Leader Electronics measuring equipment for broadcast sphere

By Valentin Tikhonov

Review contents:

Measure seven times Analog TV transmitters’ parameters measure Are You Producing Legal and Valid Video? “Beta TV Com” measuring equipment Measuring devices for terrestrial and cable television from Broadcast Arsenal Group of companies Measuring TV equipment from IMOS Company TV signals level measurers Measuring tools of Planar Company RAP-TV digital measuring system Kathrein TV signals measuring tools Leader Electronics measuring equipment for broadcast sphere Promax measuring equipment Recom-10 TV signal meter Sunrise Telecom’s measuring equipment for cable TV network analysis New devices from Tektronix Equipment from Wohler Company

Upon acceptance in broadcast sphere and in cinematography digital methods of signal processing and distribution along with evident content quality increase sufficiently has grown also technological level and reliability of production chain at mostly all stages of content creation and distribution including shooting, recording, editing, distribution, dubbing and storage. Cinematography also has become less expensive and gained 5-channel audio, and ability of shooting in low light conditions, and which is important had shortened in time its production period. But as it’s known everything must be paid and positive moments reached are already provided by not only more sophisticated structure of each stages mentioned above but also need more extended range of basic equipment, standards, formats, tools and environments for signal delivery and distribution which are factors to be constantly controlled.

It causes a necessity in permanent and wide use of digital highly precise measuring equipment and not just in traditional places of use — video facilities, editing suits, OBs but also in point of any signal conversion especially at “studio — cable” or “Studio — air” transitions.

The main functional requirements for such equipment are: representation in different form signals of both standard and high definition and also stereo audio; automatic registration and indication in case of non-conformity of evaluated parameters to pre-defined values; sufficient precision level; support for several signal transmission standards. Second level requirements (exploitation ones) are remote control ability and autonomous (with no people participation) operation and also high equipment reliability, its compactness, convenient design and low power consumption.

All requirements mentioned above meets equipment produces by industry’s veteran — Leader Electronics Company manufacturing analog and digital measuring equipment.

For broadcast field of use during transition period when use of digital technology hasn’t became widespread and analog technologies are still used pretty wide especial interest may represent devices with SDI both universal combining analog and digital functions and fully digital devices.

Presenting Leader Electronics’ equipment it is necessary to say that Leader device is a classic of measuring equipment for broadcast sphere and accustomed in good sense combination of streamlined signal processing technology, functionality and laconic design. Really Leader devices are those of most widespread in industry. Main acknowledgement to the company analog series devices had brought: 5851 (PAL) vector monitors, 5861 waveform monitors. The company was one of the first who started developing and manufacturing digital equipment.

LV 5100D takes unique place in Leader’s equipment range. It is universal waveform monitor designed for monitoring analog and digital component video signals of 525/60 & 625/50 formats as well as analog stereo audio signals.

LV 5100D universal waveform monitor

LV 5100D can be used in 625/50 & 525/60 systems for measuring digital signals’ parameters. It is equipped with two inputs for component digital signal and one input for analog component signal which allows monitoring existing video and audio sources and working at places where both signal types are used. Besides inputs waveform monitor has an output which can be fed with a signal from any input. Hardware function of error detection (EDH) for digital inputs gives a possibility to register and evaluate error level within stream. Function of equivalent cable length calculation allows fast and easy evaluate signal level.

LV 5100D have a set of very diverse functions for operation with component analog signal including signal output to monitor, selection with line marking, setting using screen menu. For user’s convenience most often used setups can be stored in device’s memory and recalled from its front panel or remotely.

It is worth to add that vector representation is possible for both analog and digital signals; information for selected line of digital signal is being outputted in 16-bit code while analog audio stereo signal can be represented in X-Y mode.

Maybe it’s early yet to talk about digital broadcasting in HD standard but measuring devices, particularly new LV 5170D, can be used even today, for instance in digital cinematography at stage of copying material been shot. Device has 215×429×132 mm dimensions.

LV 5170D universal waveform monitor

LV 5170D is a universal waveform monitor with two displays. It allows evaluate video and audio signals’ (SDI) characteristics according to several standards at once: HD 720p for two resolutions; 1080i for ten resolutions, 1035i — for two resolutions; SMPTE 276M audio signals; SD video for six resolutions (optional). Two device’s displays — one for signal and another for data output — provide displaying different combinations of signal characteristics and its vector representation or vector and stream characteristics display.

Talking about characteristics and functions of the device one have to note: the measure of signal level with up to 0.5% precision; input SDI signal level evaluation using coaxial cable length equivalent (LS-5CFB); registration of incorrect signal levels at color conversion; selecting & consequential indication up to 15 lines (for video signal); time difference evaluation by channels; ability to store and recall up to 10 constantly used presets.

Interesting also is new LV 5700 universal waveform monitor designed for analysis of video signal amplitude/waveform supporting many standards: SD (525/60, 625/50), HD (20 variants of resolutions, scans and frame rates), SMPTE 272M audio and SMPTE 272M stream data.

LV 5700 features very diverse system for detection and indication of stream errors which may appear at transmission, color coding etc. Device also is equipped with high contrast high resolution (1024×768, XGA) LCD display which allows showing large number of characteristics being registered (for all announced standards). For example, one can get signal representation in polar co-ordinates plus extended display of stream status by main signals (for audio a quantization frequency can be shown).

Testing chart can be outputted to monitor. LV 5700 also provides diversity of both signal representation views and display functions (for instance, vector representation or testing chart in full screen mode, panel configuration change for each testing mode and so on). Device gives a possibility of remote control via local network (10BASE-T)/ In this case it can be used as a component of automated control system.

LV 5700 is equipped with outputs for SD and HD video (SDI) analog monitor and AES/EBU audio which are synchronized from internal or external source.

Material is provided by I.S.P.A.-Engineering Company