Grass Valley Intros LDX 100 Camera, K-Frame XP Switcher; Lays Out Vision for Virtualized Services
Grass Valley took the wraps off an impressive vision for an IP and virtualized future while also rolling out some new hardware, including the LDX 100 camera platform that is native UHD and high-speed shooting capable, the K-Frame XP production switcher that can handle UHD without impacting I/O count, and a sneak peek at the GV Media Universe, an ecosystem of cloud-based tools and services.
Tim Shoulders, Grass Valley, president, says GV is looking to help clients spin services up and down as needed.
What is the GV Media Universe? The concept is an ecosystem of cloud-based tools and resources that can offer complete control over what the company refers to as “media factories” (think workflows).
“The Media Factory can be a set of applications to capture, curate and distribute content and they can be built up for peak capacity on something like the Olympics and then scaled up and down as needed with the [client] just paying for what they need,” says Tim Shoulders, Grass Valley, president.
An HTML5-based interface allows for a show to be produced from anywhere, including functions like graphics and replay. It can run on Microsoft Azure, a private cloud, or both.
“We would be excited under normal conditions [by the launch of the GV Media Universe] but it’s needed now more than before,” says Tim Shoulders, Grass Valley, president. He adds that there has been growing interest in remi production but that customers will be under more economic pressure to reduce travel costs.
Hardware will also play a part as the LDX 100 camera platform, a high-speed, native UHD camera built specifically for the rigors of IP-connected workflows like the GV Media Universe can connect directly into the contribution network, eliminating the need for an external control unit.
And the K-Frame XP features true single-stream, full raster processing at 2160p, removing the processing power barriers that have existed that forced compromises in I/O count and even in the on-air look of a 4K UHD production. Popular Grass Valley switcher control surfaces Kayenne, Karrera, GV Korona and KSP are compatible with K-Frame XP, allowing customers to leverage their existing investments.
Marco Lopez, Grass Valley’s senior vice president of live production, adds, “Our customers have seen big increases in demand for 4K UHD content and many of them are using IP workflows to support this growing demand. These two new platforms deliver on the Grass Valley promise to enable storytellers to unleash their creativity while increasing their workflow efficiency.”
Grass Valley also launched GV STRATUS One Pro, an all-in-one production suite that allows content creators to be faster and more efficient with a small- footprint solution. The new platform is one of two new additions to the GV STRATUS One product family, alongside the new GV STRATUS One Express.
Grass Valley says production teams can now harness more storage, processing power and rendering abilities to deliver compelling content to multiple linear and digital delivery platforms with a single click. The Pro and Express options also include groups of licenses with the users’ choice of editor whether it be Grass Valley’s EDIUS software included or Adobe Premiere connect licenses.
GV STRATUS One Pro handles recording, transcoding, storage, editing, streaming, and playout functionality in one 2RU box. The automated rules engine and social media management tools mean production teams can easily manage, organize and distribute content to a variety of platforms.
Peter Semerak, Grass Valley’s vice president of production, says, “Production teams across the board, regardless of size, are now managing a rapidly growing volume of content across a wide range of functions and channels. This can add huge amounts of complexity to operations, often requiring several individual systems to support each aspect of the workflow — and the technical know-how to set up and manage them. With GV STRATUS One Pro we’re giving customers the opportunity to streamline their production workflows, providing more power and flexibility to meet viewers’ demands for more content”
An integrated hardware-software solution, GV STRATUS One Pro includes over 500 hours of 100Mbit storage, eliminating the need for additional equipment and saving on time. Key features include four channels of playout and record; SDI ingest and playout at 720P or 1080i; editing licenses for EDIUS or Adobe, and more.
For more information on Grass Valley, please contact David Cohen at [email protected].