Booth M01 at BVE 2018 will be showing the MARBLE-V1 media processor hardware – Crystal Vision's flexible IP platform which runs software apps and fits in the company's Vision frames. With the initial apps being gateways between SDI and SMPTE 2022 as well as an IP to IP translator for making adjustments to IP streams, MARBLE-V1 provides the easiest upgrade path to SMPTE 2110 with the simple installation of a new low-cost app. Ideal for housing MARBLE-V1, the new Vision 1 1RU frame brings further flexibility to the Vision frame system, providing housing for up to four cards and incorporating the usual Vision benefits including numerous signal outputs, dual reference syncs distributed from the frame and the ability to be used with higher bandwidth signals such as IP and 4K.
Crystal Vision's IP products are software apps which run on the MARBLE-V1 media processor hardware – a 3.8 x 12.8 inches card housed in the Vision frames alongside the SDI interface cards. At MARBLE-V1's core is an anything in/anything out I/O philosophy, with the inputs and outputs determined and customised by the installed app. A MARBLE-V1 card has the ability for six bi-directional SDI connections, four 10GbE SFP network interface ports, eight bi-directional discrete AES stereo channels (via the DIOP8 audio piggyback, and perfect for ST 2110) and multiple referencing capabilities. MARBLE-V1 is a powerful CPU/GPU processor that runs Linux and a Crystal Vision developed operating system layer which is the connecting fabric to the software-defined apps that run on the processor. Apps that are bought with the MARBLE-V1 hardware can be replaced with new apps as needs change, providing an easy upgrade path to SMPTE 2110.
The first IP apps are gateways between SDI and SMPTE 2022 for integrating SDI into an IP environment, as well as an IP to IP translator for making adjustments to IP streams. The SDI6-IP-2022 gateway app encapsulates SDI to SMPTE 2022 IP to allow the transport of uncompressed video over 10GbE IP networks. It converts up to six HD/SD or three 3Gb/s SDI input connections and allows flexible assignment of the converted flows to either of the two output 10GbE links; alternatively the second 10GbE link can be configured for SMPTE 2022-7 redundant streaming. The IP-SDI6-2022 gateway app de-encapsulates SDI from 10GbE IP networks. Supporting SMPTE 2022, it converts to six HD/SD or three 3Gb/s SDI output connections, with flexible assignment of the converted flows from either of the two input 10GbE links; alternatively the second 10GbE link can be configured for SMPTE 2022-7 redundant input streaming. Broadcasters are discovering they have all sorts of new issues to solve using IP, and the unique IP-IP-2022 IP to IP translator app – which features up to four bi-directional 10GbE IP network interfaces – is ideal for any SMPTE 2022 applications where network settings need to be changed in some way, such as network address, multicast to unicast and protocol translation. The IP apps' useful features include clean switching between flows, sophisticated synchronizing, PTP support, up to ten frames of video delay, unicast and multicast transmission support, signal status monitoring and traffic shaping.
The Vision 1 frame brings further flexibility and choice to the Vision frame system by providing 1RU housing for smaller projects requiring up to four cards, such as IP gateway projects which often involve one or two cards at a time. Like the Vision 3 3RU frame, Vision 1 has the ability to handle higher bandwidth signals including IP and 4K (as well as SDI), and houses the MARBLE-V1 media processor as well as the 12 video and audio core interface cards from the Vision range – up and down converters, synchronizers, fiber optic transmitters and receivers, audio embedders/de-embedders and distribution amplifiers for analog and digital video and audio. Other features that Vision 1 shares with Vision 3 include very powerful redundant power supplies (allowing increased card functionality), the same VR rear modules (providing numerous signal outputs), a common dual reference distributed to every card, complimentary SNMP, powerful remote backup and restore of all card settings and presets for added system security and two 1Gb/s Ethernet connections to the outside world for control and file transfer.
Crystal Vision will also be showing products from the well-established Indigo system on Booth M01, including the company's popular chroma keyers, logo keyers and video delays. BVE visitors will be able to try out the recent enhancements to the VisionPanel control panel which has significantly improved the operation of theSafire 3 real-time chroma keyer in a live situation.
Based at Whittlesford near Cambridge in the UK and with an office in the USA, Crystal Vision provides a full range of interface and keyers and helps helps people transition through a range of technologies – from SD to HD and from HD to IP.
