DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY IS FIRST UK CUSTOMER FOR SAFIRE HD (December 2005)

De Montfort University in Leicester is one of the largest universities in the country and the first UK customer to purchase Crystal Vision’s newly launched High Definition chroma keyer - Safire HD.

Working on projects in collaboration with the BBC and RT Software, they are currently developing a cutting-edge media technology centre to be used for teaching and research. De Montfort University’s impressive facilities currently include a well-equipped editing suite and a Radamec virtual studio into which the Safire HD will be installed.

As the first affordable High Definition chroma keyer, Safire HD works with Standard Definition as well as High Definition signals to create realistic virtual images in multi-standard environments. Offering a choice of control options, Safire HD forms part of a modular system and is easily integrated with Crystal Vision’s interface products.

The Crystal Vision equipment purchased will be used initially by university staff to perform research into High Definition TV, virtual studio technologies and augmented reality.

In addition to Safire HD the order from De Montfort University included the High Definition video delay line ViViD HD, which can provide over half a second of delay to compensate for the delay caused by virtual studio graphics.

Other modules on the order will enable a more effective operation of the studio. The unique scan reverser Flip reverses the direction of the video scan to make it easier to work with a mirror image or interact with virtual objects. In addition, a HDDA104R will be used for the high quality distribution of High Definition signals during operation of the equipment.

De Montfort University gave several reasons why they chose to order Crystal Vision products over alternative manufacturers. The fact that Safire HD was one of the first High Definition chroma keyers available was a distinct advantage.

Dave Paget, a lecturer at the School of Engineering and Technology, stated that he “liked the modular approach to the systems offered by Crystal Vision. Pricing, always a major consideration, was very competitive and I was impressed by Crystal Vision’s demonstration of their products”.

Professor Mohammad Ibrahim, who leads the research on HDTV at De Montfort University, also said that Crystal Vision equipment will allow the group to investigate the many aspects of the newly emerging HD fused reality concept.