Telecast Fiber Systems has reconfigured its CopperHead fiber-optic video transceiver for live 3-D sports production. The new CopperHead 3400 is two of the company's CopperHead 3200 units combined into a single compact form factor. It mounts directly onto a dual-camera 3-D rig, allowing producers to transport high-quality stereoscopic HD signals over long distances.
The CopperHead 3400 transports all of the signals to and from two HD cameras, as well as the 3-D rig's control system to the control room or truck, and also carries a return 3-D HD/SDI signal back to the camera operator. The system enables full control of both cameras from the base station as well as allowing the convergence operator to control the 3-D rig's interaxial convergence — all over a lightweight fiber-optic cable.
In addition, the CopperHead 3400 is increasingly being deployed for use with the latest generation of high-speed cameras, which have the same signal transport requirements as 3-D rigs, facilitating super slow-motion playback.
The CopperHead 3400 works with any rig and virtually any HD/SDI camera system, from compact "box-style" cameras to full-size camcorders and film-style cameras. It transports two uncompressed 1.5Gb/s HD/SDI streams as well as uncompressed 3Gb/s signals from 3-D or high-speed HD/SDI cameras.
