As part of their transition to HD at Time Warner Cable Arena, the NBA's Charlotte Hornets selected Ikegami HDK-95C Full Digital Portable CMOS camera systems. The four new Ikegami HDK-95C cameras are the successors to Ikegami HL-60W cameras, which had shot at the Hornets' home arena since it opened in 2005.
Our upgrades are few and far between, so we're looking for equipment with proven reliability and performance which stands up over a long period of time, says Kelly Heddleson, Director of Technical Operations for the Charlotte Hornets. Ikegami is known for having the prettiest picture, and we wanted to make sure that we could display a great image to our large video boards. In addition, this was a city project we wanted the highest quality possible while still being budget-friendly.
In addition to hosting at least 41 games a year for the Hornets, Time Warner Cable Arena is also the venue for approximately 60 additional productions each year. Heddleson and his team are in charge of producing broadcast-quality video for a heavy schedule that includes NCAA basketball, monster truck events, circuses, the 2017 NBA All Star Game, and much more. All video that comes from the Ikegami HDK-95C cameras is distributed to the arena's giant LED screens and in-house TV's.
It's important for us to provide our viewers with the best quality possible, says Heddleson. We chose the Ikegami HDK-95C because we're looking for deep blacks and vibrant colors. Another advantage of these cameras is that they give us multi-format out of the base station our studio is 1080i native, but we can also take the HDK-95C's dual-link 2X high speed signal to our EVS replay machine. That allows us to replay from 120 frames, for a nice smooth replay. Finally, we have a ready upgrade path to 4K when we change our arena TVs over to that format.
Part of Ikegami's Unicam HD line, the HDK-95C HD portable digital camera is equipped with Native multi-format 2.5 million pixel, 2/3 inch CMOS sensors. It also features an upgrade path to 24p and 3G formats, including 1080/60p and 4:4:4 24p.
The advanced features and extensive controls for the Ikegami HDK-95C have also made the new cameras a hit with Heddleson's crew. The HDK-95C has focus assist, which the younger camera operators especially appreciate it helps them grab focus faster when the players are running down the court, he states. On the video shading side, we have Ikegami's OCP-300 operation control panels which gives us every bit of control that we need. There's not one thing on the camera that we can't adjust. We also use an Ikegami 24 monitor which is just awesome all together, it's a great area for shading.
Ikegami's reputation for durability has been proven once again to Heddleson with the HDK-95C. Our HL-60W's were workhorses Ikegami's great at making a sturdy product that can take a beating, he says. We constantly have players trying to save a ball or take a hard foul, and they'll land right on the camera operator. Our HDK-95C's can sustain a big impact and keep right on going.
Service and support from Ikegami have also been top notch, Heddleson continues. I could reach our salesperson anytime during the upgrade process. For commissioning the HDK-95C's, Ikegami's field engineer came here for two days being able to pick his brain that entire time was extremely beneficial.
Anthony James Partners was the consultant on the project, and Comprehensive Technical Group LLC, of Atlanta, Georgia served as the system integrator. The Ikegami HDK-95C is providing terrific value for the Charlotte Hornets, says Ry Alford, Senior Account Manager, Comprehensive Technical Group. This camera is an optimal combination of reliability on game day, high speed capabilities for replay, picture quality and pricing.
With their new Ikegami HDK-95C cameras in house, the Charlotte Hornets' HD upgrade is getting plenty of attention. Everyone the fans, the players, the team owners look up on the board, see this beautiful HD picture, and their jaws drop, says Kelly Heddleson. We couldn't do it without Ikegami.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
15/06/2026
Detach from Direct-Attached: How Remote Editing with EVO Keeps Creative Teams Mo...
14/06/2026
Library captures 1960s R&B/pop drum sound
Following on from their recent wave of plug-in effects, Iconic Instruments have just launched an all-new virtual d...
14/06/2026
HBO Comedy Rooster Shot with URSA Cine 17K 65
Brie Clayton June 14, 2026
0 Comments
Large format brings viewers intimately close to characters.
Black...
13/06/2026
Latest expansion pack includes 252 presets
Devious Machines have recently introduced another expansion for their powerful multi-effects plug-in, Infiltrator...
13/06/2026
Create custom DAW/plug-in controllers using prompts
MetaGrid have recently introduced an all-new AI Builder function to their touchscreen-based control surf...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
YES Network and The Gotham Sports App will air seven Athletes Unlimited Softball...
12/06/2026
The United Football League will host its FAST Innovation Suite at the 2026 United Bowl presented by Credit One Bank on Saturday, June 13 at 3:00 p.m. ET at Audi...
12/06/2026
PTZOptics and LayerJot will present live demonstrations at InfoComm 2026 showing how natural-language AI prompting, robotic camera control, and on-device comput...
12/06/2026
MultiDyne Video and Fiber Optic Systems will exhibit at InfoComm 2026, featuring...
12/06/2026
Ateme has announced that Eurovision Services is using Ateme's software-based frame-rate conversion technology for international live event workflows. The de...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin and Simplestream have announced a partnership with Xperi to simplify the launch of OTT streaming services on TiVo OS smart TVs and devices. The collabo...
12/06/2026
Net Insight has announced that a multinational technology company is deploying a...
12/06/2026
MLB Players Inc., the business arm of the MLB Players Association, has announced a partnership with Athletes First to develop and sell brand partnerships across...
12/06/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D) and VuWall have announced the CommandKeyboard-Advanc...
12/06/2026
Comcast Smart Solutions announces a new smart technology deployment with Major L...
12/06/2026
Elevation Worship completed the initial leg of its Elevation Nights 2026 tour ...
12/06/2026
AJA Video Systems has announced KONA IP25 support for Colorfront Transkoder and ...
12/06/2026
Audinate Group Limited (ASX: AD8) will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth C7321, Ce...
12/06/2026
Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould has announced the appointment of Scott Adametz as Chief Technology Officer. The Pac-12 describes the hire as the first CTO appo...
12/06/2026
Grass Valley has announced AMPP Edge Live, a production system combining Grass Valley hardware, NVIDIA Blackwell GPU acceleration, and AMPP OS in a single platf...
12/06/2026
At one time a trailblazer with the launch of the Longhorn Network, the Universit...
12/06/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
12/06/2026
Chyron has announced PAINT 10.4, an update to its illustrated replay and sports ...
12/06/2026
SVP, Production, Mark Gross: With the new schedule, with not having every Sunday night, it has given us an opportunity to take a step back and reimagine what o...
12/06/2026
For Televisa Technical Engineering Manager Roberto N nez Ibarra and the small team of 12 technicians and two production personnel at the IBC things are already ...
12/06/2026
Simple Steps to Better Acoustics - Taming The Small Room
Most of us mix in spare rooms and small spaces, where the acoustics fight us at every turn. At Gear...
12/06/2026
Latest addition expands vintage-inspired effects palette
Meris' Ottobit pedal range draws its inspiration from vintage gaming consoles, and the latest a...
12/06/2026
Soundbox-based chamber strings series expanded
Sonora Cinematic have just announced the launch of the second instalment in their Soundbox-based chamber stri...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
AJA Announces KONA IP25 Integration with Colorfront Software
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Collaboration enables uncompressed SMPTE ST 2110 I/O ...
12/06/2026
URSA Cine 12K LF Used to Create Visuals for STUTS' K-Arena Concert
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Organic visuals projected on a giant scre...
12/06/2026
MTI FILM Acquires Mango New Edit, Expanding its Global Post-Production Services ...
12/06/2026
AI Point Tracking Speeds Up Complex VFX Tracks in Mocha Pro
Jessie Electa Petrov June 12, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic point trac...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin, a provider of video streaming solutions, has partnered with Simplestream, a provider of OTT and broadcast solutions, and technology provider Xperi, to...
12/06/2026
Leostream Corporation, creator of the world-leading Leostream Remote Desktop Access Platform, today announced Jigsaw24, a leading B2B IT solutions provider wit...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
How Aussie indie games and screen are levelling up with IP 11 June 2026
Ari Harrison, Pro Jank Footy
Head of Games Joey Egger and Ari Harrison of Umbrella sha...
12/06/2026
AgentPerf from Artificial Analysis, the industry's first agentic AI benchmark, gives developers, enterprises and infrastructure providers a clear way to com...
As part of their transition to HD at Time Warner Cable Arena, the NBA's Charlotte Hornets selected Ikegami HDK-95C Full Digital Portable CMOS camera systems. The four new Ikegami HDK-95C cameras are the successors to Ikegami HL-60W cameras, which had shot at the Hornets' home arena since it opened in 2005.
