At IBC 2011, The Awards Go To… The Grass Valley Karrera Video Production Center

The prestigious Broadcast Engineering Pick Hit Awards are the industry’s longest-running product technology awards for broadcast and production. They are selected by a panel of independent judges who make their selections based on several criteria, including the technical and financial improvements the product can bring to a facility’s operation.

Now in its 11th year, the STAR awards are designed to honor and showcase outstanding technological innovations available to the broadcast industry.  A panel of judges consisting of TV Technology editors and columnists review a variety of products, examine the technical applications and their overall contribution to the industry, and then submit their award nominees.

The new Karrera is a lower-cost, high-definition switcher platform that makes sophisticated production capabilities readily available to more applications and more users. Karrera is a fully digital 10-bit, 4:2:2 video switcher with up to 96 inputs and 48 outputs. It features HD/SD SDI signal support with (optional) up/down/cross converters on selected inputs and outputs, and six keyers in every full M/E—four full-function keyers plus two linear/ luminance keyers. Each full-function keyer has two pages (frames) of video and key storage to free up Image Store outputs and reduce the number of external graphics sources.

A wide variety of system options provides both an affordable Karrera entry price along with the ability to grow the system as needs expand. The Karrera family features two frame sizes (4 RU and 8 RU) with frame configurations from 1 to 4.5 M/Es. Either frame can be combined with a choice of 2 or 3 M/E control panels as well as a 1 M/E soft-panel GUI.

Other Grass Valley products receiving awards at the IBC2011 show include the MediaFUSE® automated content repurposing and multi- distribution system, which was recognized with a ConnectedWorld.TV Award, as an outstanding new production tool that takes advantage of Internet connectivity. The innovative Internet Protocol (IP)-based video delivery system won in the category of “Production Tools.”