Cameras: News and Updates

"Picture quality, production convenience, and cost-efficiency are paramount in today's television industry, and Ikegami is dedicated to providing producers with the multiformat HD cameras and equipment they need to satisfy today's HDTV viewers and tomorrow's audiences as well," states Alan Keil, VP and Director of Engineering for Ikegami. "Whether it's mobile HD sports production, HD studio and entertainment programming, or fast-workflow tapeless HD ENG, Ikegami engineers the world's most advanced HDTV acquisition technologies and the production solutions the television industry wants most."

The Unicam HD Line: Leading off Ikegami's NAB 2012 exhibit is the new Unicam HD camera line. These multiformat HD cameras – which also provide 3G-SDI 1080/60p performance – include the new HDK-97A 16-bit portable HD companion-camera and the HDK-97C 3G field production camera that supports not only 1080i/720p, but also 3G signals such as 1080/60p 4:2:2 and 1080/60i 4:4:4. The HDK-97A employs advanced new progressive AIT CCD imagers and an all-new digital video processing system for superior picture detail and accurate rendition of color gradations. Delivering a choice of 1080/60p 4:2:2 or 1080/60i 4:4:4 color sampling, the new high bit-depth HDK-97A is designed for traditional-style multi-camera production applications. A docking-style camera, the new HDK-97A also features a 3G fiber-transmission system from the camera head to its (also new) CCU. Transmission options include an HD-SDI QTV signal for teleprompter (or vanity/program monitor) use and an HD-SDI "trunk channel" that allows for connection of a second camera that doesn't have its own built-in fiber transmission system (such as a POV camera, including one paired with the HDK-97A in a stereoscopic 3-D application).

The new HDK-97C compact low-profile docking-style 3G multiformat HD field production camera (which also delivers 1080/60p 4:2:2 and 1080/60i 4:4:4) employs next-generation CMOS 2.5 million pixel 2/3-inch sensors for low-power consumption and high performance. The HDK-97C and its companion Ikegami Unicam cameras operate with new and existing CCUs, including the 3G CCU-970, the 3G half-rack BS-97, and the new low-profile BSF-55 fiber base station. The HDK-97C allows easy change-over between fiber and triax adapters, with Ikegami's CCU-970M capable of supporting both cable types with simple front-panel switch selection. The HDK-970A is the full studio version of the HDK-97A, featuring the ruggedness and ease-of-service long associated with full studio-body cameras. Two hundred watts of utility power is available for prompter powering, and the studio versions includes new styling and coordinated color with their portable companions. The HDK-97 and HDK-970 cameras are also available in models that support native 24p: the HDK-97AP, HDK-97CP, HDK-970AP, and HDK-970CP. The new HDK-55 is the most affordable member of the Unicam HD camera series, and uses 1080i 2.3 million pixel AIT CCDs. New features include Quick EZ Focus and chromatic aberration correction. Like the other portable cameras in the Unicam HD series, the HDK-55 is a compact low-profile camera head with docking adapter for fiber or triax cable use. Providing multiformat HD convenience and easing the transition from SD to HD, Ikegami's new BSF-55 compact, economical fiber base station is just 1.5 rack units in height and weighs only 16 lbs., yet it supports SMPTE cable distances up to 2 km (1.2 miles). Including both up- and down-converters, the BSF-55 readily supports the transition from SDTV to HDTV with inputs and outputs in both formats as a standard feature. The BSF-55 operates with the full range of HDK-series camera heads, supporting both 1080i and 720p in either 59.94Hz or 50Hz.

Ultra Slow Motion: Co-developed, sold, and supported by Ikegami, the Hi-Motion II ultra-slow-motion HD camera system from NAC Image Technology – a world leader in the design and manufacture of advanced imaging and motion-analysis systems – uses a three-CMOS-sensor camera head with 96GB of built-in memory to deliver greater than 10x speed for clear, sharp ultra-slow-motion playback of HD sports action. A dual-format 1080i/720p system, it provides simultaneous output of live normal-speed video and ultra-slow-motion replay video. The Hi-Motion II ultra-slow-motion HD camera can be used as both a "traditional" HD portable/field camera and an ultra-motion HD camera that can work side-by-side with other Ikegami HD cameras on production trucks to deliver the exceptional imagery today's HDTV sports viewers demand. Four Hi-Motion II cameras provided historic ultra-slow-motion coverage of crucial plays during Super Bowl XLVI.

Versatile HD Cameras: Ikegami's range of full-digital HD cameras are the choice of leading HD mobile production companies, TV stations, and studio operations around the world. Models include the HDK-79EC native multiformat HD CMOS portable field camera for use with fiber or triax camera cable and the cost-effective HDK-77EC native multiformat HD CMOS portable field camera designed to meet the demands of an increasingly varied HD market needing both 1080i and 720p HD. Both are configurable as "hard" studio or field cameras by using an Ikegami SE-79D System Expander. The 16-bit HDK-79EXIIIa, configurable for portable or "hard" field/studio camera use, also provides superb CCD imaging and optional multiformat HD output.

Resources: www.ikegami.com

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