Grass Valley used IBC to unveil a portable multi-format SD and HD server designed for remote live productions and small post-production applications.

K2 Solo, the latest addition to the K2 product family, is a broadcast-capable, 2-channel standalone server with up to 20 hours of HD or 40 hours of SD storage.

It uses the K2 Summit production client architecture and includes the same functionality as a standalone 4-channel K2 Summit.

While K2 Solo is optimized for live event workflows – both as a replay server and a VTR replacement device - it can also be used in a traditional broadcast environment under automation or manual control.

“The Grass Valley K2 Solo will prove invaluable to a wide variety of production situations where space and budget are limited, but high-quality record and playout is critical,” said Jeff Rosica, senior vice president of Grass Valley.

“[It] leverages all of the award-winning technology found across the popular K2 product line and really brings the technology to a whole new level. Now, even small production companies can offer HD replay services to their clients very cost-effectively.”

K2 Solo comes standard with either hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD) internal storage and provides two DVCPRO 25/50 and DVCPRO HD bi-directional channels, each capable of MPEG-2 playout.

It is also QuickTime-compatible for edit-in-place applications using Final Cut Pro, Grass Valley EDIUS and other NLE systems.

Instant replay functionality (record-to-play) can occur in less than half a second and be performed remotely via Ethernet connectivity.

K2 Solo will cost from $20,000 and will be available in November 2009.