Kramer Electronics USA, Inc.

Kramer Electronics Ltd., a worldwide supplier of innovative and reliable signal management products, announced NAB plans that include several new solutions for the video production and broadcast markets as well as the multimedia distribution markets. The company will spotlight its newest ProScale™ Series digital scaler/switchers, a new 32 x 32 audio matrix switcher and a new transmitter/receiver package in its booth #SL-6205A at the NAB show. The new products are designed to provide broadcast and production and Pro AV professionals a variety of options for customized systems.

HD-SDI Optical Transmitter/Receiver Package
Kramer is adding an optical transmitter/receiver pair to its DigiTOOLS® line, designed for compact spaces. The 673T HD-SDI Optical Transmitter and the 673R HD-SDI Optical Receiver converts four channels of HD-SDI signals simultaneously over fiber optic cable. The set offers signal versatility in video production and broadcast facilities requiring long range multimedia distribution.

The 673T transmitter converts four HD-SDI signals to optical signals and the 673R receiver converts the optical signals back into four HD-SDI signals. The units have a transmission range of 3,200 feet (more than 1,000 meters) over a multimode OM3 optical cable. The transmitter/receiver operates up to 2.97 Gbps, enabling it to be used for standard definition, high definition and 3G high definition serial digital video signals. The units offer re-clocking and cable equalization on each channel and SMPTE compliance and support for data rates of 270Mbps, 1483.5 Mbps, 1485Mbps and 2970Mbps.

The 673T and 673R are anticipated to be available through Kramer Electronics distribution channels sometime in May or June.

VS-3232A Balanced Stereo Audio Matrix Switcher
Kramer is introducing the VS-3232A, a high-performance 32 x 32 matrix switcher for balanced stereo audio signals on terminal block connectors. It is designed to meet the demanding needs of broadcast, presentation and production facilities, professional display systems, rental and staging applications and monitoring in large duplication systems.

The VS-3232A can route any or all inputs to any or all outputs simultaneously. The unit has a separate level control for each input and each output and features high performance with excellent frequency response and linearity performance, a signal/noise ratio above 100dB at +20dBu/1kHz and a Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) specification of 0.03%.

The unit also offers zero cross detection technology and a soft ramp mute function to avoid “zipping” and “clicking” thus ensuring clean switching and gain adjustment. The switcher has a front panel lock out button to secure intended operation and has a non-volatile memory to store and recall up to 60 preset switches to be executed as necessary.

An intuitive LCD display makes operation easy, and the VS-3232A can be controlled using a variety of methods: front panel buttons, RS-232 or RS-485 serial commands, Ethernet and IR remote control. Users can choose their control protocol format with the VS-3232A – utilizing either Kramer’s 2000 protocol or Sierra Video’s ASCII protocol. FLASH memory allows upgrades to the latest Kramer firmware via the Internet.

The VS-3232A audio matrix switcher can be used as a stand-alone switcher or in either audio-follow-video or audio-breakaway mode as a companion to the VS-3232V or VS-3232Vxl composite video matrix switchers. The VS-3232A is anticipated to be available in May or June through Kramer Electronics resellers.

VP-729 and VP-728 ProScale™ Digital Scaler/Switchers Kramer’s newest additions to the best-selling ProScale line of scalers and scaler switchers will also be showcased at NAB. The VP-729 and VP-728 are 9-input scaler/switchers that incorporate IDT HQV® (Hollywood Quality Video) technology. HQV video processing technology offers the highest quality de-interlacing, noise reduction, and scaling performance for both standard-definition and high-definition signals.

Kramer’s VP-729 and VP-728, with HQV technology, produce amazing image quality results by analyzing and processing video at the pixel level rather than at the frame level like most similarly priced scalers in the market. The new Kramer scaler/switchers combine the quality of high-end residential market scaling with professional PC-market parameters for a new level of price performance for the Pro AV market.

The VP-729 and VP-728 are HDTV and HDCP compatible, offering 720p, 1080i and 1080p HDTV output resolutions as well as numerous other user-selectable, pre-defined output resolutions. These models can switch between any of nine inputs that include four 3-wire universal video inputs on RCA connectors (each can be composite video, s-Video or component video as chosen from the menu), two computer graphics video inputs on 15-pin HD connectors, two HDMI inputs, and a USB input for uploading JPEG images and installing firmware updates. The units have both an HDMI and a 15-pin HD output.

Both models also accept stereo audio inputs for each of the six analog inputs. The VP-729 and VP-728 will output both analog stereo audio and S/PDIF audio. They also have a new user-friendly menu interface that can be controlled via front panel buttons, IR remote control or RS-232 commands.

The Kramer VP-728 ProScale presentation scaler/switcher is currently available at regional offices worldwide. The VP-729 adds an Ethernet control capability.