On Booth 7.A02 at IBC 2022 Crystal Vision will be showing the latest best-of-breed video processing software apps for its MARBLE media processor hardware, all of which can work with IP, with SDI or with both IP and SDI at the same time making them perfect for any environment. The functionality offered by these apps – which support ST 2022, ST 2110 and 31 different SDI standards including 1080p – includes chroma keying, linear keying, video delay, profanity delay, color correction, legalizing, picture-in-picture and fail-safe switching. Making its world debut at IBC is the MARBLE DT desk top box which houses one MARBLE-V1 card and brings significant cost-savings to small systems. Crystal Vision will also be discussing with IBC visitors how the software-based MARBLE platform makes it easy to create custom products to solve problems using SDI or IP video.
IBC will see the debut of the MARBLE DT which significantly reduces the cost for those who wish to use the company’s software apps in small systems. The MARBLE DT is a desk top box containing one MARBLE-V1 media processor card. Featuring a powerful CPU/GPU processor, MARBLE-V1 features both bi-directional SDI and 10GbE SFP+ network interface port connections and runs Crystal Vision’s video processing software apps which support ST 2022, ST 2110 and 31 different SDI standards. Previously the only housing option for the MARBLE-V1 media processor was the 3RU Vision 3 frame, which can house ten MARBLE-V1 and remains a good choice for bigger systems. The MARBLE DT provides both cost and space savings for any installation involving up to three MARBLE-V1 cards or where their use is physically distributed around the site. It is particularly useful for the apps that are often bought on their own, such as the M-WEBKEY web page keyer, M-CLEANIT profanity delay and M-SAFIRE chroma keyer. The MARBLE DT has one built-in power supply which can power itself and a second MARBLE DT as a redundant supply if linked together, while power redundancy can also be provided by an external PSU. Cooling is provided by dual fans. MARBLE DT includes a synchronizer with a choice of timing sources with fail-over including two analog Black and Burst or tri-level syncs references and PTP. Flexible remote control and monitoring is available using remote control panels, ASCII and JSON protocols, complimentary SNMP or the VisionWeb control software.
With Crystal Vision’s chroma keyers traditionally popular in Europe, show attendees will be able to try out the new M-SAFIRE real-time chroma keyer software app – the industry’s first IP chroma keyer which can also be used with SDI, or with both IP and SDI simultaneously for hybrid systems. The M-SAFIRE offers a noise-free key as well as numerous tools to optimize the picture including advanced clip processing, color correction, edge shrink, color spill processing, lighting compensation and shadow processing. Operation is straightforward with the M-SAFIRE’s two quad split multiviewers facilitating setup by allowing four of the processing stage signals to be viewed simultaneously along with the ability to zoom into any area. The key can be faded up and down, while internal and external masks can be used to force areas of foreground or background – making it easy to linear key a logo or add virtual objects or sports graphics. The M-SAFIRE offers enhanced system timing features, including reference redundancy, PTP as a timing source option and up to ten frames of delay on both the input and output.
On Booth 7.A02 Crystal Vision will also be demonstrating the new features for its M-CLEANIT profanity delay software app, designed to prevent the broadcast of unwanted or offensive video or audio material. To give the operator time to react, the M-CLEANIT allows an IP or SDI live content stream to be delayed by up to 600 frames (24 seconds in 1080i50), with the cover options including clean switching to two different video sources or a web page, blurring the video, showing black or blue or color bars, muting individual audio channels and switching to another audio source. Helping broadcasters have confidence in their content is the Monitor output, a fixed multiviewer which allows the operator to simultaneously monitor everything that is happening and which has recently been enhanced with a new customer-requested ‘Routable with audio’ window which allows the operator to now view any of the video sources with its associated audio. Previously the only audio that could be monitored using the Monitor output was from the live Source A, but now the routable choices are Source A, Cleanit Out, Source B and Source C – allowing the operator, for example, to listen to the cleaned output to check that all the objectionable audio content was caught.
Other IP/SDI video processing apps on show at IBC will include the M-KEY linear keyer, M-WEBKEY web page keyer, M-PIP picture-in-picture device, M-VIVID video delays, M-COCO-2 color corrector and M-SAFESWITCH-2 fail-safe routing switch, all of which have been recently enhanced with additional features. The new audio monitoring feature makes it easy for a broadcaster to detect problems with their audio channels by being able to monitor for audio group present, channels within the audio group present and channels within the audio group present but silent. Also new are more powerful presets, with App settings and Input/Output configuration settings now able to be stored and recalled independently – useful for all users and very advantageous in an IP environment.
Crystal Vision is the company that people come to when they have specialised processing needs and Booth 7.A02 will therefore also provide the opportunity for face-to-face discussions about how the MARBLE platform can be used to create custom products to solve specific problems using SDI or IP video. An advantage of MARBLE being a software-based platform is that the functionality from different apps can easily be combined to produce new apps.
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 people transition through a range of technologies – from SD to HD, from HD to IP and from IP to IP.
