It’s no exaggeration to call the switcher the nerve center of a video production facility. More than any other piece of equipment, the switcher is central to the creation of video programs of all types, and it is literally the connecting point for most other pieces of video equipment in a studio. Although switchers are also used in postproduction editing facilities, as discussed in Chapter 11, this chapter concentrates on the operation of the switcher in a studio production environment. The general operation of the switcher is the same in either situation.

The video switcher serves a number of different functions. First and foremost, it is an editing device that facilitates the time-ordered sequencing of inputs within ...

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