Archive notice: This article was originally published on February 2, 2006. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The ViBE MPEG-4 hardware encoder is available now and is initially equipped with a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) architecture. By the end of the year, Grass Valley intends to bring a single-chip architecture to market readiness, which the customer can then replace very easily by plug-and-play. With this design, the encoder is then intended to make the transmission of HD quality possible with the same bandwidth as SD today. The price starts at 65,000 euros.
At the end of April, and thus just in time before the Football World Cup, a complete solution for a fully digital, automated HD control room will be released, based on the new integrated Ignite HD production system. The Ignite platform is scalable and can be expanded with modules to add new functions. Other components of the complete package are the CameraMan HD robotic camera system and the matching SHOT Director HD controller. The solutions are available from 129,000 euros.
The Kayak HD vision-mixer series will gain seven new models in May. The devices differ on the one hand in the number of mix-effects levels (between 1 and 3) and on the other hand in the number of units they occupy in the rack (4 RU or 8 RU). Grass Valley also offers an SD vision mixer that can also handle HD and mixed SD/HD projects after a simple software upgrade. As an additional option, Grass Valley is releasing Match Def, which is intended to enable seamless integration of different source formats into HD and SD productions.
With a wirelessly connected HD camera, the manufacturer is targeting use at sporting events in particular. The HD Wireless Camera System transmits images in HD format according to the 802.16 standard (a component of the WiMax format) over a distance of currently up to one kilometer with a latency of only one frame. However, significantly greater distances are being targeted for the future. The devices use JPEG 2000 compression and are intended to be available from the third quarter of 2006 at prices starting at 116,000 euros.
Further Links:
- Grass Valley
