NAB 2009
Fascinating New Camera Technology

By all accounts, this year's NAB Expo held in Las Vegas from April 20 - 23 was uncommon. The show organizers estimated attendance at 83K but most attendees and exhibitors I have spoken to believe the number is inflated. People have been debating for some time about the relevance–in an Internet age–of a trade show that requires so much time, energy and money, but there's still a lot to be gained by the face-to-face meeting, and the personal observations. And while the lower foot traffic might have been un-welcomed by some exhibitors, most of the people I've talked with say the quality of the experience might actually have been better…less wrangling for position and more personal attention.
One thing that hasn't changed in my 20-plus years attending NAB is the chance to re-evaluate the industry trends – what's hot and what's not and to get a glimpse into where we might be headed.

3D

It would be exaggerating to say that 2009 was the year of 3D at NAB. In past years it has been the domain of high-end products, but at this year's show 3D technology was everywhere – from acquisition to display all the way to post. But a good portion of it was just prototypes, partly because the all-important standards for home delivery of 3D content are still under review. But there's no denying that visual stereophiles had a lot to look at.

Panasonic was making a big splash with the showcasing of several 3D production systems. Along with a full HD plasma home theater display, Panasonic also presented a conceptual model of a high definition 3D camcorder. Previous 3D productions, including those highlighted in Panasonic's home theater display, were shot by rigging multiple 2D camcorders together to create the 3D environment. In an attempt to simplify 3D production, Panasonic's concept model features a twin-lens system for capturing 3D footage using only one camcorder. ??While the model is entirely in its development stage, it appears the camcorder will record video to Panasonic's P2 memory card system—the same system that is featured on much of Panasonic's professional camcorder line. The P2 cards should also enable the camcorder to record two channels of full HD footage. Panasonic has been describing the camcorder as an AVC-ULTRA 3D model. The name stems from Panasonic's new compression system that is in development for, among other things, capturing 3D footage.??

JVC was showing a 46-inch LCD HD monitor, which supports both side-by-side and line-by-line 3D schemes and sells for around $7,000. There was also a tech demonstration of a system for converting 2D images to 3D in real time. As you'd expect, there were many glitches, but it was still impressive. As Samuel Johnson once explained in a somewhat different context, “It is not done well, but you are surprised to find it done at all.”

4K

JVC provided an interesting glimpse into the world of ultra high resolution imaging with a live demonstration of its KY-F4000 real-time 4K camera. Live 60p images from the KY-F4000 were displayed on JVC's new 56-inch LCD panel with 4K resolution. The compact camera features a single 1.25-inch CMOS image sensor of 3840 x 2160 pixels, capable of producing live images with 4 times the resolution of full HD. The quality really was amazing.

While NAB is often about the latest gadgetry, software and effects there's always one constant in the world of film and video – imagery is king. With the entrenchment of HD and 4k+ on the horizon, creating 35mm images with video technology prices means more attention to the tools and accessories that make filmmaking so distinct.

The leaders of the acquisition industry – Canon, JVC, Panasonic and Sony—were conveniently located within a stone's throw from each other in the Central Hall this year. A common thread ran through the new lineups from each manufacturer – improved image quality, storage advancements and workflow efficiency. What follows is a brief recap of what they were touting as their major camera announcements for videographers at NAB 2009.

PANASONIC

The biggest news of NAB for videographers may not have been word of a new camera or format, but a new wrinkle in an existing format and workflow — Panasonic dramatically reduced the costs of P2 acquisition by introducing the new "E Series" P2 card. Next month, 16 GB and 32 GB E-Series P2 cards are slated to be available for $420 and $625, respectively, with a $998 64 GB version to follow in August.

That may sound expensive compared to consumer-level SD-card technology, but each P2 card actually combines four SD cards in a single unit to greatly accelerate transfer speeds. And compared to the $1650 fetched by 32 GB P2 cards from the existing "A Series," the new line-up represents a huge step forward in affordability for the P2 format.

As far as gear, the star of the show at Panasonic's booth was the AG-HPX300 AVC-Intra camcorder. With a street price that's less than $10k, it represents an aggressive move at a very attractive price point that produces film-like images competitive with the VariCam lineup. The shoulder-mount camcorder records to Panasonic's P2 memory card system and supports a variety of video compression options—including AVC-Intra 100, Panasonic's proprietary 10-bit 4:2:2 compression that is compliant with MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 standards. The camcorder features a wide range of manual controls, and comes with a removable, 17x optical zoom Fujinon lens.

At the prosumer level, Panasonic also introduced the AG-HMC40, a new compact, budget camcorder in its professional AVCCAM line. As with all camcorders in Panasonic's AVCCAM line, the AG-HMC40 records AVCHD video to solid-state SD/SDHC memory cards. Panasonic has positioned the camcorder as a lighter, cheaper alternative to the AG-HMC150. The AG-HMC40 will be available in August with an MSRP of $3,195.??The AG-HMC40 includes three 1/4.1-inch CMOS image sensors (compared to the 3-CCD imagers on the AG-HMC150), and offers a 10.6-megapixel still photo capability. The camcorder can record full HD video at 1080/59.94i, 1080/29.97p, and 1080/23.98 native. Three 720p shooting modes are also offered—720/59.94p, 720/29.97p, and 720/23.98 native.??The AG-HMC40 features a highest quality setting of 24Mbps (the maximum bitrate for AVCHD footage). Lower quality settings of 17Mbps, 13Mbps, and 6Mbps are also available. With one 32GB SDHC memory card, you can record up to 3 hours of video at the highest quality setting.??The camcorder weighs a light 2.2 pounds, although this is without the optional handle and audio connectivity box that are available as accessories. On the optional audio connectivity box, which connects to the camcorder via its accessory shoe, are two XLR inputs, +48V phantom power switches, and audio level controls. The camcorder includes a number of pro features, like dynamic range control, cinema gamma mode, a waveform monitor, focus assist, zebra patterns, synchro-scan shutter, and three customizable buttons. The lens is also equipped with a large ring that can adjust either zoom or focus.

JVC

JVC unveiled a new compact shoulder professional camcorder developed for electronic newsgathering. The new GY-HM700 camera records directly to SDHC memory cards in the QuickTime (.MOV) format and optionally to SxS media as well. Recording in a format that is natively recognized by Final Cut Pro editing workstations caused more than a few ears to perk up since it helps stations get stories to air faster by eliminating transfer times and speeds up the post-production workflow.

The shoulder-mount GY-HM700 camcorder also stores files on inexpensive SDHC memory cards. The camera provides two memory card slots, for a total of up to 64GB capacity — more than six hours of continuous HD recording at 35Mb/s. It automatically begins recording on the second card when the first card fills up. When the second card fills up, the camera reverts to recording to the first card slot, allowing for virtually unlimited recording lengths.

By attaching the optional KA-MR100 dockable media recorder, users can record (Sony XDCAM EX-compatible) .MP4 files onto high-speed SxS memory cards, while at the same time recording the same .MP4 files to inexpensive SDHC cards. Having two copies instantaneously available provides more versatility in the field with the assurance of always having a backup.

The GY-HM700 uses three 1/3in progressive scan HD CCDs complemented with a detachable Canon 1920 x 1080 HD lens. The camera's standard bayonet mount also accepts a wide range of optional lenses available from JVC. There's also an optional prime lens adapter. The HM700 lists for $7995.

In addition to the GY-HM700, the JVC was showing its litter brother, the GY-HM100. This smaller camcorder is also able to store 35Mb/s HD files in the native QuickTime onto SDHC media cards.

The GY-HM100 is the smallest professional format 3-CCD camcorder available at about the size of a lens for a 2/3in imager camera. It comes with a Fujinon 10:1 zoom HD lens. The GY-HM100 is scheduled for deliver this month at a list price of $3995.

CANON

Earlier this year, many people predicted Canon would announce a professional tape less camcorder at NAB. With the economy lagging, however, it seems new camcorder announcements have been cut back. Over the past few years, Sony, JVC, and Panasonic have each released a line of memory-card-based pro camcorders, while Canon continues to rely solely on its tape-based HDV models.

But, it wasn't a video camera that sparked the most attention at Canon's booth. The Canon 5D Mark II, a digital SLR camera with HD video capability, was demoed as a cinema option with a full array of film-style shooting accessories. The Mark II utilizes a Canon proprietary H.264 codec that is contained in a QuickTime MOV wrapper to produce 1920x1080, 30 fps images while the Rebel T1 maxes out at 720P/20fps.

Since the line of Canon cameras continues to record exclusively to tape, the other item of interest at the Canon booth was an XH G1S hooked up to a Ki Pro video recorder made by AJA Video Systems. The Ki Pro recorder accepts raw, uncompressed HD footage via an HD-SDI input and stores the footage on HDD or solid-state modules. Video footage recorded onto the Ki Pro is produced as Apple ProRes 422 QuickTime files that are fully compatible and ready to use with Final Cut Pro. Essentially, the device acts like a video deck recorder, except no tape is involved. The Ki Pro recorder also features a ton of ports: HDMI-in/out, Composite and Component-out via BNC, XLR-in/out, RCA audio in/out, LANC connectors, and WiFi support for controlling the recorder wirelessly. The video recorder will be available soon from AJA at a cost of $3995.

SONY

Sony was highlighting its full line of high-definition camcorders, including the PMW-EX1 and PMW-EX3 camcorders but their newest HDV camera – the HVR-Z5U – is an attempt to expand its line-up of HD products for professional videographers.

The HVR-Z5U camcorder offers native 24P recording and other professional features for a suggested list price of less than $5,000. The Z5U offers hybrid recording simultaneously to tape in the HDV format as well as tape less capability through an optional Compact Flash adapter.

The camcorder uses three 1/3-inch CMOS sensor chips to capture full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution onto miniDV tape in the HDV format (1440 pixels x 1080 lines).
The HVR-Z5U is Sony's first professional camcorder to have a Sony G lens with a 29.5mm wide-end viewing angle, extra-low dispersion glass and 20x optical zoom.

The HVR-Z5U camcorder also offers several features specifically designed for professional video production, such as progressive scan shooting at 1080/24P and 30P, DVCAM™ recording, timecode support and two XLR balanced audio inputs.

You can record the native 24P/30P signal on to the videotape used in the camcorder or to Compact Flash cards – simultaneously or separately – with the optional HVR-MRC1K recording unit. This unit attaches directly to the back of the camcorder, eliminates the need for cables and automatically synchronizes with the recording action of the camcorder.

FINAL THOUGHTS

What I came away with from NAB this year were both some strong impressions along with all the usual hard data. As you might expect, there were hundreds of products with thousands of features, some innovative, some not. Some based more on marketing, some, more fortunately, on need. But, in spite of the annual technology-driven circus that is NAB, one thing continues to stand out as the defining characteristic of successful media professionals – content. Gimmicks and gadgets will take us just so far, but content rules. And it was clear from this year's show that tomorrow's content will increasingly be produced for multiple delivery systems, not the least of which will be hand-held and mobile. But, the good news from NAB 2009 and beyond is that producing high-quality, affordable content is within reach of almost everyone.

Glenn Cragwall is Associate Professor of Communication Studies at
Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, TN. He has taught audio and video production at the undergraduate level for more than 20 years in Texas and Tennessee. Additionally, he has served as director of media ministries at churches in New Mexico, Tennessee and Texas as well as producer/director of broadcast and cable programming. He received his B.S. in Radio/TV/Film & Recording Industry Management from Middle Tennessee State University and an M.A. in Communication from Southwestern Seminary. Glenn has been a member of DVPA since its inception in 1998 and has been a speaker/staffer at DVPA events.