Cobalt Digital
Cobalt Digital designs and manufactures broadcast and Pro AV signal processing hardware — including converters, routers, multiviewers, encoders, and the openGear modular platform — serving professional broadcasters and outside-broadcast production companies worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersChampaign, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Cobalt Digital does
Cobalt Digital Inc. is a privately held US designer and manufacturer of broadcast and professional AV signal processing equipment, founded in 1997 and headquartered in Champaign, Illinois with 11-50 employees. The company builds hardware and software products for converting, routing, compressing, and monitoring audio/video signals across SDI (12G/6G/3G/HD/SD), SMPTE ST 2110, IPMX, JPEG-XS, HEVC/AVC, and Dante protocols, organized into product lines including blueCORE standalone processors, ARIA audio, WAVE routers, INDIGO ST 2110, PACIFIC compression, SAPPHIRE mini-converters, and the openGear modular platform (of which Cobalt is a founding partner since 2012). Technology differentiators include native ST 2110 daughter-card integration, sub-80W power draw on blueCORE, multi-channel density (up to 24 channels per HPF-9000 frame), RIST Main Profile Security, and a five-year warranty on US-manufactured hardware.
Cobalt generates revenue primarily through one-time hardware sales of openGear cards, standalone processors, routers, multiviewers, converters, encoders/decoders, and frames, supplemented by license-based feature options such as +AVC, +HEVC, +4K, and software-enabled GPO/GPI. The company does not publish pricing and operates a quote-based sales model, distributing exclusively through a worldwide network of authorized dealers, system integrators, and VARs — with direct sales-team engagement for quotes and technical inquiries. Its customer base spans professional broadcast television (primary), Pro AV, and outside-broadcast/mobile production segments, with named reference accounts including NBCUniversal (Tokyo Olympics) and NEP (Supershooter 6). Marketing is event-driven (NAB, IBC, ISE, InfoComm, BroadcastAsia) combined with content marketing, social media, and reseller channel development. Internationally, Cobalt operates through a Beijing representative office opened in January 2022 and an EMEA sales director appointment, serving the US, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific.
Cobalt Digital firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cobalt Digital
- Legal name
- Cobalt Digital Inc.
- Website
- https://cobaltdigital.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Cobalt Digital designs and manufactures broadcast and Pro AV signal processing hardware — including converters, routers, multiviewers, encoders, and the openGear modular platform — serving professional broadcasters and outside-broadcast production companies worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cobalt Digital industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Broadcast Signal Processing Equipment
- NAICS
- Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing (33431), Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing (33422)
- SIC
- Communications Equipment, Nec (3669)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hardware Encoders & Transcoders (Appliances, FPGA/ASIC) (MPAHAHAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Video Adapters & Converters (HDMI/DP/VGA/DVI/USB-C) (HDACAHAF)
Keywords
Where Cobalt Digital is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Champaign
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cobalt Digital business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Hardware Product Sales: Cobalt Digital designs and manufactures physical signal processing equipment including openGear cards, standalone processors, routers, multiviewers, converters, encoders/decoders, and frame systems. Revenue is generated through one-time hardware sales with optional software licenses and expansion modules.
- Software Licenses and Options: Products support license-based feature expansion (e.g., +AVC, +HEVC, +4K for encoding; license-based GPO/GPI for control panels). Software options provide incremental functionality upgrades.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Cobalt Digital product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cobalt Digital designs, manufactures, and sells professional broadcast and Pro AV signal processing hardware, including openGear modular cards and frames, standalone 1RU processors, audio monitors, routers, multiviewers, frame synchronizers, encoders/decoders, and mini-converters supporting SDI, SMPTE ST 2110, IPMX, and related standards. Products are sold worldwide through authorized dealers and system integrators, with optional software licenses enabling feature expansion for codec support, 4K, and IP gateway capabilities.
Product overview
Cobalt Digital offers a comprehensive portfolio of broadcast and professional AV signal processing solutions organized around several core product lines: blueCORE standalone processors (1RU signal processors bridging SDI and ST 2110/IPMX), ARIA audio products (monitors, routers, multiviewers with Dante support), WAVE routers and control panels (12G SDI with PoE++), INDIGO ST 2110 solutions (native 4K uncompressed processing via daughter cards and gateways), PACIFIC encoders/decoders (HEVC/AVC with ST 2110 support), SAPPHIRE mini-converters (ST 2110/IPMX to HDMI/SDI), and the openGear modular platform (featuring the 9905-MPx quad-path processor and HPF-MAX frames). The company operates as a founding partner in the openGear initiative, providing both modular cards for integration into openGear frames and standalone devices. Solutions address 12G/4K-UHD, IPMX, ST 2110, HDR production, hybrid satellite-internet workflows, and accessibility compliance.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- blueCORE: Family of standalone 1RU signal processors supporting SDI and ST 2110 workflows, featuring multi-function audio and video processing with up/down/cross conversion, colour correction, HDR processing, and audio routing.
- ARIA
- WAVE
- INDIGO
- PACIFIC
- Blue Box Group
- TOPAZ
- CYAN Fiber
- SAPPHIRE
Products and services
- COBALT blueCORE Processors Family of standalone 1RU signal processors that bridge SDI and ST 2110/IPMX workflows, offering multi-function audio and video processing with up/down/cross conversion, colour correction, HDR processing, and audio routing in a compact form factor with low power consumption, targeting live production environments such as OB vans and flypacks.
- ARIA Audio Products Audio monitoring, routing, multiviewer, and control solutions including the ARIA OG-AUD4-DANTE which supports 12G SDI and Dante/AES/MADI audio with flexible embedding and de-embedding capabilities.
- WAVE Router and Control Panel Series 12G SDI routers with complementary control panels supporting PoE++, redundant power, open API, and optically isolated GPO/GPI inputs/outputs for flexible broadcast routing deployments.
- INDIGO ST 2110 Solutions Native 4K uncompressed ST 2110 and JPEG-XS processing solutions including daughter cards (2110-DC-01, 2110-DC-02) and gateway cards that add native SMPTE ST 2110 support to existing openGear cards.
- PACIFIC Encoder/Decoder Series HEVC/AVC/MPEG2 software-defined broadcast encoders and decoders including the 9992-ENC-INDIGO with ST 2110 support, supporting up to 4 channels of 1080p encoding with additional licenses and 4K capability.
- SAPPHIRE Converters Mini-converters providing conversion between ST 2110/IPMX and HDMI/SDI in single, dual, and quad-channel models designed for behind-the-monitor mounting up to 4K resolution.
- openGear Cards and Frames Modular platform including the 9905-MPx multi-channel processor (4 independent signal paths in one card), HPF-MAX high-power frames (600W in 2RU 20-slot format), and various signal processing cards designed for flexible deployment in openGear frames.
- BLUE BOX GROUP Converters Line of interface converter throwdown boxes that simplify IP and 12G/6G/3G/HD/SD conversion and processing tasks for broadcast and Pro AV environments.
- TOPAZ Multi-Processors Multi-processor products for broadcast applications supporting multiple signal processing functions in a single unit.
- CYAN Fiber Optic Transport Fiber optic transport solutions for extending broadcast signals over fiber infrastructure in production and distribution environments.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 24 channels (6 cards) of processing in a single HPF-9000 frame
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Cobalt Digital
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cobalt Digital technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability1 record
Feature7 records
Cobalt Digital partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- SineSix MediacoreCobalt Digital partnered with SineSix Media to integrate SineSix's vocalVision audio description solution into Cobalt's 9922 frame synchronizer family. This combined solution provides real-time audio descriptions of on-screen graphics (weather maps, election data, sports graphics) for visually impaired viewers, enabling broadcasters to comply with the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (21CVAA). Demonstrations were conducted at NAB Show 2026.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Cobalt Digital competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Imagine Communications: Direct competitor in broadcast signal processing, routing, and IP migration (SMPTE ST 2110, playout, master control). Both vendors target the same broadcast and Pro AV customers with overlapping conversion, compression, and routing portfolios.
- Grass Valley: Major broadcast infrastructure vendor offering routers, conversion, multiviewers, and IP gateways. Overlaps with Cobalt's openGear-based processing, routing (WAVE vs GV routers), and IPMX/ST 2110 transition products serving the same NBCU/NEP-tier broadcasters.
- Evertz: Direct competitor in broadcast IP infrastructure with the IPX-32C platform, MAGNUM-OS routing control, and ST 2110/ASPEN processing. Competes head-to-head with Cobalt in routing, multiviewing, and IP gateway categories.
- Ross Video: Competing broadcast and live-event vendor with openGear-based signal processing, routing (Ultrix), and graphics/automation. Shares the openGear platform with Cobalt and competes for the same OB-truck and master-control budgets.
- AJA Video Systems: Mini-converter and I/O card maker with significant overlap to Cobalt's SAPPHIRE and Blue Box Group product lines for broadcast and Pro AV signal conversion, including ST 2110/IPMX transition products.
- TAG Video Systems: IP-based multiviewer and probing specialist competing with Cobalt's multiviewer offerings. Both vendors target the same ST 2110 monitoring and broadcast-quality-of-experience use cases.
- Matrox: Developer of video I/O cards, converters, and IPMX/ST 2110-enabled products for broadcast and Pro AV. Overlaps with Cobalt's converter and IP gateway portfolio for similar OEM and integrator customers.
- Blackmagic Design: Broad-line broadcast and Pro AV vendor offering converters, routers, multiviewers, and capture hardware at aggressive price points. Competes in the same mid-market segments as Cobalt's Blue Box Group and SAPPHIRE mini-converters.
- Artel Video Systems: Specialist in IP-based media transport, fiber, and ST 2110 gateways. Overlaps with Cobalt's CYAN fiber transport and INDIGO ST 2110 gateway lines for similar broadcast contribution and distribution customers.
Broad incumbents
- Telos Alliance: Broadcast audio specialist (Linear Acoustic, Axia, Omnia) addressing CALM Act and advanced audio processing—overlaps with Cobalt's ARIA audio products and Station/CALM compliance solutions for broadcast audio monitoring and loudness.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cobalt Digital social profiles
Digital presenceCobalt Digital financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cobalt Digital leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Cobalt Digital funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cobalt Digital M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cobalt Digital
What does Cobalt Digital do?
Cobalt Digital designs, manufactures, and sells professional broadcast and Pro AV signal processing hardware, including openGear modular cards and frames, standalone 1RU processors, audio monitors, routers, multiviewers, frame synchronizers, encoders/decoders, and mini-converters supporting SDI, SMPTE ST 2110, IPMX, and related standards. Products are sold worldwide through authorized dealers and system integrators, with optional software licenses enabling feature expansion for codec support, 4K, and IP gateway capabilities.
Is Cobalt Digital a public or private company?
Cobalt Digital is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cobalt Digital founded?
Cobalt Digital was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Cobalt Digital based?
Cobalt Digital is headquartered in Champaign, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cobalt Digital make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Hardware Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are software Licenses and Options.
Who are Cobalt Digital's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Imagine Communications, Grass Valley, Evertz, Ross Video, AJA Video Systems, TAG Video Systems, Matrox, Blackmagic Design and Artel Video Systems. Telos Alliance is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Cobalt Digital have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cobalt Digital.
What industry is Cobalt Digital in?
Cobalt Digital's product category is Broadcast Signal Processing Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAHAHAB, Hardware Encoders & Transcoders (Appliances, FPGA/ASIC), with a secondary code of HDACAHAF, Video Adapters & Converters (HDMI/DP/VGA/DVI/USB-C). Its NAICS code is 33431 and its SIC code is 3669.