Introduction

MultiLogo V431 is the most feature-packed, space-saving and easy-to-use modular solution to HD or SD station branding.

This multi-layer logo keyer offers a real technical advantage to those that want to put three graphics on a screen. It provides three layers of keying from a variety of internal and external sources including an eight-port non-volatile video store.

To create MultiLogo V431, Crystal Vision has taken the different strengths from solid-state fast reading and writing DRAM and permanent Flash picture storage – and combined them. The size of internal storage is one of MultiLogo V431’s exceptional features, with a 4 GB video store for up to 250 logos.

MultiLogo V431 will save you rack space, with up to six logo keyers fitting in 2U. The 'double decker' 100mm x 266mm module fits in Crystal Vision’s standard frames – available in four sizes – allowing it to be easily integrated with any of the company’s interface and keying products. It provides four external input sources making it ideal for those wishing to use live as well as pre-prepared graphics.

With the logo keyer one of the last pieces of equipment in the chain, relay bypass protection of the input to the main output is a simple way to keep it - and you - on air.

The easiest logo keyer to control (here's why)

MultiLogo V431 is shipped with a CD containing Crystal Vision’s instinctive-to-use drag-and-drop MultiLogo Control Software which runs on the graphics computer and allows easy board control and files conversion.

Perfect for setting up applications in advance, the MultiLogo Control Software is a single piece of software which does everything for you and gets your logos on the screen within just a few minutes.

MultiLogo V431 works with both still and animated graphics and supports the BMP, JPG, TGA, PNG, SGI and WAV file formats. Other file formats can be easily be converted to MultiLogo’s native file format using the Image Converter program which is part of the MultiLogo Control Software and which can be used to extract either the video, key, or both video and key from image sequences.

You know you’ll always get sophisticated file handling and stability with MultiLogo’s uCLinux operating system. MultiLogo offers excellent connectivity with a PC, transferring the graphics over 100Mbit Ethernet from the PC directly into video store on the board which allows extensive information to be transported quickly.

MultiLogo V431 ’s industry standard software protocols allow the logo keyer to be used with automation systems, further helped by the dedicated RJ45 connector on the RM52 frame rear module and by the extensive GPI capability.

So many sources to choose from!

MultiLogo V431 offers the choice of different sources for your logos – both internal and external.

The internal video store is available with 4 GB of memory. Logos are copied from the graphics PC to both the DRAM and Flash memories on MultiLogo V431, providing the dual benefits of DRAM’s fast reading and writing and the Flash’s non-volatile storage which retains the data even when the power is off. Each screen in the MultiLogo Control Software indicates how much space you have remaining in the store – another useful feature.

For playing out files, MultiLogo V431 has a total of six video ports – four RAM video streams and two Flash video streams – along with two audio ports. These six video ports could be assigned three logos with accompanying key signal or alternatively six self-keyed logos – with three of these then selectable for display using the three internal keyers.

External sources are also available: MultiLogo V431 provides four external video inputs. The first external input is normally dedicated to the main programme because of its relay bypass protection while the other three external feeds are completely flexible and configurable, and could typically be a backup feed, a character generator for an emergency message and a key signal for that character generator. The MultiLogo V431 can also provide the functionality of a 2 x 1 switch for selecting between the main and backup video feeds.

It’s very easy to transfer graphics from a PC to the internal video store using the Store tab on the MultiLogo Control Software, with its familiar-looking directory tree. The upper panes show the PC file structure. Just browse to the folder that contains the images you wish to upload and then drag and drop them into the MultiLogo file store in the lower pane...easy!

MultiLogo V431 can multi-task, allowing you to transfer graphics from the PC or video input at the same time as outputting the multiple logos.

Colour coding makes it easy for you to see at a glance what sort of files you’ve got in your video store. Green file icons have been converted to MultiLogo’s native format, green with yellow flash files were already in the required MultiLogo format, while a white file needs converting. Audio files are blue. A yellow file warns you that the graphic is in a different format to the output video format and cannot be used, while files with a red corner indicate a file stored in DRAM only which will be lost unless you copy it to Flash – which, of course, is easy to do: just right-click on the file.

Any of the graphics and audio clips held in the internal store can be assigned to one of the eight ports – just select the port then double click the file to assign it to that port. The file name will appear beside the port button – so you’ll know whether it's worked successfully.

MultiLogo V431 can record fill and key signals from any of the external video inputs using the Recorders tab – convenient for those logos that are supplied to you on tape or that you need to take from a live video feed. You can record the fill only, key only, or fill and key and also set the number of frames to be recorded. Left, right, top and bottom mask controls allow the recorded picture size to contain just the part of the image of interest – and optimise the file size. Any recordings are initially stored in the DRAM memory and need to be copied to the Flash for permanent storage.

The Mixers tab helpfully lists the names of the graphics assinged to the four RAM and two Flash ports for easy reference, and allows any of these images to be assigned as the fill and key for each of your three levels of keying.

There are numerous options available here. You can select the program, preview or any of the three keys to be black - allowing you to use a black background and the three key layers to combine several key images into a single image, either for storage or for use with multiple single keyers downstream.

Alternatively the program, preview and keys can be set as a colour created by the matte generator. This could be useful if you're setting up the graphics at a sports event: you could use the matte generator as a video source before the cameras are wired in, allowing you to set up your graphics in good time without waiting for the real sources to be connected. The Mixer tab also includes Fade to black control, should you need to fade down the complete programme.

Full look-ahead preview means you will never have to take a leap in the dark with your more complex transitions, cross your fingers and hope that everything is going to be okay. After the logos and keys are set up on the auxiliary output, the transition can be previewed in full on this output – allowing you to make any necessary changes before committing it to the main output. The proper transition can then be applied by using the Cut button for an immediate effect or the Auto button for a fading effect lasting up to 1024 frames. The transition can alternatively be triggered by pulling down the relevant GPI. By the end of the transition the contents of the aux and main outputs will have swapped over and it’s time to start setting up your next set of logos on the auxiliary output.

Perfecting your three layers of keying

MultiLogo V431 benefits from Crystal Vision's years of keying expertise, demonstrated in the company's highly successful chroma keyers and linear keyers. The Keyers tab contains all the controls you need to set up MultiLogo's three keyers to perfection.

MultiLogo V431 can be used either with graphics that have a separate key signal or with self-keyed graphics, with the key mode selectable as Self Key, Split Key or Full Key.

For logos already on a black background Self Key is the simplest method, using the luminosity in the fill signal to generate the key information - while presenting no issues with keeping graphics in sync during animation. The highly-favoured Split Key uses both the fill and key signal to generate the key. Finally, Full Key internally generates a full frame peak white signal to force the key.

Both additive and multiplicative keying is available, allowing you to choose a method to suit the graphics you're working with.

The key processing controls on each of the three keyers allow you to achieve just the effect you need.

Offset is handy for correcting keys that are a level above or below black, or for self-keying applications where you want to establish the fill's luminance level to trigger the keying. The gain control, meanwhile, is useful for self-keyed logos that are not completely peak white - you can increase the key gain to make the key signal strong enough in the graphic's darker areas.

Wrong-way-up logos can be inverted, while a semi-transparent effect can be achieved with the opacity control. The regularly-used key transition control allows you to fade the key on and off.

A user-definable rectangular mask is available for a variety of uses. It can be used to hide unwanted areas of a graphic. Alternatively you could use it to pick the logo you need from a stored image featuring several logos. It also allows you to Full Key and force the entire area inside the mask to key.

For those that just need one station ident, MultiLogo V431 can be used as a dual channel device - sharing the three keyers between two channels.

Great features for playing out your graphics

The Players tab contains the animation controls which are used to set the way in which the selected files are played out and are Play, Pause, Stop, Normal, Loop and Bounce.

Normal tells the file to play to the end and then freeze on the final frame. Loop tells the file to play again from the start and is most useful for animated graphics that stay on the screen for an extended period. If you’re short of time to make your graphic loop cleanly, then you can have the last frame identical to the first with the Bounce control, which plays the clip forwards then backwards repeatedly.

The ability to trim any recorded video clips makes it eay to transfer a clip and key supplied on tape - perfect for those OB and studio applications where this is often the case. Simply step through the clip frame by frame using the Next and Previous controls and set your Mark in and Mark out points. The graphic will then run from these points, and you can either trim the clip to get rid of the unwanted sections or alternatively cancel the selection and return to the original.

The position of the graphics on-screen can be controlled – ideal if you have a less than full screen graphic, as you can place it exactly where you need it to be within the active picture area.

You can also lock together a pair of outputs – perfect for when you’re doing animated ‘split’ keying as it ensures your fill and key signals play out at the same time and are at the same position on the screen.

MultiLogo V431 can be left to free-run or can be locked to either the video input or to an external Black and Burst or tri-level syncs reference using the Genlock source buttons on the Engineering tab. This analogue reference combined with the one-line TBC means that MultiLogo always gives out a correctly-timed, uninterrupted output even after a hot cut from an upstream switch - therefore avoiding any transmission problems.

In auto mode the output format will follow the input format or the format of the external reference. Should this not be desired, MultiLogo can be forced to cross-lock by selecting the output video standard, which also allows the logo keyer to be powered without an input and used as a standalone video source or test pattern generator.

The output delay sliders can be used to add an offset delay between the input or external reference to the output – allowing you to time the MultiLogo output into the rest of your system and align your pictures perfectly.

Up to 255 presets can be stored, with the presets holding the current state of the MultiLogo including which files have been assigned to the RAM and Flash memory, the position of the keys and the key gain settings. You can choose whether a preset plays a clip or transition or simply cues it.

Identifying text can be assigned to each numbered preset, such as giving the programme name or logo name and its purpose – making it quicker for the operator to select the correct preset.

You can also save time with the Save Power On control which allows you to save the state of the MultiLogo after power up and then recall it using the Recall Power On control.

The Preset Import/Export feature allows the operator to easily copy settings from one board to another and is perfect for those systems involving multiple logo keyers. Using the MultiLogo Control Software, you can choose to import/export either all presets or an individual one. Presets can also be deleted. The current control state of the board is always saved and exported with the presets. The presets are copied to a file on the PC, and this file can then be downloaded to another MultiLogo, giving the same controls and presets as the original.

The Preset Import/Export feature is ideal for those who have multiple MultiLogos that they want to set up the same way and allows boards to be interchanged.

For example, some broadcasters might want to simplify their system by putting every logo and associated presets in every MultiLogo so that any board can be used for any channel, but this means that every logo keyer would need to be set up for every possible usage with potentially hundreds of presets needing to be configured. Here the Preset Import/Export feature means only one board has to be set up and then the presets can be copied on to the rest.

Other broadcasters might have every logo keyer different and containing only the files and presets it needs. If a board dies, the Preset Import/Export feature provides a quick way to put in a different board and make it look the same as the original in terms of operation.

Insert simple text - easily

Quick Text is a simple text insertion feature available on the MultiLogo Control Software.

It allows the operator to type in text for internal use, such as for a studio ident, and then convert the text to a graphic format for sending to the MultiLogo board.

Quick Text can be used with an unlimited number of characters and with any available Windows font. The text box background can be any 24 bit colour and can be sized up to full screen 1080p.

Give your graphics audio

It’s easy for your logos to have accompanying audio.

Audio data is transferred to and from the board via Ethernet using the MultiLogo Control Software and can then be assigned to the Audio 1 and Audio 2 ports ready for playout. MultiLogo can embed up to four channels of audio into a single group on its output video, with audio routing of the stereo pairs allowing selection of which of the possible sources are embedded. The audio can be played out separately, or alternatively the audio and video ports can be locked together so that the files can be played out at the same time – with the option to loop the audio or just play it once.

There are also a number of sources of ancillary data. Ancillary data can be passed directly from the selected input to the outputs, while it is possible to take the picture from one channel and the ancillary data from another. If an audio source is selected the ancillary data will be blanked before the audio insertion.

More control options (including very flexible GPIs)

MultiLogo V431 includes extremely flexible GPI control of each key level – facilitating the inclusion of complicated effects from any mixer or automation system.

Four fully configurable GPIs can be toggled between recalling presets and transition control. When transition control is chosen, each GPI can be individually selected to control key levels 1, 2 and 3, start any of the video and audio players or do a mix between program and preview.

This allows the three logos to be faded up and down independently and makes it easy to put together a sequence of changes using all three key levels – without the need for advanced planning. MultiLogo V431 includes a further four GPIs available for recalling presets. MultiLogo copes with both pulse and latching GPIs.

For those that want to drive lights, MultiLogo V431 features three tallies to indicate whether any of the key levels are faded up.

The GPIs are perfect for those working with an automation system, where you can either control the key layers directly or bundle all the operations into a preset and recall that.

Control is also available from Crystal Vision's usual methods - board edge, front and remote panels, SNMP and the Statesman PC software.

Got more than one logo keyer to control? No problem!

The MultiLogo Control Software allows the control of multiple logo keyers - ideal for those that have more than one board to set up and control.

The software stores a list of IP addresses at which any MultiLogos can be found, with the user able to easily change the control from one logo keyer to another by selecting from the list. Each of the IP addresses can be given a 32-character label for easy identification.