THE HOSPITAL CHOOSES CRYSTAL VISION FOR INTERFACE (April 2004)

Crystal Vision is one of the suppliers chosen to equip The Hospital, a new multi-million pound television and arts complex in central London.

Crystal Vision equipment was chosen after the organisation looked at most of the interface manufacturers and decided a “flexible toolbox” was needed. It will be used for general-purpose audio embedding and de-embedding of signals for distribution within the building. The Hospital has a television studio within which the Crystal Vision equipment will be used to produce television programmes and showcases and live broadcasting is also possible.

The Hospital bought two TANDEM-200s, dual embedder/de-embedders with advanced functionality. TANDEM-200 allows channel shuffling and flexible routing and will be used by The Hospital to embed audio into video and extract audio from video. It allows you to embed/de-embed and manipulate audio in almost any way you choose and can combine audio already embedded with an external input.

Also purchased was one ADCA412, a 24 bit dual analogue to AES/EBU digital audio converter and a DACA214, a 24-bit dual AES/EBU digital to analogue audio converter. These will be housed in Indigo 2, a 2U frame with passive front panel, which holds any mixture of up to 12 video and audio modules.

In a second order, The Hospital placed one of the first orders for Flip, Crystal Vision’s new scan reverser. The innovative product was designed to give studio presenters a mirror image of themselves. This makes presenting and manoeuvring easier, because people often find it hard to work with virtual objects when the image they see on the monitor is that of the camera view, rather than a mirror image. In this instance Flip was used to help a puppeteer control the popular children’s puppet ‘Basil Brush’ in the Carlton Television 2003 Christmas Show.

Commented Philip Scofield, Crystal Vision’s Managing Director: “We are delighted to be part of such a ground-breaking concept. It is very exciting to be chosen to supply The Hospital, particularly as it is a very high-profile project.”

Now occupying the site of the old St Paul’s Hospital, the venture is intended to ‘bring together the artistic and creatively minded in beautiful surroundings, to enjoy collaboration and total support’. The Hospital was founded by American entrepreneur Paul G. Allen, who set up Microsoft with Bill Gates, and boasts a members’ club, restaurant and art gallery as well as technical facilities for recording and production.

Based at Whittlesford near Cambridge in the UK, Crystal Vision provides digital keyers and a full range of digital and analogue interface equipment including converters, decoders, encoders, distribution amplifiers and audio embedders to the professional broadcasting industry worldwide.