AJA has launched Io Xpand, a Thunderbolt 5 expansion chassis for selected KONA and Corvid PCIe video I/O cards. The system is designed to bring high-bandwidth capture and playback to laptops, compact workstations and other computers without internal card slots.
The chassis separates the host connection from the chosen AJA I/O card, allowing facilities to reuse established SDI or IP hardware in more portable systems. Thunderbolt 5 supplies the bandwidth and external connectivity required for demanding video paths.
Why it matters
Editorial, finishing and live workflows increasingly move between fixed suites and temporary locations. A standards-based expansion chassis can preserve familiar drivers and signal interfaces while reducing dependence on a specific tower workstation.
What still needs checking
Real-world format density depends on the installed card, host, storage and application. The launch information should not be read as a guarantee that every KONA or Corvid configuration supports every Thunderbolt host.
