CRYSTAL VISION'S NEW DIGITAL CHROMA KEYER

CRYSTAL Vision have brought a new dimension to digital chroma keying with the launch of Safire.
Unlike other chroma keyers, Safire forms part of a modular system meaning it can be easily integrated with any of Crystal Vision's interface products. Incorporating the very latest in technology on a 266mm x 100mm board, it fits in any of the company's standard frames allowing up to 12 chroma keyers or other Crystal Vision modules in 2U. Safire is ideal for any chroma key or virtual set production and replaces the company's well-respected X-KEY Digital Effects Keyer.
Chroma keying is used to combine a virtual object (Background) with a real image (Foreground) by replacing a real colour - usually blue or green - with a virtual input. Safire's linear chroma keying allows areas of the final picture to be a mixture of both Foreground and Background, permitting the use of transparent and reflective objects and resulting in more convincing edges. The realistic final effect is created by using all of Safire's fine adjustments and by the sophisticated shadow processing which allows the intensity of shadows to be precisely adjusted.
Safire is very easy to set up and use. It can be auto-configured with the help of a cursor which is used to point at a typical area of Foreground, and offers the flexibility to key on any colour just by selecting it with a cursor. Preview outputs allow the various internal signals to be viewed individually. All functions are controlled from the PAN-XKEY remote control panel which allows tactile operation of up to ten Safire modules, and which can be used in conjunction with GPIs to recall setups.
Safire features both additive and multiplicative keying, with additive keying relying on a well-lit backdrop but giving the best results for shadows and transparent objects. There are two internal masks - Background Force and Foreground Force - and one external mask - Alpha Key - which are used to overrule the chroma keying process, as any area can be forced to show Background or Foreground. Sophisticated downstream processing of the combined picture is available, allowing fades to the Foreground or Background and a final fade to black.
Based at Sawston near Cambridge in the UK, Crystal Vision provide digital keyers and a full range of digital and analogue interface equipment including converters, decoders, encoders, distribution amplifiers and audio embedders to the professional broadcasting industry worldwide.
(GB)