Testimonials - Synergy 3

KJZZ gets Jazzed over Ross Synergy Switcher, Conversion Gear, & Customer Service

Mike Grover
Director of Engineering
KJZZ-TV / Larry H. Miller Communications Corp.
Salt Lake City, Utah

KJZZ broadcasts about 40 Jazz (Utah Jazz, NBA) games each season plus University of Utah football and basketball games, Starzz (WNBA) games, and an array of other sporting events. With a very loyal following of Utah sports fans, we can't afford to have equipment problems during a high profile sporting event. We require that our equipment function flawlessly every time. This means that we must do our homework very well before making a major purchase such as a production switcher.

When we started looking for a replacement for our Grass 300 that had become too difficult to maintain, we wanted to look toward digital, but our biggest priority was to replace a critical analog application. After extensive investigations, it became clear to us that our best option would be to purchase a digital switcher and use conversion cards for integration of analog equipment. When a particular piece of analog equipment is replaced with its digital counterpart, we will simply pull the conversion card and run direct to the switcher.

We looked at Ross and GVG for both the switcher and conversion products. When comparing products, we evaluated them on features, ease of use, and price - in that order. Our look at GVG proved to be a very interesting experience, but in the end we chose a Ross Synergy 3 switcher and RossGear conversion products.

The Ross Synergy offered several powerful and unique features. For example, the Ross "Squeeze & Tease" 2D DVE option lets you fly any type of key. Whether it's a chroma key, self key, or linear key, the "Squeeze & Tease" lets you grab it, change its size, reposition it, freeze it, flip, mirror, crop, and even change its aspect ratio - on-the-fly, right from inside the switcher. This option is great for creating over-the-shoulder boxes without using up your external DVE.

Another interesting feature that we chose is the "DVE Send" which lets you use effects from your existing external DVE as switcher wipes. Operationally, you simply select the "DVE Send" button which turns your Synergy wipe area into a selection area of your DVE's on-line effects.

This level of integration is critical during complicated projects.

The option structure of the Ross Synergy allowed us to configure the switcher for our immediate needs and option it up as our needs changed. For example, we chose the "Squeeze & Tease" option on MLE 1 and 2 and plan to add it to the third MLE in the future.

The Ross Synergy also offered options that we weren't considering at the time but might be of interest in the future. For example: the single frame architecture of the Synergy line makes it possible to turn our 3 MLE Synergy 3 into a 4 MLE system by simply adding an MLE card to the frame and swapping out the panel for a Synergy 4 panel. Another interesting "look-to-the-future" type feature is the "Aspectizer" aspect ratio converter that is available for the inputs and outputs of the Synergy. "Aspectizers" let you combine 4:3 and 16:9 sources and produce both format programs. Again, this is not something that we were immediately faced with but did play a role in our overall switcher evaluation.

The choice of conversion gear was an easy one. Ross offered conversion products for all of our A-D and D-A needs. Because we weren't familiar with the RossGear line, we made a few mistakes in specifying the appropriate product for the job. However, Ross quickly corrected our error by replacing the cards with the correct cards within 2 days.

The installation of Synergy and conversion gear could not have been easier. The Synergy went in without a glitch. Of approximately 30 RossGear products, we only had a problem with one card. Again Ross responded quickly and sent us a replacement card overnight. Over the next couple of days, several Ross representatives followed up to ensure that our installation was successful and to track down the problem with the defective product so they could make sure that it didn't happen again. It was a minor "hiccup" in a fairly major project, but Ross responded quickly and professionally, never making excuses, just solving the problem. Ross' sales support and customer service could not have been better. Our Synergy 3 is being used in a dual-use application, part-time live production and part-time editing. Our operators and editors expect a lot from their equipment. They have thrown some big challenges at the Synergy and it has passed with flying colors. We would definitely use Ross again, and would recommend them to anyone.