Yes Productions, a wholly owned subsidiary of WYES-TV in New Orleans, has purchased nine Ikegami HDK-79EC CMOS-equipped HD native multiformat camera systems for field and studio use. The cameras will be installed in Yes Productions’ flagship HDTV truck, the Yes HD.
The HDK-79EC’s three 2/3-inch 2.5 megapixel 1920Hx1080V CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) imaging sensors are switchable between native interlace and progressive-readout modes and can provide 1080/60i, 1080/24p, or 720/60p performance. Optional formats are also available.
“Ikegami enables us to convert—in just a matter of minutes—to and from whatever HDTV format the client may want,” said Jim Moriarty, vice president and general manager of Yes Productions. “One night in one city it’s 720p, the next night in another city, it’s 1080i. We come in and change the HD format from what we shot the night before. It’s seamless to our clients.”
Moriarty said that even though Yes Productions has only recently made the transition to HD production, they have been using Ikegami cameras for more than 25 years. The earlier-model Ikegami HD cameras being replaced on the Yes HD will be used to upgrade a second Yes Productions mobile unit to HD.
