NAB 2011: Calrec Audio To Show Hydra2 Operator

The NAB Show in April will mark the U.S. debut of Calrec Audio’s Hydra2 Operator, or H2O, remotely accessible management system that increases the flexibility of the Hydra2 network router.

Launched at IBC last September, H2O essentially allows the user to control the Hydra2 network independently from any console control surface, setting up routes and configuring access rights to all desks on a given network, as well as entering network-wide I/O boxes and port labels for ease of identification. It also offers the ability to arrange ports into folders, making them quicker and easier to locate, and provides central management of network synchronization.

Calrec points out that, because H2O gives the customer unprecedented and unsurpassed network control, the browser-based management systems is especially advantageous for any of the company’s customers that own large, multiple-studio complexes that may be shared by rival companies at the same time. As Henry Goodman, head of sales and marketing at Calrec Audio Ltd, said at launch, “its user-friendly interface works independently of the console and permits different levels of user access to be granted to different personnel. This gives our customers more control and flexibility.”