Panasonic has unveiled a new subcompact, multi-format
AW-HS50 HD/SD live switcher it bills as the industry's smallest broadcast-quality
live HD switcher with a built in MultiViewer display.
"The trend is to build smaller, better and more cost-effective
HD equipment," said John Rhodes, product-line manager for system cameras and
switchers at Panasonic Broadcast. "The HS50 takes up only half a rack and can
fit inside a computer case, but still provides four HD/SD-SDI inputs and a
MultiViewer."
Despite its size and low cost, the switcher also can deliver
10-bit 4:2:2 HD or SD live switching. It supports a variety of high- or standard-definition
formats.
The switcher could be particularly useful for broadcasters
or producers in creating a live mix of a two- or three-camera shoot.
"Being able to do a live HD mix and having it available
immediately is a big money and time saver," said Rhodes.
The switcher, which will begin shipping this summer, will be
sold separately or as part of a larger "50 Series" video-production system that
includes the AW-HS50 switcher, the AW-RP50 remote camera controller and the new
AW-HE50 multi-format HD/SD camera with an integrated pan-tilt-zoom mechanism.
The 50 Series system is Panasonic's first complete Internet-protocol
production system, capable of handling up to 100 AW-HE50 cameras. It also
offers a more traditional RS422 serial control that can handle up to five
cameras and five pan-tilt heads.
While the Series 50 system is ideal for video conferencing,
big corporate campuses, educational institutions and distance learning, Rhodes
also expects the system and its individual components to be widely deployed in
the broadcast, news, sports and cable arenas.
"When we first introduced [an earlier product], the AW-HE100
[pan tilt multi-format camera system] about a year and a half ago, we thought
primarily of the institutional market, but soon found that it got a lot of use
in broadcast and production for things like reality TV or news broadcasts of
remote feeds," he said. "Several organizations used it to shoot radio shows for
airing on cable. It doesn't pay to put an entire TV crew in a radio studio to
shoot a show like that, but doing it remotely gave you a very cost-effective
way of taking that content and put it on cable."
The system might also be appealing to smaller stations,
churches and corporate facilities.
"The HS50 and RP50 are both half-rack units, so in a single
rack, you would have an entire control room and switcher," Rhodes
noted.
The new cameras that were announced as part of the 50 Series
also provide a number of advances over previous generations of pan-tilt-zoom
cameras. "They are smaller, lighter and less costly, which means they can be
used in a lot of situations where the [earlier generation] HE100 would be too
large or obtrusive," Rhodes said. "You could put it in a
NASCAR [vehicle] or at the top of a ski jump."
Despite smaller size and lower cost, the HE50 comes with
several features that improve its HD images. Rhodes
estimated that the camera's resolution is about 25% to 35% better than the
previous generation and said Panasonic has reduced the amount of image noise.
The camera also uses Panasonic's Dynamic Range Stretch
technology, which improves the camera's ability to capture details in both
shadows and highlights.
"Normally, if you adjust exposure for the shadows, you'll
then blow out the highlights," Rhodes noted. "This helps
deal with a very common problem with producing in poor light."
The cameras come in two versions. The AW-HE50H, which
offers a HDMI output, is generally targeted to smaller HD videoconference,
corporate and distant learning environments. The more expensive AW-HE50s, with
genlock and an HD/SD-SDI output, is targeted to more demanding applications for
broadcast, sports, reality TV, cable TV, church and larger video-communications
systems.
