NAB 2014 Newsmedia Invitation from Camera CorpsWho: Camera Corps.
Where: Vitec Group stand, C6025, NAB Show, Las Vegas Convention Center.
Why: If you are looking for the big stories of the show, we have them: A major new product announcement plus acquisition of the Special Cameras division of SIS LIVE (formerly BBC Special Cameras Division).
What: The new Q3 compact robotic camera, giving unprecedented new facilities for creative television production. Also a greatly expanded range of speciality cameras, miniature recorders and wireless links.
When: April 7-10, 2014. With 1,600 booths across four massive halls to cover, you may not want to be tied down to specific timed appointments. So feel free to explore the Camera Corps exhibit during your tour of the Central Hall. Representatives at the show will include Laurie Frost, Jim Daniels, Neil Ashworth and Jeff White.
Camera Corps Q3 compact robotic camera now in production
Camera Corps announces that its new Q3 compact robotic camera system, launching at the 2014 NAB Show, is now deliverable as a rental product or for purchase. Developed from the multiple-award-winning Q-Ball, Q3 incorporates a greatly expanded feature set including double the zoom power and a higher specification camera. It is compatible with multiple serial data formats including IP plus Camera Corps own audio-based data system.
The original Q-Ball revolutionised the use of robotic cameras in applications such as sports and reality shows, states Camera Corps founder and managing director Laurie Frost. Q3 elevates remote camera control to an entirely new level. It gives producers much greater flexibility plus the freedom to source high-quality live video from an unlimited number of cameras located anywhere in, around or outside a production set. Q3 feeds can be intercut seamlessly with the output from broadcast cameras. Each Q3 head incorporates a high-precision pan/tilt/zoom/focus mechanism in a compact unit which can be mounted at any height, indoors or outdoors, and operated under full remote control from an adjacent desk or half-way round the world. Over a hundred Q3 heads can be operated from a single joystick panel.
Q3 retains the spherical shape which made Q-Ball so easy to conceal when in view of other cameras, adds technical director Jim Daniels. We have replaced the former 10 times zoom optics with a 20 times lens and incorporated a new high sensitivity imager that delivers high quality video with control that matches much higher cost systems. The camera can be upgraded as imaging technology continues to improve, making Q3 inherently future-proof. The motor system has been further refined, enabling remote operators to match the precise acceleration and deceleration of much larger robotic heads when tracking moving performers on-air.
Using an integral 3 gigabits per second slip-ring, Q3 can perform an unlimited number of 360 degree lateral rotations. Pan and tilt speed are adjustable from an ultra-slow 360 degrees in 90 minutes to 90 degrees per second. All pan/tilt/zoom/focus parameters can be stored to internal non-volatile memory for fast recall. Motion control sequences of up to 25 seconds duration can be stored in this way.
Q3 is compatible with all high-definition and intermediate-definition video formats currently in common use, including 1080 or 720 progressive or interlaced at 60, 50, 30, 25 or 24 frames per second. A concurrent PAL/NTSC output is available. Minimum illumination requirement is 0.5 lux (colour mode) or 0.02 lux (monochrome). Camera alignment features include gamma correction, white balance, 16-step edge enhancement and a 2 second to 1/10,000 second shutter. A genlock input with user-adjustable sync timing offset is provided. The camera can be locked to external C sync or tri-level HD sync. An optional optical-interface provides data control, genlock and 3 gigabits per second video over a pair of single-mode fibers.
Q3 retains Q-Balls ease of rigging with just a single cable to the head. Provision is made for easy user control programming. Continuous D1 format virtual-reality data is available for elaborate motion control requirements.
Fully compatible with all existing Camera Corps control systems, the Q3 robotic pan/tilt/zoom/focus head will be deliverable from the commencement of the 2014 NAB Show.
Vitec Videocom boosts Camera Corps offering with innovative speciality cameras
Vitec Videocom, a division of The Vitec Group plc, expands its Camera Corps business with the incorporation of assets from SIS Live Special Cameras (formerly BBC Special Cameras). The offering will bring customers a range of specialist cameras that take the viewer straight into the heart of the action - from live sporting and high profile events, through to Royal occasions and Red Arrow aerial displays.
SIS Live Special Cameras' formidable inventory and specially designed gear are the perfect additions to Vitec Videocom's global services, expanding its worldwide presence, and trading will take place under the Camera Corps brand. The move will also complement Vitec Videocom's other services groups - The Camera Store & Autoscript in the UK, and Bexel in the USA - reinforcing the delivery of the world's most aspirational broadcast capture requirements.
There is great synergy with Camera Corps, who most recently supplied its cameras to the Winter Games. This is a fantastic opportunity to deliver innovative and unique solutions to our customers that give audiences views they've never seen, or even dreamt of, before, says Matt Danilowicz, Vitec Videocom CEO. We can now capture amazing images anywhere - from the mast of a yacht, to the underside of a bobsled, to the stump of a cricket match.
Well known within the Special Cameras portfolio are the Stump Cam used on cricket pitches all over the world, and on-board cameras in hig
