Roland Corp showcases its video mixer products

Events or productions often bring serious challenges that are easily solved — if you have the right equipment. Roland’s versatile V-02HD multi-format video mixer replaces several standalone units; a simple switcher, high-quality scaler, input expander, audio solution and inline video effects / composition. Save on space and headaches by packing a V-02HD; the portable-yet-powerful device that lets you concentrate on producing your event or shooting your scenes, rather than trouble-shooting your gear.

The V-02HD is a ‘micro switcher’ that’s small enough to fit into equipment cases and camera bags. Designed to integrate with typical video production workflows, the V-02HD has a screw tap for standard video mounts and conveniently attaches onto a tripod to stay out of the way. Its lightweight design makes it ideal for mobile video applications too, especially when hooked up to third-party battery packs for longer location-based shoots.

The V-02HD takes the HDMI output from two cameras and seamlessly switches to a connected recorder or livestreaming encoder. The operator can then switch between cameras using the dedicated controls or even by using their feet, via a connected footswitch that lets them continue operating their camera. Audio from both cameras and external sources can be mixed together within the V-02HD and monitored through a dedicated headphone output. Finally, the resulting mix is embedded with the video switch and output over HDMI.

Switching sources in a small presentation can be a pain, whether it’s signal loss to the main display or the computer’s inability to handle unexpected input signals. The V-02HD ensures a professional cross-dissolve switchover between computers and screens, maintaining hi-res ‘pixel-accurate’ display resolution with deep 10-bit 4:4:4 color space. With simple two-button operation, anyone can pull off professional switching of multiple sources, even if using the V-02HD for the first time.

Having two HDMI-equipped devices doesn’t mean they’re compatible, especially when it comes to video signals in a variety of resolutions — for example, a tablet’s output may not display properly on the receiving display. With both input and output scalers, the V-02HD can take SD, HD, and computer resolutions, before resizing them to fit the display and then outputting in a new resolution that’s compatible with the receiving device.

The V-02HD not only lets you embed analog audio into an HDMI signal — for recording or live streaming — but you can also extract the audio from an HDMI signal to send over to a larger dedicated audio mixer.

The V-02HD has three-band EQ and dynamics onboard, so you can immediately optimize your audio without having to send to an external mixing desk. A built-in effects library is packed with presets for common production scenarios including interviews, ambient sound recording, and eliminating wind noise when filming outdoors. These tools even work with inline HDMI signals, so you can fix your audio issues without leaving the digital domain.

Although adding effects via your editing package is becoming easier, more complex effects require time and extensive knowledge of video-editing software. Or you could just add the effect directly to the camera’s output and record the result. The V-02HD has 14 visual effects that can be applied in real-time, with adjustable parameters to fine-tune the results plus an additional 5 composition effects so you can add titles, use a green screen with the Key effect, or create a separate inset window with the PinP capability.  BCS Bureau