Broadcast Pix Releases Simplified Touchscreen Switchers

Commander Series Is Aimed at Government, Corporate, Education, and House-of-Worship Users

Broadcast Pix says it has simplified the touchscreen interface on a new series of live switchers that will allow inexperienced operators to run a live production.

Broadcast Pix Commander replaces the traditional control panel with a streamlined touchscreen interface for switching, robotic control of Sony and Panasonic cameras, and adding graphics, clips and effects. Program templates are provided according to the number of cameras used, and on-screen buttons allow users to fire up clips, add lower thirds, logos, or split-screen effects, switch between PTZ camera positions with one touch or control a zoom with a finger-slide.

It's aimed at users in government, corporate, education, house of worship, and live-event markets, the company said. "Until today, the choice was between powerful systems that required an expert to run and simple systems that created boring productions," said Broadcast Pix CEO Kevin Price in a prepared statement. "Commander is a breakthrough that simplifies the production process with a touchscreen interface so everyone can create a great live video. This also results in dramatic savings in the cost of operation."

Broadcast Pix Commander systems accept input via SDI, HDMI and IP from four or six cameras, depending on configuration. Larger configurations (up to 22 cameras) can be set up and controlled via an optional Commander Interface, which connects the Commander to a traditional Broadcast Pix switcher. And the control interface can be customized further using an optional BPCommand tool.

Connected to the company's BPNet cloud portal, finished videos can be automatically uploaded for viewing, and production media (video clips, title text, subject names) can be added from mobile devices or remote offices.

Source: Broadcast Pix

The Commander comes in three different models. The Commander 4 and Commander 6 feature four and six SDI/HDMI inputs, respectively. Both have four IP inputs and work with any size touchscreen monitor (not included). For more mobile use, the Commander Portable has four SDI/HDMI inputs and two IP inputs, and weighs just 20 pounds with an integrated touchscreen. 

Commander systems are set to ship December 15 with MSRPs starting at $9,995.