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Shoot Review — Sony AWS-G500 Anycast Station

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 PM, By Tom Patrick McAuliffe

An exclusive, hands-on look at a new portable powerhouse.

When my eval unit of the Sony AWS-G500 Anycast content creation system arrived in one rugged briefcase, I had a flashback to 25 years ago. At that time I was a young PH2 photographer's mate videographer in the U.S. Navy. I was stationed with the Atlantic Fleet Combat Camera Group and often deployed at a moment's notice to document naval and U.S. Marine operations throughout the world. Well before the dawn of DV or even smaller S-VHS cameras, lugging dozens of large road cases of equipment felt like we were moving a small tribe. I said then that someday all that stuff would fit in my duffel bag. That day is here. Video Systems was given an exclusive first opportunity to independently test the system, a cutting-edge tool that has a bright future, as all its capabilities are to be rolled out over the next year or two.

The Anycast Station is a television control room in one portable package. It's fairly easy to use once you understand it. It includes a broadcast-level, 8-bit, 4:2:2 switcher with up to six inputs (iLINK/IEEE 1394, Y/C, or composite); loads of transitions; a multi-format keyer and titler; a 24-bit, six-channel digital audio mixer; and a streaming media encoder and server for webcasting. Saving both time and money, the source monitors are built-in with a large 15.4in. (viewable area) LCD screen for monitoring program and preview feeds, as well as seven smaller windows for other input sources. Speaking of which, the Anycast system uses the Sony VISCA protocol to remotely control pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) functions on compatible video cameras. This makes it perfect for applications like schools, government meeting documentation, and even nightclubs. Simply connect the proper PTZ camera, and one operator can remotely control and switch multiple cameras from a single location. (Anycast Station configuration modules include the BKAW-550 Sony PC image interface module, which allows two RGB monitors; the BKAW-560 Sony Stream interface module, which allows two streams on an Ethernet interface; and the BKAW-570 Sony DV interface module, which allows two DV/composite/S-Video inputs.)

But the innovation doesn't stop there. The RGB output of up to two different computers can be used as sources, and there's also a port for connection to a projector for live presentations. The applications for this product are numerous — from live event switching to distance learning webcasting, and with soon-to-be-released enhancements, perhaps even more. All this in a hard-shell attaché unit weighing less than 20lbs. and easily carried on a commercial aircraft. My lower back feels better already! Getting past security, however, is another matter. Officials at Hawaiian Airlines closely scrutinized the Anycast Station, which works in NTSC and PAL, before allowing it on board. They'll want you to turn it on to ensure it works.

Working with the Anycast Station is a pretty simple affair, although there's a small learning curve that the brief manual doesn't address very well. My eval unit was fully functional on the switcher side; however, the digital video recorder and post features had yet to be implemented (more on that later). I opened the case to be greeted by a large LCD monitor screen and a neatly arranged hardware interface with jog/shuttle, audio mixer, switcher, and a cool reversible wireless keyboard. I connected three Sony cameras (a VX2000, VX1000, and a CCD-TR81), a DVD player, an audio CD player, a Shure mic for voiceovers, headphones, a Memory Stick from a digital still camera, and a laptop computer. The Anycast Station also provides a single frame store for still images (SMPTE color bars included) and a background color source for overlaying titles. To record video, I used a small Sony GV-D900 DV deck connected via a single FireWire cable as well as a larger Panasonic AG-5700 S-VHS deck. In short, I was good to go. Well, almost.

Although this eval unit had those aforementioned limitations, it's important to remember that the product is on the bleeding edge of technology. Even as it ships, it's still a work in progress with new features being added. At press time, in fact, Sony has already released Anycast software version 1.1. Improvements include hard disk recording (directly to an internal or external hard drive), RGB output improvement, USB Flash memory support, Memory Stick Pro/Pro Duo support, switcher upgrades (PVW support and added Key Wipe, allowing users to preview transitions and to wipe title keys on and off live video), text-typing tool upgrade (faster and more stable, allowing import of TrueType fonts), and VISCA camera tally support.

Per standard operating procedure, I tested color bar signals with a waveform/vectorscope. I then switched a multi-camera music video to tape with few problems and was able to mix all the feeds easily (even a few graphics from the PC) with no need for converters, image scalers, or external devices. Operation was smooth. Transitions and takes were instantaneous. The image quality on the LCD and the NTSC monitor was stunning. Even the audio output from the small built-in speakers was good, too. As it sits today, the Anycast Station is a top-notch professional portable switcher and digital audio mixer, but it can and soon will offer much more.

Anycast Station is first and foremost a live switcher, but it's also a webcasting station. With the proper IP address, server, and encoding settings entered, hit the large red Online button, and you can stream across an intranet (LAN/WAN) or directly to the Internet for up to 10 viewers. Users can also save video for playback on demand in the Real Media format. For example, for average 300kbps DSL/cable connections, images are encoded at 240×180 screen size with a transfer rate of 225kbps or 320×240 at around 350kbps. As is the case with other similar solutions, the more viewers you have connected directly to the Anycast stream, the less playback quality they see. There are also firewall issues to contend with. To be fair, this is cutting-edge technology, and most Internet connections will not offer enough bandwidth to yield outstanding results. Yet. From the standpoint of the webcast viewer, this will improve as Internet connections get faster and cheaper. At the other end, with software refinement and the emergence of new encoding standards for streaming and advanced settings options, the Anycast will generate a truly professional-looking stream of video. The newly shipping product has lots of room for hardware expansion and software upgrades, like the free version 1.1 upgrade mentioned earlier.

Using the AWS-G500 and switching from one source to another via cut or transition, I found the operator hardware control interface to be very well thought-out with a solid, professional feel, although some knobs are a little too small for my fat fingers. The jog/shuttle is perfect for solo one-hand operation and control of input and record sources. And the 60Hz LCD screen, at 1280×800 resolution and using higher-resolution (1280×1024 pixel) internal processing, shows razor-sharp images. One monitoring drawback is that the smaller source monitors on the LCD are too tiny. The many included transitions are some of the sharpest I've seen, and are comparable to those from an expensive Grass Valley switcher that I've used at a local television station. One of the most useful features of the Anycast is seamless switching between video and PC sources. I was able to bring in a PowerPoint presentation treat it like any other video source.

Another plus was the onboard audio mixer. It provides high-end, 48kHz, 24-bit sound processing (most other solutions don't), along with six stereo channels, individual channel faders, special effects, and a master audio fader. There are also built-in stereo speakers that sound decent, and all of the audio sliders have that tight feel that indicates a more expensive product. With 24-bit audio processing and a full array of processing tools (EQ, limiter, compressor, etc.), you can actually use the Anycast Station as a high-quality, portable DAW, which could help offset the unit's cost. I also really liked the reversible wireless keyboard — it can turn over for protection and to function as a wrist rest during live switching. I added a small circle of Velcro to hold a small, soft cushion, which was nice for those long live-switching sessions. I switched with the unit for more than four hours with no hiccup or problem, and the Anycast ran quiet and cool.

Every new product comes with a few challenges when it's introduced, and Anycast is no exception. First off, I was puzzled as to why Sony would include a SmartMedia card I/O when digital still photography as an industry is switching to xD cards. Blank media manufactures are warning that they will soon cease making SmartMedia cards, so if you are going to use it you might want to buy some extra. Also, using the newer Sony VISCA protocol is fine, but let's also add the popular LANC PTZ camera control standard. Most of all, I was disappointed that I was unable to work with the DDR (a shortcoming now addressed in the new software update). In my opinion, Sony needs to include some sort of nonlinear editing application as part of the standard package. This would help the Anycast Station be truly all that it can be. Given the product's RGB interface and the Sony's technical horsepower, this should be doable.

The good news is that Sony has already released free version 1.1 software upgrade to the Anycast Station, adding the essential DDR and 16:9 support and other enhancements. The new multi-camera hard-drive recording feature allows users to record and store video on an approved attached hard drive. With two attached hard drives, up to four primary video feeds can be recorded as AVI clips for use in nonlinear editing applications. Other free software upgrades and some hardware options are planned for the near future, according to Mel Medina, Sony product manager.

One of the most valuable innovations to my mind is that the Anycast station has interchangeable computer boards for expansion and custom configuration. If you want a few more or different inputs or outputs, just purchase the appropriate optional computer hardware card and slide it in (too bad they're not hot-swappable). The most notably anticipated option, one that will move the product firmly up to the pro level, is an HD-SDI plug-in card to be ready around next year's NAB. Sony seems very committed to making Anycast a growing solution able to deal with future technologies. As for support, although the outright warranty is one year for parts and 90 days for labor, registered users can take advantage of the POSC customer support program, which provides an 800 number for users to ask questions for the life of the product.

One weak area was the way titles are handled with the included titler tool. It took way to much time and was too difficult to generate good-looking titles on the fly. There is also no scroll or roll capability, and I had trouble importing TrueType fonts. Once I got the titles ready, the single key channel produced good results, but the downstream key would allow a logo to be displayed only in the lower right corner. A linear key, luminance key, and chrominance key are available. Fortunately, the software upgrades directly address most of these concerns.

Aside from the lack of editing functionality and the weak CG tool, there are only a few other limitations of note. There are no component I/Os, and the unit uses 8-bit processing instead of 10-bit. I also found that using a DV camera led to an unavoidable three- to seven-frame delay when used in live mode, due to the camera's codec. Rolling out to a VTR, however, proved not to be a problem. Additionally, there's the cable length limitation when using DV cameras. And while the image quality of a three-chip DV camera outputting via IEEE 1394 is better (especially dealing with chroma), I found the Y/C output from the camera and through the Anycast to be very acceptable. I was also able to use long cable lengths with S-VHS/Y/C vs. the 15ft. limitation of DV cables. On the streaming side, I was happy to learn that in addition to the Real Player support, Sony is looking at possibly adding Windows Media Player and QuickTime support for encoding and webcasting. Given enough Internet bandwidth output for streaming, Anycast will run with the very best of the other solutions out there.

Another initial concern was the price. That's not to say that having a number of professional tools in one highly portable device is not worth the cost — it is — but in these tight economic times, most video shops or organizations don't have almost $20K lying around. When you look at standalone equipment of comparable quality and add up the cost of buying a device for everything the AWS-G500 can do, however, the Anycast system comes out on top, and any cost objections are alleviated. Provided Sony follows through with its upgrade plans, the AWS-G500 will become the standard by which all other portable video production systems are measured.

The AWS-G500 packs everything today's videographers need for professional live content switching, Internet streaming distribution, and (perhaps eventually) postproduction into one neat package. Once all the pieces are in place, those who can afford it will not be disappointed. The Sony Anycast Station is a solid, sleek video briefcase able to produce network-caliber results anytime and anywhere.

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BOTTOM LINE

Company: Sony Park Ridge, N.J.; (866) 881-1114
www.sony.com

Product: AWS-G500 Anycast Station

Assets: Incredibly compact, large LCD screen, rugged construction.

Caveats: No component I/O.

Demographic: Video pros who need a portable, all-in-one switching and streaming solution.
Price: $19,995

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Contributing writer Tom Patrick McAuliffe is a writer, musician, and videomaker in Hawaii. He also writes for Broadcast Engineering.

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© 2008 Penton Media, Inc.