Review: Roland V-60HD Multi-Format HD Video Switcher
By Jim Bask
From StreamingMedia.com
After testing Roland’s new multi-format A/V switcher, the V-60HD, on three live events, I’ll be switching over to the V-60HD as my main video switcher for live event production.
In early December of last year, Roland sent me its new V-60HD Multi-Format HD Video Switcher (Figure 1, below) with the latest shipping firmware to test for live event production. This new switcher retails for $2,995, and it packs a lot of features for a very affordable price.
For more than a year, I’ve been using the Roland V-1SDI, a smaller video switcher which sells for half the cost of the V-60HD. I was anxious to see if the new unit would be worth the extra investment—and I wasn’t disappointed. After testing the unit on three live events, I’ll be switching over to the V-60HD as my main video switcher for live event production.
Overview
The V-60HD is not just a video switcher. Unlike its little brother the V-1SDI, the V-60HD features more input and output connections to meet the demands of a multicamera live event. Perhaps more importantly, the V-60HD has a separate auxiliary (AUX) bus to have a separate program output from the master output. The switcher can output video at 50 or 59.94Hz (fps) at 720p, 1080i, or 1080p. We’ll dive into more of these features throughout this review.
The V-60HD is very compact, with a tabletop imprint of 8.5″ x 11.5″—just slightly larger than a standard letter size piece of paper. The height of the console varies from 2” to 3” not including the video fader handle or knobs. The switcher and its power supply fit comfortably in a Pelican AIR 1485 case for transport and storage.
Another nice feature of this switcher is the 2.5″ x 1.5″ LED display at the top right of the console (Figure 2, below). You can review and adjust all of the settings for the switch with this display; you don’t need to reference a HDMI multiview monitor to access the settings. The knob to the right of the LED display allows you to quickly scroll through all of the major categories and enter new values…[continue reading]
