NovaStar MSD600: integrating the economical rack sending card

The NovaStar MSD600 is a sending card meant for integration into a technical rack or a dedicated enclosure, unlike all-in-one boxes that already embed the electronics in a closed chassis. It receives a DVI or HDMI video signal from a playback PC or video processor, processes it, then distributes it to the receiving cards through its four Gigabit Ethernet outputs. It is the classic choice for integrators building their own control bay who want to control every component rather than buy a closed system.

Its strength is a particularly favourable feature-to-price ratio for fixed displays: SL-DVI and HDMI 1.3 inputs, four Gigabit outputs, hot backup, 10-bit gamma, pixel-level calibration with NovaLCT and NovaCLB, and UART cascading allowing up to 20 devices chained together to synchronise several control bays across one wall or several walls. These features make it the reference card for mid-to-large installations that do not need the multiple inputs or native 4K of higher-end cards.

This tutorial follows the real order of an integration job: rack mounting, video and network wiring, UART cascading, enabling hot backup, connecting the brightness sensor, then calibration. It ends with a factual comparison against the MSD300, the even more economical sending card in the same family, to help choose between the two depending on the project. Figures come from the MSD600 Sending Card Specifications V2.4.0 and V2.4.1 sheets, and the MSD300 V2.3.0 sheet, published by NovaStar.

1. What the MSD600 is for and when to choose it

The MSD600 sits between consumer all-in-one boxes and high-end video processors. It is a bare, compact-format card designed to be screwed into a 19-inch rack alongside other equipment — switch, UPS, demonstration receiving cards — or fitted inside the closed technical enclosure of a fixed screen. It suits projects perfectly where a single video source (PC or processor) is enough to feed the whole wall.

Choosing the MSD600 over an all-in-one box makes sense as soon as the integrator wants to customise the bay: adding their own UPS, their own electrical protections, or combining several sending cards in cascade to cover a very large wall from a single playback station. Conversely, an all-in-one box remains preferable for a site with no local technical skills, where ease of replacement matters more than mounting flexibility.

• Custom control bay integrated by a professional installer.
• Single LED wall fed by one playback PC over DVI or HDMI.
• Wall extension via UART cascade from a central control bay.
• Site requiring hot backup for display continuity.

Check the length of the control cable between the PC and the MSD600's USB type B port before installation: beyond 5 metres, an active USB cable or a network extender is needed, otherwise detection in NovaLCT becomes unreliable.

2. Official technical specifications

The table below reproduces the specifications published in the MSD600 V2.4.0 and V2.4.1 sheets, identical on the hardware side between the two revisions.

The maximum input resolution of 1920 × 1200 at 60 Hz is a hard limit on the source side: a PC set beyond that, for example 2560 × 1440, is not correctly recognised by the MSD600. Set the playback PC's video output before the first on-site test.

3. Rack or enclosure mounting

The MSD600 mounts in a 19-inch bay using a dedicated bracket, or directly inside a fixed screen's technical enclosure. Allow sufficient ventilation space around the card, especially if it shares the enclosed space with demonstration receiving cards or a UPS generating heat.

The logical mounting order starts with mechanical fixing, continues with power wiring, then video and network wiring. Leaving network wiring for last avoids having to remove already-installed Ethernet cables when adjusting the card's position.

• Fix the MSD600 bracket in the 19-inch bay or the technical enclosure.
• Check ventilation space around the card and neighbouring equipment.
• Connect power before any video or network wiring.
• Label every port as it is wired to ease future maintenance.

4. DVI and HDMI video wiring

The MSD600 accepts one SL-DVI input and one HDMI 1.3 input, but only one active source at a time per sending card. Choosing between DVI and HDMI mostly depends on the available playback equipment: a PC with a native DVI output sends a digital signal without conversion, while an HDMI source is better suited when audio must also travel through the same link to the dedicated audio input.

Whichever is chosen, the PC's output resolution must be set to the actual wall resolution, within the 1920 × 1200 at 60 Hz limit. A mismatch between the resolution sent and the resolution configured in NovaLCT causes cropping or stretching that is immediately visible on the wall.

• Choose DVI for a purely video link with no audio transport.
• Choose HDMI 1.3 when audio must accompany the video signal.
• Set the PC output to the wall resolution, not exceeding 1920 × 1200 at 60 Hz.
• Use a certified cable of appropriate length to avoid any signal loss.

On a wall whose actual resolution is below 1920 × 1200, set the PC to that exact resolution rather than letting the system rescale a standard resolution: fine text rendering is noticeably sharper.

5. Wiring the four Ethernet outputs

The MSD600's four Gigabit Ethernet outputs distribute the image to the receiving cards, each output able to feed a distinct portion of the wall. On a large wall, spreading the load across the four ports rather than routing everything through a single port reduces latency and limits the impact of a cable fault to a single screen zone.

As with any NovaStar installation, each port feeds a daisy chain of receiving cards, within the wall's total load. Always document which wall portion corresponds to which port: this is the most useful information in case of a partial fault.

• Spread the wall load across the four available Gigabit outputs.
• Use shielded Cat6 cables to limit electromagnetic interference.
• Document the correspondence between each port and its display zone.
• Allow extra cable length margin for future maintenance work.

6. Cascading via UART ports

The MSD600's two UART ports allow chaining several sending cards together, up to 20 cascaded devices. This function is typically used when a wall exceeds the capacity of a single card, or when several separate walls must stay synchronised on the same content from a single playback station.

Cascading is configured in NovaLCT by declaring the order of the cards in the chain and assigning each one the wall portion it must handle. A card misplaced in the cascade order causes a timing offset or an incorrect image split between cards, often visible on moving video content rather than on a still image.

• Link cards in cascade via the dedicated UART ports, up to 20 devices.
• Declare the exact chain order in NovaLCT.
• Assign each card the wall portion it must process.
• Check synchronisation on moving video content, not just a still image.

7. Hot backup and display continuity

Hot backup verification is a key MSD600 function for sites where a display outage is not acceptable: control rooms, institutional reception halls, critical information screens. It lets a second sending card take over automatically if the primary card fails, with no visible interruption on the wall.

Implementation requires two MSD600 cards wired in parallel to the same receiving cards, with regular checks of the backup link status in NovaLCT. A failover test should be performed at commissioning, then periodically, to confirm the switchover actually works the day it is needed.

• Wire a second MSD600 card in parallel for redundancy.
• Check the backup link status in NovaLCT after installation.
• Perform a manual failover test at commissioning.
• Repeat the failover test periodically as part of preventive maintenance.

A hot backup that has not been tested after installation provides no real guarantee: only a deliberate shutdown test of the primary card confirms that automatic failover actually works.

8. Brightness sensor and calibration

The MSD600's brightness sensor connector automatically adjusts wall brightness according to ambient conditions, particularly useful for screens near a shop window or partially sheltered outdoors. The sensor sends its reading to the sending card, which applies a regulation curve configured in NovaLCT.

Pixel-level brightness and chrominance calibration is performed with the NovaLCT and NovaCLB combination, the software dedicated to camera-based calibration. The MSD600's 10-bit gamma adjustment gives finer rendering of dark gradients, a particularly sensitive point on institutional content with black or dark grey backgrounds.

After a factory reset, the MSD600 reverts to a default 128 × 128 screen configuration: remember to reload your actual configuration file before any rendering test, or you may mistake it for a hardware fault.

9. Troubleshooting the most common faults

Most MSD600 issues come down to an incorrect source resolution setting, a misordered cascade, or a screen configuration left at factory values after a reset. The table below summarises the checks to run before any hardware return.

10. MSD600 or MSD300: comparing before choosing

The MSD300 is the even more economical sending card in the same family, with a single SL-DVI input and two Gigabit Ethernet outputs versus four on the MSD600. Both cards share the same maximum input resolution of 1920 × 1200 at 60 Hz and the same UART cascade limit of 20 devices, but the MSD300 offers neither an HDMI input nor hot backup documented in its sheet.

The MSD300 suits a simple wall fed by a single DVI source, with no need for redundancy or load spreading across more than two ports. The MSD600 becomes necessary as soon as the project requires an HDMI input, more than two independent network wiring zones, or guaranteed service continuity through hot backup.

Pick the MSD300 for a tight budget on a simple wall with no more than two wiring zones. As soon as redundancy or an HDMI input is needed, the MSD600 remains the safer choice without switching product family.

Integration procedure

1. Mount the card in the rack or enclosure

   Fix the MSD600 bracket in the 19-inch bay or technical enclosure, checking available ventilation space.

2. Connect power

   Wire the card's power supply before any video or network cabling, on a dedicated line.

3. Wire the video source

   Connect the playback PC via DVI or HDMI, setting the output resolution to the wall resolution, under 1920×1200 at 60 Hz.

4. Wire the Ethernet outputs

   Spread the wall load across the four Gigabit outputs and document the port-to-zone correspondence.

5. Set up cascading if needed

   Link the MSD600 cards via the UART ports and declare the chain order in NovaLCT.

6. Enable and test hot backup

   Wire a second card in parallel, check the backup link, then perform a deliberate failover test.

7. Calibrate and connect the sensor

   Connect the brightness sensor, then calibrate pixel-level brightness and chrominance with NovaLCT and NovaCLB.

Frequently asked questions

Official documentation

• MSD600 Sending Card Specifications V2.4.0 (official PDF) — Datasheet
• MSD600 Sending Card Specifications V2.4.1 (official PDF) — Datasheet
• MSD300 Sending Card Specifications V2.3.0 (official PDF) — Datasheet
• NovaLCT and software — NovaStar downloads — Software

Related tutorials

• NovaLCT tutorial: full screen configuration
• NovaStar calibration tutorial: brightness and chrominance
• NovaStar A5s Plus tutorial: general-purpose receiving card
• NovaStar MCTRL660 Pro tutorial: all-in-one processor

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