OTTAWA, Canada—Ross has rolled out major improvements to XPression, with the 10.5 release adding a host of new features that range from improved collaborative workflows and simplified software updates to a backwards-compatible codec enabling users to work with HDR content and in Wide Color Gamut.
“I’m extremely pleased to announce one of our most significant XPression updates for some time,” commented Patrick Twomey, director of graphics product management at Ross. “We consistently work with our worldwide customer base to improve the features of the platform and keep it at the front edge. With many of our team having worked in broadcast themselves, customers can rest assured that we understand your challenges and we’re committed to meeting them with you.”
Key improvements include:
- A Single Scene import and export function enables users to export a single scene which can then be shared to another user on another XPression system. This creates a file-based workflow similar to legacy graphics systems that operators and designers used to work on. Version 10.5 also adds additional font management tools, including the ability to lock fonts from changes or deletion, enabling fonts to be cloned (for a specific scene, rather than changed globally in the project), and adds notes on fonts to help other users identify how or where the font is used.
- With version 10.5, XPression designers can now color-code template data fields to guide operators and MOS newsroom users on which fields need to be used for specific situations. XPression version 10.5 also introduces several new Visual Logic Blocks including one which enables artists to show or hide template fields based on conditional use of other fields. This means that unused fields do not have to be shown, improving accuracy and saving decision making time by hiding unnecessary fields from the user.
- To help with the deployment of XPression updates, version 10.5 introduces the new XPression Status Client. The Status Client dramatically simplifies the life of the tech or IT team responsible for software updates. With Status Client, a single user can see the status of all the XPression systems on a network from one machine and can push new XPression software and install it on each XPression system in a matter of seconds.
- Version 10.5 introduces the new XPression Video Codec 2, a backwards-compatible codec enabling users to work with HDR content and in Wide Color Gamut. Ross recognizes that not everyone can retool their stations to UHD hardware, but we know customers may want the benefit of the improved High Dynamic Range and Wide Color Gamut, and so this new codec addresses that requirement directly. Most importantly, this new codec is compatible with legacy content and does not require customers to re-encode it or throw it away – it remains fully functional.
