News

Merging Introduces a New Low-Cost Family of VCube Networkable Video Player/Recorder Systems (15/5/2008)

Never a company to rest on its laurels, Swiss based Merging Technologies have again raised the bar in cost-effective video player/recorders for audio post. A totally new range of VCube systems is now available as software only, software and card-sets; as well as full turnkey solutions in both standard and high definition. Ken Barnsley, head of Sales and Marketing at Merging explains the family tree.

"It was clear from talking with existing customers and our dealers that we needed to expand the range of solutions we offered for VCube to suit different pockets and different requirements. For example, some customers don't need to record video as their clients only ever bring their footage on disk or DVD's to import into the system, or they only stream video from a central server. Likewise some edit suites only use the PC's TFT monitor to reference their video for post, or to make taker/loop list for ADR etc. In short they do not need, the video I/O card, or any form of export or rendering etc. If you install VCube inside the same system as Pyramix then we don't even need to synchronise the two systems in the traditional way, as we have our own direct synchronisation between VCube and Pyramix.

To meet all these different requirements the solution was to come up with a variety of VCubes preconfigured to suite these differing needs, while at the same time giving the customer specific additional options to choose from if they wish to include them. In this way the customer is not being forced to purchase something he doesn't use or need in terms of hardware, or software functions. What we end up with is a very concise family of VCube solutions that we think now fits the pocket and functionality of just about everyone requiring video referencing with no limitations on networking, or media management of the system for any configuration chosen.

There are three basic configurations. The VCube LE, a really cost-effective version starting from as little as €1,000 designed as a simple, but effective video player. There is no export or rendering to different video formats, but it does retain the ability to import an incredible array of formats just like the main VCube system. There is also the option of an export, render and wrap version, the VCube XE, which is the same as the LE, but with video exporting, rendering and wrapping capabilities. Wrapping allows VCube to encode audio with video, for example, without the need to completely re-render the video media.

We then move on to the VCube SE range, which comes in a standard or high-definition models. This is supplied with the video I/O hardware for either Standard or High-definition video. With the video card, installed, which has SDI and Analog I/O, we can record from external sources and play out to external sources such as video projectors, external monitors or VT machines. The SE range can still be installed in the same machine as Pyramix.

If you want to place any of these VCube models in a separate PC as a stand alone system, synchronising to a separate Pyramix, VT machine, or indeed integrating with a 3rd-party DAW, 'we're not proud', we then have what we call the Pro versions. In other words, all the same models as mentioned above, but with our new dedicated video synchronisation card, which has Video Reference sync I/O, RS422 machine control, LTC and MIDI machine control as well as an option to sync with bi-phase. This card simply sits inside the PC and connects to any internal USB port.

So, we have software only solutions, software and card sets versions and of course we will maintain the full turnkey systems in our custom aluminium chassis for all the configurations to suit those customers who prefer us to build the system for them".

www.merging.com  

[more NLE news]