As part of a project geared to expanding the University of Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium, the school has also upgraded its video systems to high definition in both the stadium and at its Coleman Coliseum facility. The upgrade included purchase of three Hitachi SK-HD1000 HDTV studio/field cameras equipped with Fujinon lenses.
“We took a great deal of time and care in selecting our camera package, since it’s a long-term investment for our facility,” said Justin Brant, director of the UofA’s Crimson Tide Productions. Hitachi’s package pricing was extremely attractive, even when analyzing individual system components such as the lenses, CCU’s and remote set-up panels.”
Another factor in the school’s selection of the Hitachi cameras was a user-friendly interface.
“One of our chief concerns was that our new HD cameras be as user-friendly as possible,” said Brant. “When the cameras are used at Coleman Coliseum for men’s and women’s basketball and gymnastics, we give students the opportunity to operate them and gain experience. While many high-end, HD broadcast cameras have complex menus and switches, the Hitachi SK-HD1000 has a simple, intuitive interface, making it very easy to use.”
The school is running the cameras in 1080i mode and operates them with Hitachi CU-HD-1000 CCUs via a custom fiber network.
