By Peter Caranicas, April 24, 2007
Never before has an NAB show offered buyers of cameras such a variety of options. As the acquisition universe finalizes the switch from analog to digital, and as HD continues its penetration of the marketplace, exhibits at the show will showcase a mind-boggling display of standards, formats, resolutions and price points. Producers, broadcasters, cinematographers and camera operators will be like kids in a candy store, but with a limited allowance in their pockets. Here, in no particular order, are some of the goodies they'll find.
Panasonic continues to bolster its P2 semiconductor memory card technology for its solid-state camcorders and decks by introducing a 16GB version of the card, which will be available in May. Panasonic also announced that a 32GB P2 card will be available by the end of the year.
Robert Harris, vice president of marketing at Panasonic Broadcast, indicates where Panasonic is headed with P2: "P2 offers flexible IT infrastructure compatibility and a dramatic increase in recording capacity at a progressively lower cost. A P2 HD camcorder such as our new AJ-HPX2000 with five P2 slots will be able to record up to 80 minutes of full-frame-rate HD content using five 16GB cards. When the 32GB P2 card arrives by year's end, recording capacity will double once again."
Panasonic's big new product, however, is the AG-HPX500, a shoulder-mounted P2 HD camcorder that offers three 2/3-inch CCDs, DVCPRO HD recording, 4:2:2 sampling, independent frame encoding, interchangeable lenses and variable frame rates. The HPX500, which has no tape drive, records in 32 HD and SD formats and handles up to 160 minutes of recording at 24fps on four 16GB P2 cards. Priced at about $14,000 including lens and viewfinder, it will be available in May.
Another new product from Panasonic: The AG-HSC1U, a 3-CCD HD camcorder that weighs just 1.1 lb. Delivering 1080i recording, it is designed for events, presentations, coaching and other video productions that would benefit from a small handheld camera. It records up to 88 minutes (41 minutes in the highest quality mode) of video on a high-speed 4GB SDHC memory card.
Over at Sony's NAB booth, the emphasis will be on "new workflow efficiencies" and "creating opportunities for HD production in new applications," says said Alec Shapiro, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Sony Electronics' Broadcast and Production Systems division. Many of its products are based on the industry-standard MPEG video compression technology, and Sony will present systems that make full use of MPEG-2 Long GOP streams at efficiently low data rates. The aim is to deliver high picture quality without the risk of signal format compromise.
"The MPEG algorithm is technologically mature enough to efficiently satisfy the most demanding picture quality requirements for broadcast and production applications," says chief technology officer Hugo Gaggioni. "MPEG technology not only facilitates advanced data workflows for broadcast news and program production but also allows for full interoperability with a range of nonlinear editing systems."
The MPEG-based Sony products at NAB will include entry-level HDV camcorders and mid-priced XDCAM optical production gear. The HDV line includes the new 24p-capable HVR-V1U, which Sony has positioned for documentary producers, event videographers and cinematographers. Meanwhile, Sony reps say, the XDCAM HD system continues to gain acceptance among news organizations and independent TV productions.
Among Sony's new products: the HDC-1400 dual-format camera system, which can operate in either 1080/59.94i or 720/59.94p mode. It shares most of the image-making capabilities of Sony's HDC-1500 system, including three-skin detail control, multi-matrix color control and SD downconversion capability; the camera offers a lower-cost entry into HD production for users who don't require full multiformat capabilities. Availability is set for May at a price of $65,000.
Sony is also introducing the HDVF-C35W color viewfinder, which is compatible with the new camera as well as with several existing Sony cameras. It will be available in June for $8,000.
The High End
On display at NAB will be Sony's F-23 camera, the newest member of the high-end CineAlta line of digital 24p acquisition products for digital television and motion pictures. The F-23 offers 1920x1080 4:4:4 RGB imaging. It uses three 2.2-megapixel, 2/3-inch progressive CCD imagers and a 14-bit A/D converter. The system will support 1080/23.98p, 24p, 25p, 29.97p, 50p, 59.94p, 50i and 59.94i formats.
Sony's SRW-1 digital 4:4:4 VTR will dock to the top or the tail of the F23, eliminating the need for cumbersome cable handling between the camera and recorder. When more mobility is required, the recorder can be tethered using a Dual Link cable connection so the camera becomes smaller and lighter. The F23's body will be compatible with several film camera accessories, including bridge plates, matte boxes and follow-focus units.
At the Thomson Grass Valley booth, visitors may ask questions about the Infinity camcorder system, which has suffered production delays. Nevertheless, the light at the end the tunnel is getting brighter, with deliveries now promised for mid-2007.
The postponement has been somewhat of a blessing in disguise, according to Senior Vice President Jeff Rosica, who says the delay allowed Grass Valley the time to equip Infinity with CMOS instead of CCD imaging technology--namely, the Xensium CMOS sensor. Developed by Grass Valley engineers, Xensium is a native HD sensor with 2.4-megapixel resolution. Additionally, Infinity will now use the LCP 400 local control panel software, which is sold separately and provides control for the camcorder from a PDA or smart phone. As had always been planned, Infinity will be able to record on REV PRO drives, Compact Flash cards and USB memory devices.
Grass Valley will also use its appearance at NAB to launch a new version of its single-format HD camera, the LDK 4000. Aimed at broadcasters and facilities that operate in fixed 1080i or 720p environments, the camera now benefits from 14-bit analog-to-digital conversion and other signal processing improvements derived from the new LDK 8000 multiformat camera.
The LDK 4000 mk II is available either as a 1080i or a 720p camera
. In both configurations, it is switchable between 50Hz and 59.94Hz. An available service pack enables a field service engineer to change the fixed format from 1080i to 720p, or vice versa. Its light weight makes it suitable for handheld or crane operation, but the LDK 4000 mk II can also be used with the Grass Valley SuperXpander large-lens adapter, which offers a 7-inch (178mm diagonal) HD viewfinder for studio pedestal or sports operation. Available now, its price starts at $98,000.
Affordable Options
At JVC Professional Products, National Marketing Communications Manager Dave Walton detects a strong demand among broadcasters for affordable HD. "For local broadcasters, the reality is that producing local programming, particularly news, in HD is becoming a competitive necessity. It's not directly about generating revenue through higher prices for air time; it's about retaining viewers. Broadcasters need a way to convert to HD without a huge increase in spending. They need to do HD on an SD budget."
With that market in mind, JVC will emphasize its GY-HD200U and GY-HD250U camcorders, which Walton characterizes as perfectly suited for over-the-shoulder newsgathering. Both are 3-CCD HD cameras. They will be shown at NAB with a 16:1 Fujinon lens.
Designed for ENG, field production and cinematography, the GY-HD200 offers multiple-frame-rate recording, including full-frame 720/60p imaging and real 24p. New image processing, says JVC, puts the camera at the performance level required for mainstream HD production.
The GY-HD250U, according to JVC, offers high picture quality that is suitable for mainstream HD production and newsgathering. The shoulder-style GY-HD250 can also be converted to a studio camera using the optional KA-HD250U studio adapter.
In addition to displaying its portable, studio and field cameras at NAB, Ikegami Electronics will exhibit the new HDL-45 and HDL-45P digital HD "box" cameras and the new HDL-F50 multiformat, CMOS imager-based compact HD camera designed for gyroscopic aerial mounts. "With the nation's transition to DTV and HDTV less than two years away, it's more important than ever for broadcasters and program producers to be equipped for the demands of the modern digital, widescreen and tapeless television and video content creation world," explains Alan Keil, vice president and director of engineering for Ikegami.
The HDL-45 and HDL-45P one-piece box cameras feature 14-bit A/D conversion and deliver 1080i and 720p image capture, respectively. They are designed for use in traffic and weather cam mounts, goalposts and other out-of-reach vantage points. Both have a built-in servo filter that enables insertion of a neutral density (ND) or other filter by remote control.
Digital and Film
Iconix Video will again be showing its HD-RH1 1/3-inch progressive 3-CCD HD camera, which it introduced at NAB last year. Described as a multiformat, remote head point-of-view camera system, it operates in 720p, 1080i and 1080p at a variety of frame rates. The camera began shipping in December 2006, and more than 200 units had been sold as of early March. It has already been used on a number of productions, including Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's 13. In addition, it was mounted in the NASCAR pace car during event broadcasts and captured the teams' entry and exit from the stadium during Super Bowl LXI.
Iconix will also showcase a remote control panel for the HD-RH1 and a new digital I/O package. The I/O package, a factory-installed option, allows fiber optic output directly from the camera. It provides what Iconix says is the industry's first direct camera genlock via an SDI or fiber optic serial digital source. With dual SD/HD-SDI connectors already standard to the HD-RH1, multiple cameras can be easily genlocked to a single SDI link by daisy-chaining the SDI inputs and outputs. For fiber users, the addition of a fiber Rx/Tx module will allow the camera to seamlessly transmit fiber and genlock to an incoming fiber serial link at the same time.
Since the last NAB, many observers have had their eyes on Silicon Imaging, which showed a prototype of its SI-2K digital cinema camera with embedded SiliconDVR camera control and recording software, and a removable camera head, the SI-2K MINI. This year the company will have a working model of the camera, which shoots at up to 2248x1152 and records to disc on the CineForm RAW proprietary codec. It can also handle 1920x1080 HD recording and most SD resolutions.
The head, which is the hardware component of the camera system, must be tethered over Gigabit Ethernet to a controlling workstation or laptop system running SiliconDVR, the software component, which is designed as a common platform capable of supporting future Silicon Imaging 2K hardware devices.
The camera features a universal mount system "that can swap between C-mount, PL-mount and B4-mount," says the company's R&D specialist, Jason Rodriguez. The SI-2K will be available six weeks after NAB, according to Silicon Imaging CEO Ari Presler. It will incorporate a version of Iridas SpeedGrade color-correction software for setting monitor colorimetry on set. Without lens, it will cost about $20,000. The SI-2K MINI will sell for $13,500 with PL-mount.
ARRI, the film giant, comes to NAB with its ARRIFLEX D-20 film-style digital camera, which accepts all 35mm-format lenses and uses an optical viewfinder. Introduced as a concept two years ago, the D-20 has now been used on more than 100 productions and is available worldwide through ARRI rentals and rental partners. The camera will be shown at NAB with ARRI film-style accessories and lenses.
Not neglecting film, ARRI will also display the ARRIFLEX 416, its quiet Super 16 camera with integrated electronic accessories and compatibility with the same lenses and accessories used by ARRI's 35mm siblings. Super 16 film is enjoying a resurgence thanks to advances in lenses, film stock and postproduction technology that have elevated the format's image quality.
Finally there's RED Digital Cinema, which wowed some attendees but also created a subculture of skeptics at last year's NAB with its claims of an ideal digital camera: 12-megapixel acquisition of video at up to 60fps; RAW or 2x oversampled HD in 4:4:4 or 4:2:2; and the "Mysterium" Super 35-sized sensor, with a greater than 66dB signal-to-noise ratio. It weighs 8 lb. and boasts a 35mm PL lens mount.
With its price tag of around $17,000, the camera is being positioned by RED executives as the system for everyone from wedding videographers to high-end filmmakers. The only problem is that RED has until now been only a theoretical product. Not even a prototype was available.
As of mid-March, Ted Schilowitz, who has the title "leader of the rebellion" at RED, wasn't promising anything specific for April's NAB. "Much as people would like to say we're an amazing marketing machine, we're not. We're just a company that's building really cool stuff that a lot of people are paying attention to. We have predictions on what we're going to show at NAB, but that could change based on engineering status."
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