FOR-A at NAB2006

FOR-A Corporation of America, a leading manufacturer of video and audio systems for the broadcast and professional video industries, will introduce its latest HANABI series innovation, the HVS-500HS HANABI 1 M/E switcher, at NAB2006 in Las Vegas from April 24-27 (Booth #C3210). The HVS-500HS is an economical, compact and self-contained switcher that accepts HD, SD, HDV and DV formats. It comes with 10-bit, 4:2:2 internal processing and is well suited for applications such as editing, studio production, mobile production, uplink vans, live production, broadcast television and live staging. Competitive HD switchers start at approximately $30,000. FOR-A’s affordable HVS-500HS comes in at just a fraction of that price.

“The latest entry into the HANABI family is a self-contained, cost effective, HD/SD switcher with HDV/DV capability, perfect for small trucks, fly packs and beyond,” said Hiro Tanoue, Sales Manager, Eastern Region and Central/South America, FOR-A. “This switcher truly brings down the cost of HD/SD production from the field.”

One of the major innovations of the HVS-500HS HANABI is its variety of input/output interfaces including HD/SD SDI, HD/SD Analog, VGA and HDV/DV. It is also able to connect to HDV cameras or PCs. The switcher is multi-format in HD for 1080/60i, 50i, 720/60p, and is switchable from NTSC to PAL. The standard switcher has four HD/SD SDI inputs, two PGM outputs and three AUX outputs. Optional input and output devices include additional four HD/SD-SDI inputs, four HD/SD analog with VGA inputs and one HDV/DV. A maximum of 13 inputs are available. Four asynchronous inputs can be supported when an optional frame synchronization card is added. One channel of up-conversion is also available as an option.

The switcher’s control panel layout is similar to the entire HANABI series in terms of its ease of operation. The main unit and control panel have a convenient, one-box design. One DSK comes standard, and one keyer with edge and shadow effects is available as an option. The chromakey function works with both the keyer and DSK.

Additionally, the HVS-500HS has a picture-in picture feature as standard.

The HVS-500HS stores two still frames that can be applied as input. Operators can shift still pictures to and from a PC via a memory card. There is an Ethernet option that enables the user to connect to LAN to obtain and send still frames.

Process control is available to adjust the gain and offset levels as standard. Frame synchronization is optional, and can be assigned to up to four inputs. A redundant DC power supply is also optional.

FOR-A will begin shipping the HVS-500HS to customers in July.