV-SDI cable and a run under 50 m — ordinary SDI cable that was fine at 3G will not carry 12G reliably over that distance.
Second, confirm your rack space, both ways. At 442.5 mm this is deeper than most short-chassis processors, and the 50.5 mm height needs two rack units rather than the one its shape suggests. Both are dimensions people discover late.
Third, decide the card configuration you need. The connectors come from the fitted cards rather than the chassis, so confirm the input and output cards match your sources and your screen before the order goes in.
HDR Master 4K datasheet and manual
No cabinet configuration lives in this box, so it does not hold anything your screen depends on. What it does hold is your layer layout, your backgrounds and your logos, which are worth exporting once the room is set the way you want it.
Both documents are worth having before commissioning. The specification settles what the connectors will and will not do; the manual covers the menu structure behind the knob and the front-panel keys.
NovaStar HDR Master 4K FAQ
Can it make HDR from ordinary SDR content?
Yes, that is what it is for. It converts SDR to HDR10 or HLG on the way through, and converts HDR10 or HLG back to SDR when the source is ahead of the screen instead.
Does it do 4K at 10-bit with full 4:4:4 color?
No. At 10-bit and 12-bit, full RGB or YCbCr 4:4:4 tops out at 2560×1600@60Hz. To reach 3840×2160@60Hz at those bit depths you use YCbCr 4:2:2.
Can the two output cards drive two different screens?
No. NovaStar states both output cards carry the same content. You get one picture in HDMI, fiber and SDI at once, not two independent pictures.
Are the four fiber ports four separate outputs?
No. OPT 1 and OPT 2 each copy the HDMI output, OPT 3 copies OPT 1 and OPT 4 copies OPT 2. They are there for redundancy and for feeding more than one converter, not for splitting a screen.
What cable do I need for 12G-SDI?
NovaStar specifies CANARE, L-4.5CHD+ or UHDTV-SDI cable, with the run kept under 50 m. Cable that worked at 3G is not a safe substitute at 12G.
How deep is it, and how loud?
442.5 mm deep, 50.5 mm tall and 50 dB(A) typical. The height is over one rack unit, so allow two. Check the depth and the noise too if the rack is shallow or sits in the same room as an audience.
Can it lock to house sync?
Yes. The GENLOCK connector accepts bi-level and tri-level reference and loops it through, so it can sit in a chain with other synced equipment.
Will it fail over if a player dies mid-show?
Yes, if you set up input hot backup beforehand. A second source stands behind the first and takes over automatically rather than waiting for someone to switch it.
What warranty covers an HDR Master 4K?
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. Send the configuration and the quantity for volume pricing. Purchase orders and Net 30 terms may be available for approved schools, government buyers, venues and established integrators.
How do I order an HDR Master 4K?
Confirm the input and output cards you need first, since the connectors depend on them. Orders placed before 3 PM ET on in-stock items ship the same business day from Florida. Contact us to confirm current availability.
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