In 2008, at the height of the financial crisis, Simon Green took a gamble in launching Green Rock –a boutique post production shop based in London. Five years later, the reward proved greater than any risk. Today, the studio is thriving with several high-profile projects under its belt, including concerts for musical artists like Justin Bieber, Neo and The Killers that air on MTV UK, as well as documentaries and TV shows for the BBC. The studio’s six-person team recently wrapped up its first stereo 3D series, “Monster Trucks,” for Sky 3D, Europe's first 3D TV channel.

To complete each project, Green Rock depends on a robust video editing, conversion and monitoring infrastructure built by owner Simon Green. The facility houses two AJA KONA 3 cards and four KONA 3G cards with breakout boxes that are integrated into six Apple® Final Cut Pro® edit suites, and three AJA HD/SD-SDI to HDMI Mini-Converters.

When Green originally began investing in gear, he wanted to ensure that the studio was set up for proper video editing and monitoring. He said, “I heard that KONA was great for editing and monitoring, especially with Final Cut Pro. I installed the KONA cards, and I’ve had no reason to go elsewhere. I know how they work and understand the theory; it’s kit that I just trust.”

The KONA cards and breakout boxes have become a necessity for Green Rock’s day-to-day operations. “KONA gives us exactly what we need. We use our cards for every project and they’ve been fantastic, especially for transmitting signals for viewing on internal plasma screens or converting a Mac Mini HDMI signal to an SDI feed,” Green explained. “They’re so versatile; if we have a video signal that we need to get into another room, all we have to do is convert it and then run the signal through the walls.”

All of the edit suites in the building are connected by an SDI feed built into the facility walls. The KONA breakout boxes allow Green Rock to patch video signals that feed into monitors in the studio’s voiceover booth. A Mac Mini in the voiceover booth is used to convert the HDMI signal out and into an SDI signal for the edit suites. As a result, artists in the voiceover booth can see the same footage that the editors are working on in real time and communicate via FaceTime® on the iPad®.

“Our AJA gear has been so reliable over the years, which has saved us a lot of time, because I never have to waste resources trying to find new kit. It’s also saved us money, because it just keeps working. AJA really understands what we do, what we need and provides for the industry as a whole,” he concluded.

About AJA Video Systems, Inc.
Since 1993, AJA Video has been a leading manufacturer of high-quality and cost-effective digital video interface, conversion, acquisition and desktop solutions supporting the professional broadcast and post- production markets. With headquarters in Grass Valley, California, AJA maintains an extensive sales channel of dealers and systems integrators around the world. For further information visit http://www.aja.com.

All trademarks, trade names, service marks, and logos referenced herein belong to their respective companies.