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EDITORS Please note contact information for
this division:
For more information, please call Canon Broadcast
and Communications Division at 1-800-321-4388.
HDNET
COVERAGE GETS CREATIVE WITH CANOBEAM FREE SPACE OPTICS
Optical Beam Transceiver System
from Canon Makes Stunning Camera Angles of Fireworks,
Rocky Mountains Possible
LAKE SUCCESS, NEW YORK -- To broadcast vivid
HD imagery from the Rocky Mountains, HDNet producers
knew the Canobeam DT-50 Free Space Optics (FSO) transceiver
from Canon U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of Canon Inc.
(NYSE: CAJ), was exactly what they needed. The powerful
optical beam transceiver system proved invaluable
for opening up totally original camera angles during
a recent event.
"Knowing that a tool like Canobeam is available
allows us a lot more creative thinking in terms of
how we can best showcase the events that we cover
in HD," says Darrell Ewalt, Executive Producer of
Sports at HDNet. "We've used Canobeam before and we
knew that it could reliably provide the 'money shot'
for us."
HDNet had two major events to cover with its mobile
production units, which are also equipped with multiple
Canon HD studio/field and ENG/EFP lenses, at Colorado's
INVESCO Field at Mile High. The first was a Major
League Soccer (MLS) matchup between the Colorado Stars
and the Kansas City Wizards. Afterwards the crowd
of 60,000+ stuck around to enjoy the largest fireworks
display in the Rocky Mountain region, while HDNet
gave its home audience the best view of all. With
its ability to create an HD-capacity, high-speed Free
Space Optics (FSO) connection across a straight-line
distance of up to 2Km, the Canobeam DT-50 transceiver
made it possible for HDNet to place a camera on the
roof of the nearby Pepsi Center, providing awe-inspiring
views of INVESCO Field and the fireworks against the
mountain backdrop.
"This was logistically impossible to do with a fiber
optic run," Ewalt explains. "Canobeam was the only
piece of hardware that would allow us to show these
beautiful shots throughout the game and during the
fireworks. We needed a way to feed an HD/SDI signal
from the output of the camera, in a remote location
with no facilities that we could have integrated from
our remote truck. The Canobeam DT-50 transceiver gave
us that flexibility, along with great quality of signal.
It was also very easy for our engineering staff to
physically make that installation work: They set it
up quickly, used the guidance system provided within
it, and locked on a flawless signal spanning more
than a mile."
The Canobeam DT-50 optical beam transceiver features
Canon's unique Auto-Tracking System and constant footprint
function, and a range of up to 2Km, bringing the highest
level of control yet to wireless connectivity for
HD and SD broadcasters. In addition, the system is
capable of transmitting data at bandwidths of 25-622
Mbps. With Auto-Tracking, the Canobeam DT-50 transceiver
maintains alignment between units with maximum reliability,
even under conditions in which buildings or other
platforms sway due to altitude or wind conditions.
With constant footprint, the DT-50 model adjusts the
beam according to the distance it must travel, maintaining
beam focus and signal strength fully over its range.
Plus, no FCC frequency allocation is ever required.
Secure operation comes from Canobeam's extremely tight,
"untappable" beam, making signal interception impossible
from street level.
With an extensive list of Canon lenses already on
board their mobile production units, HDNet has long
been familiar with the Canon's leading optics and
support, a quality commitment that was on display
once again. "We own a lot of Canon equipment, and
without a doubt Canon stands out as one of our favorite
suppliers," Darell Ewalt concludes. "Their staff,
technology and support make our jobs so much easier,
and allow us to provide a high-quality broadcast to
our viewers."
For more information, please call Canon Broadcast
and Communications Division at 1-800-321-4388.
Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business,
and industrial imaging solutions. The Company is listed
as one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies in America,
and is ranked #41 on the Business Week list of "Top
100 Brands." Its parent company Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ)
is a top patent-holder of technology, ranking second
overall in the U.S. in 2002, with global revenues
of $24.5 billion. Canon U.S.A. employs more than 10,000
people at over 30 locations. For more information,
visit www.usa.canon.com.
All referenced product names are trademarks of their
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