FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For Further information: jrosado@Ikegami.com Jose Rosado: 201-368-9171

BET Broadcasting Equipment & Technology Vol.3, No.1/2002 (Serial No.7)

For Field Acquisition. Disc-Based Editcam2 Saves Time, Offers Flexibility
Ikegami Editcam2 Solution for Tapeless Acquisition.

The future is coming fast;

Because of its inherent inefficiency, the old workhorse of the industry, the tape, is increasingly being replaced by the more versatile disk. Repeatedly forwarding and rewinding tape while editing wastes valuable time that can be saved using a non-linear disk-based system. Recognizing this, many disk based video editing systems, have appeared on the market. However, deploying disk-based editing systems introduces another time-wasting step called digitizing. The contents of the tape need to be copied from tape to disk, which takes as long as the runtime of the clip being copied.
As a result, it is only natural that tape media will be supplanted by disks in the field as well. In cooperation with Avid, Ikegami has been offering a disk-based acquisition system in the form of the Editcam since 1995. This solution has many advantages, of which eliminating the need to digitize is only one. Using the Editcam, it is possible to start editing immediately after shooting. The Editcam2 camera records video data directly onto a hard drive. The 2nd generation Editcam, called Editcam2, has a dramatically smaller form-factor and lower power requirements. In 2001, the Editcam2 supported multi-format recording, and Ikegami released a new product (DNR-20 dockable recorder) and a unique accessory (SAT-100 adapter). Approximately one hundred sets of the Editcam2 were delivered during 2001, and worldwide sales of Editcam units have surpassed 300.

The Editcam improves;

Ikegami announced its support of four kinds of video formats at the last NAB show. The AVR format is for previous Avid system. The JFIF and DV formats are for the current system, and the IMX format is for future systems. The AVR format has three different compression modes, AVR70B, AVR70BH and AVR75. These AVR formats are for the Macintosh based MediaComposer/NewsCutter. The JFIF format, which has two compression modes (3:1 and 10:1), is for Avid Xpress, the Windows based MediaComposer, and Symphony. The DV25/50 and IMX formats are for NewsCutter FX, XP and XP mobile. (See following list) Also, the Editcam2 software can be upgraded for added functionality in the future. In fact, the DNS-201W can be upgraded with IMX format recording capability after shipment.

The DNR-20 leads to disk acquisition;

It is possible to attach the DNR-20 dockable disk recorder to conventional Ikegami cameras. The 79-pin DNR-20 is for Ikegami HL-series cameras such as HL-59/W and HL-57, while the 50-pin type model is compatible with HL-45 and HC-series.

The field is expanding;

With Avid’s release of the NewsCutter XP mobile in the 4th quarter of last year, editing is possible in more and more places. Ikegami has launched a new accessory, SAT-100 FieldPak-2 adapter which allows the Editcam2 and XP mobile to work together. With only three items, the Editcam2 camera, SAT-100 adapter and XP mobile, it is possible to shoot and edit video anywhere. Furthermore, XP mobile supports "Avid Unity Media Net". It is possible to store edited material on the network, and use other nonlinear editing systems and the video server in paralell. Additionally, the XP mobile can output streaming data such as MPEG1, MPEG2, RealVideo, WindowsMedia, AVI, and QuickTime formats.

Disk Advantages;

When shooting nature reports, weather observation, and breaking news stories, a disk camera is far superior to tape based solutions. The retroloop function is perfect for situations where the arrival of the subject cannot be timed. The time-lapse recording function is very useful when taking an interval video such as flowers and moving clouds for long hours. Both functions can reduce the amount of media which the operator has to carry around. Also, the operator can check recorded material in the field without having to sacrifice readiness because the intelligent recording function can immediately find free space on the HDD even during the playback. Finally, thumbnails of the recorded video appear on the non-linear editing machine immediately after inserting the FieldPak-2 to DFPSA or SAT-100. This means the editor easily grasp the recorded contents.

"RetroLoop Function"

This function continuously records all video to a temporary storage area on the disk that acts as a buffer. When the buffer is full, it starts overwriting material from the beginning. If the operator presses the recording trigger while using this function, the video data recorded in the buffer is stored as part of the new video clip. The RetroLoop is adjustable from 5 seconds to 5 minutes.
Broadcast-quality digital disk recording is now a reality. Ikegami’s Editcam is the only solution for tapeless acquisition, bringing power and flexibility undeliverable with tape based systems.

Video formats	Compression rate	Recording Time (at 16GB FP2)	Data Format	Compatible with NLE
AVR-70B	Approx 7:1 (variable)	Approx 80min.	OMF	NewsCutter (MAC) MediaCompser(MAC)
AVR-70BH	Approx 5:1 (variable)	Approx 50min.	OMF	NewsCutter (MAC) MediaCompser(MAC)
AVR-75	Approx 3:1 (variable)	Approx 40min.	OMF	NewsCutter (MAC) MediaCompser(MAC)
JFIF10:1	10:1	96min.	OMF	MediaCompser(Windows) Avid Xpress, Symphony
JFIF3:1	3:1	42min.	OMF	MediaCompser(Windows) Avid Xpress, Symphony
DV25	5:1	70min.	OMF	NewsCutter-FX, NewsCutter-XP, XP-mobile
DV50	3.3:1	36min.	OMF	NewsCutter-FX, NewsCutter-XP, XP-mobile
IMX (D10)	Approx 3:1	41min.	OMF	NewsCutter-IMX

About this article;
The author, Nobuhisa Miyazaki, is Senior Marketing Staff,
Nonlinear Marketing Group, Overseas Sales Division, Ikegami Tsushinki Co., Ltd.