Echolab was a

digital cinema Digital cinema refers to adoption of digital technology within the film industry to distribute or project motion pictures as opposed to the historical use of reels of motion picture film, such as 35 mm film. Whereas film reels have to b ...

company founded in 1974 and based in

Billerica, Massachusetts Billerica (, ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 42,119 according to the 2020 census. It takes its name from the town of Billericay in Essex, England. History In the early 1630s, a Praying Indian ...

. It designed and developed video production switchers for

digital media Digital media is any communication media that operate in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital media can be created, viewed, distributed, modified, listened to, and preserved on a digital electronics device. ' ...

markets, such as broadcasting, live production, and events. The company's products included standards and format conversion; live production switching;

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

and

distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations * Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a vari ...

of digital media in a variety of formats. In July 2010, after ceasing trading two and a half months earlier, its assets were acquired by

Blackmagic Design Blackmagic Design Pty Ltd. is an Australian digital cinema company and hardware manufacturer based in Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It designs and manufactures broadcast and cinema hardware, most notably high-end digital-movie cameras, ...

History

In April 2008, Echolab presented its new Overture series of switchers, as well as several optional enhancements. Among these enhancements were MultiPlayMD, a panel-controlled

instant replay Instant replay or action replay is a video reproduction of something that recently occurred which was both shot and broadcast live. The video, having already been shown live, is replayed in order for viewers to see again and analyze what had j ...

device and winner of TV Technology's STAR Award for Superior Technology. Additionally, the SD/ HD-capable MegaKeyMD clip player, mixer, and

keyer A keyer is a device for signaling by hand, by way of pressing one or more switches. Modern keyers typically have a large number of switches but not as many as a full-size keyboard; typically between four and fifty. A keyer differs from a keyboar ...

provides support for

playout In broadcasting, channel playout is the generation of the source signal of a radio or television channel produced by a broadcaster, coupled with the transmission of this signal for primary distribution or direct-to-audience distribution via any ...

of video and animated graphics. Echolab's Conductor control integration system incorporates

touchscreen A touchscreen or touch screen is the assembly of both an input ('touch panel') and output ('display') device. The touch panel is normally layered on the top of an electronic visual display of an information processing system. The display is often ...

technology to enhance on-air control by automating complex sequences and switching tasks critical to professional-quality production. In May, 2010 Echolab lost its funding and had ceased trading. Two and a half months after going out of business, EchoLab's intellectual property was then acquired by

. Blackmagic Design have since then continued and further updated Echolab's products, such as the ATEM Live Production Switchers.

References

Film and video technology Television technology {{tv-tech-stub