Visual Three delves into the UHD universe with AJA solutions

AJA has supplied a range of solutions to Visual Three, a Malaysian company aiming to streamline its UHD content production.

Visual Three has been providing regional and international support for entertainment and sports productions since 1997. The studio has a robust 4K / UHD HDR infrastructure equipped with a number of AJA’s broadcast solutions, such as the FS-HDR real-time HDR/WCG frame sync and HDR/WCG converter. This solution, as Jason Lim, Visual Three’s chief engineer, details, allows them to “perform a wide range of daily core tasks using a single device – everything from real-time format and color conversion, embedding and disembedding, frame synchronization and fiber transmission.”

One of Visual Three’s latest projects was to provide technical support to a local Malaysian television station to enable it to deliver Malaysia’s first live UHD broadcast. Although the client required an HDR master for archival purposes, the broadcast was to be transmitted in UltraHD SDR. Since Visual Three’s cameras and in-house playout system are in HDR, the team leveraged FS-HDR to perform live HDR and SDR conversions, as well as embed audio for final distribution. Visual Three used a similar workflow using FS-HDR to embed audio for final distribution for the Singapore National Day Parade in 2019.

In parallel, FS-HDR has enabled Visual Three to simplify its workflows to convert and match signals from different operating systems, as well as to color match between multiple camera brands. During the pandemic, the FS-HDR web user interface has also provided a simplified workflow for remotely configuring and controlling cameras located in multiple locations.

FS4 and Ki Pro Ultra

In addition to FS-HDR, Visual Three is using the FS4 4K/UltraHD and 2K/HD multichannel synchronizer and converter FS4 4K/UltraHD and 2K/HD for color matching of cameras from its central control room. In addition, the production company is using AJA’s Ki Pro Ultra to simultaneously record up to four HD channels as Apple ProRes files, with analog or AES audio. The company, which previously used FS2 and Ki Pro for HD broadcasts, decided to stick with AJA as it made the leap to HD.

Jim underlines the reasons for choosing AJA again in this new phase: “Incorporating AJA gear into our workflow saves us both time and money, as the solutions are cost-effective and include ample features packed into single devices. AJA also offers local support and releases frequent firmware updates that continually improve the performance of their products, further simplifying our workflow.”