U.S. Senate Recording Studio adds 18 new HD camera heads

The U.S. Senate Recording Studio, the in-house audio/video service provider for the U.S. Senate, ordered 18 new Hitachi DK-H32 720p/60p compact HDTV camera heads in the summer as part of an upgrade of video teleconferencing capabilities within U.S. senators’ offices. When installed, the cameras will bring the total Hitachi 720p/60p camera complement to 74.

Many senators, who occupy offices near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., use the Hitachi DK-H32 and DK-H31 cameras to video teleconference with their colleagues in the Senate, as well as with constituents in their home states.

The Hitachi 2/3in sensor HD cameras are outfitted with either Fujinon A20x8.6BEMD SD lenses with 8.6mm-172mm focal length or Fujinon A42x9.7BERD telephoto lens with 9.7mm-410mm focal length. Both SD lens models are equipped with 2x extenders to increase their zoom range.

The video teleconference and mobile video production upgrade is an ongoing project being handled by K2 Audio, a systems integration company in Boulder, CO, with the help of General Communications, a Virginia-based systems integrator, and many broadcast video equipment suppliers

Phil Kurz

Phil Kurz is a contributing editor to TV Tech. He has written about TV and video technology for more than 30 years and served as editor of three leading industry magazines. He earned a Bachelor of Journalism and a Master’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism.