At PLASA2009, SNP will be demonstrating the power and flexibility of the latest Catalyst media servers, highlighting the myriad of different possible configurations to suit all needs, along with peripheral equipment, plus SNP Productions' own Catalyst System Flight-cases.
Catalyst version 4.2 software will be of interest to all those involved in live visuals and media. New features include an increased number of layers per version - up to 32 layers and 16 mixes for the PRO version, eight layers/eight mixes for the DV versions, four layers/six mixes for Express and two layers/four mixes for Lite.
New and improved features include the layers and mix count being adjustable in Preferences. The mix parameters are now controllable via DMX, including curved mixes and offsets, with spherical mapping for Pufferfish, curved and globe shaped objects, along with a 12 video input capability and support for Phoenix SDI / HD-SDI input cards.
There is also camera control for Sony BRC-300 robotic cameras and others, OSC protocol support, user selectability of control devices, improved MIDI control and tools, improved SMPTE options, new Pixel Mix areas, new Layer Transport Controls and an enhanced web server, including a documentation page.
Flightcases are available to order with all systems supplied by SNP, tailored exactly to fit the individual Catalyst configuration and the application - whether installation or touring. The cases are robustly constructed and are an essential element of any contemporary digital media server set up.
(Jim Evans)
