CAGE HD/SD
CAGE-HD/SD
TV Cursor Generator for HD and SD operation
From the Company that produced the world's first commercially available TV Cursor Generator over 3 Decades ago, whilst coining the acronym "CAGE",
our line continues with CAGE-HD/SD.
Precision Graticules for HD-SDI: 1920~1280/SD720: 24/25/30/48/50/60 I/P/S
Designed to be used in series with the SDI video feed to a TV monitor, effectively, "across" a line; CAGE superimposes upon the screen image accurately computed cursors which indicate zones within which it is deemed "safe" to include either important "Action", or critical "Graphics" material, for example. Originally conceived to compensate for linearity errors and twisted scans on CRT monitors, use of the CAGE's precision Cursors is just as important today, as it ever was. Aspect Ratio Conversion and Standards Conversion between TV formats is an every day occurrance, and the intuitative ease of operation which has been a hall mark of the Murraypro CAGEs since first inception, and release, in the mid '70s, is retained along with the "look and feel" of our earlier CAGE-2K.
Our 5th generation CAGE-HD/SD automatically configures itself to the TV Standard detected, pre-loading appropriate cursors from the internal Library to the front panel page selector. A double press action ON/ON of an individual Page key will toggle the CAGE-HD/SD between two (usually) closely related cursors, such as "16:9 StP 14:9 Action" or "16:9 StP 14:9 Graphics", for example. When using 625/50Hz Standard with a digital line length of 720 pixels, cursors are calculated with respect to an effective picture width of 702 pixels, conforming with EBU R95: 2000. The CAGE-HD/SD Library is future proof, as Cursor Maps are held in tabular form, the fields of which may be updated to provide Users with Cursors computed to conform with the latest requirements. If the input signal's Standard changes, the CAGE will identify, and declare, the newly found TV standard with a brief on-screen text banner.
In the HD environment, current operational practice is to generate cursors based on an effective line length of ({702/720}x1920)=1872 pixel, so that a direct scaled conversion to SD will result in identical cursor placment to that generated by EBU R95:2000 applied directly. Murraypro also provide the same Cursors, but computed with the "FULL Active HD" line length as 1920; this difference between 1872 and 1920 pixels represents a maximum positional difference of only1.5% but is provided for strict 1920 applications. These alternative HD versions are simultaneously available, and selected by either the CAGE's upper selection selector row, or the lower selector row.
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Although Murraypro have built and supplied CAGEs for well over 30 years now, for the past 2 decades our CAGEs have provided a vital on-screen legend that always, and uniquely, identifies each Library page selected; an important function when many of the Cursor pages appear rather similar. We can't, of course, actually advise you which Cursor to use in a given situation, but we always remind you which you are using!
Naturally, CAGE offers movable cursors too. These are User set to specify an area of interest which may be the position of a "lower frame super", or an on-screen "Ident", for example. The precise location of the Zones of interest are defined by means of a "box" with steerable edges. The pixel addresses of the box's H & V limits are shown numerically on the monitor screen, making it easy to record defined positions. These movable cursors may be be used directly, or they may be stored within the CAGE in the multi-page non-volatile memory, and so are then available for future recovery and use later.
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CAGE-HD/SD is available in two versions, a very cost effective SD only version, and the fully fledged HD/SD version. The SD only version of the CAGE, which has identical appearance, is designed to be upgradable to the full HD specification, as your requirements develop and grow to encompass future requirements; so, no Capital wasted here! Without adjustment, the entry level SD version of the CAGE operates on 50 & 60Hz SDI standards, whilst the HD version also includes operation on 24/25/30/48/50/60Hz I/P/S Systems.
By means of internal configuration links, it is possible to swap the HD/SD SDI output to be either a straight equalised & reclocked "clean" copy of the input, or to have the CAGE cursors added; the decision is entirely yours. By default, Murraypro normally ships the CAGE with cursors enabled on to the SDI OP BNC.
A major feature of the CAGEHD/SD is the provision of an internal VIDEO SCALER. This generates a very useful baseband utility video OP of the SDI input which, in HD mode, is a scaled copy of the HD output signal, enabling the display of the CAGE's HD Cursors on a low cost SD monitor. This Utility DAC'd OP with the CAGE cursors inserted, may be DIP switch configured for approximately 5% "ZOOM", ensuring the Active Picture limits are always visible. DIP switches set the Scaler OP to be either YUV, RGsB, Y+C or CVBS video modes; and again, the choice is yours.
Power is supplied to the Unit via a 3 pin IEC connector to the internal universal SMPSU, covering operation off 100 ~ 240V ac supplies and eliminating our pet hates, the "wall-wart" and in-line "dangly" PSUs. Operation off an external +7V to +18V power supply, for field use with nominal "+12V" battery derived supplies (when the Scaled SD video output is often used with low cost LCD displays too), is available too.
CAGE-HD/SD is self-contained, and may be used either as a free standing Unit, or mounted 1 or 2 up in a 1U rack slot, using the complimentary rack mounting kit.
Murraypro Designers are well aware how an initially attractive price can be rapidly eroded by the cost of "extras", a number of which may eventually turn out to be compulsory, and actually required to get a product operational! Cost of ownership is ruthlessly controlled by housing the Unit in a single compact case only 157w x 44h x 187mm deep (precisely matching our ultra-compact PICO miniature PPM!), and eliminating the requirement for an expensive and noisy rack-mount frame to house the electronics. The latest low power silicon has been selected, enhancing HD performance and also, vitally, reducing the power consumption to a miserly 4 Watts, with consequent heat generation reduced to an absolute minimum; totally eliminating the requirement for, and noise of, fans.Wonderful; Peace at last! The small size of the front panel, and ease with which the entire Unit may be mounted, eliminates the need for a separate, and often expensive, remote control panel. Consider the savings in your installation costs too, with our complimentary IEC~IEC mains cable and just two simple BNC connectors to terminate.
