Broadcast Pix upgrades video-control software for Granite, Mica systems

Broadcast Pix has launched Video Control Center 3.2 software for its Granite and Mica systems, which enhances five of the systems’ integrated devices. Camera control adds thumbnails of each camera’s preset position to greatly aid with camera selection, while the integrated clip server adds support for native Avid DNxHD clips. Plus, the Fluent-View display can now link a completely customized layout to each show, frame capture has been added to the still store, and the Granite 2000 system now has access to a second M/E.

V3.2 is the third software upgrade this year; earlier enhancements have added optimized touch-screen controls, integrated virtual set software, multiscreen support for 1 M/E systems, scoreboard integration, multi-lingual user interface, and voice-automated video production.

“The pace of innovation at Broadcast Pix is accelerating, with our third software announcement in the last six months,” said Ken Swanton, Broadcast Pix CEO. “This upgrade enhances five of the core components of our system, making it even easier for our customers to create great live video with confidence.”

The enhanced camera control software displays a thumbnail of the preset position of each robotic camera, rather than just the number of each preset, on the system’s Fluent-View, an enhanced multi-view display that shows video outputs and inputs, internal file-based inputs, file libraries, and key layer contents. The new thumbnails help an operator quickly select the camera position desired.

Thumbnails can be created for up to 100 preset positions on each of up to 12 Panasonic robotic cameras, as well as 16 preset positions on each of up to 12 Sony robotic cameras. Broadcast Pix camera control software also enables manual control of pan, tilt, and zoom with a proportional 3D joystick that accelerates depending on how fast it is moved. V3.2 software enables even finer control for very long-range camera shots.

DNxHD, a native Avid 1080i QuickTime .mov file, is the third clip format supported by the clip store in every Broadcast Pix Granite and Mica system, joining ProRes and H.264. DNxHD clips can flow into the Broadcast Pix systems over a TCP/IP network directly from Avid editing stations using Fluent Watch-Folders, even in the middle of a live production. Up to 180 hours of clips can be stored and set to auto-start when the system’s integrated switcher takes them to air. Clips can also be set to automatically advance to the next clip or back to the source in preview.

The Fluent-View enhancement will enable each show to have an associated customized monitor layout, as every window on the Fluent-View can be individually sized and positioned across up to four monitors. The still store enhancement allows an operator to capture and use a frame in any of the system’s four processed outputs. V3.2 also upgrades the 2000 control panel for Granite systems. Originally offered as a 1 M/E panel, the 2000 can now be used as a 2 M/E panel for facilities that need 2 M/E functionality but do not have the space for a larger control panel.

A free download for all Granite and Mica systems, V3.2 software is expected to ship later this year.