Grass Valley Stresses 'Media Without Bounds' in New and Enhanced Product Lines
By Tom Butts
Six months after announcing its formation out of the former Tektronix video networking division, Grass Valley Group (GVG) unveiled its product line last week in advance of the NAB convention.
The Nevada City, CA-based manufacturer, best known for its popular switchers and the Profile media server line, is focusing on developing new products for a future where broadcasting and the Internet co-mingle and content creators have the freedom to access, create, and distribute content whether they are in the same building or across the world.
This new "Media Without Bounds" philosophy includes even changing the way broadcasters should think of themselves, according to Grass Valley officials. The "broadcaster" will become the "digicaster" in the new millennium.
"The next century of broadcasting will be defined by digicasting: the ability to create high-caliber content that can be easily re-purposed for delivery via any transmission network, protocol, or output format," says Tim Thorsteinson, president and CEO for GVG.
To that end, the company launched several new products and upgrades, and, in addition, is increasing its focus on software development.
- An HD version of the next generation Profile XP media server will be demo-ed at NAB and available to ship by the summer. The PVS2000 will be the first video server to incorporate built-in HD MPEG encoders and decoders and also features a built-in monitoring downconverter, which enables users to monitor signals on a low-cost standard monitor rather than an expensive HD monitor. In addition GVG will offer for Profile XP, an MPEG Transport Stream (MTS) interface option to provide broadcasters support for their remote-control strategies for centralized operations.
- GVG will introduce a two mix/effects (M/E) version of its new Kalypso switchers targeting small and mid-sized production facilities at the show and will be ready to ship the product by May. An HD version of the Kalypso will be available by the end of 2000.
- The Grass Valley 2000 Wideband series of modular products will be expanded with the capability to accommodate many different signals, including analog, standard definition, and high definition, as well as both digital and analog audio, compressed MPEG transport streams, and other data formats. In addition, the company also announced that its 8900 series line of SD modular products is now shipping—with Web browser support.
- GVG's newest router line, the 7500, will be expanded to include a 128X128 frame, as well as an SD-only input/output (I/O) card for the 7500 WB wideband router. Originally introduced in a 256X256 frame, the new version will target mobile teleproduction where space, power, and weight are key concerns. An enhancement to its 7500 NB narrowband audio router will consist of a set of multi-channel A/D and D/A cards that plug directly into the frame and eliminate dozens of external modules, power supplies, and cables. In addition, GVG announced it will use commodity microprocessors and ethernet networking to reduce the costs of the control panels for the Series 7000 routers by 35%.
Software (Back to Top)
GVG announced the release of ContentShare Explorer 1.0, a browser-like application that makes accessing and managing storehouses of digital media assets as easy as using a Web browser. Shipping with the Profile XP, the application allows users to find assets no matter where they may be housed. The source code for ContentShare is available to all developers, enabling them to customize new media management tools for their own applications.
GVG also announced the availability of NetCentral software, an SNMP-based application that provides remote device monitoring and configuration for networked facilities.
Hoping to put the "dot com" on GVG, the company also unveiled "Webable" a suite of software tools for streamlining and simplifying the process for webcasting and web distribution of digital video.