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New HD solution


Mitch Gross

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Interesting post from the maker of the CopperHead system on the CML. We were discussing why it sucks to have big heavy cables trailing off cameras in general and especially with Steadicam. This was in reference to the new Venom box, which is a hard drive memory that mounts to the Viper. He let us know about this upcoming product from Tletest. Soon it will be the ONLY way to fly HD. Imagine a tiny camera head behind a big HD lens and then a thin little ultra-flexible fiber optic cable trailing from this. Sweet. I know that Jeff would enjoy hearing serious input from Steadicam Ops out there.

 

"At this point, all I can tell you about CopperHead for Viper is ?no comment?

(yet). But the only difference between a current CopperHead for the

F900/Varicam and one for the Viper is that it would need one more HD/SDI

stream from the camera to the recorder (whatever that may be) for the ?Dual

Stream.? And it doesn?t require any audio back to the camera. Hmmmm. But

it comes down to ROI (return on investment). How many Vipers are ?out

there?? What?s the market base? If we made it, who would buy it? How many

could we sell? For how much $? Viper owners and potential owners, feel

free to chime in?

 

Dalsa has their own fiber scheme? but I understand it is ?evolving.?

 

However, I can let you know about something else we?ll be announcing

?officially? soon (we showed it at the HPA Tech Retreat in Palm Springs last

week for the first time, so I guess I can talk about it)?

 

Do you know about the T-Cam configuration for the F950? The F950 is Sony?s

top-of-the-line camera (not camcorder), which puts out 4:2:2 or 4:4:4.

Lucas used to shoot the latest Star Wars episode (thanks to Plus8).

 

The ?T-cam? option allows you to remove the optical bock from the camera

body and put it into a small housing. This little ?T-Cam? housing is

connected to the camera body via a 26-pin ?CCZ-style? cable, allowing 4:4:4

recording at the ?village,? but with a tiny optical-block-only unit on the

set (or on the steadicam).

 

But up to now, the system was limited by the 26-pin multicore cable: it is

thick, heavy, and limited to about 10 meters. It is as cumbersome as Triax!

 

 

We?ll be showing something at NAB that makes it work on the same cable as

the CopperHead: thin, flexible, and rugged. And it works to 15

kilometers.! That?s 9.3 miles to us ?Mericans. Pre-release code name:

CopperHead JT.

 

So imagine putting a little box on your Steadicam (with the little fiber

cable) and leaving all the camera?s processing electronics behind. Image

acquisition on the set, processing somewhere else.

 

The electronics are done and working (and actually shipping to an end user

who is doing their own housing!). We are still working on the mechanical

interface for the ?rest of the market,? and I would love to get some CMLers?

input.

 

If you?d like to learn more (and give me input before we ?lock it in

concrete?), contact me off-list and I can send you some preliminary info?.

 

Jim ?I?ll pay Jeff K when Bravin does? Hurwitz

---------------------------

Jim Hurwitz

Product Manager, Camera Systems

Manager, Western U.S.

Telecast Fiber Systems, Inc.

415-383-5388

jhurwitz@telecast-fiber.com

www.telecast-fiber.com"

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