FOR-A has provided an HVS-1200 switcher to Italian production company PTB. The new switcher replaces an existing FOR-A product in the company’s outside broadcast unit and upgrades the truck to 4K capabilities to meet client demands.

PTB is a broadcast and live events production company based in Bergamo near Milan. Its clients include major broadcasters in Italy and Europe, and among the facilities it offers is an outside broadcast truck, used for smaller sports and concerts, and as the production hub at major events. To meet the increasing demand for 4K Ultra HD, PTB needed a new switcher while retaining the existing installation.

The FOR-A HVS-1200 is an HD/4K switcher, using SDI connection, including 12G-SDI or quad-link 3G-SDI. This meant the new switcher could drop into the truck without major rewiring which would take the unit out of service for an extended period.

For maximum flexibility, the HVS-1200 incorporates a key and effects system, ClassX graphics insertion, and two independent channels of multiviewer, all within the compact 3U footprint, saving space in the compact truck.

“We had used a FOR-A HD switcher in the truck for a number of years and were really very pleased with what it could do and how reliably it performed,” said Daniele Pagnoni, product manager at PTB. “FOR-A provides excellent local support and we appreciate their commitment to dedicated hardware for mission-critical tasks like live production switching. The HVS-1200 gives us the tools we need and the ability to give our clients the 4K capabilities they need.”