A new video production switcher capable of transforming a traditional AUX bus into a functional M/E with cut, mix, wipe and key control has been launched by FOR-A at IBC2014. The HVS-XT2000 (XT2k) 2 M/E switcher allows up to 40 SDI inputs and 22 outputs and is said to provide “powerful features unavailable in other switchers in its class.”
Among those features is MELite which offers the AUX bus transformation function and provides the XT2k with the capabilities of a 6 M/E switcher plus the building blocks for upstream and downstream transition effects. Operating on what FOR-A calls a V6 XT2K engine, the new switcher is capable of coping with SD, HD, Full HD (3G) and 4K.
“The XT2000 switcher was designed based on significant customer feedback,” said Hiro Tanoue, president of FOR-A Corporation of America. Operators can deploy a MELite as a third M/E, transforming the switcher to a 3 M/E switcher with a 3 M/E panel. The XT2k was developed for OB trucks, live events, television studios, houses of worship and educational settings. It will start shipping in Q1 2015.