Green Hippo, now an ACT Entertainment brand, has been quiet for a while, but the Estuary Series makes it clear they’ve been heads-down building something substantial. Three models, a new processing architecture borrowed from sister brand tvONE’s Calico platform, and a direct pitch to grandMA3 users who want their media and lighting ops in the same language.

The lineup runs from the MC1, a 1RU unit for studios and corporate work with four 4K outputs, up to the MC4, a 4RU arena flagship with 256 layers and sub-frame latency. The MC2 sits in the touring-grade middle: 2RU, four 4K outputs, eight configurable inputs, modular HDMI/SDI expansion. All three share the same feature set: up to 64,000 x 64,000 pixel canvas support, 10-bit/HDR processing, one-frame end-to-end latency, and an open control ecosystem (DMX/sACN, HippoNet, Companion, REST API).

The Calico architecture underneath is the interesting bit — tvONE has been shipping that processing engine in broadcast and AV installs for years, so Green Hippo isn’t starting from scratch on the hardware side. Whether that translates into the rock-solid reliability touring crews need from a media server remains to be seen as it gets into the field.

More from Green Hippo on the Estuary Series:

Green Hippo, an ACT Entertainment brand, has unveiled the Estuary Series — a next-generation media control platform engineered for the scale, speed, and creative ambition of today’s most demanding live productions.

Built on the proven Calico video processing architecture from sister brand tvONE and refined for the unforgiving realities of showtime, Estuary delivers ultra-smooth, multi-layered switching across massive LED canvases — with one-frame end-to-end latency, 10-bit/HDR processing, and up to 256 layers of real-time visual control.

Designed for concerts, touring, broadcast, immersive environments, and large-scale installations, Estuary gives operators command over expansive visual systems without the sprawl. The platform supports four canvases up to 64,000 x 64,000 pixels, seamless transitions, and a fully open control ecosystem, including DMX/sACN, HippoNet, Companion, and REST API.

“Estuary is the missing link,” says Bob Bonniol, Chief Innovation Officer at ACT Entertainment. “It marries the power and flexibility of a world-class pixel canvas controller with the control workflow that lighting designers already know and love — the grandMA3 console. For the first time, the lighting operations and the media operations can live in the same language. That changes everything.”

The Estuary Series:

• MC1 — 1RU, four 4K outputs, built for studios, corporate environments, and simulation spaces
• MC2 — 2RU, four 4K outputs, eight configurable inputs, modular HDMI/SDI expansion, touring-grade chassis
• MC4 — 4RU, 256 layers, sub-frame latency, arena and stadium-scale flagship

All three models support high-bandwidth HDMI and SDI modules, advanced IP workflows, and the complete Estuary feature set.

Learn more about the Estuary Series by visiting green-hippo.com.