Abekas Brutus

The quad twin-channel Abekas Brutus integrates the control of two complete Abekas Dveous DVEs into a single compact control panel using an innovative combiner chassis. Each of Brutus' twin channels is capable of running in either dual video or video plus key plus full bandwidth dropshadow configurations for up to eight fully independent transform engines.

Brutus has the power/performance characteristics needed for achieving today's top levels of live and postproduction creativity. Brutus is an elegant solution built on the worlds DVE benchmark — Dveous — and achieves the highest standards of picture quality and the most subtle effects possible. This also means that any Dveous can easily upgrade to Brutus as a business' needs grows by simply adding another Dveous chassis and the Brutus combiner chassis.

Brutus features the complete range of Dveous effects capabilities including SurfaceFX, SuperShadow and UltraWarp. SurfaceFX provides each channel with a dual color light source that can be positioned in 3D space using either a bar, flood or spotlight shape. Each light source independently produces both a highlight and a shadow, which are capable of interacting with effects like page turns and ripples. Surface textures can be added from either live video or a texture framestore. The texture signal then modulates the surface of the image to show highlights and shadows from the projected light source. Warp patterns and SurfaceFX features interact to produce accurate highlights and shadows. SuperShadow gives independent control of all transforms and warps, so ripples, italics, etc. can occur completely independent of the main video image. In addition to all standard high-end DVE effects, UltraWarp provides quad splits, cylinders, lenses, rings and swirls and other new striking effects.

Unparalleled picture quality is achieved by using 23x12-point video filters and four-point store output interpolators for expansion and compression. All picture transform information is calculated to 1.2nS spatial precision with full 10 bits per pixel resolution. Optional reTouch color correctors for each channel independently correct all eight channels of video in RGB space.

Brutus uses the same TimeFrame effects editing standard as Dveous. TimeFrame provides independent effects timelines so a single channel can be reconfigured without rebuilding an entire sequence. Brutus also shares Dveous' multi-format flexibility by providing serial digital, parallel digital, component analog and composite analog inputs, and serial digital plus component analog or serial digital plus composite analog outputs.

Accom, Inc., 1490 O'Brien Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025. Tel: 650-328-3818; Fax: 650-327-2511.