PANASONIC DEMONSTRATES WIDEST EVER RANGE OF REMOTE CAMERA & ROBOTIC SOLUTIONS AT IBC 2019

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of its market-leading PTZ Camera range, Panasonic will showcase its widest ever range of robotic solutions at IBC 2019. Attendees will be able to see the latest Panasonic PTZ cameras and controllers in action for a range of diverse applications including live sport and indoor and outdoor entertainment events, Government and Corporate presentations and meeting room conferencing, as well as for the broadcast and recording of lectures in education.

A number of PTZ firsts

The ultra-wide-angle lens AW-UE4 Compact 4K PTZ Camera will be demonstrated at the Panasonic stand at IBC. With a 111° field of view and capable of video output with three interfaces (HDMI, LAN and USB), the AW-UE4 is ideal for large or small areas, from huddle spaces to e-sports production.

Designed with a single cable solution for video transmission, camera control and power supply, the unit supports Power over Ethernet supply and can be used as a USB camera powered from a computer. The AW-UE4 boasts high-performance operability through RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol) compatibility for direct upload of video to live-streaming services, and is also excellent for live production. It will be available from this autumn at an RRP of €1190.

Using a number of technology firsts, the Panasonic 4K PTZ AW-UE150 camera will be demonstrating its market-leading capabilities. Thanks to the adoption of the FreeD protocol, the AW-UE150 is the first PTZ camera compatible with Virtual Studio and Augmented Reality applications, which will be on show at IBC. In addition, this camera is the first PTZ capable of 4K at 50/60p and comes with the widest viewing angle on the market of 75.1 degrees.

As well as the latest cameras, the latest AW-RP150 and AW-RP60 remote camera controllers to complement Panasonic's comprehensive professional PTZ camera lineup will be on show.

The AW-RP150 has the same great functionality as the AW-RP120, and joins the lineup with significant improvements over those models, including a new one-hand operation joystick (controlling PTZ or Focus) and a large touch-panel LCD screen for monitoring and menu setting. A see-saw lever mounted on the joystick manages pan and tilt operations for zoom and focus control and intuitive single-handed operation.

The brand new AW-RP60 Remote Camera Controller unit will also be demonstrated. Equipped with a large LCD to display a GUI menu screen with clear visibility and an improved joystick for smoother control, this controller is compatible with all current Panasonic PTZ models. Thanks to the improved GUI, now all important information about the cameras, such as iris, zoom and focus can be seen at all times directly on the screen. The AW-RP60 is also capable of supporting up to 200 cameras in 20 groups, manages 100 presets and comes with PoE support allowing for an easy integration. It will be available from October onwards.

“The PTZ camera range has rapidly become the market leading remote production solution for the mid-to-high-end market because of three distinct innovations,” said Sivashankar Kuppusamy, Panasonic EMEA Manager Marketing at the Professional Video Systems Business unit. “PTZ is designed to deliver a high-quality image with natural colour reproduction to ensure colour adjustment functionalities comparable to Panasonic’s flagship studio cameras. This visual quality is delivered alongside ease of use, with the system providing accurate and smooth movement in operation. Lastly, Panasonic’s continued investment in workflow innovation consistently delivers new ways to reduce operational costs for a range of customers with diverse application demands.”

Robotic solutions

The PTZ camera range is complemented by a range of third party robotic solutions on show at IBC that bring new levels of movement to remote camera live production workflows. Tecnopoint Tuning is an advanced robotic system that provides broadcast-quality movement of Panasonic PTZ cameras with the addition of varying combinations of motorised dollies, telescopic columns and ceiling/floor tracks.

Panasonic and Polecam have collaborated on developing the Panapod for remote cameras with the option of mounting up to 5 PTZs at one time using dedicated foot switches or controllers to elevate from 1.5m to 3m. The Panapod provides an unobtrusive camera position, great for the spectators, whilst not interfering with the artist, player, presenter or sequence being shot.

The KST-CamBot.system is a motion-control robotic camera system for beauty shots in television studios. Thanks to its innovative concept, it allows movements of high accuracy in a reduced space. Based on a software interface, the robotic arm can be fully automated with repeatable trajectories. The combination of KST-CamBot.system and AK-UB300 box camera or Varicam series creates a 4K-ready bundle that can be offered at news and sports studios, as well as concerts, entertainment shows and for Augmented Reality applications. The system is controlled via IP, allowing flexible and remote configurations.