Gearhouse Broadcast & Hitachi kick off broadcast camera roadshow at BVE
February 28, 2013
On its stand (E68), international broadcast rental, project solutions, systems integration and equipment sales company, Gearhouse Broadcast, has hit the ground running at BVE. Teaming up with specialist broadcast system camera manufacturer – Hitachi Kokusai Electric Europe – the company has unveiled a new mobile exhibition vehicle at the show.
Designed to showcase Hitachi’s latest generation of high definition (HD) cameras, the vehicle contains the SK-HD 1200 high-end multi-format 1080p/3G production camera as well as the SK-HD 1500 HD Supermotion system camera and DK-H100 HDTV box camera. Whereas some roadshow vehicles are little more than a mobile exhibition stand, this vehicle is fully equipped as a mobile camera rig and contains all the box lenses, tripod systems and even an EVS server system to enable potential customers to evaluate the technical performance of these advanced broadcast system cameras.
Built around a seven metre Mercedes Sprinter van, the vehicle will spend the remainder of the year travelling throughout the UK and Ireland, visiting Gearhouse Broadcast customers and contacts to showcase the new Hitachi camera ranges. “We took delivery of our Hitachi cameras last summer and immediately they went into our rental fleet. At a number of major international sporting events, the cameras have proved to be robust, reliable and technically advanced,” said Eamonn Dowdall, Business Development Director at Gravity Media, parent company of Gearhouse Broadcast. “So impressed are we with these cameras that we have teamed up to help Hitachi market them and this roadshow will enable our team of technologists and expert camera operators to get out on the road and tell broadcasters and facilities just how good they are. We anticipate a busy period ahead since many broadcasters and production facilities are keen for us to visit them with our mobile camera unit.”
The roadshow’s other team member – Hitachi KEU – sees the year long event as a chance for those broadcasters and production facilities to share the Hitachi camera experience. This event follows on from the company’s launch last year of one of the market’s most sophisticated families of broadcast cameras.
“Our intention is clear – to become regarded as the leading supplier of broadcast camera technologies,” commented Paddy Roache, Director and General Manager of Hitachi KEU, “New ventures, such as our relationship with Gearhouse Broadcast are fundamental to support our growing presence in UK and international broadcast markets. Our cameras are technically best in class and the ownership experience for Hitachi cameras is without parallel. We just need to extend that user experience. Gearhouse has invested in Hitachi and other companies should spend time considering why. This latest initiative with Gearhouse will put our cameras ‘on the road’ throughout the UK and Europe. Take the Hitachi challenge and try them out!”
Hitachi SKHD 1200 broadcast system camera The SK-HD1200 camera provides superior performance delivering sharper and cleaner HD images thanks to its 16 bit A/D converters and Hitachi’s implementation of the latest digital processing technology. Like the other cameras in the SK HD range, the SK-HD1200 provides high sensitivity and a horizontal resolution performance of 1100 TV lines – delivering exceptional picture quality with low noise and ultra low vertical smear. The SK HD family represent versatile dockable HD TV cameras, which enable multiple configurations thanks to their fibre optic, digital Triax cable and wireless transmission adapters. The SK HD range offers the choice of native 1080i or 720p CCD options as well as the new multi format 1080p SK HD1200. It also features a solid state HDTV recorder option utilising the Panasonic P2 format and a large lens studio adapter.
Hitachi SKHD 1500 Supermotion camera Developed for super slo-motion applications and capable of 3X speed 1080-line HD operation, Hitachi has brought to market the first 6Gbps, fully digital optical transmission system in an HDTV production camera. Reflecting its specialist development programme, Hitachi’s new super slo-motion camera offers superior signal to noise performance to rival cameras when operating at normal and 3x speeds.
The camera’s use of 6Gbps data transmission contrasts with competitive systems, which all use 10Gbps transmission. Hitachi’s implementation of 6Gbps transmission technology significantly extends the maximum cable length possible between camera head and control unit, by around 4000m.
The SK-HD1500 represents Hitachi’s most accurate transport available for the 1080-line 150/180 images from the camera head to the camera control unit. All command audio and video signals to and from the camera are digitally transmitted hence, totally immune to EMI/ RFI interference.
Hitachi DK-H100 HDTV box camera
The DK-H100 is a multi-purpose HDTV box type POV camera that is ideal for applications such as graphics stand, point of view and remote observation. With a small lightweight head, the camera provides outstanding performance with its new 2.3 million pixels native 1080i 3-CCD. It offers sharper and cleaner HD images due to its 14-bit A/D converters and Hitachi’s latest digital processing technology. The camera achieves outstanding high sensitivity and low vertical smear specifications.