Grass Valley Ships More Than 100 GV Korona Production Switcher Units

Since unveiling the compact panel addition to its switcher line last year, Grass Valley has shipped more than 100 GV Korona production switcher units to a wide range of production facilities including houses of worship, outside broadcast trucks and stadiums. This panel is ideal for small spaces and offers high-quality production value at an affordable cost.

GV Korona works with any K-Frame processing engine, including the new K-Frame V-series, and offers an innovative touchscreen in the transition area as well as a built in menuing system, making it ideal for broadcast operations seeking a powerful, compact option.

“We developed the GV Korona to meet the needs of our customers who do small to mid-sized productions while operating in tight spaces,” says Tim Walker, product manager, switchers, Grass Valley. “We knew that customers who wanted to capitalize on the power and innovation of Grass Valley switchers, but simply didn’t have the space, were eager to integrate the GV Korona into their facilities. This has been proven by the large number of units we’ve installed in the first year.”

For its small size and lower price point, GV Korona requires no compromises on enterprise features. The production switcher’s surface contains a built-in color touchscreen interface that enables operators to work quickly and intuitively to produce compelling content for a variety of applications. It also boasts a menu integrated into the panel, and uses the same OLED display and color button technologies as the larger Grass Valley panels.

“GV Korona checked all the right boxes for us as a large, production heavy church. It has the right balance: enough features to do what we need without being overloaded with functionality that we’ll never use. I’ve already been able to train four inexperienced volunteers to run it,” says Kirk Meyers, broadcast director, Fellowship Bible Church. “GV Korona K-Frame V-series has the small form factor but still provides big production. Plus, being built on the K-Frame brings a scalability for the future as our needs change.”

In addition to Fellowship Bible Church, the Portland Timbers, NEP Switzerland, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Solotech and TV3 Lithuania are among those who’ve purchased GV Korona since its 2016 launch. While each of these customers use GV Korona differently and for different audiences, they’re all intent on ensuring their viewers experience content in the best way possible, and will for years to come. GV Korona can be paired with any K-Frame, including the new K-Frame V-series which supports up to three licensed MEs plus 2 additional and powerful VPEs, and it features a modular design for serviceability and scalability. It supports SDI and IP and is 3G/4K UHD-ready, supporting both quad-split and 2SI. Using 10-bit processing, it even supports HDR.

“In the live entertainment marketplace, we’re challenged by the biggest names in entertainment to provide cost-effective, reliable and powerful video solutions that must work day after day in some of the most grueling, tech-unfriendly environments,” says David Lemmink, director of engineering, Solotech. “Our track record over the years with Grass Valley’s line of analog and digital switchers made the choice to go with Grass Valley a no brainer, especially as the new V-series offers the power of the K-Frame in a cost-effective and compact format without sacrificing power and functionality.”

“While in search of solutions to cover the 2018 Winter Olympics, we found that the GV Korona K-Frame V-series offers high-end features and functionality with no restrictions, as well as famous GV ergonomics and modular design, combined with outstanding build quality and a path beyond HD with 4K and IP interfacing,” says Dalius Kazlauskas, chief technology officer, TV3 Lithuania. “GV Korona has offered us a new, easy way of working thanks to its built-in touchscreen menu, M/E status and ability to perform signal conversions inside the switcher. We now have ability to produce shows with high-end features—including real 3D DVEs—which is unique for video switchers in this price range.”

Whether for a small truck or studio, a fly-pack or even as a back-bench control surface in a larger truck using a Kayenne, users enjoy the benefit of Grass Valley’s “Any Panel works with Any Frame” design, so operators already familiar with any Grass Valley K-Frame switcher will feel at home with the GV Korona panel or controlling the K-Frame V-series frame.

At only 3RU, the V-series frame is an ideal complement to the GV Korona switcher panel, offering powerful, flexible production options with a small footprint and modularity for easy field reconfiguration and serviceability. The V-series takes the production power used to produce large events.