Canon Nab News; Telecast SHED, BU-50L Remote, Vinten Collaboration

Addressing
the television production industry’s increasing demand for a reliable

wireless
HD link, Canon

U.S.A.,
Inc’s. Canobeam DT-150 HD transceiver provides bi-directional,
uncompressed 1.5 Gbps transmission of embedded digital video, audio and
camera-control signals on a single HD-SDI or SD-SDI stream with no delay. Based on Free Space Optics technology, the

Canobeam
DT-150 HD transceiver uses line-of-sight infrared light, sets up quickly, and
requires no RF licensing or coordination, providing wireless HD capability in
situations where fiber or microwave can’t be used.

Telecast Fiber Systems, Inc.,
specialists in fiber optics for television broadcast production, has further
enhanced HD production by designing its SHED (

SMPTE Hybrid Elimination Device)
adapter to interface with the

Canobeam DT-150 HD transceiver.

Using SHED adapters,
broadcasters can connect to the

Canobeam DT-150 HD transceiver
using compact and lightweight single-mode optical-fiber cables
instead of bulky hybrid wire/fiber cables. B

enefits and applications of
these shared technologies will be highlighted at NAB2007, the annual convention
of the National Association of Broadcasters, held April 14-19 in

Las Vegas (Canon booth
#SU 3020).

Another
Telecast Fiber Systems product, the HDX unit, is designed to power television
cameras through as much as 500m of hybrid cable.

A combination SHED/HDX solution consists of
two adapters, which convert signals from hybrid copper/fiber cables to signals
suitable for standard all-fiber cables and connectors.

The SHED/HDX solution allows a camera and base
station to communicate on two ordinary, inexpensive single-mode fibers, and
they also provide the appropriate power delivery option for the camera.

The
single-mode fiber connection between the Canobeam DT-150 HD transceiver and the
SHED/HDX system is made possible due to Canobeam’s Small Form Pluggable (SFP)
module system.

Use of an SFP HD module
allows the Canobeam DT-150 transceiver to interface via single-mode fiber LC
connectors.

“The
combination of

Telecast Fiber Systems’ SHED

adapter with the

Canobeam
DT-150 HD transceiver is an important enhancement for the television production
industry,” stated Gordon Tubbs, director, Broadcast and
Communications division, Canon

U.S.A.

“Together, they provide users with a
seamless, affordable, wireless, point-to-point uncompressed
digital-transmission solution that will play a major role in revolutionizing
the broadcast industry as the transition to HDTV accelerates.

We have a great working relationship with

Telecast
Fiber Systems.

The simplicity of how
their products interface with ours helped make it possible for us to introduce
the Canobeam DT-150 HD transceiver into multiple applications.”

The

Canobeam DT-150 HD transceiver is
the newest member of Canon’s acclaimed series of point-to-point Free Space
Optics transceivers that use infrared light to bridge gaps in high-bandwidth
transmission situations.

The Canobeam
DT-150 HD can relay embedded HD-SDI and SD-SDI video from multiple cameras or
other HD/SD video sources, along with embedded return video and audio to the
camera operator, camera-control signals, and

robotic camera-control data.

The
Canobeam DT-150 HD has an approximate range of up to one kilometer and – like
all Canobeam DT-100 series products – features Canon’s exclusive Auto Tracking
feature to help maintain beam alignment despite vibration due to wind, rain or
unsteady camera platforms.

For
connections to an HD camera, a

SHED/HDX unit
interfaces with the camera side, and then passes the signal via single-mode
fiber to a Canobeam DT-150 HD transceiver.

Signals received by a second Canobeam

DT-150
HD transceiver are output to single-mode fiber and fed to a
SHED

™ adapter for conversion back to
SMPTE hybrid cable in the remote truck or production-control facility.

The combination of a set of Canobeam

DT-150
HD transceivers and SHED

™
/ HDX solutions enables the mobile production truck to maintain complete
control over the camera via the camera-control signals that can be embedded in
the bi-directional HD-SDI or SD-SDI stream.

(Canobeam

DT-150 HD transport of bi-directional
HD-SDI not originating from cameras employs two pairs of

Telecast
Fiber Systems Rattler

™

miniature
fiber optic SDI transmission modules.)

Recent
uses of the Canobeam DT-150 HD transceiver interfaced with Telecast Fiber
Systems’

SHED

adapters and

SHE

/HDX units include relaying HD-SDI video captured in front of a
famous

Hollywood theater for a live award show
telecast.

This HD video was beamed to a
mobile television production truck in a parking lot approximately 1,500 feet
away by a set of Canobeam DT-150 HD transceivers interfaced with

SHED
adapters and

SHED

/HDX units.

This bi-directional
link provided full transmission of HD video and embedded audio back to the
truck and transmission of camera-control signals, return video, tally’s, and
IFB from the truck back to the camera locations.

Pristine-quality HD signals were relayed
without delay or interference via Free Space Optics amid the heavy RF
environment of

Hollywood Boulevard.

As the worldwide transition to High Definition Television
(HDTV) continues to accelerate, broadcasters, cable networks and other
video-content creators are demanding cost-effective cameras, lenses and
pan-tilt heads to produce news and other programming in this new format.

In response, leading camera manufacturers have
introduced lower cost, mid-range portable HD cameras.

BU-50L

Canon

has leveraged its advanced technology expertise to create the
BU-50L, its latest and highest-quality pan-tilt head.

Designed to address the specialized market
for remote-control HD cameras in news studios and unmanned satellite locations,
Canon’s BU-50L robotic pan-tilt head features control of its pan and tilt
functions locally via RS-232C cable as well as over long distances via public
telephone lines, thus allowing for remote-studio operation.

Canon’s new BU-50L remote-control pan-tilt
head will be

featured at the Canon booth #SU 3020 at NAB2007,
the annual convention of the National Association of Broadcasters, held April
14-19 in Las Vegas.

“HD production is expanding in multiple video markets
simultaneously,” stated Gordon Tubbs, director, Broadcast and Communications division,
Canon

U.S.A.

“This includes not only the HDTV being
produced by the major networks and broadcasters, but also by local cable
systems for telecasts of government meetings and arts performances; by regional
news networks; and by corporations, high schools, colleges and medical
organizations.

Canon’s new BU-50L robotic
pan-tilt head provides a cost-effective solution for remote-control HDTV
capture in a multitude of interior locations.”

Specifically
designed for indoor use, Canon’s BU-50L is an extremely quiet pan-tilt head
featuring a maximum noise level of just NC30.

This quiet operation makes the BU-50L
well-suited for installation in concert and lecture halls, conference rooms and
other noise-sensitive environments.

The
BU-50L is also ideal for use in studios.

The camera portion of the BU-50L is controlled
by its own remote-control unit; the BU-50L’s pan-tilt head and lens are
remote-controlled separately.

The BU-50L
features sturdy construction with an easily adjusted center of gravity for
simple, fast installation

Vinten Collaboration

Canon

U.S.A., Inc.’s
DIGISUPER 100xs and DIGISUPER 86xs long-field zoom lenses are world famous for
their Optical Shift Image Stabilizer (“Shift-IS”) technology, which capture
rock-solid images in crystal-clear HD even at telephoto distances.

Now the capabilities of these advanced HD
lenses have been further maximized by an exclusive technology collaboration
between Canon and Vinten, a leading manufacturer of tripods, pedestals,
pan/tilt heads, camera robotics, and other innovative camera-support solutions.

B

enefits and applications of
these shared technologies will be highlighted at NAB2007, the annual convention
of the National Association of Broadcasters, held April 14-19 in

Las Vegas (Canon booth
#SU 3020).

The
Canon-Vinten collaboration integrates the advanced capabilities of Canon’s
Shift-IS lens technology with the high-resolution optical encoders built into
Vinten’s new Vector 950

Active
pan/tilt heads.

The special encoders in
the Vector 950

Active provide output
that is fully compatible with the Canon HD lenses.

The result is the elimination of any trace of
lag after fast pan or tilt shots – a great advantage in the production of
fast-paced HDTV sporting and entertainment events.

“We are
very excited to be collaborating with Canon’s Broadcast Division to once again
bring the tools of the trade to the next level of technology,” said Ali Ahmadi,
product and marketing manager for Vinten products for the

Americas.

“Just as Canon continually pushes the technology
envelope to provide ever-greater product performance for its customers, so too
does Vinten.

Both companies emphasize
quality and technology in their products.”

The
Vinten-Canon technology collaboration debuted at this year’s Super Bowl when a
Sony HD camera, supported by Vinten’s new Vector 950

Active pan/tilt head and outfitted with Canon’s DIGISUPER100xs
(model XJ100x9.3BIE-D) long-field HD zoom lens, was used to capture the
exciting, fast-paced action.

“The
exclusive technology collaboration between Canon and Vinten takes Canon’s
superior Shift IS Image-Stabilizer system and makes it an even greater tool for
camera operators when combined with Vinten’s Vector 950

Active head,” said Gordon Tubbs, director, Broadcast and
Communications division, Canon U.S.A.

“We are honored to participate in this exclusive technology
collaboration with Vinten, a company that is so highly respected in the
broadcast and production industry.”

Currently
two of Canon’s most popular field lenses – the DIGISUPER 100xs and DIGISUPER
86xs – are compatible with the new Vinten Vector 950

Active. This compatibility is a no-cost, built-in standard feature
of Canon’s DIGISUPER 100xs and DIGISUPER 86xs lenses.

“Canon’s Shift-IS Image-Stabilizer system is
an important advancement that has been applauded by the broadcast community and
this collaboration just makes it better,” noted Tubbs.

Vinten’s Vector 950

Active
pan/tilt head offers camera operators improved picture control and better
performance in a smaller and more robust package.

The Vector 950

Active features infinitely adjustable TF drag, tilt-axis deadlock,
an illuminated leveling bubble and pan-and-tilt brake levers positioned for
ease of use.

In addition, a new spring
counterbalance system allows up to 90 of perfectly counterbalanced camera
tilt.

The Vector 950

Active is relatively light and compact,
allowing for easier set-up, repositioning and minimal storage space.

Canon’s
DIGISUPER 100xs and DIGISUPER 86xs long-field HD zoom lenses are the most widely
used lenses in HD sports and entertainment production. (The DIGISUPER 100xs was the world’s first
triple-digit HD zoom lens). At NAB2007,
Canon will add to its DIGISUPER product line with the introduction of the
DIGISUPER 100AF and DIGISUPER 86AF* Auto Focus models. All Canon DIGISUPER lenses feature the HD
optical precision and heightened long-range zoom capabilities that have made
Canon a global leader. All of Canon’s
DIGISUPER HD field lenses also feature Canon’s unique XS technology for improved
optical performance and lighter weight.