Novastar A8s Pro

NovaStar A8s Pro — 512×512 at 2.5 W

The A8s Pro sits between the A8s-N and the A10s Pro in the Armor range. It drives 512 × 512 pixels at 60 Hz, that is 262,144 pixels — 33 % more than the A8s-N and its 512 × 384 — while drawing 2.5 W instead of 3.0 W and weighing 17.2 g instead of 18.7 g.

Its real differentiator lies elsewhere, and it is decisive on 10-bit calibrated projects: the A8s Pro belongs to the high-efficiency "A10s Pro / A8s Pro" coding class. Over a Gigabit port it carries 494,792 pixels in 10-bit against 329,861 for other Armor cards — 50 % more per link.

Key specifications

Load: 512 × 512 @ 60 Hz
Ports: 2 × Gigabit Ethernet
Data: 40 parallel RGB groups or 64 serial groups (expandable to 128)
Connectors: JH1 and JH2, 120-pin high density
Dimensions: 70.0 × 45.0 × 8.3 mm
Weight: 17.2 g
Power: DC 3.8 – 5.5 V, 0.5 A, 2.5 W
Certifications: RoHS, EMC Class B

NovaStar A8s Pro — technical analysis

NovaStar publishes a single capacity figure for this card, 512 × 512, with no breakdown by bit depth or driver IC type. That is unusual in the Armor range, where the A8s-N, A5s Plus and A10s Pro all break their load down across 8, 10 and 12-bit. We therefore publish no per-depth table for the A8s Pro: the data does not exist in the manufacturer documentation, and inventing it would mean dividing a wall on a false figure.

The 10-bit figure that does exist is on the controller side, and it carries the commercial argument. On an MX40 Pro as on an MX30, the load formula applied to "A10s Pro / A8s Pro" cards gives 494,792 pixels per Gigabit port in 10-bit, against 329,861 for other Armor cards, the A8s-N included.

What it brings over the A8s-N: +33 % capacity, +50 % 10-bit throughput per port, Thermal Compensation 1.0, free image rotation with an MCTRL R5, 40 parallel RGB groups instead of 32, and 17 % lower power draw.

What it does not bring, and must not be oversold: no Dynamic Booster, no Frame Rate Adaptive, no Brightness Overdrive, no adaptive thermal compensation. NovaStar documents those four as exclusive to the A10s Pro.

• 10-bit calibrated walls — 50 % more pixels per port than a standard Armor card.
• 512×512 cabinets — one card per cabinet where the A8s-N needed two.
• High-density fixed installation — 2.5 W per card, a real argument on large walls.
• Upgrade from the A8s-N — same 70×45 mm format, higher capacity.
• Free-rotation displays — available with an MCTRL R5 controller.

• Capacity — NovaStar publishes one value, 512×512, with no 8/10/12-bit breakdown: do not invent a per-depth table.
• 10-bit argument — 494,792 px per Gigabit port against 329,861 for other Armor cards: that is where the card earns its place.
• Against the A10s Pro — no Dynamic Booster, no Frame Rate Adaptive, no Brightness Overdrive.
• Power — 2.5 W against 3.0 W for the A8s-N: on a 400-card wall that is a 200 W difference.
• Software — NovaLCT V5.2.0 minimum for full function access.