Cartoni to Show Remote-Control PTZ Support and Encoded Heads at NAB 2023

Cartoni
(Image credit: Cartoni)

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif.—Cartoni will be showing its entire line of premium camera support products, including tripods, fluid heads and pedestals used worldwide in broadcast, cinema and live event production, at the 2023 NAB Show.  

Cartoni also announced that during the show it will be debuting Lifto 25, an all-new motorized support for PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) cameras with a unique remote-control elevation unit. Cartoni will also demonstrate E-Maxima 5.0 and E-Maxima 30, encoded versions of two of its most popular fluid heads. Additionally, Cartoni will highlight P40, a versatile, lightweight pedestal available at an attractive price.

“Media production continues to evolve and reinvent itself,” said Elisabetta Cartoni, president and CEO. “We are responding to our customers’ needs with support systems for the newest cameras, camera accessories and modes of production, including VFX. We look forward to sharing our latest innovations with cinematographers, camera operators, rentals, producers and other professionals at NAB in Las Vegas.

Lifto 25 is Cartoni’s response to the increasing use of PTZ cameras by smaller studios in news, talk, educational and religious programming. The head adds height control as a natural complement to the cameras’ point, tilt and zoom capabilities. Camera height can be adjusted remotely via wire or radio.

Extremely versatile, Lifto 25 offers a height range from 70 cm (2.3 ft) to 250 cm (8.2 ft). The motorized column performs a two stage, 70 cm stroke at 25 kg/50 lbs capacity. Its special SDS (Smart-Stop double stage) tripod structure ensures stability and torsional rigidity. Lifto 25 comes with a built-in spreader and rubber feet. It can also be mounted on a lightweight Cartoni dolly.

E-Maxima 5.0 and E-Maxima 30 are the latest results of Cartoni’s ongoing initiative to apply encoding to manually operated heads for visual effects, virtual production and similar applications, the company said. 

“The advent of VR and AR have made it imperative to accurately track movements and match them with the virtual backgrounds and characters,” observed Cartoni. “Virtual composition is now used in all segments of the industry, from studio cinema productions, to sports and newsgathering.”

Cartoni E-series heads incorporate high resolution encoders with 4 million counts on both axes, directly fixed on the rotation shafts for infinitely accurate readings of angles. Data is supplied in binary code to conform to the most widely-used virtual engines, including Real-Time VFX, Unreal Engine and FreeD Engine, or streamed to virtual boxes alongside other camera and lens metadata, the company explained. 

As the only company that designs and manufactures camera support products in Europe, Cartoni, offers support for all types of cameras from tiny DSLRs to the field cameras with boxed lenses, from sophisticated cine-style infinitely defined cameras to PTZ cameras. It also offers several specialty items including Lambda nodal and encoded heads.

For more information visit www.cartoni.com

George Winslow

George Winslow is the senior content producer for TV Tech. He has written about the television, media and technology industries for nearly 30 years for such publications as Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News and TV Tech. Over the years, he has edited a number of magazines, including Multichannel News International and World Screen, and moderated panels at such major industry events as NAB and MIP TV. He has published two books and dozens of encyclopedia articles on such subjects as the media, New York City history and economics.