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