Grass Valley Group 20 Ten Video Matrix

The Grass Valley Group (GVG) 20TEN (or 20-Ten) is a classic, highly modular broadcast routing switcher (video/audio matrix) that was a staple in television stations, mobile production trucks, and post-production facilities throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. Designed during the transition period from analog to digital broadcast, the 20TEN framework was built to be exceptionally flexible. Rather than being a fixed-format router, it utilized a robust card-cage chassis system that allowed facility engineers to mix and match different crosspoint matrix cards and I/O modules to route analog composite video, analog audio, AES/EBU digital audio, and SDI (Serial Digital Interface) video all within the same physical frame.

A hallmark of the 20TEN series was its rock-solid reliability and "hot-swappable" architecture. In live broadcast environments where downtime is unacceptable, the 20TEN was engineered with redundant, load-sharing power supplies and active components that could be removed and replaced from the front of the chassis without powering down the routing switcher. Control was handled via GVG’s proprietary control protocols (often utilizing the Jupiter control system or native SMS7000/Encore interfaces), allowing it to be managed by a wide variety of hardware control panels distributed throughout a broadcast facility.