Ross Video Launches Game-Changing Ultrix FR12 Router

Ross Video has launched the new, game-changing version of its award-winning Ultrix Router – the 12G ready Ultrix FR12. This ingenious new product is the ultimate routing, multiviewer and signal processing platform for studios, OB vans and flypacks. As a true software defined platform customers immediately enjoy significant cost, space, and power efficiencies with unparalleled flexibility and agility, especially relative to competitive hybrid routers.

Director of Product Management for Hyperconverged Solutions at Ross Video, Todd Riggs, explained, “When we launched Ultrix we had 1RU and 2RU frame sizes.  A couple of years later we brought the 5RU frame to market. 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.”

The FR12 is as attractive as it is clever, with its appealing smart door that’s an LCD display designed to help you with monitoring your system, troubleshooting, configuring, and control via a high-resolution, full-size touchscreen panel. 

The FR12 is powerful too, boasting 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. In short, the routing, processing, and switching capability in the FR12 is very hard to beat.

Riggs continued, “In the past, a traditional system could use around 500 rack units.  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, as the FR12 is the world’s only router with an integrated production switcher, customers can build entire infrastructures with ground-breaking flexibility, performance, and integration. 

Todd Riggs concluded, “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. 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.”

For more information on the Ultrix FR12 go to: https://www.rossvideo.com/products-services/infrastructure/routing-systems/ultrix-12g-router-2022/

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Interview – Todd Riggs

by Jason Allen

At CX, we got pretty excited by Ross’s announcement of the FR12. We’ve really own seen one thing vaguely comparable, and that was a custom-built solution made of many, many components from different manufacturers. We got Todd on the line to get some more info:

CX: The pandemic and major lockdowns here in Australia saw traditional live production companies turn into online event broadcasters overnight. Many of them have mastered and grown this new aspect of their business. They’re now in a position to start upgrading and improving on the mainly ad-hoc video infrastructure they bought to get them started. Why should they now be looking at the FR12? 

Todd: Ultrix FR12 is the ideal platform for users looking to move forward with a flexible and integrated workflow. The system provides UHD throughout for upgraded quality, and the transport is independent from the processing workflow. With FR12, users can choose SDI, IP, fiber, or any combination of the three, which ensures consistent functionality even if the topology changes. Additionally, the inclusion of software licensing means that adding new features is easy and economical. Hyperconvergence is one of Ross Video’s key initiatives, and the Ultrix platform is at the heart of this strategy, which means lots of exciting things are being worked on for future enhancements.

CX: The implementation of software defined solutions is spreading throughout production tech at the moment, from comms to processing. How are customers who are used to the traditional world of buying static equipment adapting to the change to the ‘pay as you go’ model? 

Todd: This has been one of the greatest selling points of the Ultrix platform. Software-defined solutions simplify wiring and installation decisions upfront while providing peace of mind for future expansion. Also, the ability for the software licenses to “float” within the frame has enabled customers to add the licenses where they need them on a production-by-production basis.

CX: The environmental credentials of Ross and the FR12 are undeniably impressive. What particular innovation has delivered the largest reduction in power consumption? 

Todd: There are several aspects that contribute to this reduction in power consumption, but the most significant are the components we are using. There have been substantial advancements in FPGAs and other components that allow us to do more with less. This, in turn, has enabled us to design hardware that is incredibly flexible, integrated, and powerful, leading to reduced power usage in the FR12.

CX: You’ve just finished up at IBC in Amsterdam. How was the reaction to the FR12 at the show? 

Todd: The reaction from the attendees at IBC this year was truly phenomenal. Ultrix FR12 is entirely unique in what it does and fits a real need for the market, and we definitely heard that from the people we spoke to on the show floor. The response was fantastic and exceeded our expectations.

CX: Any significant FR12 early adopters you can tell me about yet? 

Todd: We have multiple early adopters – in fact, our lead customer has already received several FR12 frames to begin integration into their facility. We aren’t prepared to go public with names at this point, but we will be sure to let everyone know when we are ready!