Live from NAB: VER Invests in EVS Gear, Adds 20 EVS XT3 Servers

Video Equipment Rentals (VER) has signed a major deal with EVS which includes 20 EVS XT3 six-channel servers. It has also invested in four XTAccess servers, three XH3 media networking hubs, and five IPDirector suites with media view and IPEdit. The investment underscores VER’s commitment to offer the most up-to-date high-performance broadcast solutions to meet the needs of broadcasters across the USA, Canada and Europe.

As well as maintaining its position as the leading rental company for live events, VER’s investment in EVS XT3 servers will enable it to support a key customer’s involvement in a major international event.

By upgrading 10 XT2 servers and adding a further 10 new XT3 servers, VER’s rental facilities will be able to accommodate more cameras, giving customers more flexibility for recording and broadcasting live sports with advanced graphics. The XT3 servers will be delivered in a full 3D/1080p configuration, including 3G SDI connectivity, and with 20 remote controllers.

“As well as enabling us to support a large international event, expanding our inventory of EVS XT3 servers will increase our ability to support the evolving needs of domestic and international broadcasters,” says Howard Rosenthal, director of broadcast at VER. “The advanced capabilities of the XT3 servers provide valuable new tools for production teams, while broadcasters will be able to take full advantage of both the increase from six to eight channels, and the expanded drive capacity from 300GB to 900GB. We appreciate the growing support EVS has provided over the years, and we’re pleased to be able to offer our customers a full suite of EVS solutions – from servers and management applications to external drive chassis and hubs.”

VER’s customers can use the XTAccess servers to transfer media from a video server to central storage or post-production. As well as transferring high-resolution streams, they can also manage on-the-fly transcodes to a proxy with a matched tape ID.

VER will use the XHub3 as a media sharing network in conjunction with the XNet2 hub system. It will be able to provide broadcasters with multiple XT3 and XS production and playout servers which can be interconnected through a central hub, offering bandwidth of up to 1.5 Gbps. In a live or near-live production network environment like sports events, XHub3 gives VER’s customers maximum network security, removing any risk of cascade failure. The XHub3 will also be ready to handle the 3Gbps network speeds of the XT3 and XS servers, which will be available in a future multicam release.

With IPDirector, VER has an integrated suite of video production management applications allowing total control of production through EVS’ production servers integrated into any workflow. From a single interface, the suite enables ingest control, metadata management, on-the-fly editing and playout scheduling. Running on a Windows-based workstation, IPDirector allows VER’s customers to instantly share content, edits and metadata via a network. The software suite integrates transparently with any third-party system, simplifying transfers of media to post-production tools or archiving.

“We work closely with VER to help them stay on top of the latest technological advances,” explains Frederic Garroy, general manager, EVS Americas. “By ensuring the equipment they offer customers the fastest performing, most flexible and most efficient in the industry, VER have maintained their position as one of the world’s leading rental companies.”