Green Hippo Shipped Estuary Media Controller Series
The new 1RU and 2RU units integrate live video switching and screen management directly into lighting consoles.
Updated on Oct. 1, 2026 in Semiconductors
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Green Hippo has begun shipping its Estuary MC1 and MC2 media controllers, a hardware series that enables lighting operators to handle complex video output directly from lighting desks. The systems utilize the tvONE CALICO video processing architecture to manage large-scale visual displays.
Why it matters
By merging media control with lighting consoles via standardized protocols like DMX and REST APIs, these controllers eliminate the need for separate dedicated media-control surfaces. This integration streamlines workflows in large-scale live productions by consolidating the management of lighting and video.
The MC1 is a 1RU unit with four 4K outputs, while the MC2 is a 2RU unit featuring four 4K inputs and eight 4K outputs. Both systems support resolutions up to 64,000 x 64,000 pixels with one-frame end-to-end latency.
The players
Green Hippo
A developer of media server and video processing hardware for live event production and staging environments.
tvONE
A manufacturer of video processing, distribution, and signal conversion technology for professional audiovisual markets.
The details
The Estuary series relies on the tvONE CALICO architecture, a high-performance video processing engine designed for real-time manipulation. The systems interface with existing lighting infrastructure using DMX (Digital Multiplex, a protocol for controlling stage lighting), sACN (Streaming Architecture for Control Networks), and REST APIs (representational state transfer, a software architectural style for building web services). The MC2 model provides modular expansion to accommodate high-bandwidth HDMI and SDI (Serial Digital Interface, a standard for digital video transmission) inputs.
Timeline
October 1, 2026: Green Hippo began shipping the Estuary MC1 and MC2 units.
The Tech Race
This release follows a pattern set by the integration of the tvONE CALICO video processing architecture into specialized media control systems. Green Hippo is positioning the Estuary line to compete against legacy media-management workflows by consolidating video control into established lighting-console ecosystems.
Lighting operators can now integrate video switching into their existing workflows without needing additional hardware controllers. These units support common protocols like Companion and HippoNet, allowing for immediate adoption in environments currently using DMX-based lighting controls.
The takeaway
The move toward hardware-based consolidation represents a shift toward unified production surfaces in live environments. Watch for the future release of the MC4 model as the next milestone in this hardware expansion trajectory.
Further reading
For more on the latest hardware-driven visual processing technology, visit our Semiconductors section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by 4RFV.
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