Ross Video

Ross Video
Industry ICT - Broadcast and Media segment
Founded 1974
Founder John Ross
Headquarters Iroquois, Ontario, Canada
Area served
 Worldwide
Key people
 David Ross (CEO)
George Angus (CFO)
Jeff Moore (Senior VP & CMO)
Troy English (CTO)
Number of employees
 600+ [1]
Website http://www.rossvideo.com/

Ross Video Ltd is a privately held Canadian company that designs and manufactures equipment for live event and video production. The company's signature product line is production switchers, or vision mixers, which were the basis for the founding of the company. The company’s products are used daily in over 100 countries by broadcast television networks, cable TV networks, sports stadiums, live production companies, government agencies and houses of worship.[2] Ross Video's headquarters and manufacturing operations are located in Iroquois, Ontario, Canada, while their R&D labs are in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.[3][4][5][6]

History

Ross Video was founded in 1974 by John Ross, who provided the initial seed money by selling his refurbished World War II trainer aircraft. From the basement of his house, John developed the 16-4 analog switcher that would be a commercial success for the company – as well as a groundbreaking technology for that time. Hailed a pioneer in Canadian broadcast technology development,[7] John Ross launched his next series of switchers in 1978, which introduced the now industry standard "Next Transition Operation" concepts, including the first patent for "Transition Preview" now used by almost all higher end switchers made in the industry. Ross Video continued to grow from the success of various switchers that include the RVS-210A, which sold for 25 years and the CDK-104, which became a fixture in most telecine suites around the world.

In 1998, Ross Video made the leap from composite analog switchers to component digital switchers. Their first digital switcher, called Synergy, sold over 3000 units by being smaller than traditional switchers, doubling the available inputs and increasing the amount of effects that operators could add to their programs. In 2004, Ross Video entered the HD market and introduced OverDrive, a product designed to automate live video production environments. During this process, Ross Video needed to redesign their gear frame racks to accommodate HD. This led to their creation of the openGear terminal equipment standard, a standard terminal equipment platform for broadcast and production distribution and conversion equipment.[8]

In 1991 John's son, David, began working full-time at Ross Video, managing all switcher product development and working closely with the sales and marketing team. David was promoted to director, Product Development, and later to executive vice president, followed by a promotion to president, and finally to CEO in 2006. In 2005, David assumed the position of chairman of the board and became the majority shareholder of Ross Video, owning 90 per cent of shares with employees of the company owning the remaining 10 per cent.

2008: Ross Video makes its first acquisition: Media Refinery founded by Bas Saleh.[9] Based in the Media Park in Hilversum, The Netherlands, Media Refinery became Ross Europe BV, and formed the company’s base in Europe. Media Refinery’s XPression graphics system, with its 3D character generation, graphics and virtual sets, was a perfect fit for Ross Video’s portfolio of live-production components, making this a “no brainer” acquisition. Bas Saleh continues to head development of Ross Video’s graphics product line.

2010: Ross Video acquired Norpak,[10] world experts in video data insertion. Norpak and Ross are now Nielsen's hardware partner for watermark insertion for television audience measurement. Ross Nielsen encoders, which are manufactured at Ross Video’s factory in Iroquois, are deployed at the vast majority of US broadcast television networks and local stations.

2010: Ross acquired Codan Broadcast,[11] which was a combination of two well-known Australian companies, Talia Sound & Vision and Pro Video. This acquisition added an important base in Australia and a range of elegant and cost-effective routing solutions from a development team with a 20+ year history. This addition of routers enabled Ross to round out its live-production product offering and deliver a more complete infrastructure solution.

2011: Ross Video acquired FX Motion in December 2011.[12] FX-Motion, a robotic camera systems company based in Brussels, Belgium, was best known for bringing film-style motion-control technology to television with its ground-breaking Furio product line. The absolute positioning system and rail-based tracking delivered by the Furio product line set it apart from the competition and made it ideally suited to virtual set and augmented reality applications. Now heading up Ross Robotics, Stijn Vanorbeek, the founder of FX-Motion, has a background in electrical engineering and cinematography.

2012: Ross Video acquired Cambotics,[13] a robotic camera systems company and global leader in studio camera automation technology. The acquisition of Cambotics, which designed and manufactured the world’s finest automated heads and pedestals, enables Ross to provide a more complete solution and advance live production technology. Cambotics products became the CamBot series within Ross Robotics and Cambotics founders Bob Scotto and Miles Spellman joined Ross Robotics as Chief Hardware Architect and Chief Software Architect respectively.

2013: Ross Video acquired Montalto,[14] a research and development company with extensive experience in, and deep knowledge of, broadcast routing systems. Former Harris/Leitch staff, the innovative Montalto team’s extensive knowledge and passion for routing systems, coupled with their track record of successfully developing many breakthrough products over the years, will advance Ross Video’s routing systems line, and contribute technology and products to the openGear product portfolio.

2013: Ross Video acquired Mobile Content Providers (MCP),[15] a premium full-service mobile sports production packager that successfully delivers premium content at affordable prices to many major sports networks, universities and international organizations. The goal of the new Ross Mobile Productions (RMP) is to become a national mobile production company and offer full-service production packages and rental services that deliver network-quality production. RMP’s services, which also include customizing, and creating score bugs and graphics packages, will and meet consumer demand for coverage of more sporting and other live events.

2014: Ross Video acquired Automated Data Systems (ADS),[16] a company know for its innovative, feature packed and easy to use solutions for data delivery, automation and broadcast production requirements. The company’s main product is EZNews, a newsroom editorial system used by television journalists to produce newscasts. Ross Video will continue to support EZNews while offering clients a compelling opportunity to move to Ross Video’s own Newsroom Computer System product, Inception. The ADS team brings a wide range of experience in journalism, broadcast management, computer system sales and support, and software development, which is the perfect fit for Inception.

2014: Ross introduced OpenTruck, a remote-production initiative that enables to cost-effective network-quality production.[17]

2014: With the acquisition of Unreel LLC,[18] a leading augmented reality (AR) and virtual set (VS) solutions provider, in April 2014, Ross Video became the only company in the broadcast industry able to offer a single-vendor turnkey AR/VS studio solution. Ross Video uses Unreel’s UX AR/VS control software and UX design services, alongside multiple Ross Video products to deliver AR/VS solutions that are cost-effective and easy to create, install and use. This acquisition also opens the door to a powerful new revenue opportunity: virtual advertising. Unreel, which has more than two decades’ experience in the AR/VS solutions market, an enviable list of clients that includes CBS, CNBC, ESPN, NBC, NESN, NASDAQ, Reuters, the Pentagon and the Social Security Administration, and multiple feature-film credits to its name, has groundbreaking technology and an innovative creative model that Ross Video has built upon to create the Studio of the Future.

2015: Ross Video and Rocket Surgery Graphic Services LLC[19] came together to form a premiere design firm built around the XPression graphics platform and the DashBoard API. The artists of Rocket Surgery | Ross Creative Services specialize in high-end design and data driven solutions for a wide variety of clients such as America’s Got Talent, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Pirates, New Jersey Devils, Jacksonville Jaguars, St. Louis Cardinals, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and the UK Lottery. The goal for Ross Video with Rocket Surgery is to create an amazing and flexible end-to-end customer experience. Rocket Surgery graphics present information in new and innovative ways that captivate and inform. From broadcast graphics and animation to dazzling arena displays, they are experts in maximizing production value.

2016: Ross Video acquired Abekas.[20] This iconic brand pioneered many new innovations over the years and won 7 technical Emmys for their contributions to the industry. Abekas founder Junaid Sheikh, with his team continue to grow and expand the product lines with new abilities for broader market reach. The Abekas product lines of Mira Replay, Mira and Tria Production Servers, and AirCleaner Profanity Elimination Delay System all integrate well into the Ross live production system portfolio.

2016: To address the long term implications of IP technology in media networking and video production, Ross Video acquired a technology company based in Ottawa, Canada with a team of 35 FPGA, software, and verification engineers.[21] COVELOZ develops programmable system-on-chip applications offering design services and firmware solutions to address the time-sensitive networking and processing of audio, video and control signals. As president of COVELOZ, Nestor Amaya and his team are poised to meet the needs of the rapidly evolving deterministic networking markets, starting with audio/video applications.

COVELOZ operates as a separate business to offer its products and engineering design services to the Broadcast, Pro-A/V, Communications and Industrial markets. COVElOZ makes its media networking technology accessible for companies within the industry who lack IP knowledge to accelerate adoption and drive efficiencies of scale. In a continued effort to accelerate the transition of video workflow to an IP based infrastructure, COVELOZ works with Altera, as a part of Intel, to bring studio video-over-IP applications to market.

Products and Solutions

Production Switchers

Real Time Motion Graphics Systems

Control Systems

Cameras

Robotic Camera Systems

Signal Processing

Routing Systems

Augmented Reality and Virtual Set Solutions

Assembly Production Solutions

Workflow Management Systems

Replay

Production Servers

Locations

Ross Video has corporate offices in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, and supporting sales and service operations located around the world. The company’s manufacturing operations and its headquarters for administration and finance, are located in Iroquois, Canada. Ottawa, Canada, is home to the company’s marketing, research and development, as well as its North American product training and demonstration center.

References

  1. ↑ . Ross Video. Retrieved on 2014-06-11.
  2. ↑ "WFX - Worship Facilities Expo" Worship AVL Asia Autumn 2009
  3. ↑ "Ross Video Limited". Business Week. Retrieved on 2009-06-14.
  4. ↑ "Ross Video" Broadcast Engineering. Retrieved on 2009-06-14.
  5. ↑ Valiquette, Leo (2009-03-26). "A Tech Company Built to Last in Small Town Ontario". Inmedia. Retrieved on 2009-06-14.
  6. ↑ "Company Profile" Ross Video. Retrieved on 2009-06-14.
  7. ↑ "John Ross celebrates 50 years in broadcasting" Broadcast Magazine in July 2001
  8. ↑ "Ross openGear Wins Society of Broadcast Engineers Technology AwardBroadcast Engineering. Retrieved on 2009-06-14.
  9. ↑ "Ross Video | About Ross | Press Releases | Archives". www.rossvideo.com. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  10. ↑ "Ross Video | About Ross | Press Releases | Ross Video to Acquire Norpak Corporation". www.rossvideo.com. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  11. ↑ "Ross Video | About Ross | Press Releases | Ross Video to Acquire Codan Broadcast". www.rossvideo.com. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  12. ↑ "Ross Video | About Ross | Press Releases | Ross Video Acquires FX-Motion Robotic Camera Systems". www.rossvideo.com. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  13. ↑ "Ross Video | About Ross | Press Releases | Ross Video Acquires Cambotics". www.rossvideo.com. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  14. ↑ "Ross Video | About Ross | Press Releases | Ross Video Acquires Montalto". www.rossvideo.com. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  15. ↑ "Ross Video | About Ross | Press Releases | Ross Video acquires Mobile Content Providers (MCP) forming Ross MCP – A Full Service Mobile Sports Production Company". www.rossvideo.com. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  16. ↑ "Ross Video | About Ross | Press Releases | Ross Video Acquires Automated Data Systems (ADS)". www.rossvideo.com. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  17. ↑ http://www.rossvideo.com/about-ross/press-releases/library/corporate/ross-video-launches-opentruck/
  18. ↑ "Ross Video | About Ross | Press Releases | Ross Video Acquires Unreel LLC—and Makes the Studio of the Future Available Now". www.rossvideo.com. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  19. ↑ "Ross Video | About Ross | Press Releases | Ross Video Acquires Rocket Surgery Design Services". www.rossvideo.com. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  20. ↑ "Ross Video | About Ross | Press Releases | Ross Acquires Abekas Adding Core Video Server Technology & Replay". www.rossvideo.com. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  21. ↑ "Ross Video Acquires COVELOZ Technologies". COVELOZ. 2016-09-08. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
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