Bluefish444 has released IngeSTore 2.0, a major update to its professional multichannel ingest software now optimized for Windows 11. The new version expands simultaneous capture to eight channels and brings native support for a broad range of broadcast interfaces including SDI, ST 2110, HDMI, and NDI.

This upgrade targets demanding live production and archival workflows where reliability, channel density, and format flexibility are critical. By leveraging the performance and security enhancements of Windows 11, IngeSTore 2.0 provides a robust foundation for capturing high-quality video from a variety of sources in studio, OB van, and remote environments.

What is IngeSTore?

Bluefish444's IngeSTore is a dedicated software application designed for high-performance video ingest and recording. Built to work hand-in-hand with the company's family of video I/O cards, it allows broadcasters, production houses, and AV professionals to capture multiple streams of video simultaneously into a wide range of industry-standard formats and codecs. The platform has been a staple in broadcast control rooms, live event trucks, and institutional archival setups since its initial release.

Unlike general-purpose screen recorders or streaming software, IngeSTore is engineered for 24/7 reliability with frame-accurate precision, extensive metadata handling, and deep integration with hardware for minimal latency. Version 2.0 builds on this pedigree with a host of new capabilities aimed at modern IP-based and hybrid production pipelines.

Eight-Channel Capture: A Generational Leap

The headlining feature of IngeSTore 2.0 is its ability to ingest from eight independent sources concurrently. This quadruples the channel count of many previous ingest workstations and dramatically reduces the hardware footprint needed for complex productions. A single Windows 11 PC equipped with the appropriate Bluefish444 I/O cards can now replace multiple machines, saving rack space, power, and cabling complexity.

Each channel can be configured independently with its own input type, resolution, framerate, and recording format. This means a single system can simultaneously capture from legacy SDI cameras, a cutting-edge ST 2110 IP stream, an HDMI feed from a presentation laptop, and an NDI source from a remote desktop—all while maintaining perfect synchronization and redundancy.

A Closer Look at Supported Interfaces

IngeSTore 2.0's interface support is a direct response to the industry's shifting needs. Let's examine each:

  • SDI (Serial Digital Interface): The backbone of professional broadcast for decades. SDI carries uncompressed video, embedded audio, and ancillary data over coaxial cable with deterministic latency. IngeSTore 2.0 supports SDI inputs up to 12G-SDI, enabling 4K/60p capture over a single cable. It also handles lower-bitrate variants like 3G-SDI, HD-SDI, and SD-SDI, making it compatible with virtually any existing broadcast camera, switcher, or router.

  • ST 2110: The SMPTE ST 2110 standard suite transports video, audio, and metadata separately over IP networks. This enables flexible, scalable, and future-proof infrastructure where signals are routed through standard Ethernet switches rather than dedicated coax matrices. With ST 2110 support, IngeSTore 2.0 can directly ingest IP streams, fitting seamlessly into all-IP studios and remote production workflows. It supports common video profiles including 2110-20 (uncompressed), 2110-22 (JPEG XS), and 2110-30 (audio), ensuring interoperability with leading IP broadcast equipment.

  • HDMI: The ubiquitous interface for consumer and prosumer devices. HDMI support in IngeSTore 2.0 allows capture from a vast array of sources: presentation laptops, gaming consoles, mirrorless cameras used for budget-minded productions, and even 4K Blu-ray players for content screening. With HDMI 2.0 capabilities, it can ingest 4K/60p signals, making it suitable for high-quality monitoring and backup feeds.

  • NDI (Network Device Interface): NDI is a royalty-free protocol developed by Vizrt that enables low-latency video transport over standard gigabit Ethernet. Widely adopted in live production, NDI allows software applications, hardware encoders, and cameras to send and receive video streams across a network without dedicated capture hardware. IngeSTore 2.0's NDI® support means it can ingest feeds from NDI-enabled PTZ cameras, TriCaster systems, vMix setups, or any NDI source on the LAN, dramatically expanding its input options without physical cabling.

Together, these four interface types cover the entire spectrum from traditional baseband to fully networked productions, giving IngeSTore 2.0 unrivaled versatility.

Why Windows 11 Matters for Ingest Workflows

Windows 11 marks a significant step forward in operating system design, and IngeSTore 2.0 takes full advantage of its enhancements:

  • Performance improvements: A refined memory manager and foreground process prioritization ensure that video capture threads receive consistent CPU and GPU resources, reducing frame drop risk. New storage APIs like DirectStorage can accelerate write speeds to NVMe SSDs, a boon for multichannel uncompressed recording.
  • Enhanced security: Broadcast facilities demand airtight security, especially when systems are networked. Windows 11’s TPM 2.0 mandate, virtualization-based security, and hardware-enforced stack protection provide a hardened environment against malware and unauthorized access. This is critical for ingest servers that often hold high-value content before it is edited or archived.
  • Modern hardware support: Windows 11 is optimized for Intel’s 12th-Gen and newer CPUs with their hybrid architectures, as well as AMD’s Ryzen 7000 series. These processors offer more PCIe lanes and higher core counts, directly benefiting multichannel I/O cards and encoding workloads. Bluefish444 has verified driver compatibility with Windows 11, ensuring a smooth deployment.
  • Long-term reliability: As Microsoft’s current OS focus, Windows 11 will receive feature updates and security patches well into the future, giving facilities a stable platform for years of operation.

Live Production and Archival Workflows in Focus

IngeSTore 2.0 is purpose-built for two primary use cases:

Live Production Ingest

In a live television or streaming environment, capturing clean recorded versions of all camera feeds is essential for instant replays, highlights packages, and social media clips. With eight channels, a single IngeSTore 2.0 system can record every camera on a flypack, plus program and clean-feed outputs. Producers can quickly locate and edit the right angle without ingesting from camera media cards post-event.

Because the software runs on Windows 11, operators can use standard PC hardware, easily replacing or upgrading components. Integration with broadcast automation systems via API or watch folder mechanisms allows for automated file naming, metadata insertion, and delivery to editing suites or cloud storage.

Archival and Compliance Recording

Broadcasters and houses of worship, universities, and legislative bodies must often keep long-term records of their output. IngeSTore 2.0 can function as a continuous logging recorder, capturing program feeds 24/7 in a lightweight yet high-quality format. The eight channels can be split across multiple feeds and backup sources, ensuring redundancy. Timestamped files, together with metadata logging, make searching and retrieval straightforward.

For archival purposes, the software can record directly to network-attached storage or LTO-like tape systems via third-party integration, preserving content for decades with minimal manual intervention.

System Requirements and Compatibility

While Bluefish444 keeps the exact specifications flexible, a typical IngeSTore 2.0 system will include:

  • Operating System: Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise (64-bit).
  • Capture Hardware: One or more Bluefish444 video I/O cards from the Epoch, Supernova, or Kronos ranges, depending on the required interface mix and channel count.
  • CPU: Modern multi-core Intel Core i7 / i9 or AMD Ryzen 7 / 9 processor (Gen 12th/Alder Lake or newer recommended for ST 2110 processing).
  • GPU: Not mandatory but a discrete NVIDIA or AMD GPU can offload encoding for certain codecs and provide additional processing for downscaling or compositing.
  • Storage: Fast SSD RAID array (NVMe or SAS) with sustained write speeds exceeding the aggregate bitrate of all channels. For 8 channels of 4K ProRes 422, this can mean several gigabytes per second.
  • Network: For ST 2110, at least one 25GbE or 100GbE NIC; for NDI, a standard 1GbE or 10GbE link may suffice depending on stream count and quality.

Bluefish444 offers comprehensive driver and SDK support, ensuring IngeSTore 2.0 can be integrated into custom broadcast applications or controlled remotely via APIs.

Industry Impact and Practical Benefits

The launch of IngeSTore 2.0 addresses several pain points in media production:

  • Reduced hardware sprawl: Consolidating eight channels into one PC lowers capital and operational expense, simplifies setup, and reduces points of failure.
  • Hybrid workflow readiness: Facilities transitioning from SDI to IP find a single software tool that handles both world simultaneously, easing migration.
  • Ease of use: IngeSTore’s user interface is designed for operators, not just engineers, with clear channel status displays, one-click recording, and rack-ready customization.
  • Scalability: Multiple IngeSTore 2.0 workstations can be synchronized to record dozens of channels across a large-scale production, controlled from a central dashboard.

Furthermore, Windows 11’s compatibility with a wide range of third-party software means that IngeSTore 2.0 can coexist with playout servers, graphics engines, and analysis tools on the same machine or network, fostering an open ecosystem.

How to Get IngeSTore 2.0

IngeSTore 2.0 is available directly from Bluefish444 and through its authorized reseller network. Pricing follows the company’s traditional channel-based licensing model, where organizations purchase a base license and then add channel packs as needed. Existing Bluefish444 customers on active support contracts may be eligible for upgrade discounts.

For media enterprises evaluating the software, Bluefish444 typically offers trial licenses and demonstration units through its sales team, allowing facilities to test the 8-channel performance with their own workflows before committing.

Looking Ahead

With IngeSTore 2.0, Bluefish444 reasserts its commitment to the Windows-based broadcast ingest market. The move to Windows 11 and the inclusion of ST 2110 and NDI position the software at the forefront of the IP transition, while the jump to eight channels makes it one of the densest ingest solutions available in a single PC form factor. As live production continues to embrace more sources and higher resolutions, such scalable, interface-agnostic tools will become indispensable.

Broadcast engineers and system integrators now have a compelling new option that unites legacy hardware investments with the agility of modern IP infrastructure—all running on the latest Windows platform.