Suite Invests In Leader LV7700 Rasteriser

Soho-based Suite has joined the growing number of major production and broadcast facilities investing in Leader LV7700 multi-standard SDI rasterising test instruments, installed in the engineering support facility at Suite's headquarters in Newman Street, the LV7700 is being used to allow HD as well as SD monitoring.
The sale was negotiated by Thameside TV, which is authorised by eiQuip BV, Master Broadcast Distributor for Europe, to sell Leader instrumentation into the British market.
Suite's Chief Engineer, Jim Merrett said: "The LV7700 is reliable and very easy to use. It's clearly identified buttons are much quicker to use than having to keep navigating through menus. We are using the instrument mainly as a waveform monitor for broadcast-quality dubbing work. The rasterising capability was important as a decently large LCD screen is much easier for our engineers to check from a distance than a small rack-mounted unit which can only be viewed by a single operator located right in front of it. We were also very favourably impressed by the price."
eiQuip BV Managing Director Paul Vos, said: "Demand for Leader's multi-standard broadcast test equipment is accelerating rapidly in response to the rapid expansion of HD broadcasting now taking place in many countries. However fast the transition, SD will remain an integral part of the broadcast business for at least the next five years so multi-standard test instruments will continue to be a much safer option than focusing tightly on one signal format."
Leader's LV7700 rasteriser enables waveform, vector, picture, audio and status/protocol screens to be selected individually or as four-in-one simultaneous displays. Source images can be captured and stored for subsequent superimposition over live measurements. Once captured, source images can be transferred to Compact Flash memory card as a bitmap for production applications such as stage set and position matching, as well as proof-of-performance logging.
The LV7700 can convert Y/Cb/Cr to Y/R/G/B or NTSC display as an aid in gamut monitoring and to assist in colour correction. Y/R/G/B can be viewed as a waveform or bar-graph display. Embedded audio monitoring features include surround sound, multi-lissajous image and bar graphs.
Like the LV5750 and LV5800, the LV7700 incorporates Leader's unique patented equivalent cable-length measurement feature, which provides efficient warning against deterioration of the digital pulse waveform as cable feeds approach their inherent 'cliff-edge'. Power is from a 100-250 V universal AC adapter or directly from 12 V DC (3A) via an XLR power input connector.
Based in a traditional Edwardian town house with a total of 17 online and offline suites plus HD grading suite and two Pro-Tools audio suites, Suite offers a pleasant and fun post-production environment. An important design consideration when engineering the suites was to achieve the maximum possible design and layout uniformity, allowing editors to move quickly from one suite to another. Each suite features additional auxiliary equipment to cater for all editing requirements.
Founded in 1978, eiQuip BV specialises in providing high-quality products for broadcasters, post-production facilities, edit suites and electronic equipment manufacturers.
(KMcA/JM)