Visitors attending the 2015 NAB Show will find Crystal Vision’s latest keying, interface and control products on Booth N3825, in their US exhibition debut. Held between April 13th and 16th 2015, the NAB Show is based at the LVCC (Las Vegas Convention Center) in Las Vegas. The latest products making their US exhibition debut including the brand new Safire 3 Xpress – a new real-time chroma keyer that shares the processing quality of the full Safire 3, but has a simpler features set for easy control. Plus Crystal Vision’s award-winning LKEY-SQZ, a unique keying solution providing an exceptionally smooth squeeze back functionality, a choice of two new control options to satisfy all preferences – VisionWeb web browser and the VisionPanel hardware control panel and two new distribution amplifiers for MADI audio – the MADDA105 and MADDA111.
Shipping in April, Safire 3 Xpress is ideal for weather, news reporting and other single camera applications that use static backgrounds rather than a full virtual set, but require a higher quality of chroma keying and range of features than found in a studio mixer. Working with 3Gb/s, HD and SD sources, the modular Safire 3 Xpress combines quality with simplicity. It shares the processing quality of the full Safire 3, but has a simpler features set making control easy by even a less-technical operator. The included features help it to easily outperform a studio mixer. Safire 3 Xpress offers simple auto setup by sampling one representative point on the backdrop to get the optimum chroma key values, with instinctive operation of all functions from any web browser using the VisionWeb Control system. To optimize the picture there are tools to eliminate key noise, adjust the key gain, manage color spill, enhance edges, increase or reduce shadows and compensate for uneven studio lighting. Flexible masks can be used to overrule the keying process – such as masking imperfect areas on a backdrop or allowing a presenter to move behind a virtual object – while keys can be faded in and out and the complete program can be faded to black.
Additional features incorporated in the full Safire 3 – Crystal Vision's well-established flagship chroma keyer perfect for the power user utilizing multiple cameras and virtual environments – include powerful multi-point sampling for automatic setup, built-in video delay and synchronizers, and an extensive range of fine-tuning tools including filters, color correction and color re-spill.
Crystal Vision’s award-winning LKEY-SQZ is a squeeze back keyer designed for applications such as squeezing the end credits to preview the next program or squeezing a shopping or weather channel presenter to allow room for additional graphic material. It uses sub-pixel processing, an excellent de-interlacer and an advanced algorithm to ensure extremely smooth movement from one size to another – with this high quality squeeze back ideal for any demanding applications, such as the moving text on end credits. It removes the need to use a full vision mixer to provide a squeeze back, and is also useful for those who have a mixer which does not include this squeeze back functionality. LKEY-SQZ can perform a sequence of operations (known as a 'scene') using full timeline control of events. Recent developments to LKEY-SQZ include the addition of eight different 'scenes', each intended to provide a template for a common usage of the product and easily editable by the operator to meet the exact requirements of a particular application.
Also at the 2015 NAB Show, Crystal Vision will be demonstrating its latest control system, which includes the VisionWeb web browser software and VisionPanel hardware control panel, both with new features. VisionWeb control is a free-of charge way of operating the full product range from a web browser. Owners can use any device connected to the same network that can run a web browser to operate the boards or monitor their status using VisionWeb intuitive graphical control panels. Boards can be controlled by multiple devices at the same time too and VisionWeb is the recommended new way to control Crystal Vision products.
VisionPanel is a 3U Ethernet control panel that can operate any Crystal Vision board which has an XML control file. Designed for someone who prefers their control from a physical panel rather than a PC, VisionPanel uses a combination of hard buttons and soft buttons on the large touch screen, providing different functionality for different products. VisionPanel is well suited to products that need regular adjustment, with fine tuning made easy by using the physical controls. It is Crystal Vision’s most sophisticated general remote control panel to date.
New features on the VisionPanel include virtual cards (to help limit user interaction, simplify operation or assemble features for specific control purposes), frame and slot labelling (where the user can give meaningful labels, up to 24 characters long, to frames and slots containing controllable boards) and a generally enhanced user experience. VisionWeb also has all these new features, plus password protection which allows and restricts board control.
Finally, on Booth N3825 will be two new MADI products seeing Crystal Vision enter a new area of audio. Designed for transporting a large amount of audio as a block, the MADDA105 and MADDA111 MADI distribution amplifiers provide the end user with up to 11 copies of a MADI data stream containing up to 64 audio channels. They fit in the standard Crystal Vision frames, offer relay bypass protection and they also include both LED and GPI output indication of the presence of a MADI input.
Based at Whittlesford near Cambridge in the UK and with an office in the USA, <a href="http://www.crystalvision.tv">Crystal Vision </a> provides <a href="http://www.crystalvision.tv/products/keying.html">digital keyers</a> and a full range of interface equipment including <a href="http://www.crystalvision.tv/products/videoconversion.html">converters</a>, <a href="http://www.crystalvision.tv/products/synchronisation.html">synchronizers..., <a href="http://www.crystalvision.tv/products/videodistribution.html">distribution amplifiers</a> and <a href="http://www.crystalvision.tv/products/embeddedaudio.html">audio embedders</a> to the professional broadcasting industry worldwide.
<a href="http://www.crystalvision.tv">www.crystalvision.tv</a>
