Hitomi emerged from an identified need for a reliable and accurate system for video and audio synchronisation and identification for broadcast links.

Such technology is vital for broadcast, even more so when coupled with the increasing reliance on remote production.

Hitomi products are often used for valuable peace of mind rather than straight problem solving. It’s better to know that you have a good signal than to believe you have one and find out too late that you were mistaken. All it takes is a very quick measurement with MatchBox to deliver the certainty that your sync is good. It also means that you have one less thing to worry about.

MatchBox is primarily designed to take the worry out of live events, which fall into three main categories: sports, news and entertainment.

MatchBox is particularly important given the inherent immediacy of Sport, long the main driver for innovation and the largest of the primary markets for such technology. That said, News follows close behind, and is an area where MatchBox Glass, the highly portable version of MatchBox Generator, is finding favour with early adopters in the newsgathering community worldwide.

Finally, Live Event usage of MatchBox is best evidenced by its highly successful deployment for the 2019 MTV Europe Video Awards where it was used to sync a live broadcast for a global broadcast audience.

As major broadcasters continue the migration to 4K, lip sync issues can emerge because existing technology that is just not quite up to handling 4K bandwidth requirements.

In some cases, latency and delays is introduced in the process. Again, not knowing for certain that a sync problem has been fixed can leave directors, creatives, artists and performers vexed. No one wants the situation that arises when differing individual perceptions clash regarding whether or not the problem has been solved.

With MatchBox, there is no longer any question. So, move along. Nothing to argue about here, folks. You are timed up. No question.

Live events, especially large ones, pose synchronisation challenges due to the number of mics, cameras and audio channels often involved.

It’s easy to get signals that are out of synch when you're working the multiple angles often required for live events. MatchBox Analyser simultaneously listens to the multiple audio channels required and syncs them with their respective videos quickly and accurately thanks to its Gold Standard, highly precise measurement capabilities.

Using Hitomi means that you can without hesitation say “It was perfectly timed and in sync when it left me” and have the hard evidence prove it, which ends the argument.

Remote production allows you to cover many more events by decreasing the logistical and personnel costs involved. You also don’t need as big a truck, if any.

But remote production still presents some sync issues. If multiple cameras onsite are going down different return paths to an MCR, they can have different delays and finding out exactly what those differences are is difficult to determine manually because each setup is unique.

The problem is eliminated by connecting MatchBox Glass and/or MatchBox Generator to the video or audio signals instead of the camera. Giving you peace of mind that everything is aligned perfectly.