Ross Video Intros Carbonite Black Switcher Line, Acquires Rocket Surgery Design Services

Ross Video stayed busy at this years NAB with several product intros and big news items, including the introduction of the the Carbonite Black switcher line and the acquisition of Rocket Surgery Design Services. Carbonite Black Debuts in Vegas
NAB 2015 saw the introduction of Ross Video’s Carbonite Black, the latest addition to Ross Video’s production switcher family. Carbonite Black brings expanded I/O and ME count to the Carbonite series, with a new control panel, 3 full MEs, 36 Inputs and 22 outputs – plus all of the superior features found in other Carbonite models such as MiniMEs, MultiScreen, 3G and UHD (4K) format support.

“When we introduced Carbonite, it became an instant hit as it completely changed the price and performance model for 1 and 2 ME production switchers. Carbonite Black is designed to do the same thing, but for productions that require larger I/O or 3 MEs,” says Nigel Spratling, Marketing Product Manage, Ross Video. “Carbonite Black not only looks fantastic, but has more production features and performance than any other product available at this price point. We know that customers will really like this product – and it’s what many of them have been asking us for.”

The 2RU Carbonite Black frame will be available with 2 or 3 MEs, and will accept all current signal formats as standard – including 3G/1080P 50/59.94 and UHD quad link with no reduction of resources whatsoever when processing these higher data rates.

“With 3 MEs and 4 MiniMEs, this switcher effectively has 7 fully available MEs and a total of 23 keyers,” continued Nigel. “Until now, there has been nothing available that can offer this much production power at a mid-size price point, and Carbonite Black is yet another game changer from Ross.”

Carbonite Black is scheduled to begin shipping in July 2015.

Rocket Surgery Design Services Acquisition
Ross Video has also acquired the assets of Rocket Surgery Design Services, which is based in Richmond, VA, and specializes in the design of broadcast and production motion graphics.

Rocket Surgery’s founder and “Mission Commander” Jim Doyle is joining Ross Video and will head up Ross’ Creative Services Group as Director of Creative and Technical Services. Ross Creative Services has been in existence for less than a year and takes on graphic design projects for Ross clients that include broadcasters and major sports teams like The Arizona Cardinals and Jacksonville Jaguars.

“It is great to add the talents of Jim Doyle and his Rocket Surgery team to Ross Video,” says David Ross, CEO of Ross Video. “Our creative services group has been going flat out over the past year since we started taking on graphic design projects for our clients and we simply haven’t had enough capacity to handle the workload. Our clients are looking for more than just equipment from us these days and adding Jim Doyle and team will give us the added talent and capacity to scale this important service to better meet their needs.”

Jim Doyle has a long history in creating graphics for broadcast and production, building and managing creative teams, and inventing and implementing efficient graphics workflow tools and processes that have become standard methods used throughout the industry. Doyle previously worked with Media General as General Manager of their centralized graphics operation MGFX, as well as NBC Universal as a Director of Design.

“Ross XPression is the best and most forward-thinking motion graphics platform in the industry. XPression continues to push the boundaries of what is creatively possible with graphics and branding. It is a wonderful opportunity to devote our energies in helping Ross’ clients create outstanding new productions with graphics from XPression,” says Doyle, Mission Commander, Rocket Surgery Design Services. “Most importantly, we are excited about joining Ross Video. Ross has a talented team and has built a great corporate culture.”

Ross’ goal with Ross Creative Services is to create an amazing and flexible end-to-end customer experience. The strategy includes collaboration with the freelance design community and other design firms.