The Slate 5000 is the industry’s first live production system to integrate 2 M/E functionality. It allows a single operator to run all aspects of a sophisticated 2 M/E live HDTV production, including complex graphics, animations, clips and effects, as well as control robotic cameras, audio mixers, and video servers.

The Slate 5000 panel and multi-view monitor creates such a strong single point of control that a solo operator can create compelling live productions that require a team of operators in a conventional control room comprised of individual components. Yet the Slate 5000 can gracefully expand to team operation by adding a graphics operator, or by adding more operators anywhere on the system’s control network, even at a remote site.

The Slate 5000 can accommodate up to 32 video inputs, six keyers, six DVEs, animated transitions with audio, as well as a multi-view monitor, dual channel clip store for up to 60 hours of QuickTime and MPEG2 clips, Harris Inscriber© CG, and five channels of graphics. The panel has two banks of device controls, each of which can be assigned to a switcher function, clip or graphics store, or to control other devices in the studio. The panel features Broadcast Pix’s unique PixButtons (patent pending) which display the file names of every clip and graphic on the push-buttons.

The Slate 5000 is exceptionally multi-format. Models include HD/SD, SD only and analog models, or combinations of them. They can simultaneously process 1080i, 720p, SD-SDI, HD analog component, analog composite, Y/C, component, DVI and VGA inputs, with both synchronous and asynchronous signals, in both NTSC and PAL, and in both 16:9 and 4:3 formats without distorting aspect ratios. Slate HD models can output both 16:9 and 4:3 formats simultaneously.

The Slate 5008 provides 8 live inputs plus 2 channels of clips and 5 of graphics. The 8 live inputs can be purchased as all HD/SD-SDI, all SD-SDI, all analog, or a combination of these.

Slate 5016 and 5032 models include an integrated 16x16 and 32x32 router respectively, to increase I/O and redundancy. Slate 5016 is available in HD/SD or SD only and includes a 16x16 router. It provides up to 16 live inputs, 2 channels of clips and 5 graphic, and has 8 auxiliary outputs for program, preview, clips or any live input.

Two switchers can share a central router by adding a Slate 1000 or Slate 100 to a Slate 5000 switcher. For larger facilities, this greatly simplifies wiring, and lowers cost.