Sony XVS-2M:E Pack
It's a great time to be a video director. There are so many device options available on the market. It doesn't matter what your budget is, it doesn't matter how many sources and destinations you have, there is an option for you.
The problem now is trying to figure out the best option for your church from all that's available. For many churches, a full-scale production switcher is the best fit. If your church falls into that category, there is a new option on the market that is worth consideration: the Sony XVS. Building on the pedigree for the MVS line of switchers, the XVS Packs have all the production features a video director could want. One of the great things about this switcher is that it's very modular, so you can add cards for feature enhancements at a later date.
This modularity is incredibly powerful and makes the XVS-1M/E Pack and XVS-2M/E Pack great options for a growing church.
With all the available options you might find yourself with a little decision paralysis, so Sony has you covered there, as well. Sony has taken parts from its modular unit and packaged them together in a pre-made kit that they think will best fit the needs of the house of worship market. This modularity is incredibly powerful and makes the XVS-1M/E Pack and XVS-2M/E Pack great options for a growing church. The tech that has the flexibility to grow as your needs increase is always a huge win in my book, but for the purposes of this article, I am going to focus on the Packs that Sony has already assembled.
I/O
The only difference between the XVS 1M/E and XVS-2M/E is the 2M/E version has 2M/Es and four keyers per M/E vs. the 1M/E which features eight keyers. The hardware consists of a panel with 20 crosspoint buttons. The second part is a multi-format switcher processor with 32 inputs and 24 outputs and a 2 channel multiviewer. The third piece is a system interface unit for all your standard switcher features like tally and GPIO. Also included is a switcher control station, which allows the use of an aux bus remote panel. The last part is the menu panel, which allows the user to see the detail of what the switcher is doing.
... the frame synchronizers mean you can get away without having a genlock running to all your sources, and you shouldn't have any trouble getting computers or other non-standard video sources working with the XVS.
Each input has a format converter and frame synchronizer. This is a great option for churches transitioning formats because you can use mixed formats simultaneously. Also, the frame synchronizers mean you can get away without having a genlock running to all your sources, and you shouldn't have any trouble getting computers or other non-standard video sources working with the XVS. I am curious how this affects the speed of the switcher, typically re-clocking the inputs introduces latency. Some latency is inevitable, but it will be interesting to see how fast this unit is from in to out. Also, if you have genlock to your inputs can you bypass the re-clocking and essentially "speed the switcher up."
Growth
One of the biggest features that the XVS offers is the ability to grow as your needs grow. Right out of the box there is RS-422A which operates over various protocols including AMP (Advanced Media Protocol). There are a variety of software/hardware options that can radically change the functionality of the system. For example, there is a software license option for a virtual shotbox or virtual menu. So in a pinch, you can run the entire switcher from a tablet sitting on stage or at front of house. On top of the software control there are hardware cards that drop into the processor that allow for more inputs, more outputs, 4K, IP I/O; there are expansions for everything.
One of the biggest features that the XVS offers is the ability to grow as your needs grow.
In conclusion
One of the things I have always admired about Sony over the years is the fact that they have a department dedicated to Faith. Sony Faith covers a wide variety of aspects in the faith market, but I have always been a huge fan of the fact that a brand like Sony has people dedicated to keeping their fingers on the pulse of the house of worship market and work specifically to meet our unique needs. So it shouldn't be a surprise that Sony has two versions of the XVS Packs designed for this market. Knowing that a video switcher is a big investment, it's always great to get gear that won't have to be torn out when your needs change a few years down the road. When you consider the modular nature of this unit and its ability to meet the ever-changing needs of the church, I think the XVS Packs are really strong contenders and worthy of consideration.
