NovaStar · asynchronous/synchronous multimedia player

NovaStar Taurus TB50 asynchronous LED controller

The TB50 is one of the key models in the Taurus series: it has a load capacity of up to 1,300,000 pixels (max. 4096×4096 pixels), two gigabit Ethernet ports (one primary by default, the other settable as a backup) and an HDMI 1.4 connector usable both as an input (scaled to the whole wall in synchronous mode) and as an output. The audio output supports stereo audio at a 48 kHz sampling rate.

Because of the unit's dual operating mode, the same hardware can be used both for continuous, live PC-driven (synchronous) display and for standalone playback of downloaded content (asynchronous), which gives flexibility on event work and permanent outdoor installations alike. Typical applications: commercial LED walls, lamp-post displays, shop windows and retail chain networks, where reliability and NovaStar's cloud (VNNOX) remote supervision matter.

Where the NovaStar Taurus TB50 sits in the signal chain. Every stage of the diagram is clickable — it takes you to that category.

Where the Taurus TB50 sits in an LED wall system

Because of its dual role it can be placed on two signal paths. In asynchronous mode the 16 GB of internal storage is the source, and the box acts as a sending card driving the receiving cards hanging off the Cat5e/Cat6 (A5s Plus, A8s, MRV412-N) over HUB75E. In synchronous mode the HDMI 1.4 input is the source: the system scales the incoming picture to the whole surface of the wall, and the internal storage drops out of the chain. The 1,300,000 pixel load capacity amounts to two gigabit LED ports, typically 4–8 receiving cards. Content management is ViPlex Express/Handy, remote supervision is VNNOX, and the wall's physical configuration is NovaLCT.

WHEN IT IS THE RIGHT CHOICE

On projects where the same display has to be run sometimes in synchronous (live PC) mode and sometimes as a standalone asynchronous player.

WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR

The HDMI input only scales the picture automatically to the whole wall in synchronous mode; for asynchronous content the uploaded material has to be sized to the display's resolution in advance.

The Taurus TB50 in practice

Commissioning follows the usual order: connect over Wi-Fi in AP mode, change the password, set the time zone and NTP, then the brightness profile (outdoors typically reduced to 15–25% at night). Dual mode is what causes most of the on-site errors here: the operating mode has to be selected explicitly in ViPlex Express, because on a device set to synchronous mode the uploaded playlist will not start, and conversely the HDMI source stays black in asynchronous mode. Scaling is only automatic on the synchronous branch; for asynchronous content the video has to be rendered to the wall's exact resolution in advance. The 16 GB of storage fills up quickly with 4K material, a noticeable limitation against the 32 GB of the TB40/TB60. After a power cut the device starts in its most recent mode; if the internet drops, the asynchronous playlist carries on undisturbed, while the synchronous branch goes black the moment the source is lost.

Alternatives to the Taurus TB50

If the display will never receive a live signal, the TB40 gives the same pixel count with twice the storage and for less. For a larger wall the TB60, and for building into your own enclosure the T60. From another manufacturer the Huidu HD-A4L is the closest dual-mode counterpart, with a smaller, cheaper entry point. If the live signal is the main event, however (a camera, an event, switching between several sources), the answer is not a dual-mode box but a dedicated synchronous sender (VX400/VX600) or a video processor, because the TB50's HDMI branch is single-source and is not a scaler-switcher.

Taurus TB50 manual and datasheet

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