IBC 2017: SAM’s new Alchemist XS provides motion-compensated frame-rate conversion for live 4K UHD IP, SDI streams

Snell Advanced Media (SAM, Stand 9.A01) has launched Alchemist XS, delivering motion-compensated frame-rate conversion for live IP and SDI media streams. The system has been optimized to offer stunning image quality even with the most complex sources.

Alchemist XS is aimed at any live-broadcast application that demands the very best in motion-compensated conversion to ensure smooth, fluid, and high-quality images — which is particularly the case with live sports coverage, where the content is fast and dynamic. Built on SAM’s acclaimed Alchemist Ph.C. technology, it provides motion-compensated frame-rate conversion for real-time IP and SDI media streams, with native support for SD-to-4K UHD video. The system is delivered on a COTS server platform and supports real-time 4K UHD frame-rate conversion or multiple channels of HD conversion to make it a high-performing, cost-effective conversion solution.

Alchemist XS delivers clear, sharp, and fluid images without the need for complex optimization settings and specifically solves the problem of artefacts during real-time IP/SDI conversion up to UHD. Poor conversion can result in doubling of imaging on moving objects, loss of resolution, jerky or inconsistent motion, and loss of object integrity, with objects breaking up and changing shape. Alchemist XS eliminates these issues.

Says Robert Szabó-Rowe, EVP/GM, live production and infrastructure, SAM, “Quality is everything when it comes to protecting a broadcaster’s brand, making it more critical than ever that the final image delivered to viewers is not compromised in any way. This is particularly important when we’re talking about UHD, where viewer expectation is even higher. Alchemist XS draws on SAM’s heritage for world-class conversion technology and industry-leading IP capability to deliver the best live conversion in the world capable of handling any format or framerate.”