Jones Mobile TV Expands HD Operations with VisionHD Unit

Jones Mobile TV has purchased 10 new Fujinon lenses as part of a truck upgrade to HD.

Jones Mobile Television has expanded its HD presence with an overhaul of the 51-foot VisionHD unit, installing new HD Sony cameras, a Grass Valley Kayenne production switcher, and 10 new Fujinon HD lenses.

The HD lens package—to be used with new Sony HDC-2400 3G multi-format HD camera systems—includes four Fujinon XA88x8.8BESM and two Fujinon XA77x9.5BESM HDTV big box lenses, three HA23x7.6BERM and one HA14x4.5BERM Premier Series HD ENG field lenses.

“The video truck business is extremely demanding,” says Bob Derryberry, president of Jones Mobile Television. “Our network clients have high expectations. With so much riding on major sports, entertainment, and corporate events, it’s critical to have video acquisition gear that offers superior HD picture quality and dependable performance.”

As part of an extensive $3 million upgrade, VisionHD’s interior was gutted and rebuilt as a multi-format HD truck. The truck’s onboard systems now include: a Grass Valley Kayenne switcher, Chyron Duet Hyper X3 live graphics system, Miranda and Matrox multi-viewer flat screen monitor walls, Pesa Cheetah router, and multiple EVS systems for slow motion, editing, and multi-channel playback.

The truck previously carried Fujinon SD lenses that had been in service for about 13 years. According to Derryberry, “The lenses were still in very good working order when we sold them to another company for use in their studio. That speaks volumes about Fujinon lenses. Even after using them in extreme weather conditions, if you maintain them properly, they will last you many years.”

Designed for use at large venues and sporting events, the XA88x8.8BESM is an HD telephoto “big box” field lens with an 88x zoom range. Designed for 2/3-inch cameras, the XA88x8.8BESM offers focal lengths of 8.8-777mm at 1X and 17.6-1554mm with the 2X extender.

The XA77x9.5BESM telephoto field lens, which is also a 2/3-inch big box HD lens, offers focal lengths of 9.5-732mm at 1X, and 19.0-1464mm with the 2X extender. Both DigiPower big box style lenses feature Fujinon’s exclusive aspheric technology, anti-fogging and optical stabilization, as well as EBC coating to reduce ghosting and flare and increase light transmission. The Premier Series HD ENG style lenses both offer 2X extenders and DigiPower servo technology.

“These ENG lenses complement the big box lenses perfectly,” Derryberry said. “The picture quality they produce is fantastic, and you can’t tell the difference when you’re intercutting shots from the big box and ENG lenses together.”