FLUSHING, N.Y.—Mobile TV production services company Interface Communications recently upgraded its camera lineup to support 1080p production of NBA coverage with the addition of Hitachi Kokusai Electric America SK-HD1080 studio and field production cameras with 3G-SDI connectivity.

“Our existing cameras were 1080i and used HD-SDI connectivity, but the NBA production compound uses 1080p over 3G-SDI,” said Dimitrios Lagos, operations manager at Interface Communications. “Adding 1080p cameras would not only avoid the need for conversions in the NBA compound, but also give us greater format flexibility for projects with other clients.”

Interface Communications, which provides production services and engineering for sporting and entertainment events, fashion shows and church services, upgraded its 33-foot hybrid production truck Hermes earlier this year with the addition of the Hitachi cameras to support is NBA work, including pre- and post-game press conferences, events, such as the governor’s meetings, and supplementary feeds.

The production services company had previous experience with the Hitachi SK-HD1000 and SK-HD1200 cameras, which gave it a good reason to look at the SK-HD1080, said Lagos.

"We compared the Hitachi cameras to other manufacturers’ offerings, and found the SK-HD1800s to deliver visual quality that is just as good as the alternatives but at a more competitive price point,” he said. “The picture quality is amazing, and the price tag doesn’t break the back of a small company like ours. At the end of the day, very few people can tell the difference between the SK-HD1800s and much more expensive competitors.”

Interface Communications initially bought four of the cameras but since has acquired three more. The company first used the new cameras during the NBA All-Star Game in February.

In June, it used them for the NBA Finals and to date has used them for more than 20 productions, including the opening of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church at the World Trade Center in Manhattan, Hitachi said.

Interface Communications finds several aspects of the SK-HD1080 to be beneficial, including the camera’s global shutter image sensors, which makes it easier to get a stable, flicker-free image for corporate clients who like to stand in front of an LED video wall to make presentations. The shutter is also especially helpful for low light conditions, such as those encountered during church services, said Lagos.

Lagos also lauds the cameras’ versatility and dependability. “The SK-HD1800s give us the flexibility to match whatever signal format is needed for any particular project, and we can be up and running fast, which is crucial when we’re setting up on-site under a tight timeframe,” he said. “And from a reliability standpoint, we’ve had no issues at all with the SK-HD1800s since we purchased them, despite them taking a beating with some of the crews that we use.”

More information is available on the company’s website.

LOS ANGELES—KJLA-TV, the home here of the American Spanish-language TV network Azteca America, has purchased four Hitachi Kokusai Electric America SK-UHD4000 cameras for use in its production studios, the company announced today.

The broadcaster is using the cameras on its two green-screen stages and at its production studios on the westside of Los Angeles where they are helping to meet increased demand from the facility’s rental clients for 1080p full-HD and 4K production.

“We considered upgrading to 1080p cameras, but looking forward, that would only buy us a couple of years before we would need to go all the way to 4K,” said KJLA-TV chief engineer Tony Solano. “People were already starting to ask for 4K, so we decided to upgrade all the way.”

The station rents the studios to premium media and entertainment clients. Their projects range from network TV shows and motion pictures to music videos and corporate video productions. 

KJLA also produces original content for its sister company, LATV Networks, in the studios. 

Prior to the purchase, KJLA relied on Hitachi 1080i HD cameras and being satisfied with their performance was motivated to turn to the company once again for the new cameras, he said.

“Hitachi Kokusai has always offered very good products, and the customer service has always been great,” he said.

In particular, Solano found the durability and reliability of its earlier generation Hitachi Z-HD6000 1080i cameras appealing.

“Since we are renting out these cameras with the studio, a lot of different hands have been on them over the years, but we’ve never had a camera break down,” he said.

The station took delivery of the new cameras in February and immediately began using them. Three are deployed on Cartoni pedestals, and the fourth is mounted on a Jimmy Jib Triangle.

The new cameras are lightweight and “not too bulky,” he said. That makes them easy to transport between two studio spaces.

The new cameras offer enhanced image quality when compared to the station’s previous cameras, said Solano, who added he highly values the “depth of picture controls” available on the controller and via the camera’s integration with the Ross Video Dashboard software.

The cameras have proven to be easy to use, something that is particularly beneficial to rental clients who frequently bring in their own production crews for shoots, he said.

The cameras’ sensitivity has also been welcomed. “The stage manager for our LATV Networks productions noted that they don’t need to do as much lighting as they previously did,” he said.

More information is available on the company’s website. 

SOUTHWICK, Mass.—When the pandemic hit, Temple Baptist Church in Hattiesburg, Miss., chose to upgrade its production equipment and infrastructure knowing that video would be a key part of serving its congregation during lockdown. Among the upgraded products brought in was four of Hitachi’s SK-HD1800 broadcast camera systems.

Entering 2020, Temple Baptist Church was still using standard-definition video equipment for most of its production. But when the pandemic struck a decision was made to upgrade its video infrastructure. 

Tanner Cade, the church’s media director, selected the SK-HD1800, which features native 1080p support, expected to help with eventual upgrades to 4K, and global shutter technology, which allows for flicker-free capture.

The church began using the cameras in October 2020. Live video of the services are projected through Barco Ultra HD laser projectors onto a 24x13.5-foot screen. “The clarity of the IMAG picture, even from the balcony seats, makes people feel much more engaged when they come to our services,” said Cade.

The Hitachi-acquired video is shown throughout the campus on large displays. Footage is also recorded for broadcast on WHPM, the area’s local Fox affiliate, and streamed live through the Resi platform to the church’s website, social media channels and mobile app.

Cade also praised the SK-HD18000s ease of use for the mostly volunteer production crew and the ability to take the cameras around campus to shoot high-quality images in different areas.

“The Hitachi cameras have brought our church to a whole new ballgame of video quality that our staff and volunteers are fully embracing, and that our members love,” said Cade. “We’re excited to bring our members the same quality of work here at the church that they see at home on television, particularly as it’s their giving – even during a difficult year – that enabled this upgrade. We’re excited about the future of what the cameras can bring not only to our weekend services, but many other new opportunities for us during the week.”

For more information, visit www.hitachikokusai.com.  

WOODBURY, N.Y.—Hitachi Kokusai Electric America Ltd. is picking up shop and relocating its U.S. headquarters to a larger facility in Southwick, Mass., where it will be under the same roof as its subsidiary, Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark LLC (Comark).

Hitachi’s lease for its Long Island, N.Y., facility is set to expire, which opened the door to working side-by-side with Comark, said Sean Moran, chief operating officer of Hitachi. Sharing the 53,000-square-foot space will lead to future collaboration opportunities, Moran continued, as well as simply offering more engineering space and resources.

The moving process is beginning in December, with the changeover expected to be official by Jan. 1, 2021.

Hitachi will retain all of its staff from the previous location. Employees who chose not to relocate to Massachusetts will be permitted to work remotely.

Hitachi Kokusai’s new address is 104 Feeding Hills Road, Southwick, Mass., 01077.

HILO, Hawaii—Nã Leo TV (NLTV) is the public access television station run by Nã Leo o Hawaii (NLOH), the nonprofit leader for media services on the “Big Island” of Hawaii. We provide public, education and government programming for the entire island across three cable channels, website and mobile app.

In the spring of 2019, we started looking at new cameras in order to produce more live events such as high school sports, but our existing prosumer-level HD camcorders weren’t up to the task. Our president wanted a higher quality standard, and to meet the demands of live sports, we needed cameras that would respond well in low light and could zoom all the way down a football field.

Our previous cameras also required tons of cabling—including separate video, communications and power—that was cumbersome for field use. I wanted the simplicity of a single SMPTE fiber cable for each camera, the higher quality of 2/3-inch sensors and the ability to use longer, B4-mount lenses.

A STEP UP IN QUALITY

Oahu-based Da Crew Production and Engineering Group arranged a side-by-side comparison between three major camera brands, and I liked what I saw with the SK-HD1800 model from Hitachi Kokusai. Watching on broadcast monitors and multiviewers, some people couldn’t see the difference between it and more expensive competitors, and the rest of us pointed to the Hitachi camera as having the best quality.

We purchased four SK-HD1800s in June 2019 and started using them in our studio and field productions last summer. We transport the cameras around the island in our 24-foot production trailer, which is parked next to our 18-foot high, 50x25-foot main studio. This lets us use the trailer as the control room when shooting in the studio.

We usually use three of the cameras on Cartoni or Sachtler tripods, with one operated handheld. We have three Fujinon ZA22x7.6BE lenses, one Fujinon HA14x4.5BERD-S super-wide lens and one Fujinon XA99x8.4BESM box lens that we use for sports.

We have been very pleased with the quality produced by the Hitachi cameras, and their low-light handling has been awesome. A lot of our high school stadiums aren’t very well lit, but we’re able to run the cameras at 6dB gain or less and get very good-looking results.

THE LITTLE DETAILS

I really value the setup simplicity and ease of use of these cameras. As a public access station, we have a lot of volunteers—including high school and college students—who may not understand all the technology, but I can get someone with little or no experience up to speed and comfortable with the SK-HD1800 in just minutes. I also like how the structure and language of the menus are essentially common sense, avoiding the need to dive into too many different buttons and submenus to get at the features I’m looking for.

The ability to control everything remotely from the truck over SMPTE fiber is fantastic, as is using the Ross Dashboard software on a Surface Pro tablet to adjust video settings. The cameras are also much lighter than others I have used, which is great for field use.

While social distancing cut short our spring sports season and temporarily reduced the number of productions in our studio, we’re enjoying the improvements the SK-HD1800 cameras have delivered. They have enabled us to take on more types of production projects and have enhanced the quality of our programs. Everything looks much better with these cameras, and people have noticed the difference in our broadcasts.

Matt Cordero is production manager at Nã Leo TV. He can be reached at mcordero@naleo.tv.

For additional information, visit www.hitachikokusai.us. 

WOODBURY, N.Y.—North Carolina Central University’s NCCU TV Studio has a mission of training students for their professional careers through hands-on experience. To help with that mission, the school recently purchased three SK-UHD4000 UHD cameras from Hitachi Kokusai.

NCCU TV has been working to upgrade from its legacy standard-definition equipment, so that it can transition from its current 1080p HD to Ultra HD when the time comes. The school got a recommendation for the SK-UHD4000s from systems integrator Digital Video Group.

The new Hitachi cameras arrived on campus in February 2019 and were included in the renovated NCCU TV Studio that opened in April of that year. Deployed on Vinten Osprey Light pedestals, the SK-UHD4000s are used for a variety of productions, with broadcast curriculum students operating them.

Felecia Casey-Hicks, NCCU TV Studio manager, highlights the cameras’ ease of use that allow the students to balance the operation and creative aspects of production.

“The students are very excited, and some of our first group of students that used the cameras last year came back this past semester to help train the next students behind them,” said Casey-Hicks. “If they’re learning well enough to subsequently teach somebody else, then we’re doing our jobs right—and the Hitachi cameras are a big part of that.”

For more information, visit www.hitachikokusai.com.  

WOODBURY, N.Y.—Hitachi Kokusai is ready to release its latest in 8K technology, the SK-UHD8060B dockable 8K UHDTV camera. Built off Hitachi’s previous 8K models, this new camera adds an organic photoconductive CMOS image sensor for capturing 8K video with expanded dynamic range.

Incorporating organic photoconductive film (OPF) into a CMOS sensor enables a higher saturation charge than silicon photodiodes, increasing dynamic range, per Hitachi. The company says that the SK-UHD8060B model offers greater than 400% dynamic range.

The 8K video is delivered with 7680x4320 resolution. It conforms to global standards like UHD-2, ITU-R BT.2020 color specification, ITU-R BT.2100 for HDR and Japan’s ARIB specification.

Additional features include support for PL mount lenses, as well as the ability to output multiple TV standards, including 8K, 4K/UHD, 1080p, 1080i and 720p. The camera head can be paired with a dockable recorder that uses a visually lossless codec.

For more information, visit www.hitachikokusai.us. 

Hitachi Kokusai Electric America Ltd. (Hitachi Kokusai) announces new features for its CU-HD550 camera control unit (CCU). The added capabilities include simultaneous High Dynamic Range (HDR) and Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) output with independent adjustments, and 4K/UHD output over single-link 12 Gbps SDI connectivity. The company says the CU-HD550 and its companion CA-HF550 camera adapter collectively lower the cost of entry for 1080p60 video production. 

Hitachi Kokusai Electric America plans to make its recently launched CU-HD550 camera control unit the center of spring offerings, with a number of new features to showcase.

The CU-HD550 was first introduced at the 2019 NAB Show New York, designed for 1080p60 video production. Now, Hitachi provides new dual-workflow functionality for CU-HD550 that enables parallel HDR/SDR acquisition with a single camera by providing separate video sharing adjustments for HDR and SDR outputs.

CU-HD550 also has added a configuration for single-link 12G-SDI output for transforming natively-acquired 1080p video to 4K resolution. This 4K output functionality supports HDR when used with an HDR-enabled camera, while the color matrix of the 12Gbps SDI output can be switched between ITU-Rec.709 and BT.2020 color spaces.

In addition to the CU-HD550, Hitachi plans to offer its companion CA-HF550 camera adapter and its SK-HD1800 studio and field production camera.

For more information, visit Hitachi’s website.

WOODBURY, N.Y.—To help give its students experience with industry-standard equipment, Santa Ana College’s TV and Video Communications department has purchased six SK-UHD4000 UD cameras from Hitachi Kokusai Electric America.

While it touts its TV and video production studio as one of the largest in the community college system, as recently as 2015 SAC still relied on SD cameras for studio production. SAC’s goal with purchasing the SK-UHD4000s was to future-proof its programs.

“By going with cameras that could do both HD and 4K, we could be ready to basically flip a switch and move to a 4K production model when we upgrade the rest of the studio environment to 4K,” said Michael Taylor, SAC’s department chair. “We plan to do that when the overall television industry has greater adoption of 4K, since we’re preparing our students for careers in that field.”

Taylor said they were attracted to Hitachi’s cameras capability to be used in both 1080p and 4K, as well as the ability to integrate with Ross Dashboard. While not currently using the camera’s 4K imaging, Taylor praises the image quality the cameras produce in HD mode.

With the cameras, Taylor says they are able to prepare their students for careers post-graduation, but there is also a benefit for the school itself, as the high-quality equipment emphasizes that SAC is a competitive program that is able to properly train students while creating professional-level productions.

CHELMSFORD, Mass.—Chelmsford TeleMedia (CTM) provides public access television for the town of Chelmsford, Mass., located 24 miles northwest of Boston. In addition to serving our own government and educational channels, our 35-foot, Gerling-built OB truck is also used for external productions including Minor League Baseball games for the Lowell Spinners, an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.

While we built the truck three years ago, the budget restrictions common to non-profit organizations forced us to start with older equipment and upgrade it in phases. Last year, we set out to replace the truck’s cameras. While they were HD—like many PEG stations, we can’t broadcast in HD yet, but we deliver HD online—the image quality was not very good. Also, because they weren’t studio-grade cameras, they lacked many features such as return video and tally.

IMMEDIATE DIFFERENCE

In December 2018, we purchased four Z-HD5500 cameras from Hitachi Kokusai through integrator Access AV in Concord, N.H. We love the quality of the images they produce, and as a true studio camera, their rich feature set provides a lot of flexibility. Right away, their compatibility with standard 2/3-inch lenses was an improvement over the 1/3-inch limitation of our previous cameras, allowing us to rent or borrow additional lenses as projects require without needing adapters.

We wanted to get the “best bang for our buck,” while future-proofing ourselves to get a long life cycle out of the cameras. Going with a well-known industry standard like Hitachi Kokusai also helps our bottom line by renting the truck to external clients.

We chose the Z-HD5500 model in particular because of its native 1080p support. While our current Broadcast Pix switcher is 1080i, it will soon be replaced, and we are already feeding 1080p60 into our Ross Mira instant replay system.

The color reproduction from the ZHD5500s is far better than our old cameras, and the skin tones are amazing. Ironically, the first time we shot a basketball game with the new cameras, the visual flaws in our gym—such as peeling paint—really stood out. Even though our old cameras were HD, they couldn’t see that level of detail. The difference is night and day.

SEEING THE LIGHT

Lighting used to be a challenge—particularly at concerts, we often had hot spots from student-focused lighting and instruments without diffusion—but being able to remotely shade the Z-HD5500s from the truck has made the complete system work much better. Conversely, our theatre productions are often very darkly lit, but with the Hitachi cameras, even under dark conditions we get a good-quality image without the picture getting grainy, and because we don’t need to increase the black level or setup, the picture doesn’t wash out.

The cameras’ ease of use has also been a big factor, since our productions are primarily crewed by students and volunteers. As a studio camera, the Z-HD5500s have been significantly easier to set up than our old mix-and-match approach, and our operators find them easy to work with. Last but not least, the bigger, higher-quality studio viewfinder on the Hitachi cameras is a big benefit for our operators, particularly for sports.

Bringing in the Hitachi cameras has drastically improved the quality of our productions. I believe the best result is when people react to a change, and viewers have commented on the difference. The Z-HD5500s have been really great for us, and I look forward to using them on all of our future productions.

Tom Peterson is production engineer at Chelmsford TeleMedia and teaches media and communications at Chelmsford High School. He can be reached attpeterson@townofchelmsford.us.

For more information on Hitachi Kokusai Electric America, visit hitachikokusai.us.

WOODBURY, N.Y.—A new entry to Hitachi’s lineup of cameras has been unveiled, with the SK-HD1800 studio and field camera now available for customers. This new model features the CMOS imaging technology present in the Z-HD5500 camera and a motorized, four-position filter wheel.

The SK-HD1800’s global shutter, progressive-scan, CMOS imagers are able to adapt to a range of LED lighting conditions. The camera also supports HDR specifications, including HLG and HPQ, which is compatible with the HDR10 open standard.

Users can pair the SK-HD1800 with a CCU from Hitachi’s CU-HD1300 series to create a flexible camera system that supports a variety of production infrastructures and output requirements. There is support for SMPTE fiber and digital triax connectivity, and can be combined with a dedicated fiber or triax CCU or with the dual-cable CU-HD1300 FT for deployment flexibility.

An optional 4K output module for the CU-HD1300 can transform natively-acquired 1080p video from the SK-HD1800 to 4K/UHD resolution and outputs the result over single-link 12Gbps SDI or quad-link 3G-SDI connectivity. A SMPTE ST 2110 option for the CU-HD1300, meanwhile, allows for seamless integration of the SK-HD1800 camera into next-gen IP-based production workflows. Both the 4K and SMPTE ST 2110 transport options support SK-HD1800’s HDR capabilities.

In addition, CU-HD1300 has a firmware option that enables users to optimize to acquire HDR and SDR video simultaneously with a single camera.

Now available, Hitachi will also display the SK-HD1800 model at its booth, C4409, during the 2019 NAB Show.

WOODBURY, N.Y.—A trio of Hitachi’s Z-HD5000 cameras are heading to class at Austin-Peay State University, with the school’s department of communication purchasing the cameras for its instructional television studio to give students hands-on experiences.

APSU previously purchased six Z-HD5000s from Hitachi for its basketball and football venues. Now that the three new Z-HD5000s are replacing the previous models in the department’s educational TV studio, it allows for consistency across productions, said Kathy Lee Heuston, professor and interim chair for the Department of Communications at APSU.

In the studio, the Hitachi cameras are set in a fixed position, though the other Z-HD5000s owned by the school are used with tripods, ladder mounts and as handhelds as needed. School officials also cited improved visual quality and the easy-to-teach setup of the cameras as reasons for selection.

“We are very fortunate to be able to use the Hitachi cameras in our classroom environment as well as in our productions, to give our students hands-on experience with professional equipment that will benefit them after graduation,” said Lee Heuston.

LAS VEGAS—As part of its NAB Show presentation, Hitachi Kokusai will demonstrate the latest firmware updates to two of its HD compact box camera models, the DK-H200 and DK-Z50. The upgrades provide HDR support to the DK-H200 1080p camera, while also boosting the quality of the 1080i DK-Z50.

Via the new update, the DK-H200 brings HDR benefits—increased contrast, expanded mid-tones and greater detail in dark and bright picture regions—to HDTV productions for improved viewer experiences. The firmware supports HDR specifications including Hybrid Log-Gamma and HPR, which is compatible with the HDR10 open standard.

The DK-Z50, meanwhile, will get a boost in image quality from the firmware update, enabling closer picture matching with Hitachi’s Z-HD5000 broadcast studio and field production camera. With the firmware, the DK-Z50’s signal-to-noise ratio rises to more than 60dB while also enhancing its detail functions and characteristics.

Hitachi is expected to release the new versions of the DK-H200 and DK-Z50 in the second quarter of 2019.

Hitachi will display all of its latest products at booth C4409. To register for the NAB Show, visit www.nabshow.com.

WOODBURY, N.Y.—Southeast Missouri State University has upgraded its cameras to stream Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) sports and other TV productions with the purchase of four Hitachi Z-HD5000 cameras.

The cameras, deployed by the university’s Mass Media’s TV and Film program –a department of the Holland College of Arts and Media, will be used for studio and remote video acquisition.

Students in the department produce content that’s broadcast as SETV on the local CBS/CW and Fox affiliates. They also work as crew members to produce and stream more than 100 OVC sporting events annually involving the Southeast Missouri Redhawks every year on ESPN+.

“When the OVC made it a requirement to stream sporting events, each school received a production pack with starter-level equipment including cameras,” explained Dr. Jim Dufek, professor, operations manager and SETV director in the department of Mass Media at Southeast Missouri State University. “After running into a variety of problems and limitations with it, we elected to purchase our own equipment that we could use for the Mass Media program as well as OVC sports coverage.”

Working with St. Louis-based reseller Modern Communications, the university selected the Hitachi cameras “based on their quality, affordability and reputation,” said Dufek. The cameras match the local CBS affiliate’s studio cameras, which allows the university to produce programs with the same quality as the broadcaster and to give students experience to make an easy transition to the station, he added.

The cameras are mounted on Vinten pedestals in the studio and Libec tripods in the field. They are used with Marshall monitors and a NewTek TriCaster production switcher and graphics system.

More information is available on the Hitachi website.

NASHVILLE, TN.—TNDV has redesigned and upgraded its Destination live multi-camera HD production truck to offer sports and entertainment producers an agile, compact mobile production solution in a 40-foot form factor.

“While there are plenty of full-sized HD production trucks on the road today, there aren’t many that can fit backstage or in the alley behind the venue,” said TNDV President and owner Nic Dugger. “By offering the same firepower in a much smaller footprint, Destination definitely fills that void in this specialized, niche market.”

The truck, originally called Blackjack, had been owned by three different companies before being acquired by TNDV, moved to Atlanta and parked outside the Philips Arena (now State Farm Arena) for four years where it was used to produce the home games of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks.

Once done with that coverage, the vehicle was redesigned, upgraded and rebranded. Destination was re-engineered with a robust infrastructure to handle a high density of video and audio feeds, said Dugger.

The redesigned Destination has expanding sides that broaden the production vehicle from nine to 11.5 feet. The interior is divided into a main video production area, an audio suite and an isolated video production space to allow producers and editors to work on content without disrupting live shows.

The main production space is equipped with a Ross Carbonite 3 M/E production switcher, which faces a large multiviewer. Digital video effects and live broadcast graphics options include two Ross xPression dual-channel CG systems, and either a Chyron Duet Hyper X3 or Pinnacle Deko 3000 dual-channel live graphics system.

A bank of AJA Video Ki Pro digital disc recorders are provided to record programs. Sony 1800 HDCam and Panasonic AJ-HD1200A VTRs are available as options. The production area also offers a six-channel EVS HD XT[2] slo-mo system for live sports production.

Destination carries Hitachi SK-HD 1200 portable HD studio/field production cameras that are capable of low-noise 1080p image capture with support for high dynamic range (HDR).

Audio support includes a Soundcraft Si Impact 32-facer digital audio mixer with a Soundcraft stagebox. A large Imagine Communications Platinum router handles video signal distribution, including multiviewer support.

More information is available on the TNDV website.

WOODBURY, N.Y.—Jewelry Television (JTV) added 12 new Z-HD6000 HDTV cameras from Hitachi Kokusai Electric America in June to the six Hitachi studio cameras it began using in 2015.

The cameras, part of a major studio overhaul project undertaken by the Knoxville, Tenn.,-based jewelry and gemstone retailer, are used in production of JTV’s live programming, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In 2015, JTV replaced its ageing lineup of studio cameras with six Z-HD6000 HDTV cameras, which along with a new set and lighting, helped to produce a tangible improvement in sales from the new studio. That experience demonstrated JTV was “on the right track,” said Dennis Wilson, JTV chief engineer.

“[I]t’s one of the reasons that we’re now updating Studios A and B and that we bought the additional Z-HD6000 cameras –to try to get the same boost,” said Wilson.

Of the 18, Z-HD6000 cameras, five are deployed on pedestals in Studio C and four each are being assigned to Studios A and B. Three of the Z-HD6000 cameras are used in JTV’s lightbox for product specialty shots, and the two remaining cameras are installed in JTV’s recently built 450-seat auditorium, which can accommodate up to nine cameras, if needed.

Wilson, who is pleased with the picture and color reproduction of the Hitachi cameras, said the new cameras don’t require as many lights as JTV’s previous studio cameras to achieve the same result, which benefits the productions and the on-camera talent, he explained. “We need to light the jewelry to make it sparkle, while also keeping our on-camera talent happy,” said Wilson.

The JTV chief engineer added the cameras are quite reliable. “Once we have them set up, we never have to go back and do anything to them,” he said.

JTV has begun construction of another new studio and control room, and Wilson plans to use Hitachi cameras for that expansion, he added.

Technical Video Systems, a Hitachi reseller in Cary, N.C., suppled JTV with the new cameras.

More information is available on the Hitachi website.

As one of the four major sports leagues in the United States, the National Hockey League ranks fourth in popularity through the eyes of the sporting public. While it’s obviously the major deal north of the border, Canada has roughly one-tenth of the population of its neighbor to the south.

Those facts don’t usually produce the highest TV ratings.

NBC carries the NHL in the United States while Rogers Communications holds the rights in Canada (along with TVA Sports for French language broadcasts), with sports nets for each franchise. At the lower levels — including the minor leagues, college and juniors — hockey isn’t a huge draw like college football or basketball, for instance.

So, how do the millions of enthusiastic fans in North America get their fix? By buying packages from streaming companies as they support the game at its roots, in a way that the economics of a major league broadcast wouldn’t allow.

STREAM SWITCH

In the American Hockey League (AHL), the Hershey Bears have played before a rabid fan base since 1938. The franchise has always drawn well at home, since 2002 in the 10,500-seat Giant Center; and via its web stream, which will be taken over for the 2018–19 season by HockeyTV.

Aaron Henry, who contracts with the Bears through Great Save Productions, said the move from the sport’s other main streaming provider, NeuLion (which works with a wide swath of industries, sports included), for the 2018–19 season was the team’s next move after an upgrade at the rink three years ago to HD bolstered the fan experience.

The team worked with Diversified Systems Inc., of Kenilworth, N.J., on the HD upgrades to the four-sided center ice board, as well as cable boxes, including channel insertion from Radiant Communications Corp., based in South Plainfield, N.J.

Diversified installed a Ross Carbonite switcher, “which led to the creation of an auxiliary bus with different channels: one for feeds in Giant Center, the other for streaming,” Henry said. At the time of installation, the NeuLion feed was encoded at 720p.

“Today, it’s a new 1080i setup with HockeyTV,” which is designing its install to include an encoder that will take in audio-video signals, as well as content from HockeyTV’s smaller cameras, which operate on algorithms and direct the signal to its hub.

Everything the team bought for the HD upgrade is in use, including five Hitachi cameras that are hardwired with triax cabling, plus one wireless. Camera positions include two spots in Section 120 atop the lower level; one in Section 110, behind the goal; one above Section 117 at the Zamboni tunnel; and one above Section 113, for power play setup.

A sixth handheld camera is stationed next to the Zamboni tunnel, where the referees enter the ice at Section 116; there are also two Marshall lipstick cameras mounted behind the goals, with a third at the Bears’ bench.

The Bears took an economical approach to content capture with the ZPlay system from Tightrope Media Systems, which Henry called “a hybrid of EVS and the NewTek 3Play,” which is Windows-based and has similar functions.

ON THE JOB LEARNING

John Mitchell, owner of Digital Multimedia Solutions in Belmont, Mass., is working in a new facility at Bentley University in Waltham, Mass., which opened its new 2,000-seat arena earlier this year. The arena features a Nevco video board and a user-friendly broadcast facility, with its game stream provided via Stretch Internet.

“The control room is run by students,” said Mitchell, who also works for the NHL’s Boston Bruins (and the NBA’s Boston Celtics) at TD Garden. “The kids can learn to run replays in 5–10 minutes, which is great, because the challenge in this part of the business is getting the students involved in a learning environment and communicating as a team, with professionals,” he said.

[Read: Marshall POV Cameras Give New Look to Harvard Sports]

The game presentation uses up to 10 cameras, with four Panasonic AW-HE130s and 40S, including two over both goals and two at each blue line; and six Panasonic P-2HD robotic cameras for shoulder or tripod mounts, with Fujinon HA Premier series lenses.

Fiber is built out to five camera locations, with the setup featuring a Blackmagic 72x72 universal router and two switchers: the NewTek TriCaster TC-1 for the broadcast and TriCaster 8000 for inside the in-house show. The two replay machines are also NewTek designs, the 3Play 4800 and the 3Play 440.

Bentley, a member of the Atlantic Hockey collegiate conference, employs “the higher end of the more affordable equipment,” said Mitchell, noting his company has done similar installs at various arenas in the northeast, that don’t require more experienced crews to operate.

“We used to need racks and racks of equipment to make this all work,” Mitchell said. “The NewTek NDI is the largest router in the world ― without having a router.

“This,” he added, “is all about the future and IP video.”

“THE STANDARD”

In the hockey hotbed of Regina, Saskatchewan, Ryan Borowko and his crew bring junior hockey action to the locals in a broadcast facility he said is “great, and we’re making it better.” The technical producer of the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Regina Pats said setup at the 6,400-seat Brandt Centre is already “the standard of the league for what a video operation should be.”

The Pats’ 10-camera show includes three hardwired and one wireless Sony PMW 320 cameras, plus one robocam under the score clock for on-ice shots, another in the arena’s northwest corner for wide-angle shots during camera switches, and two in-board cameras in the northwest and southwest bottom corners, straight back from the face-off circles that are about six inches off the ice. There are also overhead cameras above both goals, which are replay-only.

Borowko and company switch the show with a Blackmagic A-10, with the NewTek 3Play 4800 for replays. But what sets this setup apart from other WHL teams is the MotionRocket LaunchPad, an all-in-one automatic clip server and playback source for all graphics and videos, including the scorebar atop the scoreboard.

“It’s one of the most unique and versatile platforms available,” he said. “If you can’t afford a Chyron, MotionRocket is your only other option, because you can control up to five surfaces from each machine, as well as handle data ingest from any source, be it Daktronics, OES [which is used by most WHL arenas] or Nevco.”

STREAMING RIGHT ALONG

While these three arenas feature some of the finer facilities in organized hockey, they are somewhat the exceptions, as teams have varying equipment rosters, according to John Fiore, director of HockeyTV in Waterloo, Ontario, which streams the games from teams in about two dozen leagues.

“Some teams do multicamera shoots with as many as five cameras,” Fiore said, “and others just have the one camera at center ice. Some teams offer elaborate broadcasts with pre- and post-game shows, and various bonus content. That all depends on what each team can pay or how many volunteers they have available.”

The job of HockeyTV is “to provide the teams with necessary hardware, which is proprietary, for them to be able to stream from their buildings,” he said.

“No two venues are the same,” Fiore said, “so whatever they are allowed to do and can do varies from team to team, venue to venue.”

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WOODBURY, NY—Legislative television service The FLORIDA Channel has purchased three Z-HD5000 HDTV cameras from Hitachi Kokusai to enable high-quality video acquisition for its studio productions. The new studio cameras join 26 Hitachi DK-Z50 box cameras installed earlier in the Capitol building’s chambers and committee rooms. 

Located in the state Capitol building in Tallahassee, The FLORIDA Channel is a public affairs programming service funded by the Florida Legislature and produced and operated by WFSU-TV, the PBS member station owned by Florida State University. It features programming covering all three branches of state government, and is Florida’s primary source for live, unedited coverage of the Governor and Cabinet, the Legislature and the Supreme Court. It produces more than 2,500 hours of original programming each year that can be seen on PBS multicast channels, cable systems and PEG (public, education and government access) channels across the state. The FLORIDA Channel also offers 18 web streams that provide live coverage of all proceedings. 

See also: UMass Lowell Goes All In With Hitachi Z-HD5000 Cameras 

Binghamton University Athletics Shoots With Hitachi Z-HD5000 Cameras 

Complementing its live session feeds, The FLORIDA Channel produces studio programs including live “Capitol Update” newscasts, the “Florida Face to Face” interview series, and “Perspectives,” which lets members of the Legislature introduce themselves and discuss their priorities. When the channel recently performed a total overhaul of its production studio—including a new set, new lighting, new teleprompters and more—they took the opportunity to also replace their decade-old cameras as part of the project. 

Picture quality was similarly a key factor when The FLORIDA Channel first selected the DK-Z50 box cameras to replace outdated, non-widescreen models in select rooms. 

Eight DK-Z50 cameras are now used in the House chamber, with six more in the Senate chamber and another six in each of the two largest committee rooms in the Knott Building. All of the DK-Z50s are paired with FUJINON HAs18x7.6BZD-T5DD zoom lenses and operated robotically on Ross Video CamBot 500 Series pan/tilt heads. 

WOODBURY, N.Y.—Students at Radford University’s School of Communications are getting hands on production experience with a batch of Z-HD5000 cameras from Hitachi. The school acquired four Z-HD5000s after it upgraded its educational television production studio to a fully HD environment.

Many of the school’s video production courses now utilize the Z-HD5000s, teaching a range of production styles, from sitcoms to newscasts. Three of the cameras are manually operated on tripods and can be used for in-studio and electronic field production, while the fourth is deployed in a robotic configuration with Ross Video CamBot pan/tilt head.

“The new environment and new cameras allow us to give students a better idea of how real-world television studios work, and enable the students to produce high-quality videos for their portfolios,” said Michael J. Meindl, assistant professor of media production for the School of Communications.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA.—The University of Virginia Cavaliers compete across 25 NCAA Division I sports, but until recently, our live video productions were seen exclusively on large video boards within our own venues, engaging fans under our “Hoo Vision” brand. While our post-production workflows included some HD elements, our live production capabilities were only SD.

Anticipating the formation of a new distribution partnership, we held off fully transitioning to HD until we knew the specific technical requirements of our future outlets. When the ACC reached an agreement to bring live streams of league matches to ESPN3 we needed to upgrade our production equipment to begin broadcasting in HD.

UVA uses its SK-HD1300 cameras for indoor and outdoor athletics events.

MOVING ON UP
We were very satisfied users of Hitachi Z-4000 standard-definition cameras for the last seven years, and this prompted us to consider Hitachi Kokusai for our HD upgrade. We performed comparisons to other vendors’ cameras, but the quality, value and rich features of Hitachi’s HD models combined with our positive experience proved that our decision was correct.

We purchased nine Hitachi SK-HD1300 studio/field production cameras and one Hitachi DK-H200 compact box camera in September 2016 and went operational with them in November, starting with live streaming broadcasts of our men’s and women’s basketball games. We chose the 1080p-native SK-HD1300 and DK-H200 models because, although the ESPN3 specification called for 720p video, we knew we would use the cameras for several years and would eventually take advantage of their full 1080p/60 capabilities.

Comprehensive Technical Group, an Atlanta-based systems integrator, did the upgrade, covering everything from installation and commissioning of the cameras to the design and implementation of our new control rooms. Meanwhile, the cameras’ ease of use and our familiarity with the earlier SD models made the transition simple for our crew of freelance operators and paid interns, with practically no learning curve.

BIG MAN ON CAMPUS
The SK-HD1300s are so versatile we can deploy them in various combinations of handheld operation and hard camera positions on studio kits, letting us tailor each production to the specific sport we are covering. We move the cameras around between the university’s indoor and outdoor athletics venues, all of which are linked via fiber to the engineering and control rooms located at our basketball facility, John Paul Jones Arena.

SMPTE fiber connections from eight of the SK-HD1300s are interfaced to our campus’ single-mode fiber infrastructure using MultiDyne SMPTE-HUT universal camera transceivers, while the ninth SK-HD1300 is deployed wirelessly. The DK-H200 box camera is used in a fixed position on our recently-built green screen studio set, which uses a Ross Video Trackless Studio to create virtual camera moves.

The Hitachi cameras’ integration with the Dashboard open control and monitoring platform from Ross Video has been huge for us. For some productions, we don’t have the budget or resources for a dedicated shader and the Dashboard software platform allows a producer in the control room to handle shading remotely through an intuitive graphical interface.

We’ve now used the Hitachi HDTV cameras for more than 90 events and they have lived up to our expectations. They have endured heavy usage by numerous operators and continue to provide great image quality comparable to much more expensive cameras. Hitachi cameras deliver a lot of bang for your buck and would be a great fit for any venue looking for cameras to enhance their productions.

Matt Uncapher is senior producer and engineer for Athletics Video Services at the University of Virginia. He can be reached atmuncapher@virginia.edu.

For more information on Hitachi Kokusai Electric America, visitwww.hitachikokusai.usor call 855-891-5179.

WOODBURY, N.Y.—The University of Massachusetts Lowell must have gave high grades to the Hitachi Z-HD5000, as the school is doubling its roster of Hitachi cameras at its Tsongas Center to boost live production and help with expanding distribution opportunities.

The Tsongas Center is the home of UMass Lowell’s hockey and basketball teams. It previously had two Hitachi Z-HD5000s as well as other vendor cameras for productions shown on the in-house video boards. UMass upped that number to four, making the Z-HD5000 the standard camera for UMass Lowell’s sports production. Two of the cameras are stationed in fixed positions to capture high and tight shots. The other two go handheld at ice or court level.

The cameras capture footage for university’s broadcast and live streams on ESPN 3, the American East Conference website and on UMass’ own GoRiverHawks.tv site. The cameras continue to be used for in-venue productions to help raise fan involvement.

Nolan Mercer, AV manager at Tsongas Center, also highlights the Z-HD5000s ability as a teaching tool for student volunteers, providing them with an easy-to-learn system that gives them professional training. 

WOODBURY, N.Y.—In order to stream 30 of its men’s and women’s NCAA Division I basketball games over ESPN3—the online streaming service of ESPN—the athletics department at New York’s Binghamton University deployed four Z-HD5000 cameras from Hitachi Kokusai Electric America Ltd.

Binghamton University Athletics Communications Assistant Sydney Harbaugh operates one of the university’s four Hitachi Z-HD5000 cameras.

With an agreement between the America East Conference and ESPN bringing live streams of all of the university’s basketball matches to the online service, the athletics department needed to upgrade its production capabilities to meet ESPN3’s guidelines.

Dave Van Gorder, video production and multimedia coordinator for Binghamton University Athletics said, “We needed to create broadcast-quality video, and our earlier cameras were not capable of that.”

Two of the Z-HD5000s are deployed on tripods in high-center positions at the Binghamton University Events Center. The other two cameras are used in shoulder-mount ENG configurations on the arena floor, most commonly with one below each basket.

The two fixed-position cameras are equipped with VF-701HD 7-inch color LCD studio viewfinders and mounted on Miller tripods, while the roving units are paired with VF-402 black-and-white ENG viewfinders. All four cameras are outfitted with Fujinon XA20sx8.5BERM lenses with 2x zoom extenders, and are linked to TU-HD1000 camera control units (CCUs) and RU-1000VR remote panels in the facility’s control room.

In addition to ESPN3, live streams of the games are also available on the America East Conference website (www.AmericaEast.tv) for international viewers—an important audience given that the university’s teams include players from all over the world. The live feed and replays are also displayed on the arena’s 14-foot-wide video board, enhancing the in-venue fan experience, while archived footage and highlights are distributed to coaches, the conference office and the school’s social media channels.

“The Hitachi cameras have enabled student operators to get great shots with just minimal instruction,” said Van Gorder. “We’ve had more than 20 students using them over the course of the season. While we try to provide training in advance, sometimes students have had less than an hour before game time to familiarize themselves with the cameras, yet we still got good results.”

WOODBURY, N.Y. — As one of the largest churches in the United States, Willow Creek Community Church places a very high value on the power of video to connect with its congregants both within and beyond its campuses. When the church upgraded its production equipment to high definition at its main site in South Barrington, Illinois, it selected Hitachi HDTV cameras to capture and enhance the rich, immersive visual experiences for which its worship services are known around the world

A non-denominational and multi-generational Evangelical Christian megachurch, Willow Creek was founded in 1975 by Bill Hybels, who continues to lead the church as its senior pastor. More than 25,000 people attend worship services at Willow Creek’s main campus or one of seven additional regional locations each weekend.

Willow Creek undertook its HD upgrade for both practical and creative reasons. “Our existing equipment was between 10 and 15 years old, and reaching the end of its life cycle,” said Darren Niesley, video director at Willow Creek. “At the same time, we wanted to provide an even better live media experience for our attendees.”

Willow Creek was familiar with Hitachi cameras from the church’s work with mobile production specialist TNDV, who had provided equipment and services for Willow Creek projects including the annual Global Leadership Summit and its 40th anniversary celebration event. Pleased with the results of those productions, the church was very comfortable when systems integrator Clark recommended Hitachi cameras for the HD upgrade. Clark and Hitachi Kokusai worked closely together during the deployment. “Hitachi Kokusai was a great partner throughout the entire Willow Creek Community Church project,” said George Clark, founder of the integration firm.

Eight Hitachi SK-HD1200 portable HD studio and field production cameras plus two Hitachi DK-H100 compact box cameras are now used in Willow Creek’s 7200-seat main auditorium. Two SK-HD1200s are stationed on tripods behind front-of-house with Fujinon 55x lenses, with an additional SK-HD1200 on a jib. Five more such cameras are deployed flexibly depending on each weekend or event’s particular needs. “The cameras’ operational versatility is exceptional,” Niesley said. “We can configure them in so many ways, from handheld to full studio kits or tripods on wheels rolling around the front row, and with lenses ranging from standard 22x up to 40x telephoto.”

One of the DK-H100 box cameras is used with a Steadicam stabilization system, while the second is deployed in a Ross Video CamBot 500 configuration with both the robotics and camera itself controlled over a TCP/IP network. “The DK-H100 cameras provide the same great image quality as the SK-HD1200s, in a compact and lightweight form factor that’s perfect for these uses,” Niesley said.

Switched through a Ross Video Acuity production system, video captured by the Hitachi cameras supports live image magnification (IMAG) on the auditorium’s two 24-foot by 14-foot Mitsubishi LED screens and similarly-sized, Barco-driven projection screen, as well as distribution to more than two dozen 55” monitors throughout the Worship Center and its lobby. “Because of the size of the auditorium, our attendees are looking to the screens not just for IMAG, but for a broadcast-style experience that gives them additional context they can’t see from their viewpoint,” said Niesley. “Our goal is to give viewers the ‘whole picture’, whether they’re inside or out of the room.”

That out-of-venue reach extends to Willow Creek’s remote sites, which receive media files of the main campus services for showing on a time-delayed basis, and to live and on-demand streams that are seen by followers around the globe. Willow Creek’s annual leadership event is also privately broadcast to hundreds of venues across North America and packaged for subsequent distribution.

WOODBURY, N.Y.—Hitachi’s roster of studio and field production cameras has now added the Z-HD5500 HDTV camera. This new addition features the latest in Hitachi’s CMOS imaging technology and is designed to work in venues with low-cost or varying-frequency LED lighting.

The CMOS imager available with the Z-HD5500 can adapt to LED lighting conditions. Paired with advanced digital signal processing and low-noise circuit technology, the new sensors deliver visual quality with sensitivity, color fidelity and 62dB signal-to-noise ratio.

The Z-HD5500 also offers HDR capabilities and supports both Hybrid Log-Gamma and HPQ HDR specifications. The new camera is Hitachi’s first in its Z-series of cameras with progressive scane. Additional features include optional support for both SMPTE fiber and triax infrastructures; the camera can be paired with dedicated fiber or triax camera control units or with dual-cable Hitachi CU-HD1300FT, which features an H.264 codec technology and multilevel digital modulation for long-distance triax transport of 3 GB/s 1080p video plus intercom, teleprompter returns and other signals.

The Z-HD5500 camera is now available.

ISTANBUL—Jordan Radio and Television, the Jordanian state broadcaster, has a new set of wheels. JRTV recently acquired a satellite news gathering (SNG) transmission uplink vehicle from Hitachi Kokusai Electric Turkey Systems.

Based on the Mercedes Sprinter van, the OB vehicle is designed to meet the SNG transmission needs of JRTV. The vehicle integrates a PDA 150 Ku Band Drive News antenna, features a 1:1 400 W Ku Band TWTA, an MPEG-2/4 HD compressions system and a built-in automatic leveling system. Additional features include a high power conditioning system, an uninterruptible power supply system and a power generator for standalone operation in any Jordanian climate condition.

The vehicle was delivered and commissioned on-site at JRTV’s Amman-based production headquarters in December.

On this project Hitachi worked with Amman-based HEAT for Engineering and Technology.

WOODYBURY, N.Y.—Hitachi’s SK-UHD4000 4K camera has landed on the island of Oahu as Brigham Young University-Hawaii has added four studio and field cameras to its Media Production Center.

The new 4K cameras replace six-year-old HD cameras in the aim of future proofing content for subsequent workflow upgrades. Programming created by BYU-Hawaii’s MPC include recruiting videos, educational shows, sports broadcasts and the university’s weekly devotional on topics for the Latter Day Saints Church.

The SK-UHD4000 cameras are connected over the campus’ fiber infrastructure to CU-UHD4000 camera control units (CCUs) in the university’s centrally-located studio control room. The 4K footage can be archived to Atomos Shogun standalone recorders directly from the CCUs.

The press release indicates that the cameras will continue to be an asset as the university continues to transition its production workflow to 4K.

WOODBURY, N.Y.—The New England School of Communications (NESCom) at Husson University is stocking up on some new school supplies, recently acquiring three Z-HD6000 HDTV cameras from Hitachi. These new cameras join the school’s existing Z-HD5000 cameras used for studio and field production.

The trio of Z-HD6000 cameras used in NESCom’s television studio help produce live newscasts, public affairs shows, sports roundup programs and more. The school uses its six Z-HD5000 cameras with its remote production facility, NESCom Mobile Productions HD. The Z-HD5000s are equipped with studio and field production accessories and support equipment, enabling handheld, jib, dolly or fixed-position operation.

NESCOM cited the cameras ease of use as part of their reasoning for the selection as well. “The depth of menu operations and the extensive painting settings of the cameras have enormous educational benefit, enabling students to get comfortable with the sophisticated controls they will encounter professionally,” said Rodney Verrill, manager of events and facilities at NESCom.

NESCom at Husson University is located in Bangor, Maine and is home to 500 undergraduate students.

LOS ANGELES—Hitachi offers a range of cameras that cover a number of different resolutions, and they are highlighting a number of them currently at SMPTE 2016. The company is demonstrating four of its cameras to attendees that can handle 2K, HD and 4K.

SK-HD1300

Covering 2K footage is the SK-HD1300, a new progressive HDTV studio and EFP camera. Images are captured by three 2.4 million pixel 1080-line progressive MOS imagers. The camera also features an advanced digital processing technology for low-noise, HDR pictures. Hitachi will also show a 2K box camera, its DK-H200, a native 1080p compact box camera that outputs 1080p, 1080i and 720p.

The HD range is represented by Hitachi’s Z-HD6000. This HD MOS camera is built with 2.4 million pixel, 2/3-inch, 1920x1080 HDTV MOS sensors and offers 1100TVL resolutions, F12 standard sensitivity, and 60 dB signal-to-noise ratio.

The SK-UHD4000 camera delivers 4K pictures via B4 2/3-inch bayonet lenses. It also features 2/3-inch sensors for depth of field and high sensitivity. The camera features 8.8 million pixels and is designed around the latest generation of CMOS sensors.

WOODBURY, N.Y.—Hitachi and the New World Symphony orchestral academy are teaming up to play beautiful music together in 4K. In upgrading its live and other productions to native 4K UHD resolution, New World Symphony has decided to go with a dozen Hitachi SK-UHD4000 cameras.

The addition of the Hitachi cameras, along with Christie projectors, is the first phase of an end-to-end 4K video infrastructure update at the orchestra’s New World Center campus. The multi-format capabilities of the cameras will allow for operators to use the cameras in 1080p HD mode until the remaining infrastructure is upgraded to 4K.

One event that NWS will utilize the Hitachi cameras for is its seasonal WALLCAST concerts. The cameras will capture performances from inside the performance hall and deliver the content to the Christie units for live projection onto a 100x70-foot section of the building’s façade for outside viewing. One hundred Meyer Sound loudspeakers complement the video simulcasts.

NWS plans to use the Hitachi cameras for additional activities, including educational concerts and webcasts; recorded master classes; experimental music videos; image magnification; business development events; third-party rentals; and NWS’ archival concert recordings.

See also: “4K is Becoming a Reality for New World Symphony”

WOODBURY, N.Y.—When Four Village Studio (4VS), a government access television studio based in Floral Park, N.Y., began its upgrade to HD production capabilities, it made the decision to acquire four Z-HD5000 HDTV cameras from Hitachi. While currently still limited to standard-definition delivery for television, 4VS is utilizing its new Hitachi cameras for HD streams onto its website.

“Upgrading our production operations and infrastructure will allow us to offer HD streams on our website in the short term, and be HD-ready when our television carriage allows it,” said James Green, operations manager at 4VS. “The flexibility, performance and exceptional value of the Z-HD5000 cameras make them ideal for our transition.”

4VS produces government, educational and culturally-themed shows for Floral Park and other surrounding villages. With about half of the staff being made up of 15- to 25-year-olds, according to Green, the Z-HD5000s add an extra advantage by allowing them to train with professional grade equipment.

WOODBURY, N.Y.—After nearly 75 years of serving its congregation, Grace Church of Wooster, Ohio sought to add a video element to its services. To do so, it acquired Z-HD5000 HDTV cameras from Hitachi within the last year.

Grace Church has two venues for its attendees. The first is a “contemporary” venue that hosts a live speaker in a transformed gymnasium. The church uses two of its Z-HD5000 cameras to magnify the service on large screens at the location, and audio and video feeds of the sermons for distribution to the separate “traditional” auditorium. Clips from the services are later posted online.

According to the church’s video producer, Drew Boatner, the cameras offer easy use and set-up, allowing volunteers to quickly learn how to operate them.

The Z-HD5000 cameras feature Fujinon lenses and are connected to Hitachi’s CU-HD1500 camera control units and RU-1000 control panels. It also features an AMX network video recorder.

LAUREL, MD.—FlipTV Mobile is a television production service provider based in the Washington, D.C. area. Launched in 2013 as a division of creative services company FlipTV, FlipTV Mobile provides outside broadcasting truck rentals as well as full production, graphics and post services. FlipTV Mobile fills a market need for smaller OB vehicles that deliver the same production quality as large trucks, but are cost-effective for regional networks and lower-division college sports.

FlipTV Mobile’s first OB vehicle is a 30-foot truck named “Captain.” In selecting equipment for the truck, our top priority was quality followed by cost-effectiveness, as our goals required building the truck without breaking the bank.

Having worked with Hitachi Kokusai cameras with one of FlipTV’s clients, we knew they would meet our objectives perfectly, delivering stellar image quality with no compromises at an affordable price point.

THE RIGHT TOOLS

flipTV mobile installed six hitachi SK-hd1300 cameras in its first OB truck. We equipped Captain with six Hitachi SK-HD1300 studio/EFP cameras, used for a mobile production workflow that also features a Ross Video Carbonite 2 ME switcher, Xpression Graphics system and BlackStorm video server, along with an EVS instant replay system. The cameras are paired with Hitachi CU-HD1200 camera control units and connected via either SMPTE fiber or single-mode fiber, depending on the length of runs we need and the infrastructure of the venue. We have Fujinon 20x lenses for each camera, plus two Fujinon 4.5 wide angle lenses and two Canon DIGISUPER 86xs units. Sachtler tripods and dollies round out Captain’s camera gear.

The Hitachi cameras’ 2/3-inch, 2.6 megapixel MOS sensors and digital signal processing give us a fantastic-looking picture, while their native 1080p/60 signal handling give us the format flexibility to shoot in 1080p, 1080i or 720p. The quality isn’t just great for their price point—it’s great quality, period. At a recent event, a larger OB company could not see a difference between the video acquired by the SK-HD1300s and that from more expensive cameras.

The SK-HD1300’s design and form factor also offer operational versatility, from handheld shooting to studio applications with robotics. It’s a great feeling when you always know that you just connect the cameras, and everything works.

ON THE BIG STAGE

With the Hitachi cameras boosting our production we can take on a range of top-tier projects. The Captain truck is now used to broadcast sporting events from college basketball to professional and international soccer matches, as well as concerts, corporate events and more. We recently covered a Copa America soccer match at Chicago’s Soldier Field, right next to the big trucks from longer-known OB providers.

Hitachi Kokusai customer service has also been outstanding. While the cameras haven’t required any service, their support team has always been easily accessible when we’ve had any questions.

As FlipTV Mobile grows, we will expand our use of Hitachi cameras. We are currently building our second truck, the larger and expandable Major, and plan to equip it with another array of SK-HD1300s. For small companies like FlipTV Mobile to be competitive against larger, incumbent competitors, we need affordable equipment that delivers results equivalent or superior to the highest-end solutions. Hitachi SK-HD1300 cameras give us exactly that.

Marcelo Capuchinho is managing partner at FlipTV. Prior to co-founding FlipTV, he produced news and other programming for the Washington, D.C. operations of international broadcasters including TV Globo and RTP. He can be reached atmarcelo@fliptv.com.

For more information on Hitachi Kokusai Electric America, call 855-891-5179 or visit the company’s website atwww.hitachikokusai.us.

WOODBURY, N.Y.—Water of Life Community Church, a non-denominational church based in Fontana, Calif., recently expanded with a new facility and equipped it with four Hitachi Z-HD5000 HDTV cameras. Three of the cameras are in fixed positions within the church’s main auditorium, while the fourth is used for both stationary and on-the-should acquisition.

(Photo Credit: Mario Herrera)

The Z-HD5000s feature a 2/3-sensor, program audio in and out, microphone inputs, multiple headset connections and integration with the church’s Clear-Com intercom system. In addition, the cameras are equipped with Fujinon lenses and are connected via SMPTE fiber to Hitachi CU-HD500 camera control units and RU-1000 control panels in the broadcast control room.

The cameras are used to support live image magnification on the auditorium’s 44x13-foot LED video wall, capture services and special events and distribute them over fiber connections to multiple locations on and off site.

Water of Life Community Church purchased the cameras through Mankin Media Systems.

WOODBURY, N.Y.—San Diego’s KUSI-TV has picked up five new cameras from Hitachi Kokusai to support its live news productions. The Z-HD6000 HDTV cameras were brought in to replace the station’s first-generation HD cameras.

The HD6000s feature a 2/3-inch, 2.6 megapixel MOS sensor as well as advanced digital signal processing. The cameras are connected by SMPTE fiber to Hitachi Kokusai CU-HD500 camera control units with RU-1200JY remote controls. A built-in communications channel is able to integrate with the station’s intercom system, while teleprompters and talent monitors run off the power provided by the camera control units. The new cameras also enable through-the-lens teleprompting.

Hitachi Kokusai Electric America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi Kokusai. KUSI-TV is owned by McKinnon Broadcasting.

BALTIMORE—As ATSC 3.0 approaches maturity, broadcasters need to begin market trials and field tests to ensure they can meet the demands of this future broadcast standard. Sinclair obtained a Special Temporary Authorization (STA) from the FCC so Acrodyne Services could test ATSC 3.0 24/7.

In our Washington-Baltimore SFN/ATSC 3.0 trial we used two transmitters, both broadcasting on RF channel 43 (644-650 MHz). SFN provides more uniform signal level (including in-building penetration) throughout our service area, while increasing user experience, especially with mobile and personal device receivers.

Exact’s DTV Exciter is being used to test ATSC 3.0 in the Washington D.C./Baltimore area.ATSC 3.0-COMPATIBLE
From an infrastructure standpoint, transmitters and DTV exciters must be compatible with ATSC 3.0. Exact Exciters from Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark LLC are currently available for ATSC 1.0, but can also be upgraded with new firmware/software to support ATSC 3.0. That’s what we did for this market trial.

Exact-ATSC exciters were used in both the existing Acrodyne 60kW 2x IOT Quantum transmitter installed in Baltimore and in a GatesAir Maxiva solid-state transmitter just outside Washington. Installation of the Exact exciter in each transmitter was straightforward in part due to the user GUI and Digital Adaptive Precorrection (DAP) capabilities. The Exact includes an optional transport stream over IP (TSoIP) with Gigabit Ethernet, flowing nicely into ATSC 3.0, which has been developed on IP core network technologies.

Beyond ATSC 3.0, Sinclair has existing ATSC 1.0 transmitters that needed an upgrade with new DTV exciters with improved RF performance. So, prior to the SFN testing, we reviewed and tested digital exciter platforms from several vendors. The Exact from Comark performed very well in the lab and field and the user interface was straightforward to use. The easy upgrade from ATSC 1.0 to 3.0 made the Exact an easy choice for our organization.

Exact-ATSC exciters include a built-in web server with GUI for local and remote monitoring and control. All pertinent information is displayed in a user-friendly and very intuitive layout. The result of this GUI is the Exact exciter can be set up quickly with dedicated menus for operation and control.

TESTING UNDERWAY
While the SFN/ATSC 3.0 trial is now underway, it’s just the start of even more comprehensive and thorough testing of the capabilities of the new standard. We would like to acknowledge American Tower, Dielectric, GatesAir, Comark and TeamCast for their commitment and contributions to the success of this very important field trial.

Andy Whiteside is the general manager of Acrodyne Services. He can be contacted at 410-568-1548 or atandy.whiteside@dielectric.com.

For more information, please visitwww.comarktv.com/products/dtv-transmitters/dtv-exciterfior call 413-998-1100.

WOODBURY, N.Y.—Hitachi will use the upcoming Telemundo Cine Video Television Expo in Mexico City to debut its upgraded UHD 4K and HDTV broadcast cameras that now feature HDR imaging capability.

Z-HD6000

Among the cameras now featuring HDR technology includes the SK-UHD4000 UHD studio/field camera and the Z-HD6000 HDTV studio/field production camera system. The Z-HD5000, SK-HD1000 and SK-HD1300 cameras will be on display at the Telemundo Cine expo with the HDR upgrade as well.

The company says it will offer customers that purchase a new Hitachi camera before Sept. 30 the HDR feature at no additional cost.

The Telemundo Cine Video Television Expo will take place at the Mexico City World Trade Center from June 28-July 1.

WOODBURY, N.Y.—Responsible for producing more than 30 hours of live newscasts a week for central New York, WKTV recently acquired five Hitachi DK-Z50 cameras in an effort to enhance viewer experience. These new cameras feature 2/3-inch CCD imagers, 14-bit analog-to-digital conversion and advanced digital signal processing.

The five cameras are deployed throughout the news studio and are under the control of a Ross Overdrive automated production system. A Ross CamBot 500-Series robotic camera head is paired with four of the Hitachi cameras for unmanned operation; these cameras cover the main news set, weather and sports sets, promo operations, Update Center and News Talk area. The fifth DK-Z50 is used in the newsroom for stand-ups with on-camera talent.

The DK-Z50 was able to be installed side-by-side of the news station’s existing standard definition gear, which allowed them to continue broadcasting from the studio during the upgrade.

WKTV is an NBC, CW, MeTV and CBS affiliate, who in addition to providing live broadcasts offers live streams via its WKTV website.

SAN DIEGO—KUSI is an independent television station owned by McKinnon Broadcasting that produces 60 hours of live newscasts weekly for the San Diego market.

Fred Swift with Hitachi Z-HD6000 in KUSI’s studio Recently, the entry-level studio cameras we purchased when we first upgraded our news productions to HD had become dated. They were increasingly time-consuming and costly to maintain. I also wasn’t satisfied with the video quality we received from those cameras.

There were also some operational challenges. Our existing cameras used a cumbersome, multicore camera cable, which wasn’t conducive to how frequently we move our cameras around during newscasts. We also needed to build our own cable assemblies to power our teleprompters and for intercom connectivity. In addition, we were forced to mount our teleprompters above the lenses. Our talent disliked this, so our news director wanted to ensure that our next cameras allow throughthe- lens teleprompting.

CHECKING ALL THE BOXES
We started looking at Hitachi cameras at the NAB Show, and purchased five Z-HD6000 cameras. While the camera’s price-performance value and comprehensive feature set were key considerations, the picture quality produced by its 2/3-inch, 2.6 megapixel MOS sensors and advanced digital signal processing won us over. When our station’s owner saw the quality produced by the Z-HD6000 side-byside with our existing cameras, the decision was easy.

The Z-HD6000’s built-in features not only simplified wiring and power requirements, they also made the cameras easy to integrate and deploy; we installed and commissioned all five cameras in just seven hours. Our Listec teleprompters run off the extra power provided by the camera head, and the camera’s built-in communication channels integrate easily with our RTS intercom system. I was originally concerned about potential lighting issues with through-the-lens teleprompting, but with the Z-HD6000’s that isn’t a problem. The camera’s sensitivity is absolutely incredible.

The cameras are connected by SMPTE fiber to Hitachi CU-HD500 camera control units with RU-1200JY remote controls. The move to fiber connectivity has given us the production flexibility we sought. It is now much easier to move the cameras around our studio—often several times per hour— freeing us to produce the news we want to see. The reliability of the fiber connectivity has also been stellar, even with our handheld operators running in and out the door to our outside patio set.

EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
Most importantly, our quality goals have been met and even exceeded. The overall picture quality is far better than our previous cameras, and it’s incredible how good the Z-HD6000 makes our talent look. The color flexibility and user-friendly painting abilities let us achieve exactly the look we want, while the camera’s eight recallable scene memories are ideal for quick picture shading when switching between our daytime and nighttime talent.

In my opinion, any station looking to replace their first-generation HD cameras should check out the Hitachi Z-HD6000. The cameras provide excellent value, quality and performance, and are easy to install.

Fred Swift is chief engineer at KUSI-TV and a recipient of a NATAS Silver Circle award for more than 25 years of outstanding contribution to the San Diego broadcast community. He can be reached atswift@kusi.com.

For more information on Hitachi Kokusai Electric America, please visitwww.hitachikokusai.usor call 855-891-5179.

OTTAWA, ONTARIO—Ross Video and Hitachi Kokusai Electric America have announced that they are forming a non-exclusive partnership with the goal of exploring emerging production technologies. This new collaboration will reportedly focus on creating capture devices, production switching and processing equipment for high resolution/high frame rate production systems for 4K, 8K, HDR and IP connectivity.

Some of the early collaborations between the two companies will be on display at the upcoming 2016 NAB Show. Hitachi will demonstrate system wide camera support and control via Ross’ DashBoard control system, which is integrated with Ross robotics camera control systems. Both companies are also expected to have cameras and production switchers on display that showcase IP connectivity between capture and production devices. Both Ross and Hitachi will also have 4K and 8K cameras and other UHD production products on the show floor.

Ross Video is based in Ottawa, Ontario, and will be located at booth N3705. Hitachi’s American headquarters is located in Woodbury, N.Y.; it’s booth will be located at C4309.

The 2016 NAB Show will take place from April 16-21 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS—At the 2016 NAB Show Hitachi Kokusai Electric America Ltd. will be demonstrating the world’s first dockable 8K camera, the SK-UHD8060 Super Hi-Vision camera, along with 4K camera video encapsulated into uncompressed IP streams and delivered over fiber to the Media Links booth (SU4721) via Media Links’ MD8000 IP transport platform.

SK-UHD8060

The SK-UHD8060 is a complete 8K television production system, featuring a Super 35mm CMOS sensor with 7,680x4,320 pixel resolution, PL-mount lens, on-board recording capabilities, and a 12-inch, 4K viewfinder. It supports the latest High Dynamic Range (HDR), Wide Color Gamut (WCG) and High Frame Rate (HFR) standards and technologies, conforms to Japan’s ARIB specifications, and delivers 16 times the picture information of HDTV. It can also simultaneously output multiple standards, including 8K, 4K/UHD, 1080p, 1080i and 720p. 

An 8K RAW recorder can be docked to the SK-UHD8060 or used independently of the camera head to provide store-and-forward, real-time recording and playback with its own control unit, offering a remote acquisition workflow not previously available with any other 8K camera system.

The full array of Hitachi Kokusai’s 4K and HD cameras will also be on display, including the recently announced DK-H200 compact, 1080p HD box camera.

The 2016 NAB Show takes place in Las Vegas, April 18-21. Hitachi Kokusai will be in booth C4309. For more information, visit www.nabshow.com.

At this year’s NAB Show, 4K/UHD cameras will be omnipresent in the booths of camera makers, with a wealth of new products and new features making their debuts.

AJA CIONAJA will introduce new features in its CION 4K/UltraHD and 2K/HD production camera. It enables shooting in direct to edit-ready Apple ProRes 4444 at up to 4K 30fps; ProRes 422 at up to 4K 60fps; or can output AJA Raw at up to 4K 120fps. CION provides extensive Gamma modes that offer the flexibility to capture the scene exactly as lit in Normal, Normal Expanded or Video Gamma modes.

ARRI will demonstrate the ALEXA Mini camera, which combines a compact, lightweight form factor with the same image quality that ARRI’s standard-size ALEXAs deliver. The Mini is designed for use with gimbals, multicopters and other specialized rigs. ARRI also will introduce its economical AMIRA documentary-style camera, which supports CFast 2.0 workflows.

Blackmagic URSA Mini Sticking with tradition, Blackmagic Designl will hold its new product news until the show, however, expect to see the return of the company’s URSA Mini, a small form factor of its URSA 4K cameras, as well as the Micro Studio Camera 4K and the Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera.

Canon will introduce a new HDSLR flagship, the EOS-1D X Mark II, with a 20.2 megapixel 35mm Full Frame Canon CMOS sensor and Dual DIGIC 6+ Image Processors. The company will also showcase its multipurpose ME20F-SH, delivering full HD images at an ISO sensitivity of over 4,000,000.

Grass Valley LDX 86 Universe

Hitachi DK-H200 HD compact Box CameraGrass Valley will feature its LDX 86 Universe camera, which provides universal format support with switchable 1X/3X/6X HD, 1X/3X 3G and 1X 4K, all from a single camera. The LDX 86 Universe offers an optional software upgrade to enable 15 ƒ/stops of high dynamic range (HDR) in single-speed operation.

Hitachi Kokusai will introduce the DKH200 HD compact Box Camera, a multiformat, HDTV box camera for robotic applications. It features full frame rate 1080p acquisition. Also highlighted will be the SK-UHD4000 camera, which uses standard 2/3-inch B4-mount lenses. It uses a fourport prism and four MOS sensors totaling more than 8.8 megapixels.

I-Movix Infinite

Ikegami UHK-430 4K cameraI-Movix will demonstrate Infinite, a new ultra-slow motion camera system that combines scalability with trigger-less operation, with continuous on-board loop recording of more than one hour of high frame rate in HD and frame-accurate ramping of speed without compensation and interpolation.

Ikegami will showcase its UHK-430 4K camera, designed for use in the studio and field. Utilizing B4-mount lenses, the camera has three 2/3-inch 4K (3840x2160) CMOS sensors with RGB prism optics. Ikegami also will exhibit 8K technology showcasing developments in the extremely high-resolution format, Super Hi Vision.

Joseph Electronics will introduce its JFS WAVESHIFTER-4 series that can transport up to four HD camera systems on one single- mode fiber optic path. The WAVESHIFTER uses optical wavelength shifting technology to map the two fibers in standard HD cameras to wavelengths in the CDWM spectrum, which is then introduced into a CWDM mux.

JVC KENWOOD will exhibit upgraded versions of its popular ProHD and 4KCAM camera models. The company will emphasize IP connectivity for broadcast newsgathering, studio and field production, events and sports, demonstrating real-world IP solutions using products that are currently available in all these categories.

Marshall Electronics CV505 2.5MP Miniature POV CameraMarshall Electronics will unveil its CV505 2.5MP Miniature POV Camera, designed for sports integrators looking for broadcast-quality video in a small footprint. It measures 1.5x1.7 inches and weighs just under 5 ounces. It provides 3G/HD-SDI or HDMI output at up to 1920x1080p60/59.94. Newly added to the camera is the ability to capture TRS audio, embedded across 3G/HD-SDI or HDMI.

MultiDyne will introduce its POV/PTZ camera system, designed for a range of unmanned camera applications. It includes bidirectional GigE transport capability and the ability to accurately synchronize multiple cameras during live or studio productions. The weather-resistant, camera base includes a built-in MultiDyne HD-3500GE Series Multi-rate Serial Digital Video Fiber- Optic Transceiver.

Panasonic Varicam LTPanasonic will unveil its VariCam LT next-generation 4K cinema camera. It utilizes the same super 35mm sensor and imaging capabilities as the VariCam 35, but with significant reductions in size, weight and price. The VariCam LT (model AUV35LT1G) delivers 14+ stops of dynamic range with V-Log, and the cinematic VariCam image quality and color science, as well as dual native ISOs of 800/5000. The company will also debut the AJPX230PJ AVC ULTRA handheld camcorder, providing the quality, image control and much of the functionality of its predecessor, the AJ-PX270. It offers 10-bit, 1080p AVC-Intra and AVC-LongG codecs, extensive video control, a 22x zoom lens and OLED viewfinder. The camcorder provides the same video recording quality and body design as the PX270, minus networking (wired and wireless), proxy and genlock/TC interface, delivering a significantly lower-cost version for shooters who don’t require these features.

Sony PXW-Z150RED Digital Cinema will showcase the latest RED camera lineup: Raven 4.5K, Scarlet-W 5K, Weapon 6K and Weapon 8K Carbon Fiber. In addition to a hands-on experience with RED cameras you’ll see demonstrations on RED’s workflow as well as the software and accessories that help unlock the power of any RED–based system.

Sony will unveil the PXW-Z150 4K camcorder that combines lowlight performance and multiple file transfer options. It features a 1.0 type stacked Exmor RS CMOS image sensor to help deliver sharp pictures in low-light conditions. Also new will be the HXR-NX100 professional compact camcorder that delivers the benefits of a 1.0- inch type sensor.

WOODBURY, N.Y.—Hitachi has announced its new DK-H200 multi-format, HDTV box camera. Featuring native, full frame rate 1080p acquisition, the DK-H200 features the functionality of Hitachi’s SK-series studio and field cameras and is suited for point-of-view and remote observation applications.

DK-H200

The DK-H200 has 2.6 million pixel, 2/3-inch, progressive MOS sensors that combine with Hitachi’s digital signal processing technology and the camera’s native progressive signal flow to provide picture quality with low noise, faithful color reproduction and high dynamic range. The camera features a 60dB signal-to-noise ratio, as well as standard sensitivity of F12 at 59.94Hz and F13 at 50Hz.

The multi-format DK-H200 offers 1080p, 1080i, and 720p outputs at 60Hz, 59.94Hz or 50Hz. With the ability to deliver a different format on each of the camera’s dual, 3Gbps-capable HD-SDI outputs removes the need for external converters in mixed-format applications. An optional single-mode fiber interconnectivity is also available, allowing for video transmission over long distances.

Additional features of Hitachi’s new camera include TCP/IP networking, built-in Automatic Exposure System, Automatic Gain Control, automatic iris, and full-time Automatic White Balance, advanced color correction, Ultra-Gamma response, focus assist, RU-1000VR and RU-1500JY remote operation panels and SU-1000 setup control unit.

Hitachi will demonstrate the DK-H200 HDTV box camera at the upcoming 2016 NAB Show, which will take place in Las Vegas from April 16-21.

WOODBURY, N.Y.—Hitachi is showing off its college pride as its Z-HD5000 HDTV broadcast cameras are being utilized by Syracuse University to produce broadcasts of Syracuse Orange athletics for ESPN3, ESPN’s online streaming service. Some of the athletic events being covered with the Hitachi cameras include men’s and women’s basketball, and men’s lacrosse from the university’s Carrier Dome.

The Hitachi cameras were part of the recommended equipment from ESPN when Syracuse was first contacted about games being carried on ESPN3. The Z-HD5000s, as well as two Fujinon HA42x9.7 BERD box-style lens, were acquired and added to the Carrier Dome’s video production unit, which had five existing HD cameras that now support the Z-HD5000s with different angles for broadcast. Video feed is delivered to ESPN in real-time through dedicated fiber lines.

The pair of Z-HD5000 cameras Syracuse is now employing includes 7-inch color viewfinders, tripods, and the Fujinon lenses with 2x zoom extenders and Digi-semi-servo lens controllers. It also features 2/3-inch CCD imagers, advanced digital signal processing and picture controls.

Syracuse University employs a full video production unit to broadcast the games on ESPN3, including professional camera operators to handle the Hitachi cameras.

SEATTLE—When the television and cine markets began demanding 4K cameras, the quickest solution was to use large-format, single 4K sensors. Since many of these sensors were close to the size of a 35mm frame of film, shooters could draw on the large supply of 35mm PL mount film lenses. Lens makers quickly began development and production of a newer generation of optics.

However, a problem arose when it came to using these large-sensor cameras for the extreme telephoto zoom shots in sports and entertainment venues: the laws of optical physics dictated that to duplicate shots like a centerfield view of a batter it would take a lens the size of a howitzer. And even if a lens of that size could be used, its depth of field would be so shallow the batter might be in sharp focus and the catcher, a few feet back, might be soft.

The solution was to revert to 2/3-inch sensors, used in TV cameras for decades, which could utilize lenses of the same form-factor as are used in large venue HD productions today. The challenge: putting enough pixels on those 2/3-inch sensors to yield 4K resolution.

THE BEST OF BOTH
Sony is one company that is making large single-sensor 4K cameras, including the F55, and the HDC-4300, a 4K multi 2/3-inch sensor camera. Each of the 4300’s 2/3-inch CMOS sensors has an array of 4096x2400 pixels, which allows it to image in native 4K.

Sony HDC-4300

“So you have a true 4K 2/3-inch system camera that looks, drives, feels and integrates with existing Sony infrastructures,” said Rob Willox, marketing manager for content creation systems at Sony Electronics. The company actually got a “two-fer” out of the 4300, because it not only is a full 4K camera, but has advanced HD capabilities that can be used every day on high-definition remotes while waiting for 4K jobs to come up.

“We had a 3x super motion camera, the HDC-3300, [but] that was getting a little long on the technology curve,” Willox said. “So we started with a clean sheet of paper, and with 4K we were able to create a replacement for the 3300 that now has up to an 8x HD frame rate on the same camera that can do 4K. And the 4300 came in at a lower price than the HDC 3300.”

Ikegami is another company making both large single sensor and multi 2/3-inch sensor 4K cameras. It partnered with ARRI to create the HDK-97ARRI, utilizing a single 35mm sensor, with PL mount lenses, in a familiar shoulder-mount design. But the company’s UHK-430 is also a full resolution 4K camera, utilizing 2/3-inch CMOS sensors.

“[The UHK-430] is using 4K sensors in each of the three color channels, RGB, 8 megapixel sensors in each channel, 24 megapixels total,” said Alan Keil, director of engineering for Ikegami. He pointed to the importance of talking about the total number of pixels on each chip, “because it does give an overall better understanding of the camera’s resolution capabilities.”

Keil sees a ready market for the UHK- 430. “A lot of people are interested in the 4K 2/3-inch format, not just in sports,” he said. “I guess there will be customers in a pretty wide range of applications who would like to stick with the 2/3-inch format due to the availability and convenience of lenses. I do think large-format single-sensor cameras have their place, but the lenses are very limited in their zoom range, and compromises are required in terms of operational convenience, ease, size and weight, and so forth.”

A DIFFERENT PATH
Hitachi Kokusai took a slightly different path to provide 4K from multi 2/3-inch sensors, according to Emilio Aleman, engineering manager for the company. “It’s the foursensor design that allows the SK UHD 4000 camera to have four 2K 2/3-inch sensors,” one each for red and blue, and two for green, he said. The second green sensor is offset 1/2 pixel-width diagonally, which provides 4K resolution in the luminance channel.

Because there was no need to develop new sensors when utilizing this technique, “it lowers the overall cost of the camera versus having native 4K sensors,” Aleman continued. “So the buy-in cost of our camera is a lot lower, almost the same as a normal 2K camera. For production it’s excellent, because it allows you to have the best quality in 2K format, while you can record 4K for archiving or for future use. It’s the same workflow and the same camera as you’re going on the air with now.”

Aleman sees customers for the camera coming from more than just sports productions. “Our target for this camera was studio production, and existing broadcasters that wanted a noticeable improvement over their existing 2K cameras for news, sitcoms and variety show production. It’s ideal for that kind of user. And for large screens such as 4K projections, it gives you a nice, pristine picture when you put that big picture on the screen.”

Grass Valley attacked the 4K multi 2/3-inch imager market with its multifunctional LDX 86 High Frame Rate/HD/3G/4K Software Upgradable Camera Platform. “Basically all the LDX 86 camera system is delivered with all the hardware needed for any application,” said Klaus Weber, senior product marketing manager for camera systems for the Montreal-based company. “And then the camera can be upgraded by software licenses. The camera is based on our Xensium-FT CMOS HD imager.” Three of those imagers are utilized for resolutions up to 4K.

The software licenses can be purchased for as little as seven days, or perpetually. At the top end, the camera can be license-upgraded to the LDX 86 Universe, which provides universal format support with switchable 1X/3X/6X HD, 1X/3X 3G and 1X 4K from a single camera.

“All of our cameras are addressing the live production market,” said Weber, “so they’re typically broadcast-type applications for high end entertainment production, but also news applications. For the moment, the most interest is from the high-end, OB broadcasters, live TV crews in the U.S. and Europe, top-end players.”

Canon C300NO EXTERNAL RECORDER REQUIRED
Canon has concentrated solely on the large single-sensor 4K cameras, and has just introduced a second generation of its C300. “The feedback we got from a lot of our customers was that this was the year they wanted to see a camera that could record 4K footage directly in the camera, without the need for an external recorder,” said Chuck Westfall, product planning advisor at the company’s ITCG Image Communication Products Business Planning Division. “And we were able to do that with the C300 Mark II. It does 4K at 30 frames per second, and it can do basically what’s called 12-bit RGB 4:4:4, which is extremely high quality. It is compressed, but it’s extremely high-quality video in the camera.”

The camera has two slots for the CFast type media, which is the second generation of Compact Flash, and can support all the data that is 4K, according to Westfall. “The camera also does support RAW 4K out, if it’s important to be able to go into a RAW recording,” he said. “That will produce the absolute maximum level of image quality that is possible with the C300 Mark II, using an external recorder.”

AJA Video was not known for making cameras up until a few years ago, but then came CION. “CION really is what we would describe as a next-generation production camera in the sense that it’s taking the formats we need today, which is primarily HD and 2K, but providing you a camera system which is fully 4K all the time,” said Andy Bellamy, CION product manager.

He pointed out that the large single-sensor CION can internally scale that oversampled 4K image to HD needs. So if you need HD today, you’re still benefiting from oversampling a larger sensor. “And the camera was primarily designed to be ergonomic, so it’s lighter in weight,” Bellamy said. “It fits very comfortably to the shoulder, and it’s easy and straightforward to use, very intuitive, almost simple.

Marco Solorio of OneRiver Media shooting the feature film, “10/10ths” (2016 release) with the Blackmagic URSA. BTS photography by Courtney Cutchen. Photo ©2015, Ten Tenths Films, LLC. CION was always intended to be very film-like, according to Bellamy. “So throughout the process of development, it was never, ever to look like video. You can, of course, tune it to make it look a little more like video if that’s what you need for your individual project.”

Blackmagic Design is another company that suddenly sprung into being a camera designer and manufacturer. “When we designed the original Blackmagic Cinema Camera, we thought we were creating sort of a handheld camera,” said Bob Caniglia, senior regional manager for Eastern North America at Blackmagic Design. “That turned into a ‘cyclops,’ with people adding all kinds of third party pieces to it.”

That led the company to bring out URSA, a robust, fully-featured design that allowed for multiple users. “Monitors on opposite sides of the camera can be simultaneously used by the DP and a focus-pulling assistant,” Caniglia said. “And then an audio engineer could be at the rear of the camera, where he has meters and can plug in whatever he needs into the XLR jack.”

URSA is designed to be upgradeable, including the sensor. “For 2015 we announced a 4.6K sensor upgrade availability, which we should see in a month or so,” Caniglia said. “So if you bought the original 4K and wanted to move to the 4.6K, you can do so and insure the original investment in the camera.” The company also introduced a smaller form-factor URSA Mini, which can be used on its own or in combination with an original URSA. The look of the video matches in both cameras.

JVC GY-HM890FOCUS ON NEXT GENERATION
JVC and Panasonic both have 4K large single-sensor cameras, but are also concentrating on their new HD cameras.

At the 2014 NAB Show, JVC introduced its GY-HM890, a full shouldermount camera that’s ENG, EFP style, but can be converted to a studio system. “It has ability to utilize a full studio system, whether it be fiber or multicore, without buying new cabling,” said Craig Yanagi, JVC product manager of professional video. “When used in the field, you have a highly versatile camcorder using cutting-edge technology, with the ability to stream live video from the camera.”

Though most stations don’t share individual cameras between the field and the studio, Yanagi noted that the possibility always exists if the station had a camera go down.

Having the same model cameras in the studio as in the field has another advantage: the commonality of spare parts, where one set of spares could cover both studio and field cameras.

“We actually have a program where the customers maintain a unit on consignment, and they have that there in case something was to happen,” Yanagi said. “But we have an extremely low service count on the cameras.”

Panasonic recently introduced a new, HD, news-type camera that can also be used for production. “The AJ-PX380 is a fully-loaded, light, low-power camcorder that’s ideal for newsgathering, but equally well-suited for reality TV production, live event and corporate uses,” said Steve Cooperman, senior product manager at Panasonic. “It’s an excellent choice for shooters who prefer the ergonomics of a shouldermount camera, yet at a cost below larger 2/3-inch native cameras.”

The 1/3-inch 2.2MP 3MOS AVC-ULTRA camera offers powerful, advanced network functionality as well as dual codec recording for simultaneous high resolution and HD/SD proxy image capture. The built-in network functions support wired LAN, wireless LAN and 4G/LTE connection, which facilitates live streaming. The camera features a quality of service layer that dynamically adjusts the bit rate of the streaming signal to optimize transmission speed as the bandwidth of the cellular network changes.

Panasonic offers the camcorder in two versions: the AJ-PX380GF, including camera body plus AG-CVF15 Color Viewfinder and XT17x4.5 BRM 17X Fujinon lens.

SOUTHWICK, MASS.—Harpswell Community TV is replacing its analog transmitter system with a new LPTV system from Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark. The DTV transmitter allows the commercial-free, PEG TV station to broadcast both HD and SD programs to the Harpswell, Maine community.

Harpswell Community TV's Dave Chipman and Donna Frisoli.

The station received a LPTV-8000 1 kW average power digital solid-state UHF transmitter from Hitachi-Comark, featuring an EXACT-ATSC exciter and 50V DC LDMOS air-cooled amplifier technology, which is built on a 1RU rack-mount hardware with ATSC firmware. EXACT-ATSC exciters also feature DualCast technology that can be upgraded from ATSC 1.0 to 3.0.

Hitachi-Comark also provided the station with a LEX-2210 multi-program encoder/multiplexer. The system has a 2RU hardware platform loaded with the appropriate license file to configure the desired number of HD and SD programs.

WOODBURY, N.Y.—The New York Racing Association includes three of the nation’s biggest horse racing tracks in Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga. To capture all the action, NYRA Network uses Hitachi’s SK-HD1000 camera for both live production on the track and in the studio and simulcasts around the country.

Hitachi’s third-generation HDTV camera, the SK-HD1000 features advanced digital signal processing. The cameras are used in tandem with two mobile production trucks, as well as several remotely operated Hitachi cameras around the track. Some of cameras are in permanently fixed locations to provide coverage of off-season events. Six cameras are configured as full ‘hard’ cameras on a platform and come with a long (70x) lens. NYRA TV also live streams events.

The SK-HD1000 is a two-piece, dockable design, multi-format outputs camera system that can output SD and HD simultaneously. It also has the option to cross-convert 1080i (50/59.94) or 720p (50/59.94) HDTV signal formats and SD at the same time.

Hitachi designs video cameras, digital transmission, processing and recording devices for the broadcast television, cable, and video production markets. Headquartered in Japan, its American offices are located in Woodbury, New York.

WOODBURY, N.Y.—Horseracing is called the most exciting two minutes in sports, and to capture all the action the International Sound Corporation relies on Hitachi’s Z-HD5000 cameras. ISC has deployed Z-HD5000 HDTV cameras at nearly 50 tracks across the country to transition from SD to HD broadcasts featuring them for both the Preakness Stakes and the William Hill Haskell Invitational.

Z-HD5000 cameras were used to capture American Pharoah's victory in the second leg of the 2015 Triple Crown. (Photo credit: Jim McCue of Maryland Jockey Club)

The Z-HD5000 has a 2/3-inch CCD imager, Hitachi’s advanced digital signal processing and picture controls for image quality and dynamic range. The cameras durability also comes into play for the outside productions with varying weather and track environments.

During the Preakness and Haskell broadcasts, ISC installed seven Hitachi cameras at the tracks. A majority of the cameras were used in fixed positions, but some were used as handheld. All cameras were connected by SMPTE fiber to Hitachi CU-HD5000 camera control units with RU-1000VR remote control units.

ISC plans to exclusively use Hitachi’s HD cameras as more race tracks around the country convert to HD broadcasts, according to Joe Gordon, ISC executive vice president.

WOODBURY, N.Y. – Dayton Access Television is a non-profit organization that creates programming for two local cable access channels. Recently, the organization’s studio facilities were upgraded to handle HD production by adding three Hitachi Z-HD6000 HD cameras.

DATV studio facilities supervisor Steve Ross on the Hitachi Z-HD6000 camera

The Z-HD6000 features three 2.6MPixel 2/3-inch MOS RGB sensors and is compatible with the existing Hitachi HDTV camera line. The Z-HD6000 also retains popular functions like Fiber or Digital Triax cable operation; external auto-setup; advance color correction and skin tone detail; prompter power; and two intercom and IFB channels. Unique functions for the camera include no vertical smear and a proprietary auto-registration correction function.

DATV uses the Z-HD6000 with Fujinon 17:1 lenses in studio build-up kits that include a viewfinder and fiber-optic transmission back, in a 40x50 ft. production studio. An adjoining control room features a Newtek Tricaster 860 HD production switcher.