Leitch's new products this
year include the Opus master-control switcher and enhancements to the manufacturer's server system.
Opus master-control switcher offers 8:4:4 video processing (giving two times oversampling of the video signal) and eight channels of 24-bit audio. Features include standard full-program and preset-bus transitions, including mix, vee and fade-out. Also, "Program Special" allows the broadcast signal to be maintained while the switcher is used for other functions. Options include two-channel effects and key borders.
"The base price on the standard-definition Opus system is $50,000," says Don Thompson, director of marketing communications. "Loaded with all the options, which include dual-channel effects, border/shadow on both keyers and embedded audio, it's $78,000."
As for server improvements, 180-GB Fibre Channel drives give increased storage capacity. A new SNMP application allows system monitoring and maintenance; DVD archiving now includes archiving of long-form programming. Transcode functionality has also been automated, so that all major server file formats and even transcoding from JPEG to MPEG-2 are offered.
Connectivity between servers is always an issue, and another new product from Leitch aims to address that problem. The LG-400 LAN gateway allows connection between two VR video-server systems for mirroring or selectable file transfer. Users will be able to do a partial backup of programming at a remote site for security.
New gateway product Instant OnLine-II sits between proxy editors and a Leitch shared-storage system. It conforms low-resolution edit-decision lists to high-resolution video for editors capable of producing a CMX3600-type EDL.
DPS, the post-production products group of Leitch, will introduce a number of offerings. DpsVelocityQ multistream nonlinear editing system can handle real-time playback of four simultaneous video streams, six graphics streams and four channels of real-time 3-D DVE.
A new version of the dpsVelocity 8.0 dual-stream real-time nonlinear editing system will be shown. Upgrade price is $500, with complete software starting at $2,849 and a turnkey workstation at $10,499.
In the area of HD, DPS will introduce the dpsRealityHD dual-stream digital disk recorder with support for the Sony HDCAM format and Virtual Tape File System, allowing software to access frames of HD video without manual export or conversion. A turnkey system costs $24,995.
