The NBA’s Miami Heat has equipped its AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami with four remote-control robotic pan-tilt-zoom HD camera systems from Canon. The system is used to support the team’s TV broadcasts, large-screen displays and facility monitoring.
Inside the Arena, one Canon BU-45H remote-control robotic pan-tilt-zoom HD camera is mounted just beneath a giant scoreboard high above center court used to capture overhead shots of game action. These shots are used for both the TV broadcast as well as close-ups of fans, which are displayed on the arena’s large scoreboard (made up of four 16ft by 9ft screens). A second Canon BU-45H remote-control camera is mounted in a corner to provide wide shots.
Designed for outdoor use, two additional BU-45H remote-control cameras serve the team’s broadcast and service applications outside the arena. One, located in the West Plaza, is used to capture POV shots of fans arriving through the AmericanAirlines Arena’s main gates. That video is displayed on the 3400sq-ft MiamiMediaMesh screen mounted on the exterior of the building.
When not shooting fans entering the Arena, the Canon BU-45H remote-control camera in the West Plaza can also be aimed at the MiamiMediaMesh screen to provide video confirmation that the giant display is working properly. It is also used to capture POV beauty shots of downtown Miami.
The Miami Heat’s fourth Canon BU-45H remote-control camera is mounted on the east side of the waterfront arena and is used to provide beauty shots of Biscayne Bay as well as coverage of the arena’s East Plaza, where the Heat marketing department stages events for fans.
The BU-45H combines a Canon three-CCD HD camera with a Canon 20X optical zoom lens (4.5mm-90mm), a remote-control pan-tilt system and a weatherproof outdoor housing. The camera portion of the BU-45H employs three 1/3in (1,670,000-pixel) CCDs and delivers 1920 x 1080 16:9 HD video via an HD-SDI serial digital interface. The camera also includes a remote-control three-position neutral density filter, an auto focus function and image stabilization technology.
