Ikegami Historical Backgrounder      The Ikegami Tsushinki Co., Ltd. was founded in Tokyo in 1946 to produce and market sophisticated video equipment and systems. It became a public company in 1961. In the 1950's the company began transistorizing TV broadcast equipment for use by the Technical Research Laboratory of NHK(the Japan Broadcasting Corp.). One of these products, a compact, hand-held portable TV camera, the "Handy Looky (HL)", soon caught the eye of CBS TV. In May 1962, the CBS Network used one of these first Ikegami portable cameras to cover the first launching of manned space flight, the Aurora 7. Some ten years later, Ikegami delivered the first color-TV hand-held camera, the HL-33, to NHK and to CBS. These ushered in the era of Electronic News Gathering(ENG).       Ikegami Electronics (U.S.A.), Inc. began its U.S. Marketing Operations in December, 1964 with a small sales office in mid-Manhattan, and expanded to its present 90,000 sq.ft. headquarters and service facility in Maywood, NJ. The company has a 60,000 sq.ft. facility in Torrance, CA and regional offices in Dallas, TX, Fort Lauderdale, FL and Elmhurst, IL.      In the 1970's Ikegami began to apply computer control and automatic setup functions to its line of studio color-TV cameras. In December, 1975 the computer-controlled HK-312 was adapted by ABC as its standard studio camera. This same camera brought Ikegami its first Engineering Achievement Emmy Award in 1981 for Microprocessor Control Circuits which were then incorporated in later models of Ikegami's studio cameras. Ikegami received its second Engineering Achievement Emmy Award in 1983 for EC-35, (electronic cinematography camera), a practical alternative to the 35-mm film camera.      And in 1994, Ikegami Electronics received its third Emmy Award for Engineering Achievement for the development of Skin Detail in TV cameras. The feature literally adjusts skin tones at the touch of a switch, and has been compared to electronic air brushing.      Ikegami has been involved with the on-going development of Advanced TV and of High Definition TV equipment. In addition to its line of professional TV Cameras, the company offers a complete line of video monitors, microwave links, and various digital video systems.      Ikegami TV cameras have covered every Olympic Game since those held in Mexico City in 1968 to the recent winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Ikegami cameras cover the fast-breaking news and entertainment programs for a worldwide TV audience.      Ikegami also plays a major role in the industrial and Closed Circuit TV industries. Their CCTV cameras and monitors are widely used for manufacturing processes, medical applications, and for security and surveillance in buildings and plants throughout the world.      High standard of quality, reliability and superior performance have been the hallmark of Ikegami products.