Broadcast Pix

Billerica, Massachusetts (January 7, 2009) Broadcast Pix™, the company that redefined the production switcher as a live integrated production system, announced that Tours by Sloan, a live event production company based in Las Vegas, selected its Slate 5016HD switcher for use during live performances by Donny & Marie Osmond at the Flamingo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The Slate 5016HD was first used for the performance during its engagement at the Hollywood Theatre in the MGM Grand Casino.

During the Donny & Marie show at the Flamingo, which has recently been extended to a two year run, the 2 M/E Slate 5016 HD will power video projection out to three LED screens positioned at the back of the stage as well as an ILite Barco 8mm display screen and two additional Panasonic 7700 projectors placed at stage left and right.

Simon Greaves, live event video director for Tours by Sloan, explained that the Slate 5016 comes with a set of features ideal for this particular production. Immediate access to all media including clips and frame stores ranks high, but multi-format capability was of greatest importance to Greaves.

“I’m dealing with 4x3 and 16x9 screens for this show, which can present a challenge when setting outputs with other switchers,” he said. “The Slate 5016 has built-in functionality to instantly crop or stretch an image as needed. I can also select parameters beforehand to specifically designate how I want it to handle each format. I don’t have to worry about images being distorted.”

The Slate 5016 can simultaneously process 1080i, 720p, SD-SDI, HD analog component, analog composite, Y/C, component, DVI and VGA inputs, with both synchronous and asynchronous signals, in both NTSC and PAL, and in both 16:9 and 4:3 formats without distorting aspect ratios. Slate HD models can output both 16:9 and 4:3 formats simultaneously.

According to Greaves, the compact yet powerful design of the Slate 5016 offered additional benefit for the performance at the Flamingo. Two other shows take place at the casino on the same day as the Donny & Marie Show, making for tight quarters backstage. “Slate 5016’s built-in multi-viewer means we can reduce the amount of monitoring, establish a smaller footprint, and blend in beautifully.”

The show’s projection screens are controlled independently using “Fresco” router control software. Fresco, a Mac OS application that controls a variety of video devices, allows for switching screen inputs by creating presets and triggers different looks during the show through a MIDI keyboard.

“We’re definitely pushing this equipment hard and exploiting its output capabilities – putting one image across three screens and the like,” continued Greaves. “What we’re achieving with this system is what most people would with an Encore or Spyder (video layering system). I can create a highly dynamic show on a realistic budget.”

About Broadcast Pix Broadcast Pix is the leader in combining technologies from the computer and live television equipment industries to create an innovative family of live video production systems. Broadcast Pix systems are a fraction of the cost of conventional live video production solutions, yet retain their fast action control and non-stop, on-air robustness. They can be run by a single operator instead of requiring a team. Customers include over 1000 leading broadcasters (including CBS, NBC and ESPN), webcasters, cable stations, stadiums, corporate, education, religious and government studios in over 50 countries. Broadcast Pix is based at 3 Federal Street, Billerica, Massachusetts, with offices throughout North America and in Europe. See www.broadcastpix.com.

Broadcast Pix and Slate are trademarks of Broadcast Pix, Inc. Patented.

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Robin Hoffman
Pipeline Communications
277 Valley Way
Montclair, NJ 07042
(973) 746-6970
cell: (917) 763-8069