A leader in widescreen staging for over two decades, Alford Media Services in Coppell, Texas has taken delivery of a Vista Systems Montage video processor to expand the creative options of its clients.
“We’ve been doing widescreen since widescreen was slides,” notes Alford director of communications Rich Tate. “Over the years, as new solutions have come out, Alford has always been at the technological cutting edge. Montage is a unique new tool that delivers a seamless widescreen image and enhances client creativity. It was only logical that we acquire a system that offers a more creative environment to producers.”
“Alford Media is known coast to coast for being in the forefront of widescreen technology,” says Vista Systems president Clark Williams. “Alford’s investment in a Montage system furthers its commitment to cutting edge technology and enables them to take event staging to a new level.”
Alford Media is a nationally-recognized staging company providing video, audio, lighting and show coordination services for a wide range of clients. In addition to its own Web site (www.alfordmedia.com), it maintains the Web site www.widescreensolutions.com which explores presentation and production options so clients can make informed choices about widescreen shows.
Alford Media’s 8x8 Montage is uniquely engineered. “We have Alford-ized it,” Tate explains. “That’s part of our value-added philosophy. We have an ISIS 32x32 router for up to 32 different sources at your fingertips. And our 42-inch plasma screen is mounted on a Chief hydraulic lift. It’s all about convenience and making clients’ lives easier.”
Montage will be used in conjunction with the Hydra Palette Pro graphics computer system, which allows the creation of any type of background desired (Power Point XP, video, Flash and others), and a QuBit digital disc recorder. “With these tools creative choices are greater than ever,” Tate emphasizes. Montage can output and record a scaled composite of the entire widescreen image -- something Alford has been waiting for. “It’s the first widescreen technology that lets us record what’s seen on the projected screen,” says Tate.
Alford Media’s staff and freelance pool received two days of intensive training on Montage. “Everyone is up to speed on the system,” Tate reports. “And client education is ongoing on the Web, with email postcards and product demos. We want to make sure clients understand what Montage can do for them. We like to demystify the technology and make things easy for our customers.”
Montage is a video processing and windowing system designed by Vista Systems specifically to offer an uncompromising solution for seamless widescreen and multi-display applications. The system uses a new advanced architecture that creates “virtual displays” inside the Montage processor that are much higher resolution than any single display device can handle. Inputs can be windowed anywhere in the virtual display and can even overlap each other. Outputs, which can be projectors, LED walls, video walls, recording devices, operators’ monitors, etc., can view any portion of the virtual display. Outputs can overlap horizontally with 10-bit edge blending and black level compensation and can be generated in composite, BetaCam, and analog HD or analog computer formats to UXGA.
Over the past four years, Vista Systems’ switchers have become the industry standard for live multiple-destination video and data mixed signal switching. For more information on Vista Systems, visit their Web site at www.vistasystems.net.