LAS VEGAS—Although Ross Video’s NAB Show booth will be the same size as last year, company officials say it will have more equipment and displays than ever before, and more Ross personnel too.
This year’s theme is “Smart Production,” and in 2016 being smart means being flexible, said Jeff Moore, chief marketing officer for the Iroquois, Ont.–based company.
One example of this theme is v10 of Inception News, with new features such as full localization and language packs and new ways to create and share content and other new features to be announced at show time. v10 also includes the release of the Inception API and SDK, “which allows our clients’ MIS and IT departments to have full access to their newsroom data, and even build their own applications that run within Inception if they want to,” said Moore. “They can build add-ons, harvest the data, build whatever they want.”
Moore said this kind of flexibility mirrors what is seen in the IT industry. “There aren’t that many APIs in our industry in the news area that go deep and wide in terms of being able to do the kinds of things that might be needed in a rapidly changing business,” said Moore. “A lot of our clients want more flexibility.”
The Inception API now gives developers, partners, customers and resellers the ability to add new core features and integrate other systems. Moore said this level of customization is only available in Inception due its design and architecture.
Ross will mark the NAB Show debut of its Ultrix Routing System.IP IN ITS PLACE
Ross is duly diligent about the role of IP, but very much aware that in the live production realm, SDI is still king. “In the IP realm, things are in flux and the standards are still evolving,” said Moore, adding that “right now [IP] makes sense in large routing environments.”
To that end, at the 2015 IBC Show, Ross and Evertz announced a collaboration to add 10GigE IP interfaces with ASPEN support for Ross’ Acuity series of production switchers. Moore said working products will be shown at both company’s NAB booths and on an ASPEN Community stand. ASPEN is Evertz’ framework for IP networks.
Acuity, the largest Ross switcher series, is being shown with integrated 10-Gig I/O capabilities and provides a direct connection into the Evertz IP routing environment without requiring a top-of-the-rack gateway. Ross is now shipping Acuity’s multiprocessing input card which adds production features including frame syncs, multiviewers, proc amps, color correctors, format conversion and virtual set input delay adjustment.
For the Carbonite product line, Ross will introduce Carbonite Black control panels, now available on all models, as well as a host of new features with v12.0 software. One new feature ideal for live event and house of worship applications is multipanel operation, which Moore describes as an “unprecedented feature” for this market segment. The new software version enables users to operate their Carbonite ME, MiniMEs or multiscreen outputs from multiple control panels and DashBoard control points. v12 also includes new, easy-to-create media transitions, and Carbonite’s 4K production capabilities now permit DVE use in 3G/4K modes when background upconversion is not required.
Ross Furio Remote Control Dolly SystemPRODUCING FOR 4K
Last year Ross announced the 4K version of XPression, the company’s real-time motion graphics and production clip server platform and this year the company’s significant 4K news will be the NAB Show debut of the company’s Ultrix Routing System. Supporting 12G SDI for single-link UHD routing and incorporating software-upgradable features including Ultriscape multiviewers and the Ultrimix embedded audio routing and processing matrix, Ultrix brings high-end router capabilities to cost-effective compact routing systems, according to Moore.
Other new products at the Ross booth will be an upgrade to the XPression Plug-In, now with support for Adobe XMP Metadata. Also for XPression, Rocket Surgery, Ross’ Creative Services Team, will show its latest design work for XPression, including graphics packages for news, elections, sports stadiums and virtual sets. Ross will also introduce v3.1 of its Streamline media asset management application, now with tight workflow integration with XPression Clips for seamless playback operation and automatic transcoding into the XPression codec, as well as a complete integration with OverDrive automated production control. Also making its NAB Show debut is XPression Trackless Studio, a purpose-built solution for cost-effective virtual production without the need for camera tracking.
The company will also show new products for its openGear platform, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
The booth will also show the Ross Robotics Furio RC remote control dolly system for live stage productions, which can now be purchased as a pan/tilt headonly system, without the dolly, as well as SolidTrack, a visual camera tracking system for use on handheld, Steadicam and other types of camera systems where mechanical tracking solutions aren’t practical or available.
Ross is in Booth N3705.
