How Carbonite HyperMax solves outside broadcast limitations   

Outside Broadcast teams today need to move fast, adapt quickly, and deliver content across more platforms than ever, but traditional fixed-function hardware systems slow them down. Rigid infrastructure can waste resources, limit adaptability, and make it harder to respond to different demands week after week.

Ross Video built Carbonite HyperMax to solve that problem. It’s a software-defined production switcher platform, based on hyperconverged hardware, that gives outside broadcasters the power to reconfigure switcher capacity and break workflows into smaller, purpose-built configurations.

Carbonite HyperMax isn’t just more powerful. It’s more intelligent. By leveraging flexible software licenses to reconfigure hardware roles, we help outside broadcasters focus less on managing gear, and more on creating great content.

Below, we’ll highlight why the traditional hardware-bound production model is becoming more flawed, why flexibility is the future, and how Carbonite HyperMax brings that future to the present for Outside Broadcasters.

Fixed hardware systems once met the needs of their time, but the pressure on OB providers has intensified. Multiple simultaneous feeds, diverse formats, and fast-changing production requirements demand a new level of flexibility that static, single-function designs can’t deliver. 

One of the most glaring inefficiencies is adapting or scaling. When production needs outgrow available capability, mobile providers often have no choice but to invest in expensive frame upgrades or replacements. That could mean also changing control surfaces, cabling, and peripheral infrastructure. This isn’t just a technical burden, it’s a productivity drag. 

Operationally, fixed systems introduce friction where speed is critical. Consider this scenario:

A sports truck was originally built for single or dual-feed productions, covering mid-tier events. Today, the same unit is expected to deliver multiple simultaneous feeds, in different formats for broadcast, streaming, and venue screens. Traditionally, that meant deploying additional support trucks or investing in more discrete hardware, which drives up cost, power, and weight. 

These bottlenecks aren’t rare. They’re baked into the architecture of legacy hardware, and are only solvable with greater flexibility and a software-defined approach to production.  

Fixed-function systems slow down creative teams, put a cap on scaling, and force painful trade-offs. In a production world that moves faster every day, that kind of rigidity is a liability. 

Carbonite HyperMax is Ross Video’s next-generation production switcher platform—engineered from the ground up to eliminate the rigid constraints of traditional fixed-function hardware systems. At its core is a powerful frame populated with Software Defined Production Engine (SDPE) blades. These blades aren’t locked into fixed roles. Instead, they can be dynamically loaded with whatever switching or video image processing features the production requires, all defined by licenses. 

This is not just a more powerful switcher. It’s a consolidated platform that brings together capabilities that previously required multiple dedicated devices—switchers, routers, signal processors, multiviewers, video image processors—into a single, hyperconverged footprint. 

There are three key ways to deploy a HyperMax license on an SDPE blade:  

• MaxME – Fully-functional Mix/Effects bank with multiple keyers, independent transition engines, 2D DVEs and more
• MaxMini – Three independent transition and layering engines.
• MaxScene – Additional multi-layer scene-based compositing resources

Each mode is software-activated. No new chassis, no new cabling—just a redefined license profile. 

By consolidating into a single frame, Carbonite HyperMax reduces rack space, power usage, and system complexity. One customer can replace racks of gear with a single Carbonite HyperMax unit and immediately cut truck weight, heat, and setup time—all while gaining new creative capabilities. 

One space where the true value and impact of HyperMax will be felt is in OB trucks where every kilogram counts and every square inch of rack space matters. 

Traditional production trucks have long been overloaded with routers, multiviewers, format converters, and switchers—each with its own power demands, cables, and cooling needs.  

HyperMax changes that equation. 

By replacing racks of discrete hardware with a single, software-defined frame, OB managers drastically reduce their equipment footprint. With fewer single-purpose devices to maintain, crews now spend less time on patching and more time prepping for production. 

For example, CINELIVE replaced traditional infrastructure with Ross’ Ultrix system—cutting not just rack units, but heat load and energy consumption.

While this example isn’t HyperMax-specific—yet—it does highlight the potential wins for OB truck operators when using software-defined production platforms.  

Carbonite HyperMax was created to enable real flexibility where it matters most. For OB trucks on a tight schedule, the platform delivers agility, efficiency, and operational simplicity. 

Here’s a summary of how HyperMax transforms real-world production environments: 

• Less gear, more space. Replace racks of routers, switchers, and processors with a single, hyperconverged frame. Teams cut truck weight, free up rack space, and simplify patching. 
• Lower power and heat loads. With fewer boxes running while onsite, HyperMax reduces energy use and cooling needs—key for both OB environments and sustainability goals. 
• Remote-ready. Browser-based control and license flexibility make HyperMax a perfect fit for hybrid and remote production teams. 

For Outside Broadcasters, HyperMax delivers the kind of operational flexibility legacy systems simply can’t match. It’s production power that moves at the speed of live. 

Fixed-function hardware systems were never designed for the pace and complexity of today’s broadcast world. They waste resources, slow teams down, and force compromises when agility matters most. 

HyperMax turns that limitation into a launchpad. With software-defined power and flexibility, it lets broadcasters scale smarter, adapt faster, and focus on creating exceptional content. 

If your modernizing an OB vehicle, HyperMax redefines what’s possible with fewer boxes and more capability. 

Ready to leave rigid systems behind? Contact Ross Video to learn how Carbonite HyperMax can transform your production workflows.