InfoComm 2015 In Review: News and Notes From a Busy Floor

InfoComm 2015 returned to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando this week and while the show is chiefly aimed at A/V specialists and venue and facility integrators, there were a few sports video production jewels to be mined from the floor.

Here are a few SVG sponsors and some of the new products they debuted and/or showed off at their booths in sunny Florida.

AJA Video Systems
AJA introduced five new Mini-Converters here at InfoComm. The HB-T-HDMI, and the HB-R-HDMI, along with the ROI-DP, FiDO-4T and the FiDO-4R. ROI-DP provides real-time region-of-interest output to HD-SDI video from any DisplayPort enabled computer. The HB-T-HDMI and HB-R-HDMI offer easy extension of UltraHD or HD HDMI signals over Ethernet cable, utilizing the industry standard HDBaseT protocol. FiDO-4T (transmit) and FiDO-4R (receive) conveniently deliver up to four channels of 3G-SDI over fiber on standard LC connectors.

FOR-A
The centerpiece of FOR-A’s booth at Infocomm was the company’s new HVS-2000 video switcher, which first debuted back at NAB Show in April. The HVS-2000 can be used for SD, HD, 3G and 4K productions, and allows up to 48 inputs/18 outputs or 40 inputs/22 outputs (optional). The switcher offers exclusive features, including MELite, which allows a traditional AUX bus to transform into a functional Mix Effects with cuts, mix, wipes, keys, and DVE including full preview; an application designed specifically to give operators more power in their switching during staging events called ONStage; and FLEXaKEY, which enables users to tailor their production needs by adding, moving, and multiplying key and DVE layers to traditional M/E or MELite resources.

Haivision
Haivision demoed some important updates to the Makito X video encoder, including new recording and storage options to simultaneously stream and capture hours of HD video.

The Makito X encoder transports the highest quality live video at the lowest bitrates over any network. The unit now optionally includes 250 GB of internal or removable storage. The Makito X with storage can stream and record two sources simultaneously, generate four different encoded streams of bitrates from 35 Kbps to 25 Mbps, with a storage capacity to handle about five days of five Mbps video.

IHSE USA
IHSE USA brought along its new draco compact xv for 4K matrix switching.

The 480 XV models are offered in frames sized for 8, 16, 32 and 48 ports in 1RU and 64 and 80 ports in only 2RU. These compact sizes make them a perfect solution where rack space is limited and 4K distribution is planned. The 480 XV supports all the Draco vario extenders for Dual Link DVI, HDMI, and 4K DisplayPort as well as auxiliary bi-directional data transports for audio, USB and RS-232 serial interfaces. The 480 XV compact is specifically designed for small to mid-sized KVM requirements using the latest in high speed backplane technology.

Lawo
Lawo, the German manufacturer of audio and video equipment, has partnered with Waves, a developer of audio plug-ins and signal processors, to premier the integration of Waves SoundGrid servers with Lawo mc² consoles. As a result of the collaboration, Lawo’s mc²36 all-in-one console now provides extensive real-time signal processing in addition to its internal processing engine. The system gives operators access to Waves’ plug-in library, allowing them to control reverbs, multi-tap delays, graphic equalizers and multiband compressors directly via the console’s keyboard and touch-screen.

NewTek
While InfoComm is a show for system integrators and enterprise AV professionals, NewTek was on hand to bring its groundbreaking video solutions into the fold. The company showcased its latest video technologies, including solutions for mixing and streaming corporate video and live content such as NewTek TriCaster 8000 and TriCaster Mini, as well as Skype video calling system NewTek TalkShow. Also in the booth was the TriCaster Advanced Edition, a software option providing professionals and non-professionals alike new capabilities that allow them to create more sophisticated programs without adding more equipment.

Panasonic
Panasonic previewed the industry’s first integrated 4K pan/tilt/zoom camera, the AW-UE70. The AW-UE70 delivers 3840 x 2160 resolution images at 29.97p/25p via HDMI, and is also capable of 4K IP streaming and in-camera 4K recording.

The UE70 also offers production-oriented features such as genlock, Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S), and remote switchable ND filters. The camera’s 4K/HD capabilities target stadiums, conference rooms, lobbies, auditoriums and retail, where ultra-high resolution video and precise control are required.

PESA
PESA has a bevy of interesting new product offerings on hand, highlighted by a few notable sports applications.

The new Cheetah Flex integrated routing environment is the cornerstone of PESA’s integrated AV solutions. It supports up to 4K resolution and creates a seamless solution for baseband and IP-based video and audio sources. Cheetah Flex installs the new PESA Blade System (PBS), which holds up to 10 H.264 encoding/decoding cards and is housed in the 2 RU Ross openGear chassis, directly into a Cheetah digital video router frame.

In addition, PESA showcased its new PESA Live Services (PLS), a turnkey solution that, to the viewer, the PESA Live app is an interactive, multi-channel, and socially integrated viewing experience for Android and iOS devices, and for the producer, provides opportunities for ROI by delivering ads, branding, and live messages to live event attendees and worldwide viewers.

PESA also demonstrated the new PESA Xstream R3232 router. Integrated with NewTek’s TriCaster Advanced Edition and developed for use with multi-camera video production systems, it offers 32 3G-SDI I/O.

Riedel Communications
Riedel came to Orlando with its typically impressive display of products that were highlighted by a select few. The Tango TNG-200 represents Riedel’s first network-based platform supporting RAVENNA/AES67 and AVB standards. MediorNet MicroN is an 80G media distribution network device for the company’s MediorNet line of media transport and management solutions. The new RSP-2318 Smartpanel is the world’s first control panel designed to serve as a powerful multifunctional user interface and boasts a unique feature set that includes three high-resolution, sunlight-readable, multitouch color displays; premium-quality stereo audio; a multilingual character set; and 18 keys in just 1 RU. Lastly, the STX-200 professional broadcast-grade interface brings any Skype user worldwide into the professional broadcast environment.

Sennheiser
Audio specialist Sennheiser unveiled its new SL Headmic 1 presenter’s microphone. The lightweight device offers powerful sound in sturdy hardware The condenser microphone for talks and presentations uses the capsule of the omnidirectional MKE 1 broadcasting microphone, while its design ensures that it is completely unobtrusive when worn.

Sound Devices
Sound Devices showcased a range of portable and rack-mounted audio and video solutions at InfoComm, including the 970 audio recorder and – as part of its Video Devices lineup – the PIX-E Series of 4K recording monitors plus the PIX 270i and PIX 250i video decks. Throughout the show, the company demoed a typical production setup at its booth, showcasing how its rack-mounted solutions, such as the PIX 270i, PIX 250i and 970, can improve production quality and workflow in real-world AV-production scenarios. 

Thinklogical
The manufacturer of signal extension and switching systems introduced KVM features to its new TLX Series matrix switches and extenders at InfoComm.

TLX can extend and switch computer peripherals and uncompressed 4K video at full 4096 x 2160 resolution and 4:4:4 color depth at 60Hz using only two CATx cables or three fibers. TLX offers customers industry-leading 10Gbps performance and a flexible and efficient hybrid architecture, reducing the cost and infrastructure required to manage content created in the 4K standard without compromising quality or performance.

VITEC
VITEC, which specializes in advanced video encoding and streaming solutions, showed its professional-grade MGW D265 portable HEVC (H.265) IP decoder, which is now shipping worldwide. The company also showed off it world-first hardware-based HEVC encoding appliance — the MGW Ace.

VITEC’s portable HEVC encoding and decoding systems provides broadcasters, corporate IT, government agencies, and military units with a turnkey solution for sending video point to point or point to multi-point using half the network bandwidth previously required with H.264 systems while retaining the same video quality.

Yamaha Commercial Audio
Yamaha Professional Audio used InfoComm to launch its new MRX7-D open architecture signal processor. The Yamaha MRX7-D was designed for applications where more complicated signal processing is required and for venues where more I/O channels are needed. The new Yamaha TF Series Digital Consoles also made their InfoComm debut this week. The TF Series offers re-imagined mixing and advanced features. Aimed at new users and experienced live sound professionals requiring fast performance, the TF series brings time-saving capabilities, such as fast, accurate gain setup, single step compression and EQ, and microphone specific presets to even the most modest sound reinforcement applications. Also on display was the new RSio64-D I/O audio interface that provides up to 64 inputs and 64 outputs with Dante/Mini-YGDAI card conversion for broadcast, recording, live sound, and other professional audio applications.