Closer Look: ProVideoServer

RenewedVision released ProVideoServer earlier this summer. PVS is a Mac-based, broadcast-ready, video player/switcher/server. PVS is built upon the foundation set by ProVideoSync, software released by RenwedVision eight years ago that supported two channels of video and a limited feature set compared to its successor.

ProVideoServer is geared toward the medium/low-budget end of the broadcast market but has many features that make it an attractive tool for the live entertainment market as well. It’s a great tool for live events or an event where video needs to be operated on the fly. Depending on your licensing, PVS can support up to four channels of 1080i content. The software has the power to upconvert, downconvert, scale, retime, interlace and de-interlace video on the fly.

One of the best features about PVS is its syncing tool. You can link multiple playback channels together and adjust a stream offset of them. For example, if you have a stream coming in that’s a couple frames ahead of another stream showing a different angle, you can adjust the offset in real time so they match. This real-time aspect is also useful for streams that may change over time due to latency.

PVS supports many formats both coming into the system and going out. The software supports ProRes, DVCProHD, MPEG 4, and H.264 specifically. The software requires OSX 10.8 or later. This requirement shouldn’t affect too many people other than those who are still holding onto Snow Leopard (for good reasons). Many of the new video applications released in the past year require OSX 10.8 because of new video tools within the software that were not available in previous versions. The software also requires a 64-bit Intel Core 2 Duo processor or better, along with 4GB of ram. There aren’t many systems (of those that are suitable for running a show) that will have any trouble meeting these specs. The copmany does recommend higher specs to support more than two streams.

The software also supports graphic overlays if you are looking for a company logo, lower third, etc. There is playlist support if you need to build cues for a show. The software also interacts with many devices such as Blackmagic Design Decklink for output or switchers such as the Ross Vision Switcher (as featured on their website). PVS is compatible with any switching or control device capable of AMP or VDCP. There is also a “hot folder” function that continuously updates your video library if you point your source to a specific folder. This is useful for last minute changes or content that is delivered mid-show.

PVS comes at a reasonable price point of $1,499 per channel, or almost $6K if you want to use all four channels. The licenses can be moved among machines, which makes this a very flexible system.