TVBEurope 43 NAB 2012 Headline News Digital Rapids A new workflow development design By Dick Hobbs
THE CONVENTIONAL video processing, encoding and transcoding device is built with comprehensive function ality and all the codecs you might ever need. The advantage is that it can be
View of Digital Rapids Transcode Manager with Kayak processing
turned to any task, the disadvantage is that you are paying for all that code, not to mention licence fees for codecs you will never use.
Ross Video
UnReel look to UX virtual sets
By Jake Young
ROSS VIDEO has integrated its XPression broadcast production graphics platform and Furio robotic camera heads with the UX virtual set control software from UnReel. The integrated virtual set solution leverages UnReel’s new UX touchscreen virtual set management software. Integrating this technology with XPression’s realtime rendering capabilities produces virtual sets that enable camera movement around the set while keeping the talent and other foreground elements locked in place within the virtual 3D environment. At NAB 2012, Ross demonstrated a full virtual set
with Ross Robotics Furio head on tracks with automated moves that include simultaneous changes to camera position, elevation, pan, tilt, and zoom. “This integrated solution tells the world that XPression can now do high-end virtual sets with camera tracking,” said Brian Olson, marketing product manager at Ross Video. “We are thrilled to be collaborating with UnReel to bring this to our customers around the world.” Paul Lacombe, CEO at
UnReel said, “It’s a great fit, not only technically and culturally, but also strategically in terms of combining our technology with Ross’ outstanding infrastructure and global reach.” www.rossvideo.com
Digital Rapids used NAB to launch a new approach, which it calls Kayak. The whole of its software processing suite is being rewritten into a set of compact modules. Digital Rapids’ Mike Nann described it as being like a set of Lego blocks. Kayak comes with a workflow design tool that runs on a web browser and uses drag-and-drop to create the functional signal flow. Intelligence in the design tool validates the design and tells users if they need extra modules to achieve what they want to do.
Snell
Kahuna goes compact for news, studio and trucks
By Jake Young
At NAB Snell introduced the Kahuna 360 Compact, a smaller-frame version of the company’s Kahuna 360 video switcher offering 1080p switching in a 6-RU chassis. The new switcher delivers all
of the functionality of the full- sized Kahuna 360, with up to three full mix/effects (M/E) and seven keyers per M/E, as well as Snell’s Make M/E technology, which enables multiple independent sublevel switchers. The FormatFusion3 technology provides the ability to mix HD, SD, and single-link 1080p sources into a single production, and has multiple outputs of SD, HD, and 1080p. “Today’s newsroom, studios, and OB trucks operate at a faster pace than ever before while simultaneously supporting
Once the design is complete, one click actions it. The modules are drawn from a pool and assigned to the workflow, and the user has what is effectively a personalised video processor. If the facility does not have the right modules available then it can put some or all of the processing on cloud computing. There is an API for third-party developers to create Kayak modules. The advantage of Kayak for the user is that it pays only for what it needs — Digital Rapids is contemplating a lease deal for
modules as well as purchase — without buying elements it will never need. New processes and workflows can be set up quickly, even for short-term projects. For Digital Rapids it means it can manage its product development more effectively, delivering new functionality as soon as it is available rather than waiting for the next major software release. The company is also partnering with Microsoft to make Kayak available through Windows Azure Media Services. www.digitalrapids.com
More firepower and flexibility with Kahuna 360 Compact
a variety of production and format demands such as SD, HD, 1080p, and 3D. The Kahuna 360 Compact offers more firepower and greater flexibility than ever seen before in a switcher of this frame size,
with a completely scalable path to the functionality and format support required by any sized production,” said John Carter, senior product manager at Snell. www.snellgroup.com