For the international proAV industry, adopting new remote workflow technologies that incorporate production-proven broadcast solutions has enabled live events to pivot to accessible virtual and hybrid formats. At the onset of the global pandemic, the veteran proAV specialists at Stuttgart’s Pass GmbH transitioned their core line of business to focus more heavily on hosting, live streaming and recording virtual events for clients. Whether streaming classical symphony performances for the Bach Akademie, Stuttgart, or hosting virtual conferences for Trelleborg, Computacenter, and other multinational corporations, Pass depends on a range of reliable AJA recording, streaming and I/O solutions to power remote event production.  

Cobalt® Digital, designer and manufacturer of award-winning edge devices for live video production and master control, and a founding partner in the openGear® initiative, has announced that Dr. Ciro Noronha, the company’s EVP of Engineering will be a presenter at a trio of virtual events throughout September that all feature information regarding RIST. These include RIST Forum’s “Stories From the Field” webinar on Thursday September 9, VSF’s Fall Meeting Series Webinar on Wednesday, September 22, and SVG’s annual TranSPORT virtual conference which returns on Thursday September 23.

Cobalt® Digital has announced that its award-winning next generation 9904-UDX family of openGear® advanced scaler/frame synchronizers has been enhanced with numerous features and functionalities. Referred to as the Company’s Swiss Army Knife because it solves so many issues, the 9904-UDX series of Up/Down/Cross Converter/Frame Sync/Embed/De-Embed Audio Processors now accepts 3G Level B-DL signals in addition to 3G Level A (the two main formats for 3G-SDI support), a feature already adapted into the workflow at The Foundation post-production provider. The support for Level B-DL joins a host of other capabilities incorporated into the card-based, multi-function solution.

New model combines all the Blackmagic Web Presenter HD features with an upgraded H.264 hardware encoder for native Ultra HD resolution streaming. The new Web Presenter 4K is a compact design that includes a 12G-SDI input with down converter, so customers can select to stream in 1080p HD or 2160p Ultra HD resolutions.

VITEC’s MGW ACE Encoders and MGW ACE Decoders have formed the backbone of a remote production system created by fixed-rig specialist Minicams. The bespoke system – named the Cloud-rig – has been specifically developed to enable a highly portable remote production solution for fixed-rig filming, including documentaries. The system records local high resolution edit ready files, whilst streaming high quality ultra-low latency pictures and audio back to production staff, allowing pan/tilt cameras to be operated remotely from across the globe. Minicams has two fully developed portable Cloud-rig systems available to ship out and use, which both use the VITEC equipment.

Mo-Sys™ Engineering, (www.mo-sys.com), world leader in virtual production and image robotics, has supplied the brand-new Mo-Sys VP Pro XR extended reality server as well as StarTracker camera tracking to ARRI for its new studio in Uxbridge, west of London, making them the first user of this innovative technology.

Cobalt Digital has announced the addition of HDMI-to-SDI and SDI-to-HDMI converter cards to its openGear® family of products. The new dual and quad-channel modules come complete with built-in per-channel frame synchronizers and loads of features that maximize space and ensure greater installation integrity than throwdown devices can offer. The new 9926 series target any application requiring signal conversion from HDMI compliant devices such as computer monitors or video projectors, to broadcast quality SDI formats, while the 9927 conversely converts SDI signals to HDMI formats.

Gene Zimmerman, president of Cobalt® Digital, has announced the promotion of four key team members noting that the multiple moves are an indicator of the company’s unprecedented growth in difficult times. Cobalt is a leading designer and manufacturer of award-winning edge devices for live video production and master control.

AJA Video Systems today rolled out the new compact PAK Dock Pro media reader featuring ubiquitous USB-C connectivity. With no external power supply required, the compact, plug-and-play device streamlines the transfer of Apple® ProRes and Avid® DNx files from AJA Ki Pro Ultra 12G digital video recorders to desktop and laptop computers on macOS® and Windows® operating systems. PAK Dock Pro supports the latest USB 3.2 Gen 1 standard via the USB-C connection, ensuring broad compatibility and extremely fast transfer speeds.

Cobalt® Digital, designer and manufacturer of award-winning edge devices for live video production and master control, has announced that its implementation of the Reliable Internet Stream Transport (RIST) Main Profile now includes full support for certificate-based authentication. The enhanced functionality gives users of Cobalt’s 9992 encoder/decoder family and 9990 decoder an added level of security by ensuring the identity of the remote site when transmitting content over the Internet with RIST. Cobalt is an original contributor to the RIST protocol and is also a founding partner in the openGear® initiative.