At ISE, Barco announced the introduction of PlusPAK for the FSN Series multi-format switcher. Designed for what Barco says is “the flexibility and agility needed in the events industry,” PlusPAK is a new hardware and software suite comprised of four components — a new Universal Output Card (UOC), the system’s new Multiviewer (MVR), a Digital Video Effects Card (DVE) and new software capable of controlling 2.5 M/E’s from the compact FSN-150 Controller.

The first component in PlusPAK is the plug-in UOC, a dual-channel Athena scaler card that enables any assigned Aux bus to output DVI, analog or SMPTE SDI signals at any format, regardless of the switcher’s native resolution. Each UOC has two independent channels, and up to three can be installed for a total of six scaled outputs. With the ability to output digital and analog simultaneously, users can select from a standard list of output formats, or create custom formats. In practice, the UOC enables customers to route video to projectors, monitors, servers and even the client’s VHS deck — without format restriction.
For more information, you can download the spec sheet here:  http://www.barco.com/projection_systems/downloads/FSN_Series_Jan10_LR.pdf

It’s nice to see this kind of multi-formatting capability being added to more switching systems – the plethora of different aspect ratios and display resolutions have had most companies employing separate racks of formatting and distro equipment. I’ve looked at several switching systems recently that are adding similar capabilities – or have them built in already.
–JRR