Suffolk County Community College Adds Echolab Overture1 Switcher

Suffolk County Community College (SCCC), a two-year college known nationally for its radio and television production program, is using the Echolab 1-M/E Overture1 switcher within a new fully digital center. The Echolab switcher is part of SCCC’s state-of-the-art facility in Selden, N.Y., where students prepare for careers in the field of professional broadcasting.

“In a teaching facility, ease of equipment operation leads to a better learning curve, and that’s just what Echolab’s switching solutions have provided for our students,” says Alan Bernstein, professor of radio and television production at SCCC. “While our new Overture1 system offers robust switching capabilities, its ease of use enables effective training for both entry-level and advanced users. The Overture1 is not unlike our program here at Suffolk County Community College: It’s a cost-effective system that provides everything one could possibly need but at a very appealing price point compared with competitors’ offerings.”

Overture switchers accept up to 32 multiformat analog and digital signals and provide as many as 16 multiformat outputs. Internal frame synchronization helps to ensure the quality of effects, and the integrated up/crossconversion within MD models streamlines switching of video in multiple formats. Features such as the StingerTM transition and SuperSourceTM crosspoint keys allow operators to implement simpler workflows while creating more advanced visual productions.

Echolab’s Stinger transition is a “Take Block” keyer with combined mix/wipe and graphic control that reduces complex animated transitions to a single button press. The Overture switchers’ new SuperSource allows the operator to build a custom layout using DVEs and graphics and then assigns the composition to a crosspoint button. A DVE key in each Take Block enables instant transition effects, and the MD Overture systems offer as many as four channels of DVE with warp and lighting effects. Robust DVE capabilities are complemented by as many as 34 internal graphics/still stores.

“The Echolab switcher provides the most flawless transitions you could ever imagine, and it has several times the power of any production switcher we’ve had here at our facility,” adds Bernstein. “Our students find it easy to learn switching techniques on the very capable Overture1 switcher, and they leave our program with the skills and confidence to work with any type or size of switcher they encounter in their professional work.”