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Start-Up Shows Really Small Format HD POVMarch 22, 2006, By Matt Armstrong, HD Studio A fledgling company called Iconix Video (Santa Barbara, Calif.) wants to change your point of view on HD acquisition, at least in terms of size and price. Company founder Wayne Upton offered a sneak preview in Burbank last week of the new $16,000 HD-RH1 multiformat HD POV camera, which captures images in all common HD resolutions, including 1080p/60. It uses three 1/3-inch progressive 16:9 CCD imagers inside a compact camera head that measures 1.32" x 1.5" x 1.92". The camera should be a hit with motion picture and episodic television professionals looking for the highest quality when shooting from hard-to-reach angles. another potential application is multi-head arrays for 360-degree HD shots (a la The Matrix). The camera is the brainchild of Upton, who began developing it two years ago for medical imaging applications. It uses a controller the size of a small laptop (8.4" x 1.78" x 12") that remotely controls the head at distances of up to 30 feet. For $16,000, you get the 2.5 oz. camera head, 3.5 lb. controller, power supply and a video cable. In addition to its ability to acquire in 720p (actually about 700 lines) and 1080i (roughly 900 lines), frame rates supported include 24, 25, 30, 50 and 60. By using the dual link option, the camera can shoot 1080p/60. On the other end of the spectrum, the camera offers 525i/625i and analog outputs. It uses a 1/3-inch C-mount to accommodate a variety of lenses. |
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The company also said the HD-RH1 has a low noise threshold (greater than 54 db S/N, Y channel) and features retractable push knobs on the front panel to allow users to adjust gain, black and white balance and color, as well as three user-assignable presets. The back panel has SDI, DVI-D and analog outputs, along with genlock capability. Lens and iris control are also available on the panel and can be operated by menu, along with programmable gamma functions and electronic shutter enhancements. In a bit of a departure, the camera's three-CCD prism leverages an asynchronous signal processing architecture. In most digital cameras, the imager runs at the same rate as the output signal. With the HD-RH1, the CCD runs at a completely different clock rate from the output signal. This maintains the highest quality signal. Upton said this design could lead to other products, such as a real-time HD codec. The new POV camera will be demonstrated and available for purchase at NAB 2006 in April. It will get its first real-world test with European broadcasters at the World Cup Soccer tournament in Germany this summer. Several Hollywood studios are also said to be looking at it. |
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