AVS used a Thomson LDK-6000 with the Link HD 1500 RF system and a wireless teleprompter to cover the Red Carpet Show prior to the Oscars. For the first time, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences incorporated wireless cameras into its awards broadcast last month, using microwave technology from Aerial Video Systems (AVS) to help capture the excitement and glamour of the evening.
AVS provided six HD microwave system packages. Two of the systems covered the stars’ arrival during the red carpet show, while the other four were dedicated to the main show inside the Kodak Theatre. Coverage of the Red Carpet show required two HD RF steadicams. AVS coupled its Link HD 1500 microwave systems, operating at 2.3 GHz, to two Thomson LDK-6000 World Cams with Canon HJ11X4.7 wide-angle lenses and Viper short backs. AVS also used its 5.8 GHz Digi-Snap system for the RF prompter feeds.
For the main show inside the Kodak Theatre, AVS joined two of its Link 1500 7 GHz microwave systems and two 1.4 GHz systems to the Denali-provided Sony HDC-1500 cameras. Two of the cameras were dedicated to steadicam rigs and the other two were handheld. AVS provided return video, prompter systems, and, via Denali’s stock CCU, full camera control. To improve transmission quality, AVS coordinated frequencies to accommodate 20 MHz of bandwidth for each of the four RF paths.
AVS used its proprietary RF-Over-Fiber systems to transport all RF signals to and from the Red Carpet and the theatre. This method enabled the receivers to be located at the side of each of the mobile units, which simplified AVS’s integration into the production.
“The pictures from the RF cameras were spectacular. We had flawless coverage the entire week, whether the cameras were on or off air,” said Tad Scripter, the engineer in charge of the telecast.
