Polecam Starter Pack And GoalCam/Stadium Debut In Singapore

Polecam heads to Singapore next month for Broadcast Asia 2011 at the Suntec Convention Centre.
Exhibiting with Singapore distributor H. Warta on stand 4K4-05, Polecam will be represented during the June 21-24 exhibition by Sales & Marketing Manager Jeremy Curtis.
Two major additions to the Polecam product range will be introduced to the Asian market: Polecam Starter Pack and the GoalCam/StadiumCam ultra-efficient sportcasting system.
Polecam Starter Pack incorporates a newly developed wide head designed for digital single-lens reflect (D-SLR) cameras and latest-generation compact camcorders. The head has encoded motor control for accurate pan and tilt even at very low speed, coupled with a progressive damping mechanism.
Polecam Starter Pack includes three interlocking carbon-fibre poles with a forward reach of nearly 12 feet.
An integral cable loom supplies power to the camera or camcorder. The head itself is a fully motorised remote pan/tilt unit under joystick command from a controller located near the Polecam mounting pivot. Standard dumbbell weights can be attached to form an integral in-line structure.
Steffan Hewitt, Polecam Founder and Managing Director, commented: "Polecam Starter Pack attracted a very positive response when previewed at the Las Begas NAB show in April. Every creative cameraman appreciates the ability to rise high above the action without losing the stability that is essential both for 2D and 3D. Polecam Starter Pack provides smooth floating crane shots at a very affordable price and enables visually stunning content to be delivered with far greater efficiency than a traditional heavyweight support structure. Like the standard Polecam, its operational profile is ideal for live stage events where one obviously wants to avoid blocking the audience's view."
Available now, Polecam Starter Pack can be expanded gradually into a full-scale rig spanning up to 26 feet. Follow-focus is achieved using optional devices such as the Hocus Focus wireless controller. Polecam Starter Pack can be erected in minutes without needing special tools.
Polecam's GoalCam/StadiumCam system allows sports events to be recorded or live-telecast far more efficiently than a traditional multicamera outside broadcast system. An ideal supplement to one or more traditional Polecam rigs, this is a three-component system comprising two GoalCam cameras to capture the goal-scoring highlights plus a StadiumCam with an extremely wide viewing angle. Once set in position, StadiumCam and GoalCam can be left to supply video for the entire duration of a match.
Each GoalCam and StadiumCam incorporates a 1/3 inch CMOS HD-SDI imager allowing the use of ultra-wide-angle lenses with high corner resolution. Both GoalCams are fitted with 125 degree low-distortion lenses giving images of the entire goal mouth without visible barrel distortion. A fully-adjustable bracket equipped with a weather housing allows a GoalCam to be positioned at the corner of each net and will re-stabilise quickly if struck by a ball. Suspended from a single point, the mount will flex if a player collides with it. The 125 degree lens allows the entire goal mouth to be seen even when the output video is cropped from 16:9 to 4:3. This gives commentators the ability to report accurately that a ball has indeed crossed the line.
StadiumCam incorporates a 170 degree fisheye lens allowing the entire stadium to be encompassed in a single view. Like the GoalCams, StadiumCam can deliver 1080i line resolution at 50/59.94 hertz field rate. StadiumCam is compact in size and weighs under 500 grammes, allowing it to be positioned safely overhead, at a halfway line or at a corner of the pitch.
All three cameras plus two auxiliary cameras can be operated via a single Polecam RCP remote control panel. Integral data receivers allow full control of camera functions, including motorised iris adjustment. The data signal can be sent along standard audio cable, over optical fibre or via a radio microphone link. Control data can also be embedded into, or extracted from, an HD-SDI stream.
(KMcA)