Controllable Directly From Japan, the Canon BU-45H Provides Viewers 6,000 Miles Away With Superb HDTV Picture Quality
LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., April 12, 2010 –Daily reports from the New York Stock Exchange are of vital interest to investors around the world. Thousands of miles from Wall Street, NHK (Nippon Hoso Kyokai)/Japan Broadcasting Corporation provides its viewers with live on-the-scene HDTV updates from the Exchange. The network captures these reports using the convenience, reliability, and superb HDTV image quality of the BU-45H remote-control robotic PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) camera from Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging.
“NHK uses the Canon BU-45H robotic camera to do live HDTV broadcasting of its correspondent from the New York Stock Exchange,” stated Yuji Yamana, senior engineer, General Bureau for America of NHK. “These live reports are inserted into the news in Japan so that NHK’s more than 10 million viewers can see daily stock prices and the activity on the trading floor.”
Offering exceptional controllability and smooth pan-tilt motion, the BU-45H remote-control PTZ HDTV camera’s robotic mechanism is capable of extremely smooth pans of 340 degrees and tilts of 80 degrees (30 degrees up, 50 down). The pan-tilt mechanism also allows for simultaneous termination of pre-set pan, tilt, and zoom operations, which allows the BU-45H to perform steady movements on-air. In addition to capturing live HD video of NHK’s reporter at the Exchange, the BU-45H’s PTZ capabilities enable it to move and zoom in almost any direction to shoot activity on the trading floor or any other part of the room.
“NHK chose the Canon BU-45H remote-control robotic PTZ HDTV camera because it is compact, attractively designed, smooth-moving, and produces good picture quality,” explained Yamana. “The BU-45H is mounted on a wall at the Exchange, and since it does not require an on-site camera operator, it enables NHK to conserve on both human and technical resources. Depending on the market’s trends, the BU-45H camera may be on-air for only 15 seconds or – if we do a live report – as long as 10 minutes.”
A major user of Canon’s robotic systems, NHK can remotely control its Canon BU-45H robotic PTZ HDTV camera at the New York Stock Exchange from either its Tokyo headquarters or New York bureau. The live HD-SDI output of the BU-45H – combined with embedded audio – is transmitted from New York to Tokyo via four dedicated HD circuits.
“The BU-45H remote-control PTZ HDTV camera at the New York Stock Exchange is one of more than 100 HD robotic cameras inside and outside Japan that can be controlled by the Tokyo News Center at NHK,” Yamana noted. “NHK Tokyo has approximately ten control panels and can be switched to control different cameras. The advantages of this control system are that we can control more than two cameras by switching the modems connected to each camera. This is yet another reason why we chose the Canon BU-45H remote-control PTZ HDTV camera, which we have found to be very reliable.”
The BU-45H remote-control PTZ HDTV camera combines an advanced Canon three-CCD HD camera with a 20X optical HD zoom lens (4.5 - 90mm), a sophisticated remote-control pan-tilt system, and a protective metal housing. The camera portion of the BU-45H employs three 1/3-inch (1,670,000-pixel) CCDs to originate 1440 (H) x 1080 (V) 16:9 HD video. The lens incorporates an advanced Auto Focus function, and sophisticated Canon Image Stabilizer technology. The Canon BU-45H remote-control robotic PTZ HDTV camera provides genlock input for broadcast video-system synchronization. Output connections include serial digital HD-SDI with embedded audio for HD recording, and an analog composite NTSC for monitoring.
About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked fourth overall in the U.S. in 2009†, with global revenues of US $35 billion, is listed as number four in the computer industry on Fortune Magazine's World’s Most Admired Companies 2009 list, and is on the 2009 BusinessWeek list of "100 Best Global Brands." Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. At Canon, we care because caring is essential to living together in harmony. Founded upon a corporate philosophy of Kyosei – "all people, regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future" – Canon U.S.A. supports a number of social, youth, educational and other programs, including environmental and recycling initiatives. Additional information about these programs can be found at www.usa.canon.com/kyosei. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss
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