Hive, a company specialising in media control systems and software, has revealed plans to launch its most powerful media engine yet, the Beeblade Nexus, at ISE 2025.
In addition to Nexus, Hive will reveal version 1.2 of its user-friendly software, present the Nucleus chassis to European audiences, and showcase the Panasonic Interactive Immersive Experience.
ISE 2025 is taking place in Barcelona from 4 to 7 February. Delegates can find Hive at stand #5E880 in Hall 5, and learn about its innovative solutions for live entertainment and fixed installations.
Power, functionality & value
The Beeblade Nexus is the latest addition to Hive’s award-winning Beeblade series. It offers outstanding performance in a compact and scalable SDM configuration. Powered by Hive’s Beeblade computing module, it provides excellent performance at a lower cost than traditional media servers, making it ideal for AV specialists looking for powerful yet user-friendly solutions.
The Nexus is a first-in-class daughter board system with optical fibre Ethernet connections that provide 10, 25, and 100 Gigabit connectivity. This allows for ultra-high bandwidth uncompressed streams via SMPTE 2110 and NDI. Furthermore, Nexus’ 8K60 2.1 HDMI output quadruples the pixel count of its predecessor, resulting in sharper and more immersive content.
In a world first, Hive’s Beesync technology enables the HDMI output to synchronise across numerous Nexus devices with +/- 5-microsecond accuracy, guaranteeing flawless frame synchronisation.
Support for SMPTE 2110, which allows uncompressed audio, video, and metadata to be transported across IP networks, is another noteworthy feature. This standard will be available in Q2 2025, and offers accuracy, adaptability, and interoperability for next-generation workflows to revolutionise broadcast and live production environments.
The Beeblade Nexus is compatible with any display device with an SDM-L socket and Hive’s media engine enclosures, including the Nucleus (2x Beeblades in a 1RU chassis) and Beehive (up to 16x Beeblades in a 5RU chassis), allowing users to customise performance for their project needs. A fully loaded Beehive with 16 synchronised Nexus boards provides unprecedented performance, supporting x16 8K60 outputs, making it the highest density media playout device currently available.
Mark Calvert, co-founder of Hive, says: “We’re on an exciting mission to revolutionise and demystify the media server industry with products that are powerful, compact and easy to use. Our new Beeblade Nexus, combined with our latest Nucleus enclosure and V1.2 software update, offer unmatched performance, functionality and value. Collaborations with industry leaders like Panasonic and ROE further reinforce our commitment to innovation and efficiency.”
Versatile solutions
Hive will also present its V1.2 software update, which delivers cutting-edge features including scheduling for easier content management, warp and blend capabilities for multi-projector installations, Vioso camera-based calibration workflows, and support for 10-bit HDR.
The update includes event-driven flowcharts for sophisticated playback interactions, AI image utilities like ImageExtend and ImageUpScale, and UDP/OSC data handling for improved customisation are made possible via a new Dataflow page in the Hive interface. In addition, the Hive Cloud offers additional connectivity and collaboration functionality that enables users to manage projects and installations remotely.
In addition, Hive will power the “Global Teleport” experience, which is the central feature of Panasonic’s stand, #3J500, in Hall 3. Visitors can upload photographs from their phones and view them on a curved screen in real-time, demonstrating Hive’s Beeblade media engine and low-latency integration with Unreal Engine and Notch.
Hartmut Kulessa, senior marketing manager at Panasonic Connect. says: “We are delighted to collaborate with Hive on this innovative application for ISE. Hive’s media playout technology perfectly complements our projectors’ configurable input slot, creating streamlined, cost-efficient and sustainable installations.“
A mock-up of the Global Teleport activation will be displayed at Hive’s stand, #5E880, where visitors can learn about the technology in greater depth.
Hive is also supporting ROE Visual at stand #3P300. Here, an LED screen playback and LED pixel mapping solutions using 10-BitHDR will further illustrate the company’s adaptability in dynamic visual applications.
ISE 2025 attendees can experience Hive’s latest hardware and software innovations at stand #5E880, with drinks and giveaways from 4 – 6 pm each day. To book a demo or meeting, please visit Hive’s website.
Thomas Vertommen of Panasonic Connect Europe recently shared his opinion on the importance of collaboration, and shared how partnerships with companies such as Hive are driving the success of experiential entertainment.
