1INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on your purchase of this Kramer Electronics format interface. Since 1981, Kramer has been dedicated to the development and manufacture of high quality video/audio equipment. The Kramer line has become an integral part of many of the best production and presentation facilities around the world. In recent years, Kramer has redesigned and upgraded most of the line, making the best even better. Kramer’s line of professional video/audio electronics is one of the most versatile and complete available, and is a true leader in terms of quality, workmanship, price/performance ratio and innovation. In addition to the Kramer line of high quality format interfaces, such as the one you have just purchased, Kramer also offers a full line of high quality distribution amplifiers, switchers, processors, controllers and computer-related products. This manual includes configuration, operation and option information for the 401Dxl.
1.1A Word on Format Interfaces
There are several video signal formats: Composite, Y/C, YUV (Y, R-Y, B-Y), RGB (S) analog and digital. Component analog video formats (YUV and RGB) are unmodulated signals, where the signal level represents the signal intensity, (e.g., 1 Volt of “Y” signal represents a maximum white level). Converting from YUV to RGB and vice versa does not involve modulation, and requires mainly an accurate matrix system. Composite video and Y/C (Super Video) contains chrominance (color) information, which is a modulated signal using the color subcarrier (3.58MHz in NTSC, 4.43MHz in PAL) as the carrier signal. Converting between Composite video and Y/C involves adding or separating the color information to or from the luminance information. To convert from Composite and Y/C to Component video, a color encoder or color decoder is needed, with very complicated circuitry. The color encoder receives the component signal, and must create a chrominance signal by extracting the blue and red information from the component video signal and modulating this information using the color subcarrier signal. The color decoder does the opposite: it removes the color subcarrier and extracts the color difference signals to create the video “components”.
The following format interfaces exist in Kramer’s line:
Video Decoders - used to decode (convert) a composite video signal to Y/C and to decode a composite or Y/C signal to RGBS and/or Y, R-Y, B-Y.
Video Encoders - used to create a chrominance signal from video components, e.g., to convert RGBS and/or Y, R-Y, and B-Y signals to composite video and Y/C.
Video Transcoders - bi-directional converters operating simultaneously in different directions, such as converting from RGBS to Y, R-Y, and B-Y in both directions in the same machine, going from composite to Y/C, bi-directionally or performing color decoding and encoding in the same machine at the same time.
Audio Transcoders - used in audio and video production studios for converting from unbalanced low- level audio to balanced high-level audio, bi-directionally.
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