LAS VEGAS – Ross Video has acquired Massachusetts-based Unreel LLC, a leading augmented reality (AR) and virtual set (VS) solutions provider, the company announced Sunday from NAB 2014 in Las Vegas.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Ross said that the acquisition makes it the only company in the broadcast industry capable of offering a single-vendor turnkey AR/VS studio solution. Its state-of-the-art ‘studio of the future’ is on display now at the NAB tradeshow.
“Cost and complexity have, in the past, confined the virtual-set and augmented-reality market primarily to the largest national broadcasters,” said CEO David Ross, in the news release. “At Ross, we saw there was a need to not only be able to deliver network quality AR and VS solutions cost-effectively to any broadcast customer, but also open the door to a powerful new revenue opportunity: virtual advertising.”
Ross also announced the launch of UX Design, a unique AR and VS design department, as part of its acquisition of Unreel, and is demonstrating its AR/VS solutions in the Ultimatte and ProCyc booths at NAB.
UX Design will deliver an all-inclusive, end-to-end service that covers the entire design process from project definition and design to 3D fabrication and implementation. This breadth and depth maximizes system performance for customers. UX Design is structured to collaborate with design firms, virtual set designers and builders based on a customer’s needs, resources and relationships.
Ross Video also announced that it is entering into a reseller partnership with General Lift for jib encoders for those customers who wish to use jibs in their AR/VS productions.
In related news, Ross Mobile Productions (RMP) will roll out the OT1 compact production vehicle this week at NAB. Designed around a tightly integrated Carbonite Production Switcher and XPression Graphics core, the RMP vehicles will deliver fibre and Triax camera capabilities, an advanced communication system and a dual-user eight-channel replay system. This incredible production power enables these Mercedes Sprinter-size vehicles to deliver network-quality production and meet consumer demand for coverage of more sporting and other live events.
