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Articles
Making the Connection With Telecast’s CopperHead
Clark Media is primarily a production equipment and services company. We are based in Bethlehem, Pa., and we have been providing high-end production equipment and services to broadcast and corporate clients, primarily between the Boston and Washington, D.C. markets, since 1985.
Our inventory comprises more than 35 camera systems including traditional triax and multicore cameras, as well as a large inventory of SD and HD camcorders. Within the past year, we have seen explosive growth with our Panasonic SDX-900 and Panasonic Varicam cameras. While these cameras are fantastic for single-camera, film-style production _ particularly with their inclusion of 24p film-style features _ they have not traditionally been the best choice for multicamera productions when viewed from an engineering standpoint.
All of the camcorder’s advantages as a self-contained unit worked against us when we tried to use it in a fly-pack situation. We were forced to use large and bulky multicable harnesses to distribute all the necessary power, genlock, paint, audio, intercom, and tally controls to the camcorder, so we were left with a system that was cumbersome, viable only over short distances, and prone to intermittent signal problems.
To address this problem, we invested in Telecast Fiber Systems’ CopperHead HD/SDI and analog fiber optic camera-mounted transceiver. We needed the camera-mounted systems for a quickly approaching production, and after some evaluation we found that the reputation of the CopperHead and the company behind it made product selection simple. The transceivers were delivered and implemented within a manner of weeks.
For me, the single greatest advantage of the CopperHead system is that it multiplexes all our two-way camera signals onto a flexible, lightweight fiber cable that is actually more rugged and robust than copper cables. This allows us to repurpose our SD and HD camcorders in a multicamera environment, with the ability to record both a live-switch and an ISO record in a “video village” located hundreds of feet away, with complete command of all of the camera’s paint, iris and other remote controls.
Since we added the CopperHead to our rental inventory, we have found many applications for which the system is a perfect fit. Recent events include live coverage for ESPN at the Hard Rock Café for 2006 New Years Eve celebration, and a complete four-camera studio package over eight days using the CopperHead system to tape multiple episodes of the Todd Oldham show for HGTV. We have even used it on single- and two-camera HD shoots because it gives our engineers complete control over the camera system while shooting on a soundstage.
Last year we completed a four-camera production that featured many of the world’s most famous poets, and the event proved to be very well attended. Recording at the typical camcorder distance was impossible because we were using long HD lenses, and some cameras were very close to the poets. What’s more, we could not afford, during a very quiet passage, to worry about loading a new tape into the camera. The CopperHead saved the day, giving us control over all camera functions and enabling our crew to record both a live-switch and an ISO record from a control room set up in a construction trailer located a few hundred feet away.
In our particular marketplace, we find that our application range requires control of cameras from both short distances, with cable runs under 250 feet in studio applications, and much longer distances, with runs of 750 to 1,500 feet in field production. The CopperHead’s use of lightweight, tactical-grade fiber cable keeps it very safe from damage around a typical production set, and eliminates typical production concerns such as audio hum, ground loops, and line loss.
The fact that the system is format-independent (SD 480i, HD 720p, or 1080i or 1080/24p) and camera-independent (Sony, Ikegami, Panasonic, etc.) makes it an extremely flexible rental tool. We provide cameras from many different manufacturers, and we found it very important that the CopperHead system will work with any other camera. All that is required is the use of a “manufacturer-specific” cable set for
CCU control. This is a huge advantage when considering a fiber system for purchase.
Furthermore, the knowledge that other rental companies also are choosing the Telecast system gives me the confidence that I can handle larger projects on short notice. Because the CopperHead does not require any camera modification, we can rent additional cameras if necessary.
Extra flexibility is provided with the addition of Telecast’s PowerPlus option, which allows us to supply power to the camera from the base station. The connector can be configured to use the standard ”SMPTE 311M” hybrid fiber/copper cable that is used on many full size mobile TV vehicles. In fact, we are currently in the process of building a small SD/HD mobile truck that is based entirely on the Telecast CopperHead system. As there are so many HD formats available to clients today, we will be able to provide a production platform that allows us to reconfigure cameras and formats on a job-by-job basis.
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