Broadcast Beat Magazine 2018 NAB Show Edition | Page 111
What you need to know about camera, light and tracking tech-
nology for budget-friendly, broadcast-quality productions
By rush beesley,
President, rushworks
Television
technology
has
evolved so significantly that
it’s now possible to achieve
extremely high-quality produc-
tion and playback while simulta-
neously reducing or eliminating
the need for camera operators
or licensed ‘broadcast’ chan-
nels. This is a win-win scenario
with solutions that offer robotic
production and playback tech-
nology at a price most budgets
can accommodate.
A great example of the ascend-
ing curve of technology is the
remarkable current capabilities
and quality of pan/tilt/zoom
(PTZ) cameras. Equally remark-
able is the price/performance
value of these cameras. You
can now purchase very high-
quality HD-PTZ cameras with
30x optical zoom lenses, with
noise reduction circuits that vir-
tually eliminate video ‘noise’ in
the lowest light situations, for
around $2,500.
Incredibly, the price also
includes the ability to track a
subject as they move across a
presentation stage or in front of
a classroom. These units incor-
porate a second full-resolution
HD camera with a wide-angle
lens and independent SDI out-
put. So in one fixture you have a
PTZ camera, a fixed wide angle
camera, and motion-based
tracking - three functions in
one fixture. When you combine
these features with other avail-
able software, you can create
a dynamic, professionally pro-
duced program with a single
operator, and achieve levels of
production quality far beyond
Broadcast Beat Magazine • www.broadcastbeat.com • 111