GEAR PTZ CAMERAS
Two new 20x HD PTZ cameras with high-speed motors – making use of next-generation Sony video sensors and new processors – have recently been unveiled by Lumens. The £2334/$2195 VC-A51P has secure IP streaming, and the VC-A51PN unit adds NDI HX for network production. Both machines feature high-sensitivity 1/2.8-inch, 2.16-megapixel Sony CMOS sensors with Wide Dynamic Range and 3D noise reduction. With advanced autofocus and auto white-balance algorithms, the duo are ideal for low light. The cameras have a new motorised mechanism for fluid, three-axis motion, which can pan and tilt the camera at speeds 2.5x faster than the previous generation. Both models have 3G-SDI and HDMI ports and multiple IP control and streaming protocols, including RTMPS and RTMP, to work with popular streaming services such as YouTube and Facebook. Lumens also has the VC-R30 IP PTZ camera with a new-generation 1/2.8-inch Sony sensor. It shoots in Full HD at 60p to deliver broadcast- quality pictures. Offering simultaneous 3G-SDI, HDMI, USB 3.0 and Ethernet, this camera is simply perfect for live event streaming over the internet – or more traditional multicamera broadcast via SDI or HDMI. The VC-R30 also has a 12x optical zoom lens with a wide 72.5° horizontal field of view and intelligent autofocus system. mylumens.com SONY SENSORS FOR LUMENS
JVC’S JOURNEY INTO LIVE PRODUCTION JVC’s latest PTZ cameras are designed for remote IP production in live events and sport, as well as education and corporate. The 4K KY-PZ400N and HD KY-PZ200N cameras are equipped with NDI HX and SRT streaming, H.265/H.264/MJPEG encoding and VITC camera synchronisation. A third, the HD KY-PZ200, is a more economical
Full remote control capabilities are via JVC’s RM-LP100 controller, KM-IP6000 or 4000 live IP production suites – or options from vMix, OBS Studio and Newtek. Equipped with a 4K 1/2.5-inch progressive scanning CMOS image sensor, the £2234/$2299 KY-PZ400N has a wide angle of view equivalent to 26.4mm, 0.5 lux minimum illumination and 16x digital or 12x optical zoom. The £1729/$1399 KY-PZ200 includes an HD 1/2.8-inch progressive CMOS image sensor, as well as 20x optical zoom reaching out to 606.9mm equivalent. Both cameras have HDMI and 3G-SDI, RJ45 with PoE, RS232 and RS485 interfaces as standard. jvc.com
solution as it doesn’t offer NDI HX. All these include SRT, HTTP, RTSP, RTMP/RTMPS plus standard protocols. With SRT open-source tech in JVCs, PTZ owners get continual firmware updates. Advanced streaming SRT adds automatic repeat request (ARQ) and forward error correction (FEC) to stop signal loss, plus stream encryption for content protection.
BLACK AND WHITE JVC cameras come in a choice of finish, although all feature impressive colour science and easy remote control
IT’S A BIRDDOG’S LIFE! Birddog is one of the premier PTZ makers – and all its models support video transmission over a local network using Newtek’s Network Device Interface (NDI). There are two flavours of NDI. Full NDI is a variable-bit-rate, intra- frame codec that is visually lossless and of broadcast-quality standard. NDI HX uses a compressed Long GOP H.264 codec and NDI a purpose-built NDI codec, while NDI HX is using repurposed MPEG-4. NDI has an integrated alpha channel, NDI HX does not. Typically, a 1080/60p feed with NDI would have a data rate of around 140Mbps, but NDI HX drops this down to around 12Mbps. Birddog’s own NDI chip has been developed with a focus on delivering low-latency signal, which also makes it incredibly easy to route video signals across a local network. All can be powered remotely by the local network when using a switch that provides Power over Ethernet (PoE). This also carries control, tally, audio and video transmission. The cameras employ Sony CMOS backlit sensors. A full colour matrix allows individual saturation and hue control with 64 levels of control per channel, 72 levels of gamma positions to really dial in those blacks, highlight compensation and edge enhancement. Image quality is fantastic.
There’s a range to choose from, but the £4374/$4195 Eyes P400 is a winner. It is a 4K NDI camera with a 1/2.5in CMOS sensor outputting 10-bit 4:2:2, a 20x optical zoom, Wide Dynamic Range, built-in ND and IS. Or take a look at the broadcast-level P4K with a 1.0-type BSI Exmor R CMOS sensor for even higher-quality 10-bit images, a 12x Zeiss zoom lens and the same 6G-SDI connections as the P400. All this tech costs £9278/$8395. birddog.tv
MIX AND MATCH Euro company Lumens uses Japanese Sony sensors to guarantee top-quality and noise-free images in its flagship range of PTZ cameras
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