Seamless switching sources & text overlay

[sounds live]

I work for a charity in Cardiff. We often run events where we overlay a laptop image (song words) with live video camera images underneath. We hire an analogue way Octofade FX, but looking to buy something similar. But not with the £2300 price tag.

 

We need 2 laptop inputs, 4 composite inputs (3 video cameras & 1 for DVD playback).

 

We can not use picture in picture unless the image is at the bottom of the screen and rectangular.

 

Any thoughts? We did try scaling down to a video mixer but the resolution was awful.

 

Please click on this link to ee what we are trying to achieve:

 

http://www.livesoundservices.co.uk/News.html

[Pete McCrea]

For a simillar style church event which we regularly run we use the Extron DVS406A. To get round the fact that the DVS only has three composite/SVideo inputs we use an MX50 to submix the cameras etc then feed that into the DVS. The DVS406A has an RRP of Around £1900 ex VAT.

 

Unfortunately these kinds of units aren't cheap, and even at these prices there are a few compromises usually (The DVS will only fade from Source 1 to other sources and back, going source 2-3 or 2-4 etc will give a cut through black). With the Kramer options, although less, the don't offer Keying, only PIP (Hence having both units in hire stock to offer different solutions), but are cheaper (£899 for the VP-724xl ex VAT), and they only offer fade through black.

 

Unfortunatley it isn't a cheap thing to do with good results.... PM Me if you'd like to chat more.

[slim_mcslim]

There is no cheap/high quality solution for what you want to achieve. You appear to be using an industry standard solution already, and if you can get an octo fx for £2300 then you are doing somewhat well as that is £1300 below the retail price and a good chunk below the trade price of the unit.

 

You can get cheaper video switchers as Pete mentioned, from Kramer and Extron for around £1000 but they are just switchers and won't allow you to overlay the text over the top.

[Tomo]

The Extron MGP units will do what you want - but they are most definately not cheap.

 

I would be extremely surprised if you can find anything that does this much cheaper than £2000

 

PC-based solutions (such as Arkaos and the like) will introduce a large amount of latency and probably lose a lot of frames from the live camera feed.

[yeapvcs]

maybe can try kramer . vp-725/727 can do it in much cheaper cost.

[Pete McCrea]

Fairly certain that the VP-725/727 don't have a key function that is required for putting the text over the image. And the VP-727 lists around the £3k ex VAT mark here in the UK (from memory of the Kramer price list, which is likely to be wrong).

 

Edit: I Stand Corrected. The VP-727 does have a text overlay function. According to the users manual.

 

Edit 2: From the Users manual:

"8.6 Using Text Overlay.

Not available at the time of printing 2. "

 

and at the bottom of the page:

 

"2 Go to our Web site: http://www.kramerelectronics.com "

[yeapvcs]

VP-725 have a text overlay function by using laptop/pc control ( I tested and demo by kramer technical , but text saiz is limited ) , can download the software from kramer websites. and I have 1 unit Vp-725 . going to take another 2 sets of Vp-727 .