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[Wednesday at NAB]
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HD Cameras More Affordable as Competition Heats Up
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by Craig Johnston,
~ April 16, 2008
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TV TECHNOLOGY
New video cameras on the NAB exhibition floor are fleshing out the product lines of the various manufacturers and increasing the competition, particularly in more affordable high-definition cameras.
Hitachi Kokusai is showcasing its SK-HD1000 high-definition studio and field production camera, available with either 1080i or 720p CCD imagers. The cameras can be configured for hybrid optical fiber cable digital transmission, digital triax, digital wireless transmission using H.264 codecs, and a dockable digital recorder.
The company is also presenting its HV-HD30 high-definition compact remote observation camera, which features 1/3-inch CMOS sensors, C-mount lenses, 12 VDC operation and selectable HDTV video format output. The HV-HD30 can be adjusted at the camera, or via a remote control panel or a PC.
Ikegami is debuting its new Flash-based HDTV camcorder, the HDS-V10 GFCAM. The GFCAM HD ENG Series products, developed in cooperation with Toshiba, also include the GFSTATION studio deck (a Flash-based central video management and recording system), and the GFSTATION PORTABLE unit.
The company is also exhibiting its series of studio and portable HDTV cameras, including the top-of-the-line HDK-790EXIII full digital HDTV Companion Camera system (studio or portable) with newly developed 2/3-inch 2,300,000-pixel 1080i AIT CCD image sensors.
Ikegami is also demonstrating its HDK-79EC HD multiformat CMOS camera system, which employs three 2/3-inch 2.5 megapixel CMOS imaging sensors, switchable between interlace and progressive readout modes (including Super Slow Motion 720/120p). Also at the company’s booth is the HDK-725/HDK-725P full digital HD progressive-scan Companion Camera system.
JVC Professional Products Co. announced a price decrease for its GY-HD200 and GY-HD110 ProHD HDV cameras at the show. Both cameras utilize three 1/3-inch 1, 1280x720 progressive scan CCDs, and provide multiple frame rate recording including full-frame 720/60p and 24p progressive imaging and recording. Both are built in the compact shoulder form factor, and can interchangeably mount HD lenses.
The GY-HD200 is being shown with a new 14bit A/D converter.
Panasonic is showing its compact AK-HC1800 multi-purpose camera, which will ship as of the beginning of the show. It is equipped with three 2.2-megapixel CCD sensors to provide native 1080i video capture. The camera is designed for applications ranging from news studio use and weather forecasting to sports, and incorporates an advanced single-channel transfer system and spatial offset processing features that reduce aliasing and provide finer resolution.
The company is also demonstrating its AG-HMC70 shoulder mount camcorder, utilizing MPEG-4 AVCHD/H.264 compression. It records to SD cards, and the AVCHD compression format is now supported by most of the leading nonlinear editing products.
On the professional AVCHD level, Panasonic is displaying its AG-HMC150 handheld camcorder. Utilizing 1/3-inch CCD imagers, the camcorder offers 1080i and 720p recording at 13Mbps, and an enhanced mode with a higher bit rate will be incorporated for higher-level use. It supports a full range of HD formats including 1080/60i, 1080/50i, 1080/30p, 1080/25p, 1080/24p native; 720/60p, 720/50p, 720/30p, 720/25p, 720/24p native; and is 50Hz/59.94Hz switchable.
Red Digital Cinema is back at the NAB Show with its Red One, which uses a single Super 35-sized 12 megapixel 4520x2540 pixel sensor that captures 4K and 2K images directly to internal Compact Flash media.
Lenses and other accessories that third parties are making for the Red camera will also be shown at the booth. Red is also showing prototypes of its new Scarlet, a pocket-sized professional digital cinema camera.
Sony is adding to its CineAlta line with the F35 camera system, which features a 35mm CCD image sensor, 10-bit, 4:4:4 recording and a PL mount. The camera incorporates many of the same features of Sony’s F23 camera system, but increases dynamic range from 700 percent to 800 percent and features improved signal to noise ratio.
Also new from Sony is the PDW-700 camcorder, which now adds 50 Mbps 4:2:2 optical disc recording to the XDCAM lineup. The camcorder sports three new 2/3-inch Power HAD FX progressive CCDs to produce a resolution of 1920x1080 effective pixel. A 14-bit A/D converter and advanced digital signal processing have also been incorporated into the camera.
Thomson is marking the U.S. debut of its LDK 8000 SportCam, a multiformat camera, which provides 2x slow motion capability in addition to operating as a standard HD camera. New features include a new flat-panel viewfinder and new software that enhances the color correction capabilities of the camera.
Also new from Thomson is the LDK 4000 MK II Single Format High Definition Camera, which can provide native images in either 1080i or 720p. It features 14-bit A/D processing, and uses three 9.2 megapixel HD-DPM+ CCDs.
Thomson is also shipping its Infinity Digital Media Camcorder, utilizing three Xensium 2/3-inch CMOS imagers.
SPECIALTY
Camera Corps is introducing its new HD MiniZoom, a miniature broadcast-quality 720p/1080i 50/59.94 Hz HD camera with integral remotely controllable zoom lens. It measures 3.8 x 2 x 1.8-inches, incorporating a 1/3-inch 2 megapixel CMOS sensor and a 5.1 to 51mm zoom lens in a weatherproof aluminum housing. Total weight is 10 ounces. An auxiliary interface provides full manual control of iris, zoom, focus and tally-light from a small local control panel or full remote joystick and CCU panels.
Iconix is showcasing its HD-RH1 POV camera system, which at 1.32 x 1.50 x 1.92 inches is the smallest professional advanced high-definition camera system in the world.
I-Movix is presenting its high-speed SprintCam Live with new capabilities to image and record at frame rates of up to 8,000 fps, an increase from the 5,000 fps model shown last year. The camera can operate in either an HD or SD mode, and output 1080i or 720p video. The newest model features a new sensor that provides increased dynamic range and image quality.
P+S Technik is demonstrating the Weisscam HS-2 digital high-speed camera. It succeeds the company’s prior Weisscam HS-1, offering high-speed videography image recording at up to 1,500 frames per second in 2K full resolution. An electronic viewfinder is available, and recorded files can be saved as RAW files or DXF and other formats, as well as an HD-SDI output. The HS-2 can be controlled with a remote hand unit.
Incorporating the Toshiba IK-HD1E three-CCD camera fixed-focal-length camera and a Polecam rig, Polecam is launching its IK-HD1E HD camera. It provides high-quality 1080i 50/60 Hz coverage of live events while retaining full versatility of camera movement and shooting angle. The IK-HD1E incorporates 1/3-inch interlaced sensors and accepts standard C-mount lenses. The camera includes five scene file memories, manual or automatic white balance (including auto-white tracing), manual and automatic sensitivity control, and RS-232C control interface. The dimensions of the head are 1.3 x 1.5 x 1.6 inches, and the camera controller delivers HD-SDI, analog RGB or Y/Pb/Pr.
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