One of the six Hitachi SK-HD1000 1080i HDTV studiofield production cameras used by Freeman Audio Visual Solutions
DALLAS
As an established provider of integrated marketing services for corporate conventions, trade shows, and exhibits, Freeman Audio Visual Solutions strives to serve as a one-stop shop for all staging and production services needed by our customers. As part of this one-stop philosophy, Freeman recently added six Hitachi SK-HD1000 1080i HDTV studio/field production cameras to our video equipment inventory to offer our corporate and association customers an affordable means for high-definition television production work.
IT'S A VALUE-ADDED WORLD
The rather universal reality we face today is that, while most of our customers would love to put hi-def television to work, they generally don't want to pay extra for it. With our purchase of the Hitachi HD cameras earlier this year, we're now in a position to offer customers high-definition video production capability very affordably, and this has strengthened our business.
After evaluating all of the top HDTV camera products on the market, we chose the Hitachi SK-HD1000 for two reasons: image quality and price/performance. This intrinsic value associated with the SK-HD1000 enables us to include cutting edge HD video production as an integral part of our package without charging customers a premium price for it.
With thousands of events being booked every year, the challenge for Freeman is to satisfy a wide array of requirements and applications, and the Hitachi cameras certainly enhance our ability to do this. We handle every aspect of the event; the staging, lighting, audio, projection and video for prestigious corporate events held in conference centers, exhibit halls, auditoriums, and other venues. And it can't be denied that the widescreen HD canvas has had a creative impact on everything we do.
Since no two jobs are alike, we tailor the video equipment that we put into our systems to meet the individualized needs of each production. Our camera operators tell us that these high-definition cameras are user friendly and very straightforward to use.
After receiving the cameras, we conducted training sessions that brought Hitachi engineers together with Freeman staff engineers from our nationwide network of offices. The Hitachi people demonstrated the electronic setup of the cameras, the use of SMPTE hybrid fiber cabling for interconnection, as well as the maintenance required to keep the cameras performing at their best.
CAPTURING SMALL DETAIL
Our Hitachi cameras are used primarily for "image magnification," so that meeting attendees can get a better view of the speakers and activities on stage by watching the video projected onto a number of large-format HD screens. For this reason, we considered it extremely important to have high-definition cameras that could produce an image capable of withstanding considerable scrutiny, even when blown-up to very large screen dimensions. The cameras are also used to produce exceptional quality videos of the proceedings, so that people can review the meetings on physical media or via the Internet.
Overall, we've found the Hitachi cameras to be a very cost-competitive product that delivers an excellent image—and it's really in a class by itself.
Kyle Gaul is the national asset manager at Freeman Audio Visual Solutions and has been with the company for 14 years. He may be contacted atkyle.gaul@freemanco.com.
For additional information, contact Hitachi Kokusai Electric America at 526-921-7200 or visitwww.hitachikokusai.us.
