Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 07 April 2008 14:03
Opinion and Analysis
Page 1 of 2
Want to capture your reality TV show in high-definition, or simply have
an HD camera where no other HD camera can yet go? Toshiba says ‘here’s
looking at you in HD, kid’.
Wow... talk about tiny! Pop on over to Toshiba’s Camera
website to see a
picture of just how small the new camera is, while Toshiba’s PDF press release also, ahem, gives you a very clear picture of the camera next to a
paper clip.
Now, this isn’t the ‘complete’ camera with recording mechanism inside – it’s the camera head with the 3CCD high-def imaging “prism block” inside – as you’ll see from both links above, the camera cube still attaches to an external processing unit that is connected by cable.
It makes me think - Toshiba may have lost the HD DVD war, but will they win the HD camera war? With breakthroughs like these, perhaps they will!
No pricing is yet available, but Toshiba will be unveiling the tiny HD cam at the “National Association of Broadcasters” (NAB) show in Las Vegas, from April 14 to 17, 2008 – with the camera capable of 1920x1080 capture at 30 frames per second for True HD.
Because it’s a specialised, broadcast quality camera, it doesn’t come with a sexy name, but a more utilitarian one, in this case the IK-HD1.
Toshiba’s press release says that it is a “leader in advanced 3CCD color video imaging”, with the IK-HD1 being “the world’s smallest HD camera head (only 1.6 inches, weighing 2.3 oz.)”, with an “ultracompact control unit [which] makes the IK-HD1 ideal for broadcast applications and other imaging tasks where space is limited.”
Toshiba says the IK-HD1 uses its “proprietary 3CCD prism block technology, delivering true color, bright contrast and extraordinary detail from the small cam head. Features include 1920 (H) x 1080 (V) resolution at 30 frames per second making this system highly suitable for reality TV, specialty broadcast, sports, news, commercials and many other high definition video imaging applications.”
Please read onto page 2 for more technical details and the reality shows where this HD camera is already in use – despite it not yet being officially available until next week.
