ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the operation of the switcher in a studio production environment. 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 a live or live-to-recording video production. The switcher also functions as a selecting and altering component that can combine two or more visual sources in a number of different ways. Through the use of digital video effects, a switcher can become a special effects generator with the capability of altering the appearance of video inputs. Video monitors in the control room are essential to the proper use of the switcher, as well as for camera operations. Increasing digitization has allowed switchers to become smaller. Less sophisticated switchers are found in the master control area of television stations or other broadcast facilities, where they are used to select various video sources such as network feeds, commercials, and studio output.
