Fletcher’s I-MOVIX aids 4K
March 26, 2015
By Chris Forrester
Chicago and London-based equipment facilities house Fletcher Sports is having considerable impact with its I-MOVIX ten-times Ultra-HD slo-mo camera kit.
The kit has been used on the current Cricket World Cup 4K coverage to cinema audiences in Australia and New Zealand, as well as on feeds supplied to broadcasters in India.
“The images are crisp, the replays are fantastic, and the X10 UHD slows down the action to a degree that can’t be achieved with any other camera”, said Dan Grainge, VP/Fletcher Chicago Inc.
Shooting at 1000fps during daylight to capture the intricacies of fast-paced World Cup action, Fletcher Sports’ I-MOVIX systems are reconfigured to 300fps when the floodlights come on for the latter stages of day/night games.
“The changing light conditions during these games aren’t a problem. The camera is so flexible that it takes literally a couple of seconds to go from day to night operation,” Grainge added.
As the largest worldwide user of I-MOVIX systems, with over twenty installed, including eight of the latest X10 UHD 4K cameras, Fletcher Sports has been leading the wave of 4K coverage for sports such as NFL and golf. At the latest SuperBowl, Fletcher deployed five X10 UHD systems to shoot in 4K for the HD broadcast. The 4K shots were used to provide ‘4K Zoom’ – the much-prized ability to frame a wider slice of the scene, then zoom in after the action to show the point of interest for the HD broadcast, without losing any resolution.
Fletcher has also shot trial coverage of championship golf using I-MOVIX X10 UHD RF wireless system, and this camera will be used to bring close up action to major international broadcaster’s golf coverage.
X10 UHD RF extends the operational flexibility of the X10 system by supporting wireless shooting in HD productions where being close to the action is important. For very high-frame rate ultra-slow motion in HD sports coverage, X10 UHD RF operates in USM (Ultra Slow Motion) mode to deliver instant replays of up to 3,000 FPS in 720p or up to 2,000 FPS in 1080i.