Canon Intros POV Camera for Indoor Arenas

By Andrew Lippe

Canon Broadcast has introduced the BU-50H, a POV
camera with 1/3-inch CCDs that is ideal for indoor sports arenas. The
robotic pan-tilt zoom camera system is capable of panning 300 degrees
pans and tilting 40 degrees, delivering high-quality images via a power
zoom lens.

“For a small camera, it does have
high-resolution imagers in it,” says Larry Thorpe, national marketing
executive for Canon Broadcast and Communications Division. Resolution
is 1440×1080, which Thorpe says is pretty unusual and takes advantage
of Canon’s unique skill set.

At NAB, Canon unveiled a
high-definition remote-controlled pan-tilt zoom camera system, the
BU-45H, which also can be utilized in outdoor sporting environments.

The
BU-50H received quite a bit of attention at IBC, Thorpe says,
particularly because of the low mechanical-noise level. Its NC30
maximum noise level makes it an ideal system to install in TV studios,
where machines are required to be silent. “Not many people in the
industry can touch that low level of noise,” he says.

Features
also include a 20X HD zoom lens, optical-image stabilization, and
auto-focus function. The camera simultaneously delivers an uncompressed
HD-SDI signal and a downconverted SD-SDI signal; the HD signal can be
monitored in SD while being recorded.

Any system
integrator can interface the camera with any third-party control
system. “We have already partnered with a whole bunch of third-party
companies,” says Thorpe, “and we are going to primarily sell this
through them so they can work with stadium and arena consultants and
customize the system to their needs.”