New Grass Valley Group Wideband Video Router Completes Next-Generation Offerings Across Company's Major Product Lines

—SMS-7500WB Most Competitively Priced Product in Large-Systems Market; Provides Simultaneous SD/HD Switching Without Hardware Changes; Joins New Profile, Video Production, other Routing and Modular Products at Stand 8.132—

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands (International Broadcasting Conference), Sept. 10, 1999 — Making good on its promise to deliver next-generation products across all its major product lines, the Grass Valley Group today unveiled a scalable and extremely compact wideband digital video routing switcher, the SMS-7500WB. The most competitively priced product in the large-systems market, the new router is part of the first fruits of a $60 million research and development effort that has also led to the creation of the Profile^® XP Media Platform, the Kalypso™ Video Production Center line, earlier announcement of the 7500NB routing matrix, and a host of new modular products.

As digital television formats continue to evolve at a rapid rate, broadcasters and video professionals find that making the right infrastructure choice is critical. The SMS-7500WB accommodates current and future digital video signal routing needs by providing auto reclocking of digital signals from 40Mbps to 1.5Gbps, including standard-definition/high-definition switching of digital signals without any change in its underlying hardware. These capabilities future-proof a company's facilities routing with a single, cost-effective investment.

"People look to the Grass Valley Group for technology leadership, and we think they're going to like what they see," said Tim Thorsteinson, president and chief operating officer of the Grass Valley Group. "The introduction of the SMS-7500WB is tangible proof that we understand the needs of broadcasters and video professionals that are making the transition to digital content production and distribution—and that we are well positioned to serve any new digital video markets that result from that transition."

An addition to the Grass Valley™ SMS-7500 series routing family, the SMS-7500WB provides simultaneous switching of high-bandwidth digital signals from 40 Mbps to 1.5Gbps—including 143, 177, 270, 360, 540Mb, and 1.485Gb—without requiring any hardware or module changes. Able to be controlled from the powerful Grass Valley Series 7000 signal management system, the SMS-7500WB offers cost-effective, future-proof facility routing of digital signals from 32 inputs/outputs to 1024 inputs/outputs. It is available in an industry-exclusive 25 rack units (RU) 256x256 frame. An even more compact 128x128 frame will be available in the near future.

With a starting pricing of under $150,000 (US), the SMS-7500WB router (256 size) will be available in December of 1999. The 128 frame will have a starting price of under $85,000.

By providing powerful features for routing video throughout a facility, the SMS-7500WB digital video router is an essential component of the Digital Media Foundation™ (DMF) initiative. The DMF initiative provides a distributed network of storage devices, linked via audio/video routers and data networks and offers an open-system environment for applications ranging from editing and live production to on-air replay. It defines a strategy for a gradual, cost-effective transition towards digital television, maximizing the customer's investment.

Whether it's distributing video over the air, through digital broadcast facilities and across standard data networks, or providing the industry's best video storage or production products, the Grass Valley Group has the digital solution. The Grass Valley Group continues its video industry leadership with new Profile and Grass Valley products to enable video professionals to realize the full potential of going digital.

Grass Valley Group is a new, privately-held digital broadcast and video equipment company that has entered into an agreement to acquire the video content production business of Tektronix Inc. Grass Valley Group is a recognized technology leader, with more than 40 years of television broadcast experience. Its heritage includes numerous patents for television technology, as well as helping to shepherd the broadcast television industry through several critical technology transitions, including the move from black-and-white to color transmission and the move from analog to digital broadcasting. Grass Valley Group's product lines include the Emmy^® award-winning Profile digital video server family and the Grass Valley router, switcher and modular product lines.

For the latest Grass Valley Group product information, see www.grassvalleygroup.com.

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Grass Valley Group and Profile are registered trademarks and Grass Valley, Kalypso, and Digital Media Foundation are trademarks of Grass Valley Group. All other trade names referenced are the service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective companies.