In Broadcast - May 2014 - 46

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

WWW.INBROADCAST.COM | ISSUE 31 - MAY 2014

N E W S

InSTUDIO
Developments In Sports Television Production Equipment Cont.
Panasonic's
VariCam HS

46

operate in a tapeless workflow.
Panasonic's third-generation
VariCam HS camera, introduced at
NAB 2014, incorporates high speed
1080p image capture for sports or
SFX slow-motion applications. The
camera head uses three newlydeveloped 1920 x 1080p MOS
imagers with 14 stops of aperture
control. It can capture at up to 240
frames per second in 1080p using
AVC-Intra Class100 compression
and offers the ability to change
frame rates during record. 24-bit
linear PCM audio recording is also
provided. Additional features include
'V-Log' in addition to FilmRec and
dynamic range stretch image
contrast management controls.
Antenna, one of the main television
networks in Cyprus, recently decided
to expand the master control room
at its Nicosia headquarters to
accommodate three sports channels
for Cytavision. Cytavision is a digital
television service introduced in 2004
by the Cyprus Telecommunications

Authority
which
i s t h e c o u n t r y 's m a i n
telecommunications service
provider. Antenna chose an ITbased tapeless channel-in-a-box
system from PlayBox Technology.
The system includes three servers
each comprising AirBox playout
and automation, and TitleBox onair dynamic graphics. TitleBox is
an interactive graphics manager
which creates, displays and controls
multi-zone screens with rolls, crawls,
animations, clocks, station logos
and 3D objects.

Sony's F65-based 4K live camera
system, when used in combination
with a PWS-4400 4K/HD live server,
can be deployed to capture 4K 120p
slow-motion images. The PWS-4400
records 4K and HD video and can be
conﬁgured for up to four recording
channels. It has 2 terabytes of internal
storage which provides around ﬁve
hours storage at 4K 50p/59.94p 600
megabits per second using the XAVC
video format. In 4K workﬂow, the
unit generates a 4K XAVC ﬁle that
can be handled easily in non-linear
editing systems. Internal storage is
optionally expandable to 8 terabytes.
Vision Research has begun
shipping the Phantom v2010 which
it claims is the most-ﬂexible and
highest-performance ultra-highspeed camera on the market. The
Phantom v2010 captures more
than 22,000 frames-per-second
at full resolution and uses 1280 x
800 CMOS sensors operating at
12-bit pixel depth. The camera can
be conﬁgured with 24, 48 or 96
gigabytes of memory, which can be
segmented into 63 partitions to allow
for nonstop shooting without the
need for continuous downloading. To

maximise sensitivity when shooting in
low light, the v2010 can be operated
at ISO 5000 (daylight illumination)
for colour images or ISO 25,000 for
monochrome images. Internal fans
are used to keep the camera cool but
these can be temporarily switched
off for applications that are sensitive
to vibration, such as microscopy.
The majority of camera settings can
be managed locally eliminating the
need for a PC or laptop connection
for camera control. The Phantom
v2010 includes timecode, dual
power inputs, HD-SDI, GPS input,
camera synchronisation, and trigger
connections. These connections are
placed on the back of the camera.
The v2010 comes equipped with
Vision Research's CineMag interface
which allows a high-speed shot from
camera memory to be copied to an
external device. A 96 gigabyte ﬁle
can be saved in about 1.5 minutes.
Last but not least, Vitec Videocom
recently expanded its Camera Corps
business with the incorporation
of assets from SIS Live Special
Cameras (formerly BBC Special
Cameras). The Special Cameras
portfolio includes the Stump Cam
used for cricket broadcasts, onboard cameras for events such
as the America's Cup yacht race,
and Isle of Man TT motor-cycle
racing. Also added to the Camera
Corps range of speciality cameras
are the Plunge Cam which tracks
divers into the pool and underwater,
and the Halibut Underwater HD
tracking camera.

Sony and FIFA will collaborate on 4K initiatives at the 2014 FIFA World Cup

Photron Introduces Versatile High Speed FASTCAM Mini UX 100
T

he recently introduced
FASTCAM Mini UX 100 high
speed camera from Photron, a
leading world-wide developer and
supplier of slow motion digital
imaging solutions, provides 4,000
fps at full 1,280 pixels wide by 1,024
tall resolution.
At 720 High Deﬁnition resolution
(the 720 HD, 1:77 aspect ratio,
typically utilised for sports

Photron's FASTCAM Mini UX 100
high speed camera provides 4,000
fps at 1,280 x 1,024

broadcasting applications) it
provides 6,400 fps, and continued
operation, albeit at reduced
resolution as with all high speed
cameras, all the way to eight
thousand frames per second.
The FASTCAM Mini UX 100
is a versatile, very compact and
lightweight high speed camera,
measuring in at only 120mm
(4.7") high × 120mm (4.7") wide ×
90mm (3.6") deep, and weighing
only 3.4 lb. (1.5 kg.). It is provided
with both threaded C-mount
and Nikon-G (F) lens mounts for
maximum convenience.
The 12-bit CMOS sensors 10µm
square pixels provide a genuine ISO
12232 standard light sensitivity of
ISO 10,000 for the monochrome
version, and ISO 5,000 for
the colour one.
Both versions are available with
three onboard memory options; 4GB
(providing 0.55 seconds at full 1,280
x 1,024 pixels resolution at 4,000
fps), 8GB (1.09 sec. at full resolution,

4K fps) and 16GB (2.18 sec. at full
resolution and 4K fps).
A super-fast gigabit Ethernet port
on the cameras rear panel provides
the means to quickly offload
recorded data in AVI, MOV or WMV
video formats, and RAW, PNG, TIFF,
BMP and JPEG image formats, as
well as control the camera with any
suitable Windows laptop.
Photron's BC2 HD camera system
is intended for use in broadcast,
commercials, television, and motion
picture production applications.
The camera is designed to
deliver signiﬁcant improvements
in image quality by minimising
dark noise for better detail in the
black areas of the image and
reduction of image ghosting
for regions with high contrast.
Resolution settings include
2048 x 2048, 1920 x 1080, 1280
x 720 and 1024 x 766 pixels. Speed
in 1920 x 1080 pixel mode is 1080
frames per second. The camera has
been independently rated between

640 and 800 ASA.
It can be used with an Atomos
HD-SDI recorder allowing Apple
ProRes HQ movies to be captured
as Quicktime ﬁles. A 32 gigabyte
integral memory provides 20
seconds of capture time at 500
frames per second full HD.
The Photron BC2 includes a
mechanical shutter plus Nikon G
and PL lens mounts.

The Photron BC2
HD camera system is
aimed at broadcast,
commercials and ﬁlm

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