Different uses need different switchers.

Switcher Applications

A switcher will be used in three common situations. In each of these applications you may find either an analog or a digital switcher. In a new facility, you are most likely going to find digital equipment. Older facilities are converting to digital, but that is where you are most likely to find analog equipment.

Production and Editing Switchers

The first of these situations is in production. Production here refers to creating finished video that will ultimately be seen by a viewing audience: news, commercials, dramas, comedies, instruction, and just about anything else you can think of. These productions may require anything from the simplest to the most complex production switchers to accomplish the desired results.

On-Air Switchers

The on-air switcher generally coordinates sources of finished production and sends output directly to the transmitter. It will be switching between various videotape machines, network feeds, satellite feeds, and the studio. These switchers are almost always audio-follows-video switchers. That means that when the technical director pushes a button on the switcher, it changes both the picture and the sound. That's not the case with production switchers, where any changes in sound must be done separately. Since anything that normally goes to the transmitter has the picture and sound together, this makes things much quicker and easier for the technical director. On-air switchers usually have limited special- effects capabilities. Because anything going to the transmitter is usually a finished product, there's little need for special effects at this stage.

Routing Switchers

The final switcher application is for routing. Say that you're working in a large school system and you need to send seven or eight programs to different classrooms at the same time.You would use a routing switcher to accomplish this task. Routing switchers are often audio-follows-video units, and they're frequently very large. Some of the newer models use advanced electronics that permit far greater flexibility using much less space.

1.  On-air switcher.

2.  Routing switcher.