NIPROS VEGA-R Fiber Adapter for RED KOMODO Introduced – Zero-Latency 12G-SDI, Analog Optical Transmission, 1GbE Control

by Nino LeitnerToday

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Japanese broadcast manufacturer NIPROS has introduced the VEGA-R, a compact V-mount fiber camera adapter designed around RED’s KOMODO and KOMODO-X that carries 12G-SDI, return video, genlock, timecode, intercom, tally, and Gigabit Ethernet over a single SMPTE cable. CineD’s Eric van Vuuren spoke to Greg Smokler at the NIPROS booth about why the company transmits every signal as pure analog light, and where the VEGA-R sits next to the larger Orion, Orion Pro, and Sirius PTZ systems.

The VEGA-R mounts between the camera and a V-mount battery, passing 14V through to the camera and adding two P-Tap outputs. According to NIPROS, it offers one 12G-SDI input with a re-clocked through output, one 12G-SDI return output, tri-level genlock and timecode on BNC, a 12-pin RS-422/RS-232C serial port, LANC, a 1Gbps RJ45 port, a voltage-type tally output, and a 4-wire headset intercom on 4-pin XLR. The connection to the base station is a LEMO SMPTE 304M hybrid cable with a stated maximum run of approximately 600m (1,969ft) when the adapter is powered from the base station. The magnesium housing measures approximately 110 x 156 x 186mm (4.33 x 6.14 x 7.32in) and weighs around 1.45kg (3.2lb), and the adapter draws about 20W at most.

NIPROS will be a new name to many of our readers, but Greg is not. We have known him over the years in his former role at Creative Solutions, whether on SmallHD monitors or as one of the recipients of the Academy’s Scientific and Engineering Award for the Teradek Bolt. He now runs his own company, On Program, which is handling the development of NIPROS’s international business in Europe and the Americas, including the reseller network. He described NIPROS as a company with close to 35 years in video transmission, well known in Japan and responsible for engineering work for other brands in the industry, and said the purpose of the IBC appearance was to reintroduce the product line to European customers directly.

Light in, signal out, nothing in between

A digital fiber system, Greg explained, has to convert everything it carries into one digital scheme. NIPROS does the opposite. Every input is converted to light on its own optical wavelength and converted back to an electrical signal at the other end, without being digitized, compressed, or buffered along the way. As he put it, the system “has no actual idea what a frame is.” It treats each input as if it were a cable.

The practical consequence, according to Greg, is that frame rates, resolutions, analog and digital signals, audio, serial data, and Ethernet all travel side by side with no relationship to one another. NIPROS states that every video path on its products is 12G-SDI capable, and Greg added that there is no gearbox and no frame buffer in that path. The zero-latency figure is the company’s claim and one it applies to every signal type in the system, including intercom and genlock.

What happens when genlock drops mid-show?

This was the scenario Greg kept returning to. In a digital transmission system, analog signals such as genlock and timecode are converted into the same digital scheme as the video. If a cable is knocked and one of those signals glitches, he said, it can fall out of sync with the primary transmission and stay that way until the system is refreshed or briefly unplugged, which is “not easy to do in the middle of a rock n roll concert.”

Because each NIPROS channel is isolated on its own wavelength, Greg’s position is that this failure mode does not apply: a signal that is interrupted simply comes back when the cable is reconnected. Setup, as he described it, consists of plugging in the cables.

VEGA-R on a KOMODO

On the booth, the VEGA-R was mounted to a RED camera. Greg said it was designed with the KOMODO-X and KOMODO in mind because NIPROS sees those cameras being adopted for live events, corporate work, and houses of worship, often in front of large LED walls where a global shutter matters. The aim was a module priced for that customer while keeping the same transmission technology as the larger systems.

For camera control, NIPROS notes that RED cameras can be reached either through the EXT breakout cable or with a USB-C to Ethernet adapter into the 1GbE port, which then works with RCP products or RED Control. RED itself has been adding live production features to these bodies, including the external tally trigger in firmware 2.2.4. The VEGA-R is not limited to RED, and NIPROS describes it as deployable on any camera.

Greg also mentioned a proprietary LENS port. NIPROS describes it as a dedicated tunnel that lets an iris controller connect at the base station and appear at the adapter’s 12-pin LENS connector, behaving like the lens output of a conventional broadcast camera and able to power a servo grip.

Orion and Orion Pro for larger cameras

Greg pointed to the move toward cinematic live production, with cinema camera manufacturers building their own integrated live systems. We have followed that closely, most recently with the ARRI ALEXA 35 Live at Eurovision 2026. NIPROS’s argument is that its adapters are universal, which matters to rental companies and system integrators who send out different cameras on different jobs.

The Orion is what Greg called the workhorse. NIPROS lists two 12G-SDI inputs, a 12G return, an 8-pin Sony RCP connector alongside the 12-pin serial, LENS, LANC, and 1GbE ports, a dedicated port for the company’s own viewfinders, and a choice of LEMO or Tajimi fiber connectors. Greg also mentioned 24V power for high-draw cameras such as the ARRI ALEXA 35. NIPROS’s catalog lists an Orion 14/24V version for that purpose, rated at up to approximately 170W at the camera adapter, with the 24V output requiring a B-mount adapter for ARRI. Configurations with two 12G returns and several analog audio channels sit further up the range. The Orion Pro, shown at the booth, is the model he associated with the full set of audio and video options.

Wired intercom in a crowded RF spectrum

The feature Greg expects people to value most is intercom. Many productions have moved to wireless comms for convenience, he said, and are now running into congested RF spectrum. On most NIPROS units a 2-wire intercom plugs into a 3-pin port that also powers the belt pack, so a Clear-Com network can be built for the camera team over the same fiber.

Since the intercom channel is optically isolated and never digitized, Greg said there is no delay when the microphone is keyed and the first syllable of an instruction is not clipped. His example was the difference between “tilt up” and “pan left” arriving intact. The VEGA-R itself is listed with a 4-wire headset intercom; the 2-wire capability comes as you move up to Orion and Orion Pro.

Sirius PTZ and the FR7

NIPROS also showed its Sirius PTZ base adapters, which sit under a PTZ camera and connect and power it over the fiber. Greg singled out the Sony FR7, which he said is being used on productions such as the Super Bowl halftime show and major concerts for its Sony paint control and large sensor (Sony’s own Super Bowl equipment lists include the FR7), but which can be awkward to connect through converter boxes and to power without bringing in auxiliary supplies.

The Sirius PTZ provides 90W PoE++, which NIPROS specifies as IEEE 802.3bt Type 4, along with two 12G-SDI inputs, reference, timecode, serial control, tally, and intercom. The Sirius PTZ Pro MAX has two PoE++ ports, which NIPROS rates at 170W in total, and, in Greg’s words, can behave as a remote studio throw-down: enough power and I/O for a PTZ plus a tripod-mounted camera, with intercom, return video for a presenter, audio, and a tally light.

Price and availability

Greg put the VEGA-R at approximately €9,000, the Orion at about €12,000 to €13,000, and the Orion Pro at around €15,000 to €17,000 depending on options. The Sirius PTZ range follows a similar pattern, a similar pattern: €9,000 for the Sirius PTZ, around €12,000 for the Sirius PTZ Pro, and around €15,000 for the Pro MAX. US pricing was not given at the booth.

NIPROS prices the camera adapter and the base station as separate items. Its Japanese distributor RAID lists each half of the VEGA-R at ¥900,000 before tax (around €5,000), which indicates that Greg’s euro figures refer to a complete system of adapter and base station.

The VEGA-R, Orion, and Sirius PTZ are shipping now, with Greg noting that units can take a couple of weeks to build. The Orion Pro is due this fall, and he said orders placed now should arrive before the end of the year, accessories included.

For more information, please visit the NIPROS website.

Would you put a small global shutter cinema camera on a fiber chain for live work, and how much does intercom delay bother you on a show? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!