CRYSTAL VISION SHOWS LATEST VIRTUAL STUDIO AND INFRASTRUCTURE PRODUCTS AT BROADCAST ASIA 2013 (STAND 5E2-09) 10 May 2013Crystal Vision will be showcasing its new products for the virtual studio on Stand 5E2-09 at Broadcast Asia 2013, with the launch of its evaluations-winning chroma keyer Safire 3 in Asia, accompanied by a state-of-the-art touch screen control panel. The easy-to-drive Safire 3 chroma keyer uses an advanced algorithm and numerous key processing options to produce the best possible chroma key and also features built-in colour correction and video delay. Other new products on show will include a logo keyer with lots of new features including enhanced audio capabilities and a new range of feature-packed variable video delays offering up to 110 seconds of delay.
Crystal Vision's new chroma keyer is likely to be the visual highlight for visitors to Stand 5E2-09, along with its dedicated control panel which has yet to be debuted in Asia. The new Safire 3 real-time chroma keyer works with 3Gb/s, HD and SD sources and is ideal for all live virtual productions from studio to sport. The enhanced chroma keying uses an extremely sophisticated algorithm to determine how the key is derived, giving excellent results with minimal sensitivity to camera noise. Safire 3 makes it easy to quickly set up a chroma key, using multi-point sampling to automatically get the best possible default settings, with the option of selecting one, five or 12 sample points on the backdrop to set the range of colours to key on, as well as up to four points on the Foreground object to set areas where no chroma keying is required. The input can be frozen to make setup even easier.
An extensive range of fine-tuning tools are then available to optimise the picture in more challenging conditions. These include blacks, whites and greys reject for realistic shadows and a solid key, and tints reject which leaves the key colour unsuppressed in areas of low colour such as grey clothing. Edge shaping will eliminate hard outlines, while colour spill processing will throw a new spill colour back on to the suppressed Foreground for a more natural-looking environment. Median and Gaussian filters can be used to reduce key noise, while an upsampling filter will reduce any ringing introduced by the camera. A natural-looking composite picture can be created by matching the look of the Foreground to the Background with the Foreground colour correction and Background video adjustments. It is also easy to achieve a uniform key signal across the image thanks to the two-dimensional compensation for uneven illumination of the backdrop.
Any timing errors will be automatically corrected by the frame synchroniser on each input, timed to an analogue reference, while up to ten frames of video delay can be added to offset the delay caused by the graphics generators. Safire 3 can key on any colour including sporting surfaces such as grass, while the internal masks and flexible External Key can force areas to be either Foreground or Background which makes it ideal for inserting graphics on to any sporting surface. Including relay bypass protection, Safire 3 forms part of a space-saving modular system, with this 100mm x 266mm module allowing up to 12 chroma keyers in 2U. Accompanying the chroma keyer at Broadcast Asia, the Safire 3 Controller is a dedicated 3U control panel able to operate a number of Safire 3 chroma keyers over an Ethernet network, with the large, intuitive eight inch touch screen and physical controls making it ideal for live use. Safire 3 can also be controlled using SNMP or the Statesman PC software.
Along with the new Safire 3 chroma keyer, Crystal Vision will also be showing four new versions of its MultiLogo modular logo keyer, which provides three layers of keying from a variety of internal and external sources, including a 4 GB or 8 GB video store with DRAM and Flash memory which can hold up to 500 still or animated logos. Ideal for HD or SD station branding, the new MultiLogo V132, MultiLogo V132 8G, MultiLogo V432 and MultiLogo V432 8G retain all the existing features of the previous MultiLogos and add more. Extensive audio capabilities make this version of MultiLogo ideal for applications where both graphics and audio need to be added to a video signal, such as on the station output. It can now embed up to four audio groups into its video outputs, with audio mixing allowing the output audio to be generated from a mix of the audio embedded on the video input and a voiceover sourced from either the internal audio stores or from an external AES input. The voiceover can be faded in and out and have its level adjusted, while the main audio can be partially or fully ducked allowing it to be either mixed with or be replaced by the voiceover. The V432 additionally provides two external AES outputs which can be used for audio monitoring. Other new features allow all three keying layers to be used even while graphics are being transferred over 100MBit Ethernet to the MultiLogo board, with the six internal video players now all using RAM memory ideal for those who need to update their graphics while they are on air. Also new and ideal for on air operation are partial presets, which bring improved control for automation by allowing just some of the variables to be changed.
Also on show at Broadcast Asia will be Crystal Vision's new version of one of its most successful specialist products: variable video delays. The ViViD 3G video delay is available in four versions to suit all applications and is ideal for matching any system delays, from virtual studio graphics to MPEG encoders and decoders. New features appearing on a Crystal Vision video delay for the first time include 3Gb/s support, integrated fibre input/output, video proc-amp and signal timing with a framestore synchroniser on the S versions making i
