London, UK, 19 July 2023: Colore Digital Imaging has joined the growing number of film and television production facilities, post-production houses and broadcasters choosing Leader test instruments as their master reference tools. The company has invested in a Leader LV5350 ZEN Series 12G/HD/SD-SDI video waveform monitor, supplied via Leader channel partner Thameside TV.

Colore founder Vincenzo Onorato began his film and television industry career in 2008 as a Kodak Lab technician. After four years of experience in film print and development, he began studying his cinematography and post production at the SNCI Film School in Florence before becoming become a professional colourist.

He moved to London in 2015 where he continued his career in digital imaging, working on set as a DIT for high-end TV productions. His most recent credits include Heartstopper (Netflix), Criminal Record (Apple TV+), and Industry 3 (HBO/BBC).

“We needed a reference instrument that we could depend on for high precision signal measurement, robust build quality and portability,” he comments. “I have used various test and measurement tools over the years and am particularly impressed by the LV5350 which fully meets our requirements.

“I’m currently working on a fast-paced four-part show produced mostly on location with two operators using handheld cameras. Having the luxury to work with Leader’s CINELITE, CINEZONE, waveform and vectorscope displays for both cameras simultaneously is a huge advantage when I need to trim the exposure immediately before a shoot and make sure the two cameras match.

“The LV5350 incorporates a highly versatile toolset which ensures we can make all the checks and measurements we need at our studio base or on location. The standard model can operate from low-voltage DC or mains power so we can work practically anywhere. This, together with the V-mount battery interface, means we can be fully confident about picture quality and keep the relationship with the DP strong.

“Having all the tools we need in a compact unit also allows us to be independent of cloud connectivity. That is a great plus when operating beyond reach of urban IP networks or are trying to work in a Wi-Fi shadow. Leader test instruments also have the great advantage of being future proof, giving us the freedom to invest in specialized options as and when we need them.”

“Recording it right first time ensures that projects don’t incur additional costs associated with retakes and technical fixes in postproduction,” adds Kevin Salvidge, Sales Engineering Manager at Leader Europe. “The LV5350, with its enhanced CINEZONE and CINELITE real-time false-color exposure tools, ensures that issues are resolved before recordings take place.”

“The LV5350 has become the instrument of choice for digital imaging technicians here in Europe and worldwide,” says Thameside TV sales manager Chris Margrave-Gregory. “We gave Vincenzo a thorough demo when he visited us at our Shepperton headquarters and he was clearly impressed by the instrument’s versatility, user-friendly operation and logical control interface.”

Leader LV5350 waveform monitors provide all the SDI facilities of Leader’s top-of-the-range LV5600. These include engineering-related features such as test pattern generation, closed-caption monitoring and CIE chroma chart. Each LV5350 also incorporates Leader’s intuitive CINEZONE and CINELITE which are familiar to many camera crews, editors and colorists. All features are accessible from the front control panel, augmented by a 1920 x 1080 resolution 7 inch touchscreen TFT LCD monitor. Optional features available for this model include 4K/UHD HDR support, SDI-embedded audio analysis, SDI signal generation, CIE chroma chart, customized display layout, tally display, extended chroma vector display and closed-caption display. Also available is a focus detection algorithm which enables the instrument to sense edges across a very wide range of image contrast levels.

Thameside.tv (www.thameside.tv) was established in 1994 and is a totally independent supplier of broadcast and digital film production equipment. A Leader specialist distributor since 2004, Thameside.tv has supplied and installed complete digital intermediate facilities both in the UK and overseas. Thameside.tv also provides complete asset disposal programmes and evaluations as well as system design and integration services.

Leader has earned a worldwide reputation for designing and manufacturing highly reliable, practical, and powerful test and measurement instruments. Leader products are specified for broadcast, production, post-production, research, product development, and service applications. Manufacturing quality is built in every step of the way. The Leader product range includes award-winning 3G/HD/SD SDI waveform monitors and rasterizers, all with customizable layouts. Among the available options are 8K, 4K/UHD, CIE chroma chart, HDR measurement, test pattern generation, eye and jitter measurement, closed-caption display, IP, and 12G/6G-SDI. Leader has helped many customers manage their transition from analog to digital, from SD to HD, from HD to 4K/UHD, from SDR to HDR, and from BT.709 to BT.2020 wide chroma gamut. Leader also provides SMPTE ST2022-7 and ST2110 support for the transition from SDI to IP.

 

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