Upon opening the Pelican that the demo unit arrived in, I didn’t notice anything particularly different on the outside from its relatives, the Taiga+ and the Boreal+. Measuring the same 4U rack size and dimensions (630x425x175 mm) and featuring the instantly recognizable LED-backlit Hippo face, the Montane+ seemed familiar enough.
But the differences in the Montane+ are not what’s on the outside. Instead, the Montane+ has been built for power, and I couldn’t wait to take it for a spin.
What It Is
The Montane+ is the latest dedicated real-time graphics machine in the Hippotizer+ line of media servers. It has the most 3D processing power of the entire line of products, capable of handling the demands of 4K content, 3D mapping and real-time content generative effects featured in live events today.
Hardware
Built on a platform featuring arguably the fastest graphics card currently available, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, the Montane+ features two DP 1.2 outputs. With a max resolution of 4096 by 2160 per output, those two DP 1.2 outputs can be subdivided using splitters like the Datapath FX-4, for instance, into eight HD displays.
The server also has two DVI outs for Zookeeper, Hippotizer’s free control application, and it can be fitted with two optional video capture or accessory cards. These might include Quad-3GSDI, dual DisplayPort or a dedicated SMPTE card for LTC/VITC.
For networking, the Montane+ features a 10GB Ethernet port as well as a 1GB Ethernet. Other features (and comparable to the Boreal+) are: 3pin XLR ports for Stereo Audio In and Out; Intel i7 CPU; RAM 32GB DDR4; runs on Windows 10 Enterprise OS; System Drive 500 GB SSD; and they both include a 2TB media drive for content storage. It differs only slightly from the specs listed for the Boreal+, however in a couple of stats, including: Core speed, 3.6 GHz (whereas the Boreal+ core speed is 4.2GHz); number of threads/cores: 4/8 (the Boreal+ has 8/4; and media drive speed, 3000 MB/s (the Boreal+ media drive speed is 2000 MB/s). With an auto-switching power supply ranging from 100-250V 50/60Hz, the Montane+ is ready to be used practically anywhere.
A feature not found on the Montane+, however is Genlock. When I chatted with Ryan Brown, product manager for Green Hippo, he explained that this was a conscious decision. Most content creation servers like the Montane+ are designed for use primarily to create real-time generative effects and typically will be a part of a larger system of content servers, he noted. Thus, they don’t typically need to be Genlocked. However, they can be connected via a network with another server from the Hippotizer V4+ family that is Framelocked.
Notch
So, what about those real-time generative effects? Hippotizer V4 software features support for Notch with a two-year Notch Playback License and includes 10 free Notch FX exclusive to Hippotizer. But it’s in the playback of these types of Notch FX that Montane+ reveals its hidden nature. Scoring the highest ever score of 27,308 on Notchmarks, a benchmark used to rate servers rendering Notch FX, the Montane+ has the power needed to create, simulate, render, composite, edit and play complex effects that content designers want while delivering faster playback, all in real-time. Although all Hippotizer V4+ systems support Notch, the Montane+ promises the most power for all of those real-time generative effects.
Hippotizer V4 Software
- Montane+ can also handle Hippotizer V4 software features, including:
- Unlimited mixes with up to 16 layers per mix
- SHAPE 3D mapping
- Preview Stage Automation in real-time
- BlackTrax support
- Real Time 3D model mesh editing
- Projector Alignment tools
- Visualizer
- Uncompressed playback utilizing the FlexRes family of codecs
- Alpha transparency
Taking It for a Spin
Now for the fun part… finding the ways to make the media server break a little sweat. And I’m going to be very honest, this isn’t easy with the Montane+. Using the default output configuration with one viewport and one 1920-by-1080 mix, I increased the number of layers in the default mix from two to 16. And for good measure, I enabled high performance mode (which disables the preview thumbnails in the Mix window for each layer, as well as disabling the
visualizer). Then, one at time, I added a 4K piece of stock content to each layer while changing the layer composite mode to either ADD or SUB (to try to keep things consistent) and opened up the FPS monitor window located in the Performance tab of the engine. Watching the FPS monitor, the Montane+ was easily able to maintain 60 FPS while playing the wacky (and undesirable) combination of 16 layers of 4K content that I had created. In fact, the FPS heartbeat barely ever dropped off the 60 FPS mark to 59 FPS and only randomly.
Not satisfied that the Montane+ was even breathing hard at this point (the fans were still running at normal speed), I began by adding a Notch FX block to one layer at a time. What I found was that, if I picked the right Notch FX blocks combined together, the Montane+ could still handle two or three at a time, even while running the not-so practical composition of 16 layers of 4K content out of one output. But, still determined to find a way to make the Montane+ say “uncle,” I reset a few layers until I was back to six layers of 4K content. Then I started adding Notch FX to each — Trails and Matrix Particles seem to be a fun combination. But when I added the Notch FX called Tunnel — a very resource-heavy Notch block built to showcase the true performance power of Montane+ — to a third layer, suddenly the FPS dropped to a RED FPS number between 8-23. I then found a crazy weird combination of multiple Notch FX and 4K layers to finally make the Montane+ gasp (see Fig. 1). But, not wanting to take joy in making a machine struggle for too long, I started shutting off Notch FX until all that remained was just the Tunnel FX and the unaffected layers of 4K content, and the Montane+ was happy again, resuming its 60 FPS playback speed easily and quickly.
Summary
The reason I wanted to push the Montane+ to these kinds of impractical extremes was to simply be able to see how far it can go before delivering undesirable results. Do I think the tests I set up are scientific? Absolutely not! Nor are they really “real world,” either. And that’s the point. When you throw “real-world” practical at the Montane+, it will easily be able to handle it and deliver. But more importantly, especially given the high demand for generative effects in live events these days, the Montane+ proves itself to be a dominant force in the ‘out of this world’ realm as well.
And to be honest, I drive a Mini Cooper with an LED backlit center console, so maybe I’m a little partial to the LED-backlit Hippo on the front.
At a Glance:
Processing Power to Spare
As the latest dedicated real-time graphics machine in the Hippotizer+ line of media servers, the Montane+ has the most 3D processing power in Green Hippo’s entire line of products. It is capable of handling the demands of 4K content, 3D mapping and real-time content generative effects without breaking a sweat.
Hippotizer Montane+
PROS: Powered by NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti; two DP 1.2 outputs; 10GB Ethernet port plus 1GB Ethernet for networking; runs smoothly with just about any real-world video processing chore. Includes two-year Notch playback license; highest-ever score to date (27,308) on Notchmarks.
CONS: No Genlock (although Montane+ is typically used as part of a larger system of content servers).
SPECS
- Outputs: 2x DP 1.2
- Max Resolution/DP: 4096 x 2160
- HD Outs (w/ splitter): 8
- ZooKeeper Outs: 2x DVI
- Software Mixes: Unlimited
- Layers per Mix: 16
- Media Drive Size: 2TB
- Media Drive Speed: 3000 MB/s
- CPU: Intel i7
- Operating system: Windows 10 Enterprise
- # Threads (cores): 4(8)
- Core speed: 3.6GHz
- RAM: 32GB DDR4
- System Drive: 500GB SSD
- Hippotizer Software Assurance: 3 years
STATS
- Size: 4U; 24.8” x 16.7” x 6.9”
- Weight: 59.5 lbs.
- Power Input: PowerCon True 1
- Voltage: 100-250V 50/60Hz
- Power consumption: 800VA
- MSRP: $49,995
Manufacturer: Green Hippo
More Info: www.green-hippo.com