A lot of what we do as video professionals is nebulous to the uneducated and usually is perceived as being in the world of black magic. But it almost always involves making an image look pristine somewhere in the rig, whether it’s a display monitor, a projection, or part of an LED set.
A long time ago, say, five or six years back, we used scan converters and line doublers to get the CGI world and TV to talk to one another, but since the advent of HD, those lines have blurred, and it’s our job to keep them crisp. We have some magical tools at our disposal these days, and one of those unsung hero-tools of this process is the ImagePRO-II from Barco. Long regarded as the standard for live event black box processing, the Image Pro (and it’s distant cousins the Screen Pro and Presentation Pro) served a pretty specific need — taking any signal in and spitting any signal out. The latest incarnation is the ImagePRO-II, and it is still a wonder of image processing technology. I was able to put my hands on one for this review, and I have to say I’m more than impressed.
Garbage In, Garbage Out
The old axiom stands true, but if you have a pristine image coming in on, say, analog 1280×768, and it needs to get to full raster HD-SDI 1920×1080…what do you do? You send it to a black box like the ImagePRO-II.
The ImagePRO-II is a high performance, all-in-one video scaler, scan converter, switcher and transcoder converting any input signal format to any output format. ImagePRO-II supports Universal Analog, DVI single and dual link, HDMI, DisplayPort and SD/HD/3G SDI signal formats. With features like HDCP and EDID management, USB back up and restore, multiple video effects and web page interface, ImagePRO-II is the most advanced and flexible signal processor in the rental and staging industry making it the best suitable solution for any live event.
A Switcher, Too
The ImagePRO-II is not just a scaler/converter, it’s a switcher, too, and any input can be switched seamlessly from one to another. The front panel also has dedicated buttons for Logo (still-store), Freeze and Black. If you want more advanced effects, you’ll need to step up to a more robust solution, but switching is almost an afterthought on the ImagePRO-II. That’s not to say it’s not a capable switcher. Quite the contrary, a rental house or production company looking to have a multi-signal capable switch solution would benefit greatly by having this on a gig.
Whether the ImagePRO-II is at the head-end before the switch rack (for scaling multiple sources) or the last thing downstream before display, the image quality is second to none. It uses the fifth generation of Barco’s custom image processing technology, the Athena scaler. Because of this, it supports higher resolutions (WQXGA), higher frame rates, higher quality de-interlacing with advanced motion-adaptive processing, faster source acquisition, better color depth and native support for all the latest computer formats. As formats and interface requirements change, the Athena scaler is built to be adaptable, providing superior signal clarity while maintaining a low processing latency of only one frame.
Build quality is superb, and since it was designed primarily for the live event industry, it is shock resistant, one RU high, has etherCON connectors and has field-replaceable DVI connectors. DVI, analog and SDI inputs are loop-through. And while it won’t change the oldest axiom in video, it will guarantee that your image looks as “Pro” as possible.
Around the Panels
The buttons on the ImagePRO-II react with a satisfying “click” for any pressure push, and spacing/lighting is adequate to keep you from pressing the wrong one in a pinch. I like the fact that they’re labeled now, and there’s still space to put some console tape above if you want to label your own. It’s the exact same layout as the ImagePRO-3G, with the exception of a conspicuous USB interface on the left side front panel. This enables you to save a config and transfer to multiple ImagePROs without having to set each one up, or fiddle with restore settings, should the inevitable happen. Quite a convenience!
The back panel is set up for DVI, HDMI, SDI, DisplayPort and Universal Analog. Outputs are set up the same way, and the unit is passively Gen-lockable. One small feature I fell in love with is the small screw hole above the HDMI ports for what can only be a future lacing harness adapter. (I hope this is the case!)
The LCD navigation panel on the front is the same as the old model, with a knob for scrolling through the various options. If the front panel doesn’t suit you, the ImagePRO-II can be controlled via Ethernet through a browser (read “tablets,” “smart phones,” etc.) or by Barco’s Encore switcher. You can hook it to a wireless AP and walk the stage for a closer view of your end source. The front and side panels are well-louvered for maximum airflow and, unlike a lot of single rack space processors, it didn’t sound like a jet engine when the meat of the work kicked in.
Signal, and More Signal
Although the resolution limit is 2560 by 1600, I threw every resolution I could at it, and everything came out crisp and clean on the other end. In addition, the unit will automatically recognize your output source and adjust accordingly using DisplaySense technology. “Area of Interest” is one of the new features, and it allows you to center-cut a source and fill the display horizontally and/or vertically. AOI also puts out a single-pixel raster box indicating size. There are also a few “effects” built-in, namely color correction, invert, monochrome, flip, strobe and mask. There is an optional dual-output card that allows you to route one input to two completely separate output sources. On-board test patterns are standard, unglamorous and numerous, with ramp, color bars, various size grids and raster boxes.
ROI
For anyone in the live event industry, ROI is important, but not at the cost of a gig. There are simply too many variables on a job site to take chances with quality, and the ImagePRO-II is the insurance policy for that. Rental companies will benefit just as they have from the previous generation of Image Pros, but with much greater flexibility. Produced shows and one-offs gain rock solid performance in an easy to use package.
Barco ImagePRO-II
• What It Is: Live event “black box” processor
• What It Does: Image processing/scaler/switcher/converter
• Pros: Super high quality image processing, USB transfer
and save, web based control, rugged, established name
• Cons: Hmmm…..can’t really think of any
• How Much: $11,200 (MSRP)
Jeff Gooch, a.k.a. Projectionfreak, writes about large-format projection, projection mapping, video and all the technology that makes them go. His blog is at www.projectionfreak.com.
