Leader adds to Zen Series test and measurement instruments
Leader Instruments has added to the feature set of its Zen Series range of test and measurement instruments. The new additions will form part of technology demonstrations on the Leader stand at the 2024 NAB Show in Las Vegas.
The Zen Series comprises the LV5600 UHD/HD/SD SDI/IP waveform monitor and LV7600 equivalent rasteriser, LV5300A portable 12G/3G/HD/SD-SDI waveform monitor with eye-pattern and jitter measurement, plus the LV5350 waveform monitor and the LV7300 rasteriser. Top of the range is the LV5600 which provides all the facilities needed to monitor UHD/HD/SD SDI as well as video-over-IP signals in a true-hybrid operating environment.
New for the series is an integral bidirectional conversion tool which allows HDR content to be viewed in SDR and vice versa. Processing is based on the desired 3D colour lookup table which can be imported via plug-in USB memory. The new 3D LUT capabilities will simplify live production workflows by integrating HDR/SDR conversion for applications such as camera shading and HDR supervision. On-set DITs will be able to integrate 3D LUTs instead of relying on external LUT boxes. Postproduction colourists can view the 3D LUTs for OTT and OTA deliverables prior to creating the final master.
Also new is an SDR Full Range display. SDR Full Range is becoming a popular workflow style for digital cinematography and television drama production. SDR as normally transmitted by broadcast television channels encompasses luminance code value levels 64 to 940 (Narrow/Legal Range) of the 1024 maximum which can be accommodated in a 10-bit digital stream.
SDR Full Range encompasses code value levels 4 to 1019, allowing higher dynamic range to be delivered without requiring the adoption of full HDR at any point in the signal flow from initial production to home viewing.
The Zen Series already provides the tools necessary for SDR and HDR test and measurement. This new feature extends SDR Full Range support to display black error, CIE, gamut error, histogram, level error, audio/video timing offset, noise level, test signals, vector and waveform. Also fully supported for SDR Full Range are Cinelite and Cinezone, five-bar, frame capture (DPX, TIFF) and image quality adjustment.
Leader is also adding support for Arri and Red cameras to its Cinezone real-time false colour exposure display. These new facilities are an expansion of the Cinezone/Cinelite toolset which comes as standard on all Zen Series models. Cinelite is a built-in light meter that gives on-set production and postproduction facilities the ability to analyse a single pixel or small area of the image in either luminance, RGB, code values or f-stops. Cinezone overlays false colours on the image. It colours the strong and weak areas of brightness on the picture display so an operator can judge the luminance conditions of the entire screen. This helps confirm that a camera is reproducing what is expected.
The Arri (User-A) and Red (User-R) features replicate the false colour display tools that were previously only visible on the Arri or Red cameras so they can be viewed by production staff without interfering with the camera setup and operation. Both Cinezone and Cinelite can be displayed simultaneously on all Leader Zen Series products.