Grass Valley LiveTouch 1300 replay server and K-Frame XP vision mixer deliver for IP production

LiveTouch 1300 brings enhanced flexibility to 4K UHD production

Grass Valley’s LiveTouch 1300, the company’s latest highlights and replay production system, and the K-Frame XP vision mixer point to the company’s full embrace of IP technology to provide format and production flexibility.

The LiveTouch 1300, for example, brings enhanced flexibility to 4K UHD production allowing users to capture video directly from IP sources, and delivers expanded collaborative workflow capability making it ideal for mobile production.

“The demand for captivating, stunning quality content is at an all-time high,” said Chris Merrill, Grass Valley’s director of product marketing. “We developed LiveTouch 1300 to help our customers efficiently create immersive 4K UHD and HDR replays in any production scenario. Now more than ever it is crucial to allow broadcasters and content owners greater freedom to cover live events regardless of their location. LiveTouch 1300 makes distributed production and collaborative workflows easy and fast.”

Among its new features is an HTML5 LiveTouch Dashboard makes system monitoring, control, start up and basic configuration straightforward and quick in the on-and-off environment of an OB truck. The LiveTouch Panel also now includes a uniquely integrated creative toolset that eliminates the need for external PCs. In addition, this latest version of LiveTouch enables multi-format production without changing the operator workflow.

With inputs that support up to full raster, single-stream 4K UHD/HD processing and HDR/SDR up and down or cross-mapping LiveTouch easily works across production standards. Concurrent operators may have access to all cameras and servers to instantly create, edit and playout highlights packages.

Greg Huttie, Grass Valley, vice president, production switchers, added that LiveTouch 1300 puts creative versatility at the operators fingertips with SDR, HDR, and full cross mapping functionality.

“The second them is flexibility as there is enormous flexibility with connectivity so it can be used to build out remi and at-home productions,” he says.

Simplifying content creation even further is Fileflow 4, a new streamlined UI that allows operators to quickly create rules for automated file delivery to social media, archive and other network-based destinations.

Built with the latest native IP environments in mind, LiveTouch 1300 simplifies 4K UHD requirements with unique dual redundant 50G SMPTE ST 2110 IP interfaces with NMOS IS-04 and IS-05 that allow operators to use standard IT network connections to quickly identify and connect the system. For the ultimate flexibility, panels connect over IP allowing operators to be miles away from the event and the Live Touch server, making the LiveTouch 1300 the ideal REMI/At-Home replay system.

Grass Valley also offers the GV K-Frame XP video production engine. Designed to make higher resolution content creation easier, the company says the new compact switcher packs a powerful punch with unmatched functionality across multi-format environments and high signal density, even with the increased bandwidth requirements of 4K UHD. Featuring true single stream, full raster, 4K processing at 2160p, the K-Frame XP eliminates the need for compromise in 4K UHD productions; there’s no reduction in I/O count in 4K UHD, no reduction in M/Es, keyers or DPMS in 4K UHD, and no change in operator workflow in 4K UHD.

Packed into a compact 8 RU footprint, the K-Frame XP supports 4K UHD on every input or output stream with no additional conversion required, and no reduction in I/O count. The system comes with up to six full-featured mix effects (MEs), each with six full keyers, with associated 2DDPMs, which include perspective. There is an additional option to add up to 16 floating 3D iDPMs. The new K-Frame XP is also fully compatible with any Grass Valley Kayenne, Karrera and GV Korona switcher control panel, allowing customers to leverage their existing investments.

The next-generation K-Frame XP’s video processing is built on an innovative hardware platform. This compact solution has the smallest footprint of any professional 4K vision mixer, delivering the processing power to handle any resolution (HD, 3G, and 4K UHD) – as well as HDR. The switcher also allows its 80×40 I/O count to remain unchanged, regardless of whether customers are producing in all IP, all SDI, or in hybrid environments at 1.5G, 3G, and 12G. The K-Frame XP supports all the latest IP and workflow standards such as SMPTE 2110 and AMWA/NMOS IS-04 and -05 standards.

The K-Frame XP also delivers eight-channel ClipStore with 4K UHD replay capacity; 12G single-stream connection on every input; smooth, full raster 4K effects from every keyer.