Multiple-award-winning film producer and cinematographer Matt Siegel chose a Leader
LV5381 four-input multi-SDI monitor for use during his recent seminar on Digital
Cinematography at The Maine Media Workshops in the US. Designed for emerging
cinematographers, the course explained the advantages of using digital technology
and explored the challenges and limitations of various digital formats.
“The seminar addressed the special requirements of lighting for digital cinema, using
light meters to achieve correct exposure, working with the camera’s dynamic range,
balancing and correcting mixed lighting sources, and calibrating video monitors to
accurately display images,” Siegel explains. “It also provided an introduction to the
digital workflow, the post-production process and the output options for the finished
video.
“The LV5381 was fantastic, both as a production instrument and as a teaching tool. It
provided a precise and efficient way of explaining the structure of video and audio
signals, and showed graphically how to get the best possible image. Being able to
view multiple displays such as a video waveform and chroma vectors alongside the
actual video image was especially powerful.”
Leader’s LV5381 is a complete multi-screen HD/SD-SDI video and audio test system
measuring just 4U by half rack width. HD-SDI or SD-SDI signals from up to four
cameras can be monitored on the instrument’s integral 8.4 inch TFT-LCD screen,
allowing fast alignment of gain and black balance.
Picture monitoring features include colour temperature specification; brightness,
contrast, and aperture adjustment; and the display of gamut error locations. The four
channels can be viewed individually at full-screen size or simultaneously. Each input
channel can be assigned its own color to simplify comparison of video signal
waveform and vector displays.
Selectable display parameters include video signal waveform, chroma vector, five-bar
video peak level or picture monitor. A level meter display shows embedded audio.
Transmission error can also be displayed. Incoming Y/CB/CR signals can be viewed as
as RGB or pseudo-composite waveform with line selection and adjustable waveform
magnification.
The LV5381 accepts tri-level sync signal or can synchronize to NTSC or PAL black
burst. Up to 30 front panel presets may be stored internally. Captured data can be
viewed onscreen and saved as bitmap files to USB memory for export to a PC.
Each LV5381 comes complete with CINELITE and CINEZONE video signal luminance
information analysis tools.
CINELITE allows any three points on the picture to be selected. It then displays their
f-stop numbers, percentage values, and level values. The size of the measured point
can be adjusted from a single pixel to the average value for 9 or 81 pixels.
CINEZONE enables luminance levels in a picture to be displayed in a separate colour.
This allows the overall luminance distribution of a still or moving image to be checked
intuitively. Over-exposure, underexposure, and different luminance levels in dark
areas can all be spotted quickly.
