Echolab Broadcast India Preview
Stand B205

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Company Background

Echolab, Inc. is a leading provider of video production switchers and related tools that offer flexibility and on-air reliability for the production and distribution of digital media in a variety of formats. With products including its flagship Overture1™ and Overture2™ video production systems, Echolab delivers the robust functionality, reliability, and ease-of-use critical to professional-quality productions. Since its founding in 1974, the company has delivered more than 6,000 production solutions to a global client base including major broadcast networks and stations, corporations, educational institutions, houses of worship, sports arenas, entertainment venues, and military facilities.

New Echolab Products at Broadcast India

At Broadcast India, Echolab will showcase a range of exciting products for the production of sports, news, and live events. These unique new tools bring users unprecedented live production capabilities while simplifying operation and system design.

Dual Panel Operation — Dual panel operation for Echolab’s advanced Overture2™ standard definition (SD) and multidefinition (MD) video production systems allows one Overture2 switcher chassis to operate under the control of two panels, each panel controlling one of the two independent M/Es. This functionality gives users the flexibility to produce two independent productions or to use separate control panels for collaborative switching of a single program. In either case, users benefit from broader use of a single compact and cost-effective switching system.

Production facilities can take advantage of dual panel operation to install just one Overture2 switcher system in support of two studios and control rooms. In live entertainment production, the dual panel operation lets two operators switch on-stage video and a broadcast feed comfortably and effectively from their own panels. Because button presses on the 1-M/E panel cause corresponding buttons to light on the main control panel, dual panel operation also simplifies hands-on switcher training in the classroom setting.

Photo Link: DualPanel

SuperBox™ Module — The new SuperBox™ module enables users of Echolab’s advanced Overture™ series of production switchers to put as many as six windows on-screen at once. This plug-and-play solution simplifies news and sports production, allowing for simultaneous display of commentators, reporters, or program guests from different locations — all within one picture — without compromising the switcher’s DVE capabilities. Accessible via the switcher’s SuperSource™ crosspoint key, SuperBox makes it easy for users to display multiple boxes from multiple sources while continuing to incorporate attention-grabbing transitions. The module’s Intelligent Masking capability provides operators with the flexibility to move or scale each box with the mask, or to move and scale video while keeping the mask stationary. SuperSource simplifies layout configuration and streamlines transitions between these multiple-box shots and full-screen images.

Photo Link: SuperBox

MegaKeyMD™ — Debuting for the first time at Broadcast India, MegaKeyMD™ is a powerful clip player, mixer, and keyer that can serve as a networked storage device for animated graphics and video clips. MegaKeyMD accepts both HD and SD inputs and features a two-channel internal mixer and internal linear keyer to support playout of dynamic video clips. The system is fully integrated with Echolab’s Overture™ switcher series to support complex animated transitions through the switchers’ Stinger™ feature. MegaKeyMD also may be used with Overture systems as an additional downstream keyer or mixer on any output.

Photo Link: MegaKeyMD

Existing Products at Broadcast India:

Overture1™ and Overture2™ — Echolab’s new Overture1™ (1 M/E) and Overture2™ (2 M/E) switchers combine internal conversion and synchronization with powerful key layering and special effects. In addition to four M/E keys and two downstream keyers, which enable title keying for graphics, logos, and bugs, the Overture family features unique Stinger™ and SuperSource™ keys that make it easy to achieve expert transitions with minimal effort.

The unique Stinger transition is a special “Take Block” keyer with combined mix/wipe and graphic control that reduces complex animated transitions to a single button press. The Overture switchers’ new SuperSource™ allows the operator to build a custom layout using DVEs and graphics and then assign the composition to a crosspoint button. A DVE key in each “Take Block” enables instant transition effects, and the MD Overture systems offer as many as four channels of DVE with warp and lighting effects.

Overture switchers accept up to 32 multiformat analog and digital signals and provide as many as 16 multiformat outputs. The Overture switchers’ internal frame synchronization helps to ensure the quality of effects and, along with internal conversion and up to 34 internal graphics/still stores, eliminates the need for external systems, further streamlining the workflow and reducing the cost of creating a sophisticated on-air look.

Photo Links:
Overture1
Overture2

Conductor™ — Echolab’s Conductor™ control integration system is a touch-screen computer that automates complex tasks and program elements to support fast, accurate, and creative production of the best programs possible. Internal software tools offer the operator total confidence while on-air. In preproduction mode, Conductor allows the operator to configure the switcher, create complex sequences, and assign functions such as M/E presets to soft buttons. In on-air mode, Conductor becomes an extension of the control panel — a touch screen interface with soft buttons that can execute sequences, recall M/E presets, and control third-party devices. In some applications, Conductor may be used to replace a dedicated still store.

Photo Link: Conductor