Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics of Europe, has announced that Disguise, a prominent developer of technology for cutting-edge visual experiences, has invested in a new LeaderPhabrix LPX500 and multiple PHABRIX QxP, QxL, Qx and SxE T&M solutions. The new equipment will be used to validate the video outputs of Disguise’s hardware products, as well as supporting the development and operation of automated test suites, with regard to the SMPTE SDI and ST 2110 IP standards.
Home to an integrated ecosystem of software, hardware and cloud technology, along with world class creative and technical services, Disguise is a pioneer of visual experiences for the full spectrum of entertainment – from concert touring with acts including Taylor Swift and Beyonce, to immersive installations, live broadcasts, virtual production, and brand experiences.
The need to test and ensure the compliance of a variety of Disguise hardware products against the SMPTE SDI and ST 2110 IP standards was the primary impetus for the purchase of a new LeaderPhabrix LPX500 waveform monitor. A powerful four simultaneous input Waveform Monitor with 100G-IP and 12G-SDI toolsets, the LPX500 is the first in a significant new family of video analysis and generation instruments under the new ‘LeaderPhabrix’ brand. Supporting four fully independent analyzers, the LPX500 enables the simultaneous display and monitoring of four IP/SDI, HD/UHD and/or SDR/HDR video source inputs. Disguise’s LPX500 also has added support for UHD and 4K HFR (High Frame Rate) extended video formats in ST 2110.
Within R&D, alongside its new LPX500 waveform monitor, Disguise now has multiple PHABRIX units, including a QxP portable waveform monitor and QxL rasterizers for 25G IP ST 2110 analysis, Qx rasterizers for hybrid IP/SDI analysis, as well as several SxE portable 3G/HD/SD generation, analysis and monitoring devices. In addition, its manufacturing team uses several Qx devices in service centers and on production lines.
Praising the instruments for their ease of use and remote operation capabilities, Disguise Senior Embedded Software Engineer Jack Cripps confirms: “We use PHABRIX products extensively throughout our R&D and manufacturing teams. Notably the QxL sits at the heart of our network rack and has been used to benchmark and test our IP Video Format Conversion (IP-VFC) 12G-SDI and ST2110 cards throughout the development process. Our QA team also performs hardware-in-the-loop testing on some of our VFC and capture cards using the Qx range analysis and generator tools along with the API to verify that our inputs and outputs conform to industry standards across a huge range of formats and scenarios.”
In addition, the PHABRIX units have made it possible to “develop and run automated test suites to establish where our products are not compliant with the SMPTE standards before we release them – thereby allowing us to rectify any discrepancies before they cause our customers a problem,” says Disguise Principal FPGA Engineer Peter Brown.
Martin Mulligan, COO, Leader Electronics of Europe, comments: “So many of our customers are working with both SDI and IP video, meaning that the need for T&M solutions that can ensure compliance against multiple industry standards remains acute. Supporting a variety of standards and operational modes has always been a key priority for Leader Electronics of Europe, and that remains the case in the latest generation of Leader and PHABRIX products. We are delighted to hear that Disguise, a hugely respected and pioneering company in technology for live video and entertainment, is relying so extensively on our T&M products across its R&D and manufacturing departments.”