Ikegami Press News

TURNER STUDIOS - FIRST HD TRUCK GEARS UP WITH IKEGAMI HDK-79E CAMERAS

MAYWOOD, NJ - NAB2004: The first HDTV truck from Turner Studios has hit the road running, with a full schedule of events and the remarkable imagery of 14 Ikegami HDK-79E cameras. Achieving superb picture quality through 2/3-inch 2.2 million-pixel FIT CCD image sensors, the Ikegami cameras are an integral part of Turner's enthusiastically received foray into HD mobile production.

"We are looking to lead the way with picture quality, and we selected Ikegami cameras to deliver the ultimate experience to viewers," says Scott Marks, Vice President of Production Operations, Turner Studios. "The pictures from the HDK-79E are beautiful, featuring a really nice level of detail without looking over-enhanced. It looks like an Ikegami "that's about all you need to say!"

A key consideration in Turner's selection of the Ikegami HDK-79E cameras was their flexibility for work in multi-format HD (1080i, 720p) and SDTV (480i). "We're native 1080i, but we also book the truck out for clients that are 720p," Marks notes. "Whether it's working in its native 1080i or 720p, our clients have been extremely happy with the images these cameras produce."

Additional versatility in field production comes with the cameras - TA/CB-79HD Fiber/Triax system, for transmission of high quality pictures from the camera head at the maximum transmission distance of 1,000m using a triax cable or up to 3,000m using a fiber cable. "The HD cameras we selected had to run on triax, and at the time that we made this purchase, Ikegami was the only company giving us that fiber/triax solution," says Marks. "Naturally, we'll run them on fiber every chance we get, but most networks are powered with triax, so that feature of the HDK-79E was very important to us."

Nine of Turner Studios cameras come equipped with the Ikegami SE-79D System Expander, which enables the use of the 7-inch viewfinder and full studio lenses, converting the portable camera into a full-facility studio camera in under a minute. “Ikegami has done a great job designing these system expanders," Marks states. "Camera operators traditionally do not like to use system expanders, but Ikegami's are laid out for extreme ease of operation, so they really like to use them in practical applications. That gives us a lot of flexibility to go from entertainment-type shooting to sport shooting.E

Ikegami's history of outstanding service and support also made them a good fit for Turner Studios. "The remote life is not easy for a camera, and we have had remarkable durability and low maintenance issues with Ikegami cameras for 20 years,Esays Marks. "Also in terms of continuity, Ikegami designed them to have an extremely low learning curve. My camera operators tell me they can get to the controls quickly, which is essential during live broadcasts."

Featuring 0.18-micron m design rule next-generation ASICs and 12 bit A/D conversion/38-bit digital processing circuits, the Ikegami HDK-79E is designed for high-impact DTV production. Advanced DTL correction and Super KNEE build on the Ikegami tradition of unsurpassed image quality. With HD SDI output from the camera head, on-line diagnostics and a low center of gravity, the Ikegami HDK-79E is easy and efficient to use, in the field or the studio.

With a long list of high-profile events already on the calendar for Turner's newest HD addition, Scott Marks is glad to be taking on the heavy work load with Ikegami cameras. "The success of this truck starts with our choice of equipment," he concludes. "We work closely with our clients when specifying our equipment, and the quality of images was of paramount importance to them. Ikegami is one reason why we expect the look of our HD network to shine."

Ikegami Electronics is one of the world's leading manufacturers of high quality professional broadcast equipment. Ikegami offers a broad range of TV cameras for ENG, EFP, Studio, HDTV, CCTV and Medical Imaging. Ikegami products have received various Emmy Awards for Engineering Excellence. The company's universal High Definition TV Cameras have been widely accepted by the broadcast industry as it continues the change over to the High Definition Television Format.