The HyperDeck Extreme Control from Blackmagic Design is a 3 RU, half-rack width installation offering traditional deck controls for virtually any type of deck thanks to RS-422 connectivity. Eight RS-422 ports allow you to control up to eight decks, including legacy decks and the HyperDeck Extreme 8K HDR.

Controls include transport, timecode, and deck status buttons plus a large search dial for a jog, shuttle, and positioning control. There is a row of eight recorder selection buttons and another row of eight-player selection buttons. To protect videotape masters, recording requires pressing both the "REC" and "PLAY" buttons simultaneously. The HyperDeck Extreme Control also features a built-in editor for automating the ingest of legacy video tape-based programming.

Two HyperDeck Extreme Control units, or one unit plus one HyperDeck Extreme 8K HDR, can be installed in a rack or console using the optional HyperDeck Extreme Rack Kit.

The built-in editor allows deck-to-deck editing. Operating the same way as traditional decks, the HyperDeck Extreme Control can control legacy decks and the HyperDeck Extreme 8K HDR from the same front panel. To edit old videotape simply press the "PLAYER" button, enter in and out points on the tape, select the recorder, and press "EDIT". The HyperDeck Extreme Control will now cue and play the broadcast deck while recording on the HyperDeck.

You get familiar transport controls such as "PLAY" which, when pressed during a recording, will cause the recording to stop and the deck to continue to play from the same point. To start a recording, press both the "REC" and "PLAY" buttons simultaneously.

The high-quality search dial features both jog and shuttle control and has an electronic clutch that stops the knob at the end of the shuttle travel or allows for free spinning when in a jog. HyperDeck Extreme Control replaces varispeed with a position function that allows rapid movement up and down the recording. The search dial uses twin bearings so you can free spin it for a fast jog.

Full deck status is provided on a large timecode display. This display indicates the timecode of the currently selected deck, and the timecode source switch will control what's displayed on the time counter. The horizontal light bar indicator allows the user to see the position of the search dial and provide visual feedback, which is important when working with remote decks. The servo indicator light will show when the deck is in play or record mode and the servo system is correctly locked. Because remote decks will still display the time counter and transport state, the remote indicator will let you know if the deck is the remote. There's even external video reference status.