StreamLabs ALPHA Plus PCI-E YUV Capture / Playout Card with TELE Software

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StreamLabs ALPHA Plus PCI-E YUV Capture / Playout Card with TELE Software
Stream ALPHA Plus YUV PCI-E is designed to work with Composite or S-Video by-pass signal whether using PAL, SECAM or NTSC. It also has a separate RGB (YUV) + Key Component output on the board to work with computer graphics without mixing it with the video. Stream ALPHA Plus has all-digital image formation chain which guarantees perfect quality of generated signal and its better binding to the input signal.

The board overlays graphics over live video signal using alpha-channel that allows setting the transparency level of each pixel of the image and changing it while playing.

Stream ALPHA Plus PCI-E is equipped with internal synch generator that switches on automatically if the input signal is missing. If computer power supply is switched off or BYPASS mode is activated, the output is directly connected to the input through relay contacts, and 75 Ohm load on the board is disconnected. The board can overlay computer graphics over video signal whether inside itself or on the external mixer. To work with external mixer the board has a special KEY output. It is possible to switch on/off multiplication of generated image by alpha-channel.

In addition to the common for Stream ALPHA boards analog mixing performed without any delay, the board has digital mode that enables decoding of the input video signal. The decoding and subsequent coding delays the video signal (about 10 mks). Digital mixing makes it possible to change standards of output signal relative to input signal (PAL<->SECAM, CVBS<->S-Video). Besides, it allows decreasing requirements to the quality of input signal, keeping the high quality of output signal. Composite signal is decoded using color combine filter to divide brightness and chrominance.

The possibility of grabbing and hardware scaling of video signal from the board's inputs allows changing the size of incoming video and overlay titles in BY-PASS mode using minimal resources of central processor.

Due to the usage of PCI-Express bus on Stream ALPHA Plus Express, interface and board bandwidth enables overlaying full screen titles through alpha channel and grabbing input video signal at the same time.

All the graphics generated by the card passes through the active digital filter. It is possible to enable/disable the insertion of the sync into the "Green" signal of the component output and alpha-channel. Component YUV output and alpha-channel (Key) output allows working with the mixer, that has appropriate input and DSK input.

Features

TELE is a robust content playout and on-air text and graphics design server.
TELE software provides TV-studio broadcasting automation by scheduling the programs output, inserting regional advertisement into central channel broadcasting line-up, adding titles, overlaying stills and logos, generating clocks display and much, much more.

The application does not require any additional equipment (synchronizers, mixers, transcoders, nonlinear editing systems, etc.) and allows to execute graphic information, video and audio overlay directly over the pass through signal.

Key features:

- Automatic, scheduled video material on-air playback in round-the-clock, 24/7/365 mode non-stop.

- Graphics and text on-air design affixed to schedule or controlled manually.

- Flexible triggering of every schedule element (at the end of the previous element playback, according to specified time, manually from external GPI or keyboard (hot keys)).

- Using the following elements in same schedule in any combination:
o Video clips of different format, resolution and frame rate (can be joined into blocks): MPEG-2 (MPG, M2V, VOB), MPEG-1, MPEG-4 (DivX), MJPEG, DV (Type I or II - Matrox, Pinnacle, Canopus), Windows Media (ASF, WMV), Quick Time (MOV, DV), etc.;
o Video blocks;
o Animation files (sequence of graphic files (TGA) with alpha-channel);
o Titles output scripts (prepared in Alpha Pro application) with audio (*.WAV format);
o Text blocks (crawls) with audio (*.WAV).

- Editing schedule and its elements:
o Combine initial video files of various formats into video blocks while applying simple editing techniques (cutting, straight splice);
o Clip trimming, brightness, contrast, saturation, gamma, audio level, field order, etc. (the initial file is left intact);
o Cyclic clip playback option;
o Prompt transition to any chosen schedule element output;
o Custom colour assignment for identification of each clip in the schedule;
o Video file verification function and automatic substitution in case of file access failure;
o Audio track selection option for DVD-movies.
Editing current schedule on-the-fly, during schedule playback, at the last moment, or editing a different day schedule.

Creating a schedule for unlimited number of days ahead.

Remote schedule editing (optional).

Importing schedule from different formats, including text files (optional).

Transferring schedules and databases of clip parameters used in the schedules from one computer with TELE to another.

Preview function for preliminary material viewing on computer screen or reference monitor.

- Rotation mechanism for automatic broadcast filling with text messages, graphic elements and video clips. No need to create a scrupulous playlist! It is sufficient to indicate the number of runs for every element and time range for their playback.

- Synchronously with the start of every schedule element it is possible to overlay an additional unlimited number of text and graphics elements (secondary events) over it:
o Graphics files (including those with alpha-channel);
o Animation files sequence of graphic files (TGA) with alpha-channel);
o Titles (Windows fonts, Unicod coding supported);
o Digital and analog clocks;
o Temperature sensor readings.

Foreground composition elements and their contents can change from one schedule element to another, or when new values are transmitted during specified video clip frames display.

Clock display in TELE application consists of several layers:
o Clock dial layer (static picture or full-screen video);
o Dynamic layer of hour, minute and second pointers.

The application of "graphic frames" sequence for pointers display allows to create practically any possible clock appearance, imagination is the only limit!

- Generating a real statistics report of video clips and blocks broadcast.

- Remote TELE program control.

- External switching equipment support (Kramer, DSC, XDR, etc.).

- Professional equipment operation support via GPI.

- External DV devices control via 1394 interface.

- Detailed program manual.

TELE package includes Character Generation program Alpha Pro.

Supported video formats:

- DV type II (720x576), 4:2:0, 1:5 compression, audio 32/44/48 KHz stereo - AVI file without 4 GB limitation, created by most nonlinear editing cards that operate in DV format.

- MJPEG (720x576), 4:2:2, compression up to 1:3, audio 32/44/48 KHz stereo - format created by miroVideo DC30/DC50, Matrox DigiSuite/DigiSuite LE, Fast AVMaster cards.

- DivX, MPEG-4 (720x576), 4:2:0, stream up to 10 Mbit/sec, audio 32/44/48 KHz stereo - AVI file without 4 GB limitation, created with DivX codec or analog according to MPEG-4 specifications.

- MPEG-2 (720x576, 704x576, 512x576), 4:2:0, stream up to 10 Mbit/sec, audio 48 KHz stereo - MPEG-2 Main Profile file (compatible with DVB, DVD standards and most hardware MPEG-2 coding devices).

- MPEG 2 I-frame (720x576), 4:2:2, audio 32/44/48 KHz stereo, or in a separate WAV-file - AVI file without 4 GB limitation, created by Matrox series RT-xxxx cards.

- 422 type video files - no compression, highest D1 video quality (720 x 576 x 4:2:2), 48 KHz stereo sound format, no AVI-like 4 GB limitation.

- 444 type animation files - no sound, resolution 720x576x32-bit, unlimited length, serve to create animation logos, presentations and advertisement "banners", created by a converter from TGA 32-bit files sequence.
The support for all the formats listed above is embedded in the program. In addition, AVI files of random formats can be played when a relevant video codec for Windows is present, e.g. Indeo, Microsoft MP42 or Canopus ver. 2.8 (to play Canopus DVStorm, DVRaptor RT files), etc.

Specifications

Recommended computer configuration:

- Computer IBM PC on Intel processor: Pentium Core 2 DUO;
- Not less than 1 Gb of main memory;
- At least 100 Mb of free space on hard drive;
- Operating system Windows XP/Vista/7. Any graphical working mode in Windows environment with resolution 1024x768 pixels High Color (16 bit) and more.

Dimensions 188x126 mm
Bus PCI-Express 1x
Inputs (1,0 v / 75 Ohm) Composite, S-Video: PAL, SECAM, NTSC
Outputs (1,0 v / 75 Ohm) Composite, S-Video: PAL, SECAM, NTSC; YUV+DSK
Analog mixing bandwidth > 10 mHz
Differential nonlinearity < 0,2%
Alpha-channel 256 degrees of transparency
Alpha-channel delay
adjustment from -127 up +127 1/4 pixel each
Chrominance subcarrier
phase adjustment 0 - 360o (256 values)

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In the Box

- Stream ALPHA Plus YUV PCI-E Board;
- Breakout Cable RGB/YUV+Key out, Composite Preview out;
- USB software protection dongle;
- CD-disk with software and demo;
- Software user manual in hard copy and on CD-disk in PDF-format.

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