Ross Video has launched a new version of its Ultrix Router—the 12G ready Ultrix FR12.
Ross is billing the new product as the ultimate routing, multiviewer and signal processing platform for studios, OB vans and flypacks with a software defined platform that offers customers significant cost, space, and power efficiencies along with unparalleled flexibility and agility.
“When we launched Ultrix we had 1RU and 2RU frame sizes,” explained director of product management for hyperconverged solutions at Ross Video, Todd Riggs. “A couple of years later we brought the 5RU frame to market. Today, with the launch of the FR12, our award-winning platform makes a huge leap forward, one that will rock the world for a wide range of markets.”
Key features include:
- Software defined Pay as You Go – Easily add new features through additional software licenses. No additional hardware required.
- 12G ready – Ultrix natively supports 12G throughout the entire chassis.
- Transport agnostic – Ultrix supports SDI, fibre and IP signal I/O. Use all of one or mix and match as you need. Focus on workflow, not on transport.
- Hyperconverged design – The Ultrix platform is production in a box. Video/audio routing, multiviewers, audio processing, frame synchroniders, clean/quiet switching, UHD gearboxing, production switchers, audio mixers and more all unified in one single chassis.
The FR12 also has a smart door with an LCD display to help users for monitoring systems, troubleshooting, configuring, and control via a high-resolution, full-size touchscreen panel.
It boasts up to 288 x 288 SDI ports with a 6144 x 6144 TDM audio fabric, up to 288 frame syncs, 288 clean quiet switches and up to 48 x 100 PIP multiviewers.
It also has up to 8 SDPE blades that can be configured as a single 8ME Ross Acuity switcher, 8 independent Ross Carbonites or even a 4ME Acuity and 4 independent Carbonites, Ross reported.
“In the past, a traditional system could use around 500 rack units,” Riggs said. “Now with the FR12, you’re looking at only 14 rack units for the equivalent solution. That’s over 500 less rack units and freed up space for your business to grow. Less hardware also means less power consumption, so while a typical system could consume 52,300 Watts, the FR12 equivalent system would only consume 2,400 Watts. Less hardware also means far less cabling – hundreds instead of thousands – and significantly less weight as the FR12 tips the scales around 100 lbs or 45 kg as opposed to a traditional system’s massive 6284 lbs or 2850 kg!”.
In addition, Ross is billing the FR12 is the world’s only router with an integrated production switcher, which means that customers can build entire infrastructures with ground-breaking flexibility, performance, and integration.
“The award-winning Ultrix platform just got bigger, smarter, and more powerful as the FR12’s compact frame packs a massive punch with significantly more capacity, functionality and innovation,” Todd Riggs concluded. “The FR12 also represents a major enhancement to the current Ultrix product portfolio and the capacity increase of the frame means Ross Video now addresses and can meet even more of the worldwide router and multiviewer market’s requirements.”
