THE 3GB/S 8 X 3 MATRIX THAT WILL SAVE YOU RACK SPACE (July 2009)

New from Crystal Vision is the SW803 3G – an 8 x 3 crosspoint routing switch which works with 3Gb/s, HD and SDI and is ideal as a small or secondary matrix for multi-standard environments.

Using the SW803 3G, eight inputs can be routed to any of three outputs. The SW803 3G can switch in the vertical blanking interval to avoid picture disturbance, with timing information provided by either a Black & Burst or Tri-level syncs analogue reference or by a digital reference generated from any of the four main board inputs. The SW803 3G can also be set to switch immediately – useful in cases when all the signals have different timings.

The SW803 3G beats every other crosspoint routing switch on size, too. With up to six SW803 3G fitting in a 2U frame, this ‘double decker' 100mm x 266mm module saves valuable rack space compared to a stand-alone routing switch.

Control is flexible and can be from board edge, an active front panel on the frame, the Statesman PC control software or a dedicated 1U control panel (the SW808 Controller), while GPI s can be configured to hold complex settings. Up to 16 macros can be created and stored to change a number of outputs at once. Used with two RM50 frame rear modules to access the inputs and outputs, the SW803 3G is ideal for small studio uses, such as providing backgrounds for a chroma keyer.

The SW803 3G will be shipping in August.