Leader announces additions to the feature set of its ZEN Series range of test and measurement instruments. These will form part of new-technology demonstrations throughout the April 14-17 2024 NAB Show in Las Vegas.
   

Leader’s ZEN Series comprises the LV5600 UHD/HD/SD SDI/IP waveform monitor and LV7600 equivalent rasterizer, LV5300A portable 12G/3G/HD/SD-SDI waveform monitor with eye-pattern and jitter measurement, plus the LV5350 waveform monitor and the LV7300 rasterizer.

Top of the ZEN range is the LV5600 which provides all the facilities needed to monitor UHD/HD/SD SDI as well as video-over-IP signals seamlessly in a true-hybrid operating environment. Housed in a half-rack width 3U desktop chassis with a touchscreen front panel display and discrete physical buttons, the LV5600 includes test pattern generation, eye-pattern display, closed-caption monitoring, CIE color chart, high dynamic range measurement, focus assist, adjustable screen layout, tally interface, 4K/UHD operation, 25 gigabit/s IP input and 12G-SDI interfaces. SMPTE 2022-6, SMPTE 2022-7 and SMPTE 2110-10, 20, 22, 30, 31 and 40 protocols are all supported. ZEN Series instruments can be expanded or upgraded easily as new firmware becomes available.

NEW AT NAB: 3D LUT import for HDR to SDR and SDR to HDR conversion

New for the Leader ZEN 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 color 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 colorists can view the 3D LUTs for OTT and OTA deliverables prior to creating the final master.

NEW AT NAB: SDR ‘Full Range’ display

SDR Full Range is becoming a popular workflow style for digital cinematography and television drama production, not least in Hollywood. 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. Leader’s 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 has earned a worldwide reputation for designing and manufacturing highly reliable, practical, and powerful test & measurement instruments. Leader products are specified for broadcast, production, post-production, research, product development and service applications. Manufacturing quality is built in every step of the way.

The Leader product range includes award-winning 3G/HD/SD SDI waveform monitors and rasterizers, all with customizable layouts. Among the available options are 8K, 4K-UHD, CIE color chart, HDR measurement, test pattern generation, eye and jitter measurement, closed-caption display, IP, and 12G/6G-SDI. Leader has helped many customers manage their transition from analog to digital, from SD to HD, from HD to 4K/UHD, from SDR to HDR, and from BT.709 to BT.2020 wide color gamut. Leader also provides SMPTE ST2022-7 and ST2110 support for the transition from SDI to IP.