NovaStar MX40 Pro Setup Guide: VMP, Cabling & First Image

This NovaStar MX40 Pro setup guide walks a first-time installation from unboxing to a live image. The MX40 Pro 4K LED display controller — $8,868 in stock is the flagship of NovaStar's COEX Series: video processing and sending in one 2U box, 20 Gigabit Ethernet outputs plus 4× 10G optical ports, and a 9-million-pixel capacity aimed at virtual production, broadcast, LED cinema, and large rental systems. It is configured through VMP (Vision Management Platform), not NovaLCT — if you're coming from MCTRL or VX-series workflows, that's the biggest habit change, and this guide covers it step by step.

What you need before you start

• The MX40 Pro and its power cord (100–240V AC input with a rear switch)
• LED cabinets fitted with supported NovaStar receiving cards — the spec sheet lists the A10s Pro, A8s Pro, A8s, A8s-N, A7s Plus, A5s Plus, and B6s families. For the headline features (frame-rate adaptive, Dynamic Booster, 10-bit output), you specifically want the A10s Pro or A8s Pro
• Cat5e/Cat6 runs — one per Ethernet output in use, plus daisy-chain jumpers between cabinets; or fiber and compatible optical modules for the OPT ports (an optical module is not included in the box)
• A video source: media server, camera switcher, or workstation with HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2, or 12G-SDI output
• A Windows or macOS computer with VMP (Vision Management Platform) installed

Rear panel tour

Inputs: 3× HDMI 2.0 (each with loop through, HDCP 2.2 compliant), 1× DisplayPort 1.2, and 1× 12G-SDI with loop through. The HDMI 2.0 and DP inputs reach 4096×2160@60Hz — or ultra-wide/tall custom formats up to 8192×1080 / 1080×8192 when forced from the graphics card — with frame rates from 23.98 up to 240 Hz at lower resolutions. The 12G-SDI input takes broadcast feeds up to 4096×2160@60Hz (ST-2082) and, unlike the HDMI/DP inputs, accepts interlaced signals (1080i/576i/480i). NovaStar recommends CANARE 12G coax for SDI, up to 50 m.

Outputs: 20× Gigabit Ethernet ports to the wall, 4× 10G optical ports (OPT 1–4), and SPDIF digital audio out (audio taken from HDMI 2.0-2 or 2.0-3). Total capacity is 9 million pixels with a maximum output width/height of 16,384 pixels.

Controls: 2× Gigabit Ethernet control ports (for VMP and central control; up to 20 units can cascade with no external switch), a Genlock IN/LOOP pair, and the AUX serial connector. The front panel has a 3.5-inch touchscreen, a knob, and a USB 2.0 port that is only for exporting device diagnostics — it does not play media, unlike the USB input on the VX Pro processors.

Step 1 — Cable the wall

Budget your Ethernet ports before you plug anything in. Per the official spec, each of the 20 ports carries up to 659,722 pixels at 8-bit/60Hz, 494,791 pixels at 10-bit/60Hz (available with the A10s Pro or A8s Pro), or 329,861 pixels at 10/12-bit. Chain cabinets so no run exceeds the budget for your chosen bit depth, and keep chains balanced. Our LED processor calculator does the per-port math for you.

The four OPT ports run in two modes: in 20-port mode, OPT 1 carries Ethernet ports 1–10 and OPT 2 carries 11–20, with OPT 3/4 acting as copy (redundancy) channels of OPT 1/2. In 40-port mode, OPT 1–4 each carry a bank of 10 ports for up to 40 Ethernet ports of distribution at the far end via fiber converters. Ethernet port hot backup is supported between ports — in 40-port mode the first 20 ports are backed up by the last 20. One wiring rule from the spec sheet: don't connect an optical port and the same-numbered physical Ethernet port to receiving cards at the same time — the optical path takes precedence and the duplicate will fight you. For redundancy concepts, our hot backup guide applies here too.

Step 2 — Install VMP and add the device

Download and install VMP on Windows or macOS, put the computer on the same network as one of the MX40 Pro's control Ethernet ports (direct cable or via the built-in cascade switching), and the controller appears in VMP's device list automatically. All COEX devices share this workflow — an MX30 and an MX40 Pro show up side by side in the same window. If discovery fails, check that the computer and controller are on the same subnet and that no VPN is grabbing the interface; a direct cable is the fastest isolation test.

Step 3 — Screen configuration

1. In VMP, build the screen topology: lay out cabinets to match the physical wall. The COEX platform has no rectangle restriction — capacity is counted from actual cabinet pixels, so L-shapes, columns, and irregular walls configure the same way as flat rectangles and don't waste capacity on blank bounding-box pixels.
2. Map each Ethernet output to its cabinet chain in the order you physically cabled them, and set the data flow direction.
3. Send the configuration to the wall. Cabinets light and align as the topology applies, and the configuration persists in hardware.

If your cabinets shipped with manufacturer configuration files, load those first so VMP reads correct cabinet properties — you can sanity-check any .rcfgx file in our free RCFGX viewer before touching hardware.

Step 4 — Inputs, layers, and presets

Select your source and build the picture. The MX40 Pro provides 4 independent layers, each up to 4K, with Z-order priority adjustment — enough for a base plate plus camera windows and inserts. Each layer offers four scaling modes (custom, pixel-to-pixel, snap to canvas, fill screen). When a look is right, save it: the controller stores up to 128 presets, recallable in one click from VMP, the front panel — or from a control system via the HTTP API or central control protocol (see our MX40 Pro control protocol & API guide for ports and commands).

Image Booster 2.0 and calibration basics

The image pipeline is the reason this box costs what it does: 22bit+ grayscale precision at low brightness, Dynamic Booster frame-by-frame brightness/contrast optimization, 3D LUTs (17³/33³/65³ .cube files), color replacement, 14-channel color correction, and HDR10/HLG support. Two practical notes from the spec sheet before you plan a calibration day:

• Dynamic Booster requires A10s Pro-family receiving cards, and gamut/brightness correction is done with a CA410-series colorimeter.
• Full-grayscale calibration requires A10s Pro or A8s Pro cards and a CC60 or C3200 scientific camera, working with NovaStar's CC3 calibration software (COEX V1.5.0+ no longer supports Calcube 2.x).

You don't need any of that on day one — factory cabinet calibration plus correct brightness gets you a clean image — but knowing the hardware prerequisites saves ordering the wrong receiving cards.

Genlock and frame rates for on-camera work

For xR stages and broadcast, connect house reference to the Genlock IN (Bi-Level, Tri-Level, and Blackburst are supported, 23.98–60 Hz) and loop it onward — up to 20 MX40 Pro units can share one reference chain. The controller's frame-rate adaptive range of 23.98–480 Hz (with 0.01 Hz precision and frame multiplication up to 480 Hz) lets the wall track the camera instead of forcing 60 Hz; note that frame-rate adaptation requires A10s Pro-family cards with driver-IC parameters prepared in NovaStar's Cabinet Tool (NCP files). Shutter Fit then trims driver-IC timing to the camera's shutter angle to kill black-line and grayscale artifacts on camera.

Firmware updates

Keep controller, VMP, and receiving-card firmware in the same version family — NovaStar releases them together (current release train V1.5.1 as we write this) and mismatches cause the weirdest artifacts on this platform. Firmware for COEX devices is applied through VMP, not NovaLCT. We supply current firmware packages to our customers from our verified downloads system — if you bought hardware from us and need the current .img package, use the product's downloads section or call us rather than flashing files of unknown provenance.

Common gotchas

1. Looking for it in NovaLCT — the MX40 Pro won't appear there. COEX is VMP-managed, full stop. (V-Can doesn't apply either.)
2. HDMI loop chains — loop through supports up to 8 devices per loop for both HDMI 2.0 and 12G-SDI; plan distribution amps beyond that.
3. Interlaced sources into HDMI/DP — not supported; interlaced formats (1080i) must come in via 12G-SDI.
4. Low latency feature conflicts — Low Latency can't be enabled simultaneously with Genlock, 3D, or Frame Multiplication, and NovaStar recommends loading cabinets vertically with a shared Y coordinate when it's on. Similarly, 3D excludes Low Latency and Frame Multiplication.
5. 10-bit capacity surprise — port capacity drops from ~660K to ~495K pixels at 10-bit, and that mode needs A10s Pro/A8s Pro cards. Re-run the port math before switching the wall to 10-bit.
6. Duplicate optical + Ethernet connection — same-numbered OPT and RJ45 ports must not both feed receiving cards at once.
7. Left 40-port backup configured after switching to 20-port mode — remove the loop backup setup on the receiving cards when you change optical modes, per the spec sheet.

Downloads and where to buy

Spec sheet: MX40 Pro Specifications V1.5.1 (PDF) · Manual: MX40 Pro User Manual V1.5.1 (PDF) · Integration: MX40 Pro control protocol, HTTP API & SNMP guide

The MX40 Pro is in stock at Olympian LED for $8,868 with free US shipping, usually alongside the A10s Pro receiving cards ($109) it pairs with. Not sure you need the flagship? The MX30 vs MX40 Pro comparison covers the mid-tier COEX option, and the VX2000 Pro review covers the value alternative outside the COEX line. Questions on sizing? Call 321-747-3220 — we configure these systems daily.