Leader Demonstrates 4K IP Test and Measurement Technology at Sony IP Live Studio

Leader Electronics Corporation has further demonstrated its support for promoting the advancement of IP-based production. The company participated in the recent launch of a dedicated IP Live Studio in Sony’s Digital Motion Picture Centre Europe (DMPCE) at Pinewood Film Studios near London. Leader supplied its flagship LV5490 4K/HD/SD waveform monitor, giving broadcasters and production companies the opportunity to gain hands-on familiarity with IP-based live production environments.

“We have been working jointly with Sony since the launch of the DMPCE in 2013,” says Leader’s European Regional Development Manager,” Kevin Salvidge. “Many European customers have been introduced to 4K at the DMPCE, and more recently to high dynamic range production techniques. It was logical to have Leader’s LV5490 with Sony Networked Media Interface (NMI) available for DMPCE clients as they explored the advantages of IP-based live production.

“Leader has been working closely with Sony since the initial announcement of the NMI Alliance. The LV5490 4K with an IP Live Studio interface was first demonstrated at NAB 2016 in Las Vegas. We are pleased to be part of this important initiative to provide media companies with the practical knowledge necessary for making the most efficient possible use of IP connectivity within their production infrastructure.”

Leader is a long-time member of the IP Live Alliance and has demonstrated interoperability with Sony’s NMI, both in the lab and in commercial deployments of IP-based live production environments. The Leader LV5490 deployed in the IP Live Studio is fitted with the LV5490SER08 – IP (NMI) option. This supports traditional SDI video formats and Sony IP. Supported 4K video formats include 4096 x 2160 and 3840 x 2160 via multiple link as well as 4 x HD signal monitoring via IP.

Live production requires exacting precision and reliability. Broadcasters need assurance that IP-based solutions can meet and exceed these requirements before moving operations out of the baseband domain. A fully functional IT-based production facility is designed to provide these assurances through extensive hands-on training, as well as offering technology partners the ability to demonstrate widespread interoperability in a multivendor environment.

Leader Europe to Show Latest 4K HDR Production and Test Tools at HPA Tech Retreat
Leader Europe will demonstrate its LV5490 4K waveform monitor and high-dynamic-range suite of production and test tools at the upcoming HPA Tech Retreat. The exhibit will form a key element of the Innovation Zone.

The event makes its UK debut at the Heythrop Park Resort in Enstone, Oxfordshire, July 13-14. It is organised by the Hollywood Professional Association which is based in Los Angeles.

The Heythrop auditorium is being transformed with a 26-foot RealD Ultimate Screen, Sony high brightness dual 3D projection, Dolby Atmos sound, JBL loudspeakers plus amplification from Harmon Kardon and Bell Theatre Services.

Highlights will include behind-the-scenes and knowledge dives into ‘The Jungle Book’, ‘Finding Dory’, ‘Game of Thrones’, ‘Ex Machina’ and ‘Billy Lynne’s Long Halftime Walk’. In the Innovation Zone, leading companies will unveil technologies in a curated environment. Details are available at www.hollywoodprofessionalassociation.com

Leader was the first manufacturer to bring a 4K waveform monitor to the market, introducing the LV5490 at NAB at NAB 2013 where it promptly won two industry awards. Ongoing developments including a range of new options have secured the the LV5490’s position as the logical choice for any broadcaster, production studio, outside broadcast company or post house now working in 4K or planning to do so. With the LV5480 variant, customers can start with an HD/SD/sub-SD model, adding 4K and HDR capability when they choose.

The LV5490 supports the full range of standard video production and transmission resolutions from 525 and 625 standard definition up to 3840 x 2160 and 4096 x 2160 4K ultra-high definition. It incorporates a 1920 x 1080 9 inch LCD monitor with a wide viewing angle and high quality colorimetry. This allows simultaneous analysis of up to four video channels. The instrument’s 4K capability is particularly useful to people working with latest generation cameras, whether for digital cinematography or high-end broadcast applications.

Equipped with eight input connectors, the LV5490 accepts up to two 4K signals. In the 4K video format mode, 3G-SDI dual link or quad link is supported. Up to four 3G-SDI dual link 4K video inputs or up to two 3G-SDI quad link 4K video inputs can be selected for display, or two sets of HD-SDI dual link signals. In the SDI mode, up to four signals can be displayed simultaneously. The LV5490 is also equipped to handle video signals via two-sample interleave as well as square division. Two-sample interleave is the approved standard for 4K.

The LV5490 can be operated in a very wide selection of test and measurement roles. These include waveform, vector, picture monitoring, SDI signal status (which looks for cyclic-redundancy-check errors and embedded-audio errors), an event log, data dump and four-channel timing display. Waveform, vector and picture can be viewed simultaneously on the LV5490 screen. Simultaneous display and overlay display of multiple SDI inputs is possible. Size and location of individual channel displays can be adjusted using a USB mouse. The LV5490 can also be controlled remotely using standard KVM tools.

The integral Leader CINELITE feature allows the user to measure the luminance levels at different points in a scene (up to 3 points). CINEZONE uses chroma substitution to indicate luminance levels in a scene and is particularly suited to green screen chroma-key virtual-set alignment.

In addition to its video test and measurement capabilities, the Leader LV5490 incorporates a versatile selection of audio monitoring and analysis tools, which are available with the Digital Audio option. These include 4 x 4 channels of SDI audio de-embedding, lissajous display, surround-sound display and volumetric display. Up to 16 channels of de-embedded SDI audio can be displayed on screen and output as discrete AES3 feeds.

Additional features of the LV5490 include video frame capture, instrumentation screen capture, timecode display, ID display and a 4K pattern generator with embedded audio.

Eye pattern, including jitter waveform display and Dolby decoding, can be ordered as optional facilities along with a CIE 1931/1976 chroma space chart which can display BT.709, DCI (P2) plus BT.2020 (the 4K standard’s full ITU recommended chroma space).

LV5490 operators can adjust the size of up to four displays on the screen to suit specific tasks. This allows easy magnification and inspection of detail on the instrument’s 9 inch 1920 x 1080 LCD screen instead of being limited to fixed size quadrants. The LV5490 also comes with a 1920 x 1080 HD DVI-D and HD-SDI rasterized output for display on a larger monitor.

Fully portable, the LV5490 has a footprint of just 8.77 inches wide by 14.7 inches deep and a height of 7.44 inches (223 x 360 x 189 mm). The instrument weighs only 10.4 pounds (4.72 kg). A rack mounting adapter is available.