One of the must-have devices of the year has made its debut from High Resolution Systems LLC: the UDC-400 Universal Device Controller, a software-based control platform that allows simple, cost-effective control of devices using IP (TCP/UDP) or serial (232/422/485) protocols. It is designed for live events, staging and rental, worship, corporate and industrial, and broadcast markets.
"All manufacturers of high-resolution processors, routers and switchers have user interfaces for their own systems. "The UDC-400 provides a fast, flexible and affordable way to control any network or serial technologies. It's tailored for a wide range of operators, not just programmers." says Mike Taylor, a partner in High Resolution Systems.
The system's software can be used by itself or with the USB-connected UDC-400-M control panel which features 40 buttons that can be assigned any commands for any device. The panel offers three different pages (red, green, blue) for a total of 120 programmable buttons.
Users can deploy built-in commands for popular devices or add their own commands through the intuitive interface or via High Resolution Systems' technical team. The UDC-400 runs on Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 operating systems, is touchscreen compatible and can be used over multiple networks simultaneously.
In developing the UDC-400, "the key was coming up with the correct concept of how it should work and finding the people who could write the powerful code to make it happen," Taylor reports. "We showed a functional prototype of the system at NAB and were excited by the positive response we received. A number of manufacturers were looking for third-party controllers to offer to their users and expect to partner with us. End users also gave us very positive feedback."
High Resolution Systems will be taking orders for the UDC-400 at Infocomm Booth N1475 by which time the device is expected to offer the ability for protocol translation, which allows the UDC-400 to translate commands from one protocol (Ex: P-Bus or DMX) to any other command to allow those protocols to have more compatability. "This permits us to integrate more control systems seamlessly and very cost effectively," Taylor notes.
The UDC-400 will begin shipping this summer.
Although the UDC-400 is High Resolution Systems' first product, the company has a solid reputation in the rental and staging business via parent company High Resolution Engineering. "The goal of High Resolution Systems is to discover what people need to do, design products that address those processes and put together the teams to make those products work," Taylor explains. "Through the company's other divisions we are long-time providers of hardware switching solutions and dealers of digital switching and routing equipment, so we think we are uniquely positioned to develop the control products people have been looking for."
About High Resolution Systems
High Resolution Systems is a company with a strong systems engineering and applications background. Its founders have decades of experience in the audio visual rental and staging industry, broadcast applications, A/V installations and system design. This combined experience allows them to provide the highest possible quality solutions to its customers in the most efficient manner. For more information, visit www.highresolutionsystems.com or call HRS at 1-888-742-7690.