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When it comes to technology, there is an artistry that can't be ignored. While creativity and tech-savvy are not mutually exclusive, they do tend to run counter to each other. The most creative people tend to not be the very tech-savvy and the most tech-savvy tend to be not as creative.
That's a broad statement. Certainly, there are people who are both very creative and very technical. But those people tend to be few and far between. More often, people tend to favor one side or the other. Often super-creative people struggle with the technical gear. Most can use it, but it always feels like you are working in a non-native language, and the constant translation back to your native tongue just doesn't feel right. Grass Valley is trying to remove the interface barrier between “creative” and their final products with the recently released video switcher the GV Director, which they call a “nonlinear live production center.”
On the technical side of the switcher the GV Director has two analog audio inputs, eight HD/SD inputs, two HDMI inputs and four HD/SD outputs (1x Program, 1x Stage, and 2x Auxiliary). Each output can be embedded with up to 16 tracks of audio, which is also available on the four analog audio outputs. All of these connections are housed and a 4 RU server platform. If the standard inputs aren't sufficient it also has standard media file import of MXF and MOV for internal storage and recall. The GV Director also has a DVI output for optional touchscreen monitor interface. It will function in a variety of HD and SD formats including HD: 720p50/59.94, 1080i50/59.94, SD: 525i59.94, 625i50. It also has your standard reference dual BNC loop-through for blackburst or tri-level sync.
One of the first things I noticed about the switcher, which I got to see briefly at the recent NAB Show in Las Vegas is the intentionality behind making the interface something that conforms to what you want, rather than you conforming yourself or your thought process to the gear. This is a very different, and frankly appealing approach to live switching.
Rather than the standard program/preset/aux delegation rows of inputs all the buttons on the working surface function as user-defined keys giving you a blank canvas of a control surface that you can make into whatever you want.
Grass Valley achieves this by making the interface completely customizable. Rather than the standard program/preset/aux delegation rows of inputs all the buttons on the working surface function as user-defined keys giving you a blank canvas of a control surface that you can make into whatever you want. The design breaks down all the things you can do with a switcher for into four production elements; effects/graphics/overlays, pre-produced material, live inputs, and transitions, any of which can be assigned to any of the buttons on the switcher. This gives you a blank canvas of a control surface that you can make whatever you want. For example, you can assign the first four buttons to cameras, buttons five and six can be transitions, the next three buttons can be for clip stores. Each button becomes clearly labeled as they are assigned. As a result the switcher can function less like live production tool, and more like a nonlinear editor, making all the post-production people feel very at home in a live production environment.
The GV Director also supports many types of external interfaces including keyboard and mouse. Even the buttons on the built-in touchscreen are assignable and codeable by color. The OLED display on the interface is fantastic, and greatly assists the ease-of-use.
Beyond the interface, the GV Director also has an interesting twist on the preview area Grass Valley calls the stage. You can use this area as a traditional preview section, putting videos, cameras, and graphics prior to moving them to on air. However, the stage also allows you to composite videos with graphics and transitions and rehearse them without sending them live. Add to this the fact that the GV director supports many types of external interfaces including: keyboards, mice, and touchscreens. The touchscreen can function as a multi-viewer allowing the user to interface with the preview windows directly. On the interface itself are assignable colored buttons and touch sensitive OLED display, all of which encourages ease-of-use that's consistent results allowing the user to focus on creativity.
Another totally unique feature with the GV Director is the comprehensive authoring environment it is available off line. Like many lighting consoles, the GV Director allows you set up the interface and program from the comfort of anywhere. Offline authoring allows the user to work on layering, keyframe animations, import of 2D and 3D graphics elements, WYSIWYG preview, and comes with pre-built templates for easy re-use. This allows users to utilize a Create Once and Publish Everywhere (COPE) workflow for the complete look and style of production. The offline users can even build multiple stage setups that can be exported and recalled during the event, allowing you to essentially build macros offline. The GV Director also integrates with the Grass Valley's Stratus nonlinear production tools. This allows the addition of extra work surface, ingest control, advances logging, content management, editor integrations and routing switcher control.
The GV Director was really designed for more creative/less technical-minded users. This appears to make a perfect option for volunteers, since they tend to fall into this category. A number of new switching products introduced to the market in the past year or so have been focused on removing the barrier of the hardware from the end user, but the GV Director has taken that mindset to a whole new level. The form and function of this switcher totally redesigns how video productions are made, and I think it could be an excellent option for any church that utilizes a volunteer staff to for their productions.
Again, we only had a few minutes with the unit at the NAB Show. We hope for the opportunity to do a more thorough hands-on review later in the year. But based on what we're being told, Grass Valley has produced a switcher that is consistent with their goal of allowing the user to focus on creativity not technology. List price reportedly starts at around $35,000.
