Leading Outdoor Broadcast Company Utilizes POV Camera to Capture HD Racing Footage for IndyCar, NASCAR and the American LeMans Series
Iconix Video, a leading developer of advanced high-definition camera systems and maker of the world’s smallest professional quality HD video camera, today announced the use of the Iconix HD-RH1F camera system by premiere point-of-view broadcast company Broadcast Sports, Inc. to capture high definition in-car racing video for NASCAR, IndyCar Racing and the American LeMans Series.
Broadcast Sports, one of the first outdoor broadcast companies to employ POV cameras for auto racing, provides live feeds of POV racing footage to television networks including NBC, ESPN, Fox Sports and the Speed Channel. Emmy Award-winning technical engineer Neil Ojason has worked with Broadcast Sports for over 17 years, pioneering the design and installation of POV cameras within the racing environment.
“When I first read about the Iconix, it sounded like a perfect fit for the type of work we do,” Ojason said. “We bought an early model as our test mule and the camera performed very well. We really like that it’s a remote head platform that comes in a very small package—there are no competitive products out there that deliver the performance and flexibility of the Iconix.”
Featuring a camera head about the size of a golf ball, and weighing a mere two ounces, the remote head system of the Iconix HD-RH1F can keep pace with larger HD video cameras, yet is versatile enough to offer 35 different format and frame rate combinations. “Right now the Iconix is the most stable and flexible platform that I’ve seen for POV work,” Ojason continued. “Kudos to Iconix for making a camera that can be reconfigured to a number of different aspect ratios and frame rates that meets so many different production needs.”
Broadcast Sports uses the HD-RH1F to capture a variety of shots that would be difficult or even impossible to achieve with a larger camera, including speed shots taken from low to the ground right along the raceway, and pit overhead views that capture the entire car along and crew operation within the pit area. Ojason acknowledges that the work is not without risks. “We have totally destroyed two Iconix camera heads that were run over by cars that spun out of control,” Ojason explained. “However, in doing so, we captured two of the best racing shots of the past season. In the opinion of the networks we were shooting for, it was well worth the price of the camera and cable for the value of the shots we gained.”
“Our intent is never to interfere with the sport in our coverage,” Ojason concluded. “But if we have cameras that are small, light and out of the way, we can get very close to the action—and that is why we rely on the Iconix RH1F.”
About Broadcast Sports, Inc.
Broadcast Sports, Inc. is the North American market leader in providing remote controlled miniature cameras and microwave television transmission systems to the broadcast industry. We have been providing innovative point-of-view coverage of live sporting events for 20 years, including NASCAR, PGA, LPGA, Championship Golf, Americas Cup, Olympic Games, NBA, NHL, CART, IRL, NHRA, NFL, X-Games, Great Outdoor Games, MLB and countless others. Broadcast Sports has also designed and built cameras and an advanced transmission system for NASA’s Space Shuttle fleet and the International Space Station. Broadcast Sports is located in Hanover, MD. For more information, please call 410-564-2600 or 800-296-5152, or write cunderwood@bsttv.com.
About the HD-RH1F Camera System
A first for point of view (POV) cameras, the HD-RH1F system captures and outputs video in 35 different format and frame rate combinations, including all HD resolutions: 720p, 1080i and 1080p while supporting frame rates of 24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 frames-per-second (fps), as well as NTS and PAL. The HD-RH1F incorporates an expansive array of features found only on top-of-the-line HD camera systems while utilizing an innovative signal processing architecture. This POV camera system, which includes a very robust separate camera head and processing controller unit, is the smallest high performance HD camera in the industry. The lightweight HD-RH1F remote camera system is comprised of a POV camera head weighing 2.5 oz.; a 4.0 lb. universal HDTV controller unit; power supply, and 3, 6 and 10 meter cables.
About Iconix Video, Inc.
Iconix Video, Inc., founded on the development of high-performance, high functionality and small form factor POV (point-of-view) HD cameras, is now expanding to provide complete end-to-end solutions for broadcast, digital cinema and 3D stereo production and post production. Catering to the motion picture, broadcast, video conferencing, security and scientific markets, Iconix solutions provide the “best-in-class” features of leading high definition camera systems and digital cinema workflows, at a fraction of the cost of competing products. Iconix Video was founded in 2003, and is based in Santa Barbara, California, with sales offices located in Hollywood. For more information, visit www.iconixvideo.com.
