NEP Rolls New Mobile Unit for Big Shows
PITTSBURGH: NEP Broadcasting rolled out a new Engineering Support Unit for large shows needing multiple signal distribution. The ESU was baptized with CBS’s coverage of the Masters Golf Tournament April 12-16 in Augusta, Ga. CBS used ESU to distribute “over a dozen different broadcasts of one of the biggest sporting events of the year,” NEP said. The unit will be on display at the NAB Show next week in Las Vegas.
WFYI-TV Uses Grass Infinity for Local HD Productions
INDIANAPOLIS: PBS member station WFYI-TV creates its local content with the Grass Valley Infinity, the vendor said. WFYI shoots “Good As Gold” and “Natural Heritage of Indiana” in hi-def, adding both to the national PBS HD feed. Grass said WFYI had been passing HD through for five years until the station bought an Infinity and started creating original hi-def content. Video is acquired on the Infinity and transferred to an Edius for editing. WFYI moved into its all-digital facility last fall and now transmits four channels, on in 1080i.
RF Extreme Ships $2.5 Million in Microwave Gear to Texas
HOUSTON: The City of Houston tapped RF Extreme for $2.5 million in radio frequency gear, the vendor said earlier this month. RF, the Nucomm-RF Central unit of Vitec, is shipping gear to digitize city’s law enforcement helicopters. The effort is being underwritten via a Homeland Security grant. RF is providing microwave downlink and receive equipment, installation and integration on the project. Installation alone is estimated to take more than 500 work hours. Completion is expected this spring.
Camera Corps Gets Colorful
MIDDLESEX,ENGLAND: The Camera Corps Q-Ball HD/SD remote camera now comes in multiple colors and finishes to either blend with the background or scream “here I am!” The little dual-mode, night-vision capable, 10:1 zoom, pan/tilt, weatherproof job will be on display in all its finery at NAB next week in Las Vegas.
Petrol Bows a Blow-up Bag
VALLEY COTTAGE, N.Y.: Petrol, another Vitec company, has a new Inflatable Airline Bag, created specifically for boarding a plane with a full-size broadcast camera. The blow-up bag is 13.8-by-9.40-by-5.7 inches with an exterior side pocket holding a coiled tube that connects to an exterior inflation valve. Voila! A padded bag, for $259.
Sony Brings Out New XDCAM Gear, Extends withZeiss
PARK RIDGE,N.J.: Sony is adding a camcorder and deck to its XDCAM HD422 Series optical disc line. The new PDW-F800 CineAlta camcorder and PDW-F1600 deck expand the line’s compression capabilities with a native 24p frame rate in 1080 mode, and standard multiformat recording. Sony’s collaboration with Munich lens-maker Carl Zeiss was also extended another five years, AZ Opticsreported. Over 100 million Zeiss-equipped Sony camcorders and camera systems have been sold since the two struck their alliance in 1996.
I-Movix Launches SprintCam Basic
MONS,BELGIUM: I-Movix’s new SprintCam is the Basic, an ultra slo-mo device created with broadcasters, researchers and schools in mind. The SprintCam Basic does frame rates from 500 to 2,000 fps with instant replay in standard def. It creates images at 80 times slower than normal speed.
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