NovaStar's entry-level standalone LED controller for smaller, single-card displays.
NovaStar · standalone sending controller
NovaStar MCTRL300 LED wall controller
The MCTRL300 is one of NovaStar's longest-serving standalone (independent) LED controllers: it takes the picture in through a single DVI video input and passes it on to the receiving cards over its Ethernet output(s). It was built for small and medium-sized fixed installations where multi-channel video splicing is not needed.
The manufacturer still updates the specification document (the latest version dates from November 2024), which shows the device is still active in the range, even though functionally it stays well behind the larger MCTRL series (the MCTRL4K or the MCTRL660 Pro, for instance).
Where the MCTRL300 sits in an LED wall system
It sits at the end of the signal path, between the playback machine and the receiving cards: the graphics card output goes into its DVI input, and Cat5e or Cat6 runs from its two RJ45 ports to the receiving cards in the cabinets, then on to the HUB card and the module. It only drives NovaStar receiving cards (A5s Plus, A8s, MRV412-N); a Colorlight or Linsn receiving card will not talk to it. Configuration is done in NovaLCT, and it connects to the PC with a type-B USB cable. It has a light sensor input (LIGHT SENSOR) for automatic brightness control, and an audio input that carries sound over the network cable to the multifunction card on the receiving side.
WHEN IT IS THE RIGHT CHOICE
For a smaller, fixed-installation LED wall showing a single video source, where price and simplicity are the main considerations.
WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR
There is no built-in multi-window splicing; for a project with a higher resolution or more inputs, the MCTRL4K or the VX series is the better fit.
The MCTRL300 in practice
Commissioning order: first load the receiving card parameter file (the `.rcfgx` or `.rcfg` you request from the module supplier) in NovaLCT, and only then set the port allocation and the cabinet order. There are two ports at 650,000 pixels each, so the ceiling is roughly 1.3 million pixels: a 500 × 500 mm P3.91 cabinet is 128 × 128 = 16,384 pixels, which on paper is 39 cabinets per port, and fewer in practice. After a factory reset the device starts up with a default 128 × 128 screen configuration at 1080p, so you see half a picture or repeating content until it is configured again. Brightness is stored on the receiving card, not on the sender — a recurring misunderstanding during fault-finding. Up to 20 units can be daisy-chained over the UART IN/OUT port. It does not accept an interlaced signal.
Alternatives to the MCTRL300
Above 1.3 million pixels, or if an HDMI/SDI source is also needed, the MCTRL660 Pro (6 ports plus fibre) is the next step up; for a 4K source, the MCTRL4K. If you need to scale, crop and switch between two sources as well as send, the all-in-one VX400 gives you more at a similar price. If there is no permanently running PC — an advertising sign, a shop window, a gateway display — a sending controller is the wrong device there; use an asynchronous player instead: a Taurus TB30 or TB40.
MCTRL300 manual and datasheet
The documents live on the manufacturer's own site and open in a new window — so you always get the latest version. We do not copy or translate their contents.
MCTRL300 on video
The player is only embedded on click — until then not a single request goes to YouTube.
Novastar MCTRL300 SENDING CONTROLLER-Unboxing and Overview
mctrlvp shenzhen · YouTube · Demo
How to connect and use Nova star MCTRL300 Box to screen
mctrlvp shenzhen · YouTube · Tutorial
MCTRL300: what users report
A concise summary of experiences published in public professional forums and communities. Not our opinion, and not a quotation — the source is always available.
A longer fault-finding exchange between the developer of an open-source controller library and a user reveals that the serial protocol of the MCTRL300, MCTRL600 and MCTRL660 cards shows small but troublesome differences (not all of them run at 115200 baud, for instance, and over USB the device has to be identified by VID/PID). The lesson: the brightness setting is always stored on the receiving card, not on the sender, and this is a frequent source of misunderstanding.
GitHub — sarakusha/novastar (issue #602) — open the sourceRelated LED wall controllers
LED wall controller — but what does it go into?
On its own the NovaStar MCTRL300 is a component. With us it works inside these displays — design, manufacturing and installation included.
