Snell recently launched itsKahuna Maverik, a new modular control surface for the Kahuna 360 multi-format production switcher range. The control surface provides technical directors with a flexible, quick, and reliable access control interface for a range of studio and mobile television programming, saving space, reducing setup time, and mirroring the studio's operation.
Maverik is a complete departure from a traditional switcher control surface, which typically combines multiple M/Es together with a setup-and-effects area in a fixed configuration, with a fixed set of buttons for each. Instead, the Maverik modules can be assembled in a variety of configurations, and without expending precious desk space. For instance, a chroma key is a simple operation that requires minimal resources; yet, the operator would have to dedicate a full M/E to the function using a traditional panel. Maverik also features modules for setup, effects recall, color correction, resizing and clip store access, functions that typically occupy the entire right side of a traditional panel.
Other Maverik innovations include clear OLED buttons with user-assignable thumbnails for quick navigation, a touchscreen at the M/E level rather than on the separate GUI, and the ability to assign RGB values to buttons for clean, clear, and confident operation.
With Maverik, operators can support the largest multiple-M/E productions with a smaller control surface — saving valuable real estate in space-restricted OB vehicles that are designed to be as lightweight as possible. In addition, the modular panel configurations enable more flexibility for the multi-media and multi-platform operations that are redefining today's broadcasting, giving operators the option of switching the traditional broadcast together with other video streams from a central control point, or spreading them out in a more distributed fashion.
