Ross Video Backs Out of IBC 2020; Develops New Versions of OverDrive, OverDrive Caprica

Ross Video is withdrawing from the annual IBC Conference & Exhibition, scheduled to be held in Amsterdam from Sept. 11-14. In addition, the company has released the latest versions of OverDrive and OverDrive Caprica.

IBC 2020
2020 is proving to be an immensely challenging year for everyone; the worst international pandemic in a century has brought travel bans and lockdowns all around the world, with virtually no country untouched by the virus. While everyone at Ross understands that the public health situation will likely be more positive by September, it is clear to us that social distancing rules are likely to remain in force for the remainder of the year, and many countries will still be tightly regulating international travel and large gatherings and events. Given these facts, and the possibility of visitors to Amsterdam contributing to a second wave of infection, we cannot commit to the IBC exhibition in good conscience.

“Everyone wants the world to return to normal as soon as possible,” notes CEO David Ross, “but not at any cost. The media industry has played an important role in spreading and reinforcing the message that social distancing saves lives. It’s therefore incongruous for the same media industry to try and hold one of the world’s first very large international gatherings. We value the IBC exhibition and it’s an important part of our annual calendar, but our approach to the COVID-19 virus has consistently prioritized health and welfare. Our decision today is based on that same principle, and I would call on the organizers of IBC to follow suit, remove any uncertainty, and cancel the event for 2020.”

Automation Solutions
Production automation has been an important trend in studio production for over a decade, and Ross Video’s OverDrive solution has been deployed over four hundred times internationally, making it the industry’s preferred choice for highly controllable, consistent, and repeatable results in the studio.

The latest versions of OverDrive (V19.3) and Caprica (V6.3) are available now and include a new Audio Lock feature enabling operators to lock or unlock specific audio channels so that automation events are overridden – ideal for breaking news and unexpected interview situations or mic issues. In addition, new Virtual Keyers and Inputs allow for up to thirty-two external display devices to be controlled by a single template without using any primary switcher resources. Bus based custom controls have also been added, simplifying the whole process of triggering devices without the need for complicated logic or user intervention. Finally, a new Live Preview feature lets operators view live video streams in the user interface and interact with sources reducing the time spent locating video sources on a MultiViewer.

“The ability to use new Virtual Inputs and Keyers enables our customers to create scalable plans for disaster recovery and redundancy,” says Mike Paquin, Product Manager for Automation Production & Control. “The new features also make it easy for customers with a show built on a large production switcher such as a Ross Acuity to then move the production to a studio with a smaller switcher such as a Carbonite, with much less of an impact on device control and on-set displays.”

Finally, both new versions bring a host of small additional improvements that will make a big difference to customers in terms of their day-to-day work.

“A customizable RundownControl interface, CG timing updates to an on-air story that dynamically update, and a new default icon set all help ensure that OverDrive remains the most intuitive and user-friendly solution available,” he says.

For more information on Ross Video, please contact Jared Schatz at [email protected].