Page 1 of 3 >>
Datavideo SE-1000 Live Production Video Switcher and MS-1000 Mobile Studio
Live video production is all about switching between good shots and doing it with good timing. More live camera angles gives you more to work with, but also means there's more to keep track of, both visually and communicatively. Yet as higher production value expectations reach more houses of worship and as faster cuts, sights, and sounds become the norm, there's an increasing demand for quality tools that are both easy enough to get up and running and capable enough to support today's and tomorrow's production needs.
Datavideo's SE-1000 ($11,000) is a six-input HD/SD SDI live production video switcher that is designed for that higher video quality, with the ability to mix both newer high definition and legacy standard definition sources in their native 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios. Yet, Datavideo goes well beyond just offering the SE-1000 as a stand-alone video switcher. Through a variety of configuration options, Datavideo offer new users a package of tools to get live production up and running quickly, but in a very professional way.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: The SE-1000 can mix SDI or HDSDI, but not both at the same time. It also includes six converters that can be used to make signals for the preview monitors or to convert HD component into HDSDI.]
A "SE-1000 Kit" ($13,999) configuration builds the SE-1000 switcher into a rack that includes two banks of three (total six) 4.3-inch, 16:9 preview monitors and a six-output tally box including LED tally lights. You can use any preview monitors you might already have, thanks to the SE-1000's built-in digital-to-analog input converters, but the double rack of preview monitors puts a visual from each of the sources neatly right in front of you. The tally box communicates via LEDs to camera operations so they know when their source is live.
You can also add an intercom system to the rack in the SE-1000 I-Kit ($15,495, this is the configuration I tested) for two-way verbal communications with your camera operators. While tally lights may be enough if your camera operators are stationary and have a set routine, verbal communication will leave a lot less to chance, particularly for more dynamic production where there is a lot of movement and space to cover. The intercom module is built right into the rack below the preview monitors and features a convenient long-stem microphone and work light, as well as dedicated buttons for engaging communications with each of the included six camera operator headsets. Those headsets include belt-attached call and talk buttons, as well as tally lights for silent communication.
Finally, the MS-1000 Mobile Studio (due out in December for roughly $18,000) will add a hard-shell road case that fits the entire SE-1000 I-Kit system plus a large 17-inch program monitor. Cleverly, the case's front and back panels both will come off so you never have to fully unpack the system to do the production. You'll be able to cable it from behind and operate the switcher, monitor, and intercom from the front where it sits. Even better, the 17-inch program monitor will have a special padded drawer from where it will slide out and flip up right above the preview monitor racks. All that should mean quick set-up beforehand and fast packing out of the way when the service is finished.
Page 1 of 3 next page >>
Jeff Sauer has covered the professional video and A/V industry for a dozen years and is an independent video producer and consultant in Massachusetts.
Post a Comment
ADD NEW COMMENT