九一果冻

In our latest Beyond the Lens blog post, Tedd Tramaloni, Business Development Manager for Production Switchers and Video Servers, shares his thoughts on how the introduction of the FR12 Ultrix Routing Platform unlocks even more freedom for systems designed around Ross Production Switchers. 

In a recent blog post, you may recall a conversation I had with a truck engineer who wrestled with the size, weight, and power dilemma of designing a mobile system. Since that initial conversation, he鈥檚 found a solution for his small to medium-sized mobile trucks with our Ultrix-based switchers (Ultrix Acuity or Ultrix Carbonite). Months later, the engineer picked up the phone and came back to me with a new request: 鈥淚 now need something bigger! I need more inputs and more M/E banks. And I still need to manage size, weight, and power requirements. So, what have you got for me now?鈥�  鈥淲ell,鈥� I responded, 鈥淭ake a look at our new Ultrix FR12 chassis. It鈥檒l provide eight M/Es, and it鈥檚 still only 12RU.鈥� The silence on the other end of the line told me I had notched yet another point.  

The Past is Past

If you鈥檝e been following Ross (and you should be!), you probably know that at the heart of our router/production switcher marriage lies our revolutionary Software Defined Production Engine (SDPE) blade. So far, we鈥檝e used that blade to create both the Ultrix-based Acuity and Carbonite production switchers, and with the latest , customers can switch back and forth between them. This means that a single SDPE can be an Acuity M/E bank or a complete, multi-M/E Carbonite switcher. (Choices, choices鈥�) But until now, the largest complement of SDPE blades that could be put into an Ultrix frame was four, and for some users, that just wasn鈥檛 enough. Unfortunately, we didn鈥檛 have a perfect answer for them 鈥� until now.  

The Secret is Out

Last year, our router team shared a secret 鈥渓ittle鈥� project they were working on: a larger Ultrix that would provide more I/O and accommodate more SDPE blades at the same time. Wait 鈥� a bigger Acuity? More Carbonites in a single chassis? Hmm鈥� 

With the FR12 now officially released, users can leverage the power of Ultrix and the flexibility of our SDPE blades to create bigger, more versatile hyperconverged solutions. For example鈥� 

• 8 ME Banks in HD or UHD – If your workflow demands 8ME Banks with access to 128 SDI inputs, then knock yourself out; the FR12 can do it.

• Mix It Up – Here’s where it gets interesting. Populate the FR12 frame with a bunch of SDPE bladed, say six or eight. License them for both Acuity and Carbonite. Now, switch back and forth as you like. Or, even better, configure some for Acuity and the rest for Carbonite. A four ME Acuity and four independent 2 ME Carbonites in one frame.

• Mind Boggling – I won’t even get into the notion of multiple frames tied together using the Broadcast Control System (BCS), which is needed to manager all the power in the FR12; it makes my brain hurt. But you get the idea

Yes, there is a point鈥� 

And that point is that the FR12 is a big deal, and not just because it鈥檚 bigger. The larger frame opens possibilities that weren鈥檛 available just a few months ago. 

And now that our gorgeous TouchDrive panels can be used with either Ultrix Acuity or Ultrix Carbonite, managing one big switcher or multiple smaller ones is much more cost-effective and doesn鈥檛 require re-training all that muscle memory.  

So, it鈥檚 hyperconvergence amplified. But if you follow Ross (and you should!), you won鈥檛 be surprised. It鈥檚 what we do 鈥� we design and build smart live production technology that won鈥檛 break the bank.

That鈥檚 a Wrap 

鈥淪o,鈥� I continued, 鈥淲hat do you think? Would the FR12 make a difference?鈥� Predictably, my truck buddy conceded. 鈥淚 guess. I鈥檒l have to think it over.鈥� By 鈥渢hink it over,鈥� I knew what he meant. It meant he鈥檇 now have to revisit his design plans to accommodate a revolutionary solution he hadn鈥檛 anticipated. Oh well. If it was easy, anyone could do it, right?   

About Tedd Tramaloni 

Before joining 九一果冻 in 2014, Tedd held a variety of positions at call-letter stations and with broadcast equipment manufacturers. He also freelanced for over twenty years as a TD and Replay Op. You can connect with him on鈥�鈥�or at鈥�tedd.tramaloni@rossvideo.com.