Controls And Operations; Video Source - Datavideo SE-500 Instruction Manual

Controls and Operations

Video Source

The first thing to do when using the SE-500
is to select the Main and Sub Video Sources.
The source you select (by pressing one of the buttons; a bright red LED on the selected button lights for
confirmation) on the Main Source bus is what is sent to the Video output. This means that you can perform
cuts between sources by simply pressing different buttons.
The Sub Source selection determines which input will be transitioned to when using any of the transition
controls (Wipe and Fade) and provides the video for Picture in Picture and Split functions. (See Using
Transitions, page 23, and Using Effects, page 26 for more details.)
In addition to selecting which video input channel will be present in the Main and Sub Source busses, you
must check the appropriate input for each channel in use. (See Selecting video input formats and
adjusting audio levels, page 18.) The SE 500 has automatic input select; if there is an S-Video cable
connected to the S-Video input, the channel will automatically switch to S-Video input. However this means
that, if both composite and S-Video inputs are connected and there is no valid video signal present thru S-
Video, you will see a black video when that channel is selected for output. For example, if you have a
camcorder connected to channel 1 through the composite input, and you also have channel 1's S(Y/C)
connected to another non-working device, you will see a black video, even if the camcorder is supplying a
signal. You will also see a black video if the camcorder is not supplying a video signal, such as when it is
powered off, or in playback mode with no tape loaded.
Tech note:
The frozen image is a function of how the time base corrector (TBC, a.k.a. frame synchronizer)
works. The SE-500 has a TBC at the Main Video Source and the Sub Video Source input on each channel.
Their purpose is to stabilize the video signals as they come into the switcher, and to synchronize their timing
so that they can be switched and otherwise combined with no disruption to the video signal.
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