Crystal Vision will be bringing its latest real-time chroma keyer to South East Asia for the first time when it shows Safire 3 Xpress – a modular product providing affordable high quality chroma keying – on Stand 5E2-09 at BroadcastAsia 2015. With its top-end chroma keyer Safire 3 also on show in Singapore, Crystal Vision can now offer customers a suitable chroma keyer for all applications and budgets – from news and weather to full virtual environments. Other products making their debut in this part of the world include the LKEY-SQZ squeeze back keyer designed for any applications where a program needs to be resized or repositioned for another layer of video to be displayed, and Crystal Vision's instinctive new control system – which offers the choice of board operation via web browser (VisionWeb) or hardware panel (VisionPanel).
The new Safire 3 Xpress real-time chroma keyer 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 switcher. Working with 3Gb/s, HD and SD sources (31 different video standards), the modular Safire 3 Xpress combines quality with simplicity and affordability. It shares the processing quality of the full Safire 3, but has a simpler features set, making control easy for even a less-technical operator. 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 or a hardware panel. To optimize the picture there are tools to eliminate key noise and transparency, tune the backdrop key color, adjust the variation around the key color, 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. Any timing errors will be automatically corrected by a frame synchronizer on each input, timed to an analog reference – particularly useful for those generating the Background using a PC-based graphics system which cannot be timed to the camera.
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 full virtual environments – include powerful multi-point sampling for automatic setup, ten frames of built-in video delay, and an extensive range of fine-tuning tools including filters, color correction, color re-spill and individual black, grey and white chroma key removal. Both Safire 3 and Safire 3 Xpress will be available for demonstration on the BroadcastAsia stand, allowing visitors to compare the features side-by-side.
Crystal Vision is well known for creating unusual products and the company's latest unique offering is the award-winning LKEY-SQZ squeeze back keyer. The modular LKEY-SQZ is ideal for any applications where a 3Gb/s, HD or SD program needs to be resized or repositioned for another layer of video to be displayed – such as squeezing the end credits to preview the next program, squeezing a presenter to allow room for additional graphic material (such as sports scores or weather graphics) or picture-in-picture type applications such as news interviews. LKEY-SQZ can perform a sequence of operations (known as a 'scene') using full timeline control of events. Broadcasters choose it because of the high quality of the picture squeeze: it uses sub-pixel processing, an excellent de-interlacer and an advanced algorithm to ensure extremely smooth movement from one size to another.
Crystal Vision has completed the full roll out of its new control system in 2015 and BroadcastAsia visitors will have the opportunity to try out the features of the company's interface and keying products on Stand 5E2-09 using both VisionWeb and VisionPanel. They offer similar intuitive control interfaces to operate and monitor the boards, with the main difference being that one is via a web browser (VisionWeb) and one from a 3RU touch screen control panel (VisionPanel – with its physical controls making it ideal for products that need regular adjustment). Recent additions to both VisionWeb and VisionPanel include frame and slot labelling to help the operator understand exactly which board they are operating and its purpose in the system, and virtual cards which can be used to limit user interaction, simplify operation or assemble features from different boards for specific control purposes.
Also on show at BroadcastAsia will be Crystal Vision's range of logo keyers, up and down converters, synchronizers, color correctors, video delays and audio embedders. BroadcastAsia takes place at the Marina Bay Sands exhibition center in Singapore between 2nd and 5th June 2015.
Based at Whittlesford near Cambridge in the UK and with an office in the USA, Crystal Vision provides digital keyers and a full range of interface equipment including converters, synchronizers, distribution amplifiers and audio embedders to the professional broadcasting industry worldwide.
