MAYWOOD, NEW JERSEY, August 2, 2007--Although its reach is widespread, Second Baptist Church‘s purpose is singularly focused: Make a difference. Advanced HD video is central to that goal, with Second Baptist‘s continually growing membership - now approaching 45,000 - worshipping at five different Houston-area campuses. Taped or live HD telecasts of Saturday night and Sunday services originating from the Church‘s main 6,500-seat Woodway campus or its 4,000-seat West campus are captured by an array of Ikegami HD cameras and projected at all five of Second Baptist‘s locations in wide-format IMAG (image magnification) to provide a crystal-clear view of the worship experience for every seat in the sanctuary.
With a long broadcast history that dates back to the 1970‘s, the Second Baptist video production team has seen a huge leap in image quality with their upgrade to HD, which includes ten Ikegami HDK-79EXII portable and three HDK-790EXII studio full digital HD camera systems.
“We‘re in the business of changing lives, and we‘re prepared to do whatever we can technology-wise to make that happen,” says Keith Brown, Director of Broadcast Ministries for Second Baptist. “Since we switched to Ikegami HD cameras, people are just blown away - the clarity is simply unreal.”
“The picture from the Ikegami HD cameras is very clean, and such a dramatic improvement over SD composite,” Brown continues. “We‘ve been particularly impressed with the low-light sensitivity of these cameras. It‘s good to be able to increase the gain and get your desired image even when you don‘t have optimal light levels. Flexibility in coverage angles and the ability to move around was particularly important to us, which is why we chose so many of the portable Ikegami HDK-79EXII cameras. Meanwhile, the fixed HDK-790EXII cameras, combined with long lenses, give us the stability and weight we desired to reach across the room and get those great ‘hero‘ shots.”
Designed as a Portable Companion Camera System, the full digital HDK-79EXII HD camera uses the same sensor block with identical video path as the HDK-790EXII full facility studio HD camera, providing perfectly matching pictures and the same operating functions. Both cameras are engineered to capture superb HD images and incorporate newly developed 2/3-inch 2.2Mega pixel FIT HD CCD sensors as well as 14-bit A/D conversion and up to 38-bit internal digital-processing circuits. Offering the ability to be used for multi-standard, simultaneous broadcasting in HDTV or SDTV, the HDK-79EXII/HDK-790EXII also feature advanced DTL (detail) correction for richer reproduction of details in skin tone and dark backgrounds. A Super Knee system allows for making corrections without changing highlighted parts of the picture and producing natural color reproduction under high luminance conditions.
Other features of the HDK-79EXII/HDK-790EXII full-digital HDTV Companion Camera Systems include HD SDI output from the camera head, on-line diagnostics, and a low center of gravity for ease and efficiency of use in the field or the studio. Both cameras are available with a wide array of new HDTV system accessories, including the VFL-900HD, a 16:9 color LCD viewfinder with large 9-inch diagonal size, extra wide viewing angle, and very low lag characteristic.
Throughout the upgrade to HD, Second Baptist has benefited from Ikegami‘s ongoing commitment to customer support, as well as its deep experience with filling the particular needs of houses of worship. “We have a lot of confidence in Ikegami,” says Brown. “They‘re standing behind their product, and I feel like they‘re partnering with us and what we‘re doing.”
With the clarity of HD helping to convey the world‘s most important messages, Ikegami cameras have proven to be a crucial component in Second Baptist‘s production chain. “In a live worship setting, HD allows people in the audience to really feel what‘s happening onstage,” Brown observes. “So much is communicated with even subtle gestures, and our Ikegami cameras make a big difference in showing the nuances of expressions from the heart. Everyone feels so much more connected.”
Ikegami Electronics (U.S.A.), Inc. is a leading supplier of professional broadcasting products in the Western Hemisphere. With U.S. offices in New Jersey, California, Florida, Texas, and Illinois, the Ikegami name is recognized worldwide for its state-of-the-art television cameras, closed circuit TV equipment, video and computer display monitors, industrial power supplies, and medical camera systems. Ikegami‘s universal High Definition TV cameras have been widely accepted by the broadcast industry as it continues the transition to the High Definition Television Format.
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For more information and the location of the Regional Office nearest you, call Ikegami‘s Maywood NJ headquarters at 201-368-9171 or visit www.Ikegami.com.
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