Ross Video

Ross Video Ltd is a privately held Canadian company that designs and manufactures equipment for live event and video production. The company was best known for its range of production switchers, or vision mixers, which were the basis for the founding of the company, but Ross now offer solutions across more than a dozen different product lines. The company's products are used daily in over 100 countries by broadcast and cable television networks, sports teams and stadiums, esports producers, live events and production companies, government agencies, educational establishments and houses of worship.[2] Ross Video's headquarters and manufacturing operations are located in Iroquois, Ontario, Canada, while their R&D labs are in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.[3][4][5][6]

Ross Video Vision 4 at Current TV
Ross Video
IndustryICT - Broadcast and Media segment
Founded1974
FounderJohn Ross
HeadquartersIroquois, Ontario, Canada
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
David Ross (CEO)
George Angus (CFO)
Jeff Moore (Senior VP & CMO)
Troy English (CTO)
Number of employees
800[1]
Websitewww.rossvideo.com

History

John Ross, a former engineer with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC),[7] founded Ross Video in Iroquois, Ont., in 1974[8] to make production switchers. Jim Leitch, founder of Leitch Video (acquired by Harris), initially suggested that Ross should start the company. The primary seed funding for the company came from the sale of a vintage airplane that John Ross had restored.

The company's first generation of switchers was the RVS family. The RVS 16–4, the first switcher made,[9] was followed closely by the RVS 10-4 (a 16–4 with 10 video inputs). The first downstream keyer (DSK) could be added to the 10-4 to allow the addition of more video layers.

Ross launched its second generation of switchers with the “500 Series” in 1978[9] which included Multi-Level Effects (MLE's), letting operators preview content before putting on the air. MLE is the Ross branded term for ME.

In 1983, the company launched the Encore Memory System option[9] which converted every switch and knob position to digital to be stored for future recall. Then, in 1985, Ross introduced its third generation of switchers[9] which were smaller and talked to the control panel over a serial link, using microprocessors in the chassis to control the electronics.

Other innovations the company has delivered over the years include:

  • Patented Downstream Multi-Keyer in 1988[10]
  • Remote controlled Distribution Amplifier (DA) for Video Production Trucks in 1992 - initially requested by John's former employer, the CBC
  • Single card encoders and decoders for analog to digital video conversions in 1996
  • Patented Synergy Aspectizer to deal with the pending “wide screen era” in 1999
  • First open architecture terminal equipment frame for broadcast with openGear in 2006[11]
  • First 8 MLE switcher in 2009[12]

The company was hit hard by the early 1990s recession, but has since recovered, reporting 25+ consecutive years of growth.[13]

John Ross' son David joined the company full-time in 1991[14] and was later promoted to Director, Product Development, responsible for all product development in the company, then to Executive Vice President, President, and then to CEO in April 2006.[15] In November 2005, David Ross assumed the position of Chairman of the Board and is now the majority shareholder of Ross Video with over 80% ownership.[16]

Today, the firm makes hardware and software for live and pre-programmed TV production, including cameras, production switchers, graphics, robotic camera systems, routing and infrastructure systems, signal processing solutions, production automation systems, newsroom computer systems and social media management tools. Its broadcast customers include Shaw, NBC and Univision, and its mobile productions unit produces sports events for ESPN, NBC and Fox. Ross equipment and systems have even been used to make graphics for the Super Bowl, the Academy Awards (Oscars) and Grammys. The company also provides stadium graphics for professional sports teams including the Ottawa Senators, New York Mets and Buffalo Bills.[7]

Acquisitions

From 2009 to 2019 Ross has acquired 12 companies in this order:

  • Media Refinery (Graphics)[17]
  • Norpak (Data Insertion)[17]
  • Codan Broadcast (Routers)[17]
  • Fx-Motion (Robotics)[17]
  • Cambotics (Robotics)[17]
  • Montalto (Router R&D)[17]
  • Mobile Content Providers (Mobile Production Packagers)[18]
  • Automated Data Systems (Newsroom Systems & Prompting)[19]
  • Unreel (Virtual Sets and Augmented Reality Solutions)[20]
  • Rocket Surgery (Motion Graphics Creative Services)[21]
  • Abekas (Video Servers and Replay)[22]
  • Coveloz (Live Networking Experts & Consulting)[22]
  • Portalis (KVM Systems)[23]
  • PIERO (Sports Graphics)[24]

References
  1. . Ross Video. Retrieved on 2020-03-02.
  2. "WFX - Worship Facilities Expo" Worship AVL Asia Autumn 2009
  3. "Ross Video Limited". Business Week. Retrieved on 2009-06-14.
  4. "Ross Video" Broadcast Engineering. Retrieved on 2009-06-14.
  5. Valiquette, Leo (2009-03-26). "A Tech Company Built to Last in Small Town Ontario". Inmedia. Retrieved on 2009-06-14.
  6. "Company Profile" Ross Video. Retrieved on 2009-06-14.
  7. "Ross Video shines from behind the scenes in television production". The Globe and Mail. 2015-09-20. Retrieved 2017-08-28.
  8. "Ross Video | Ontario East". ontarioeast.ca. Retrieved 2017-08-28.
  9. "A Brief History Of Our Production Switchers". Ross Video. Retrieved 2017-08-28.
  10. "Ross, David | Office of the President | University of Ottawa". www.uottawa.ca. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
  11. Bridge, The Broadcast. "Ross Video Wins Technical Emmy for openGear - The Broadcast Bridge - Connecting IT to Broadcast". www.thebroadcastbridge.com. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
  12. "Ross Video to Introduce Vision Octane Production Switchers at IBC 2009". Live Design. 2009-08-04. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
  13. "Ross Video showcases smart production solutions at IBC 2017 - mebucom international". mebucom.com. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
  14. "David Ross named Ottawa's CEO of the Year | Ottawa Business Journal". www.obj.ca. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
  15. "Waterloo alumnus named top executive in Ottawa | Engineering". Engineering. 2016-10-31. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
  16. "Board of Directors - Invest Ottawa". Invest Ottawa. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
  17. "Broadcast Vendor M&A: Ross Video Bolsters Routing Line with Sixth Acquisition in Past Four Years". Devoncroft. 2013-08-12. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
  18. "Ross Video Purchases MCP | Media Business". www.content-technology.com. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
  19. "EZNews Buy Gives Ross NRCS Market Share | TVNewsCheck.com". www.tvnewscheck.com. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
  20. TvTechnology. "Virtual Sets Embrace Reality Via 4K, 3D". TV Technology. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
  21. TvTechnology. "NAB 2015: Ross Video Streamlines Production; Prepares for IP". TV Technology. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
  22. "Ross Video buys two firms, including Ottawa-based Coveloz | Ottawa Business Journal". www.obj.ca. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
  23. "Ross Video Acquires Portalis". Ross Video. 2019-04-07. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  24. "Ross Video Acquires Piero Sports Graphics Business from Red Bee Media". Ross Video. 2019-03-28. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
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