NAB 2013: Grass Valley Highlights Nonlinear Production Platform

Grass Valley will demonstrate how Nonlinear Production — a single collaborative platform providing a true create once, publish everywhere environment — delivers greater workflow efficiency by enabling collaboration and work in parallel, while eliminating costly and complicated processes needed to repurpose TV content for multiple platform distribution.

Supporting the Nonlinear Production platform, Grass Valley will be unveiling new and highly innovative additions to their Live Production lineup. The latest updates to their proven line of solutions for Live, News, and Playout will also be presented.

Highlighting the company’s new direction is the GV Director Integrated Nonlinear Live Production Center and the addition of the LDX Flex studio camera system as an entry-level offering to its LDX Series of upgradable system cameras.
Grass Valley also unveiled the XCU WorldCam eXchangeable Camera Control Unit. Fully compliant with all Grass Valley 3G Transmission solutions, the XCU concept will serve as the core design for all future Grass Valley base stations to simplify the way live content is produced and delivered.

GV STRATUS provides the backbone for Nonlinear Production is, by combining production tools, device control, and content management into a single, highly configurable multitasking user interface. GV STRATUS works with the K2 Summit platform of media server and storage products to provide a unified database for all content management use cases and an expandable foundation for new applications and workflows.

The latest release of GV STRATUS includes powerful new tools to increase efficiency through automated, rules-based file operations, and sets a new standard in proxy editing workflows with the introduction of the EDIUS XS nonlinear low-resolution proxy editor. EDIUS XS includes most of the effects capability of the full resolution EDIUS editor, delivering unmatched capability for newsroom desktop editing and also opens the door to production workflows that have previously required more expensive full resolution editors.

In combination with GV STRATUS, EDIUS Elite delivers better editing and faster operations for full-resolution broadcast applications, opening up new possibilities for workgroup collaboration and eliminating the need for conversions, processes, and extra components, for quick-turn production in news and studio environments.

For the ultimate in production power and flexibility, both the Kayenne and Karrera Video Production Center switchers now feature K-Frame, a new modular video frame approach to switchers that meets growing requirements whether input/output, M/Es or functionality, providing out-of-the box 3G 1080p50/60 operation, all while consuming less power of what other in-class switcher systems do.

Capturing the best images possible, the Grass Valley LDX Series of Xensium- FT-based camera systems — consisting of the LDX Première, LDX Elite, and LDX WorldCam — will show how simple buying a camera system can be. Customers select the level of acquisition format they require today, confident that as their production needs change, they can upgrade as required. A simple upgrade advances every LDX Series camera to the next camera in the range.

The Grass Valley Smart Playout Center is a fully integrated playout platform that combines K2 Edge playout nodes, playlist management, media asset management, graphics management, channel branding, and master control functionality. This combination not only dramatically simplifies the amount of equipment required to build a playout channel, but also simplifies operations.

Each Smart Playout Center includes Grass Valley’s K2 TX/MAM media asset management system with a central database spanning multi-channel operations. The web-based GUI controls all media assets—including video clips, audio clips, captioning, metadata, and graphic elements on the discrete playout nodes of the K2 Edge. Grass Valley’s Cobalt playlist management software  is also included in each Smart Playout Center to manage all on-air events, and for increased reliability Cobalt runs completely on K2 Edge, independent from the database.

Smart Playout Center uses an innovative approach to creating the on-air look of a channel. Grass Valley’s Channel Composer is available as a software option that manages the import and animation of 2D and 3D graphics. It creates graphic layouts and templates that build entire channel looks for real time on-air presentation.

With Smart Playout Center, every aspect—server, graphics, asset management, and playout control—are purpose-built to create a tightly integrated and cohesive system.

“With Nonlinear Production, broadcasters and media organizations of all types and sizes can immediately see bottom line benefits to their operations,” said Graham Sharp, SVP & Chief Marketing Officer for Grass Valley. “Whether in production or through multiplatform and multichannel distribution, the paradigm of individually producing and specifically distributing programming on a per channel basis is no longer viable in today’s world. Grass Valley gives broadcasters and media organizations the solutions they need to move forward in the TV Everywhere world.”

Grass Valley will be exhibiting at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in Las Vegas from April 8-11, 2013, in the South Hall lower level, booth SL206.