Leader Introducing Three New Test Instruments to UK Broadcast Market

See Leader Instruments on stand A11 (with Thameside TV) at BVE 2013, London, 26-28 February

Leader Instruments Corporation has chosen BVE 2013 in London for the UK launch of three major additions to its range of broadcast-quality test instruments. Exhibiting on stand A11, Leader will be represented by European Regional Development Manager Richard Heath together with Sales Managers Chris Margrave-Gregory and Alex Small from Thameside TV.

Leader LV5307 SDI and HDMI test monitor
Leader's LV5307 is a compact 7 inch monitor/rasterizer with internal cross-conversion from 3G-SDI, HD-SDI and SD-SDI to HDMI and vice versa. The HDMI output can be used as a rasterizer, delivering screen content to an external monitor.

Selectable waveform, vector and false-colour test screens can be inset over SDI and HDMI sources. Picture modes include markers, monochrome, blue-only, red–only and green-only, plus cross-pulse. A peaking function enables precise adjustment of camera focus. Easy-to-use controls with presettable quick-function buttons complement the comprehensive display and menus.

A high-quality LED-backlit LCD screen delivers bright images over wide horizontal and vertical viewing angles. With its 1024 x 600 pixel resolution, 16.7 million colour depth and 800:1 contrast ratio, the LV5307 allows detailed viewing of video images and waveforms. All screen contents, including waveform, vector, false colour and markers, can be fed direct to the HDMI input of a larger monitor.

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SDI-embedded audio is de-embedded and displayed as 16-channel bar icons superimposed over the video image. Audio timing is adjustable to offset delay relative to source video. Monitor volume can be set from the front panel.

The LV5307 rasterizing test monitor can be used free-standing or attached to a supplied tilting stand. An optional rack mount is available for easy incorporation into a desk, mobile production vehicle or apparatus room.

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Leader LV5837 audio signal and loudness monitor
Leader's LV5837 allows fast and precise checking of audio signals and levels in sound recording studios, television studios, post-production houses or broadcast presentation and playout facilities. It accepts up to eight AES/EBU stereo digital audio feeds at 32 to 192 kilohertz sampling frequencies.  Measurement capabilities include audio level metering in dBFS, Nordic, BBC and DIN scales. Up to 16 audio channel bargraphs can be viewed simultaneously on the instrument's 6.3 inch TFT LCD colour screen. Peak hold can be switched between true-peak, PPM Type I or PPM Type II modes and zero to 5 seconds duration in 0.5 or 1 second steps. Any stereo pair among 16 source channels can be selected and displayed as a Lissajous waveform, showing the relative sound energies for each channel and providing instant warning of a phase-inverted source.

Loudness measurement can be performed in mono, stereo and 5.1 surround. The loudness mode includes momentary, short-term and long-term level display plus a numeric chart display showing the change in short-term and long-term response along a timeline of 1, 4, 10 or 30 minutes or 1, 2, 4, 6, 13 or 24 hours. Loudness can be checked in ARIB, ATSC or EBU mode or within user-configured parameters including block size, overlap, absolute gating, relative gating and target level. A logging feature can be used to record and timestamp detected errors or long-term loudness values. These can be captured at intervals of 1 second for up to a week. An optional module is available for the LV5837 and LV5838 to support Dolby E multichannel encoding, Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital Plus.

A variant of the LV5837, model  LV5838, is available with the same feature set plus the ability to extract and measure audio from 3G-SDI, HD-SDI and SD-SDI signal streams.

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Each instrument is DC powered and comes complete with a universal mains adapter. The LV5837 can be racked side-by-side with a traditional half-rack width 3 rack-units high waveform/vectorscope such as a Leader LV5330 or LV5770.

Leader LV5980 17 inch SDI waveform and video monitor/analyser with 3D-Assist
Leader Instruments’ LV5980 SDI waveform and video monitor is designed for easy operation during live production, post-production and in technical support. Up to four SDI signals to be viewed simultaneously on its integral 17-inch TFT screen for rapid comparison of gain and black balance values from multiple cameras. Display capabilities include video signal waveform, vector and picture. A distinct waveform colour can be assigned to each input channel.

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Additional display features include a level meter and Lissajous curves for embedded audio, transmission error indication, five-bar peak video signal level, 3D-Assist and Leader’s unique CINELITE®. Each display may be viewed at full screen size or in 2 x 2 multiscreen mode with a different display shown in each quarter. Video signal waveform, picture and audio level meter can also be viewed as a thumbnails.

CINELITE® allows the levels of specific points in an image to be checked and managed on an intuitive graphical basis which is equally appreciated by creatives and engineers. The gain of multiple cameras can be adjusted quickly and precisely using a specific reference point. The integrated CINEZONE® feature allows a cameraman to check the luminance distribution of the entire picture display at a glance. It overlays a scale of colours on the image depicting exposure levels based on a blue to red spectrum. Shadows are highlighted in blue, allowing near-black detail to be examined much more easily than when viewed as a conventional video image.

The 3D-Assist option provides the ability to evaluate stereoscopic content by applying the video signal for the left eye to channel A and the video signal for the right eye to channel B. It supports anaglyph, convergence, overlay, and wide display formats.

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The LV5980 can accept tri-level sync or PAL or NTSC black-burst signal as a waveform display reference. Incoming YCbCr can be converted to RGB or a pseudo-composite signal and shown on the video signal waveform with adjustable magnification and line selection. Other adjustable display parameters include colour temperature, brightness, contrast, aperture adjustment, and gamut error locations.

Up to 30 presets can be stored for fast front-panel recall. Captured data can be displayed on the LV5980 and saved as bitmap files to USB memory for transfer to a PC.

Operating from 10 to 18 volts direct-current power at 60 watts maximum (universal mains adapter included), the Leader LV5980 measures 425 x 352 x 95 mm (width x height x depth) and weighs 5.2 kilogrammes. Optional tilt stand, rack-interface, LCD protection panel and battery mount are available.

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About Leader Instruments Corporation
Established over 40 years ago in the USA by Leader Electronics (Yokohama, Japan), Leader Instruments Corporation provides customer support, sales and marketing services for a select number of high-technology manufacturers with specific focus on the broadcast and professional video market. Leader Instruments represents the Leader, Cel-Soft, Eyeheight, Phabrix, Trilogy and VidCheck product lines and covers North America, South America and Europe with a fast, efficient and highly experienced direct customer sales and support channel. Leader Instruments has offices with local representation in Los Angeles, New York, Dallas and Louisville plus warehouse locations in Los Angeles and Amsterdam.