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Element Technica Rigs bring 3D broadcast of 2011 Sony Open coverage to Golf Channel

done exclusively with a total of seven Element Technica (ET) Quasar and Pulsar 3D rigs supplied to remote broadcast truck provider NEP Supershooters by Video Equipment Rentals (VER). 3D rigs stereoscopically position a pair of video cameras to provide the

Posted on: Jan 13, 2020

Special 3D coverage of the 2011 Sony Open from Hawaii on the Golf Channel is being done exclusively with a total of seven Element Technica (ET) Quasar and Pulsar 3D rigs supplied to remote broadcast truck provider NEP Supershooters by Video Equipment Rentals (VER). 3D rigs stereoscopically position a pair of video cameras to provide the left eye and right eye views necessary to provide 3D imaging.

NEP, the largest remote broadcast truck provider in the world, wanted to be able to simplify the 3D production process. “We wanted the 3D equipment to fit a little more into a normal production flow, and worked to shrink the size and the weight, and streamline the cabling” said Joe Signorino, NEP Senior Project Engineer. One reason for reducing the bulk of individual stereoscopic camera systems was so they could be put mounted on lightweight broadcast jib arms, Steadicams and with hand-held camera operators.

“Starting about a year ago, we began working closely with Element Technica to develop a 3D broadcast camera system standard,” said Aaron James, Director of 3D for Broadcast and Digital Cinema at VER. The two companies were joined by Sony, which provided cameras, 3D processors and other related equipment to the system.

Golf Channel 3D coverage from Oahu’s Waialae Country Club is providing views from green 2 and the third and fourth holes, and green 16 and the 17th and 18th holes. The telecast marks one of the first uses of the ET Pulsar 3D rigs on a remote sports event production. Pulsars are designed for mid-sized cameras, such as the Sony P1s which are being used for this Golf Channel 3D coverage. The lighter weight Pulsar rigs, along with Canon 22X zoom lenses and Sony’s HDFA-200 2 Channel HD Camera Fiber Adapter, which feeds signals from both P1s on a single fiber optic cable as well as providing the camera operator intercom and monitoring functions, made slimming the 3D camera systems possible.

“We’ve now cut them down to the 40 pound range,” said Michael Rintoul, ET Senior Integration Specialist. “It’s all the same equipment, made them a lot more mobile, and it made them a lot more flexible in the way they can be used.” The Pulsars, in beam-splitter configuration, are being used for mounting on a pair of lightweight jibs and a Steadicam, and set up for the hand-held operator.

Two of ET’s large camera Quasar 3D rigs are mounted with Fujinon 42X lenses in side-by-side configuration, secured on heavy-duty Vinten Vector heads on Spider cranes that can be driven into position and raised to the desired elevation.

The 3D convergence operator for each 3D camera position incorporates ET’s Technica Hand Controller, which is fed through the Sony MPE-200 stereo image processor to control I/O (interocular, or distance between the two cameras in the stereo pair, which determines the intensity of the stereo image) and convergence (the toe in of the camera pair, which determines which part of the stereo image appears in front of the screen, at the screen, and behind the screen). The convergence workstations were built into fly-packs by VER for shipment to Hawaii for the production.

“Since we provide TV facilities to numerous clients, we know the needs of both NEP and our clients to pull off these events,” said Signorino. “The folks at Element Techica have been great to work with, and I have found this to be huge plus. It was probably the most important factor for accomplishing the integration of the rigs into a system that NEP and VER worked together on. ET also worked very closely with us and our jib, hand-held, and other operators to integrate the rigs into their equipment. This was all done ahead of time so when we arrived in Hawaii everything was basically ready to go.”

For more information about Technica 3D tools, please contact Joey Romero at Tel: 323.641.7327, info@elementtechnica.com, www.technica3D.com
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Information Prepared by Lewis Communications: susan@lewiscommunications.net