Crystal Vision has released a free version of its PC control system. Launched on 9th July, the Statesman Lite Windows-based software has been designed to make it easy for customers to set up and monitor the status of their interface, keying and picture storage boards from any PC on an Ethernet network – at no additional cost.
Ideal for anyone installing the more feature-packed Crystal Vision boards such as the embedding and synchronizing products, Statesman Lite makes it easy to select the required board options during installation, view the inputs present and save the chosen settings to a PC. Statesman Lite can be used for the real-time control of boards, with the sliders, dials, trackerballs, buttons, checkboxes, radio buttons and routing grids on each specially-designed GUI allowing instinctive selection of options with a simple click of the mouse. The software can also be used to monitor the current state of the boards and the frame by examining control values and virtual LED settings. Statesman Lite provides a fast method of applying the same settings to a number of identical boards by allowing the copying of any settings from one board to another. The board settings and any presets can be saved to either the database or a separate file, both for back-up security purposes and to allow studios to be set up in the same way.
Explained Crystal Vision’s Managing Director, Philip Scofield: “We wanted to encourage more people to use Statesman for setting up their boards – it is by far the easiest way to do it. It’s also great for the installer to be able to save the settings he has chosen.”
Using Statesman Lite is very straightforward. The software can be installed on any computer running the Windows XP or Vista operating system, with control via a TCP/IP or RS232/422 COM port. Other requirements include a suitable Crystal Vision frame – with either an active or Statesman front panel, indicated by an ‘AE’ or ‘SE’ in the part name – and remote-enabled boards. The system can be controlled from anywhere, simply by plugging the Statesman Lite PC into the normal Ethernet network using industry standard CAT5 cables, with connected frames and boards detected automatically.
Statesman Lite is released now and is available at no cost both on CD and as a download from the Crystal Vision website at www.crystalvision.tv.
Statesman Lite also makes it easy to upgrade to the full version of Statesman. Features included in the full version include alarms generation on a fault state, macro recording and the creation of composite modules, which are custom modules created from components taken from different boards. Also available is Signal Path, which provides a graphical way of monitoring particular signal paths, presenting a view of the system based on the way the boards are used rather than their rack location. To upgrade to the full version of Statesman the engineer simply needs to buy the version he requires (either with or without the Signal Path option), plug in a dongle and enter the installation code.
Based at Whittlesford near Cambridge in the UK, Crystal Vision provides digital keyers, picture storage modules and a full range of interface equipment including converters, synchronizers, distribution amplifiers and audio embedders to the professional broadcasting industry worldwide.
