In September 2005, UK-based Presteigne Broadcast Hire decided to be in the first wave of HD RF camera systems.
Presteigne purchased four new Link Research HD systems, which were launched at IBC2005. This summer, HD RF impacted the live HD broadcasts of the 64 FIFA World Cup matches and production of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships.
Until a year ago, using a high definition radio camera for contribution would have been doubtful. It was widely believed that transmitting an HD signal from a wireless camera on the allotted amount of spectrum would introduce detrimental effects to the picture quality or an unacceptable delay. But Link Research’s Link HD has proven it can deliver a low delay of only 60ms with acceptable HD quality.
Presteigne was contracted to supply Host Broadcast Services (HBS) with two Link HD systems, HD cameras and lenses and a Presteigne RF engineer to setup and guarantee the equipment for the World Cup. HBS was eager to use these systems at both the opening and closing ceremonies welcomed the opportunity to have an RF camera with the victorious team. Each RF system was mounted onto Grass Valley LDK 6000 camera heads with Canon HJ11x lenses.
The systems performed well with seamless cuts between the RF and cabled cameras during the live broadcasts. After the final between Italy and France, an HD RF system captured images of the jubilant Italian team.
At the 2006 Wimbledon Championships, BBC Outside Broadcasts was responsible for providing the host feeds to the world’s broadcasters. BBC Outside Broadcasts was committed to making all aspects of the production true high definition, not upconverted SD. BBC Outside Broadcasts therefore wanted RF cameras for the traditional post match interviews between the players at both the men’s and ladies’ finales finals. The organization contracted with Presteigne to supply two HD RF camera systems together with LDK 6000 heads and Canon HD lenses.
For more information, visit www.presteigne.co.uk.
