NEP’s first 4K OBVan in Switzerland relies on Panasonic 4K cameras

posted:

25/08/2016

Thanks to Panasonic’s AK-UC3000 and NEP’s new OB truck, viewers can watch selected Swiss Raiffeisen Super League 2016/2017 football matches in Ultra High Definition (UHD)

Selected Raiffeisen Super League 2016/2017 football matches will now reach televisions and screens in Ultra High Definition (UHD), as NEP is now producing two matches of each first division round in Ultra High Definition. For the high-resolution live broadcasts, NEP relies on Panasonic’s AK-UC3000 cameras. Panasonic’s 10 x 4K cameras are the core components of NEP’s new OB truck, which is completely designed to produce high-resolution content in UHD. Ultra High Definition has four times higher resolution than its predecessor Full HD and is twenty times sharper than the still widespread SD.

NEP Switzerland provides technology and expertise so that its customers can produce the largest live broadcasts and broadcast events in the world. The live broadcast of national and international sport and entertainment events places high demands on broadcast technology. Thanks to three decades of experience, NEP makes each broadcast unique and thus also provides spectacular football in best UHD quality in Switzerland.

One of the 10 Panasonic AK-UC3000 4K Cameras

Following numerous tests and intensive consulting, NEP opted to equip its latest OB truck “Ultra HD-41” with Panasonic AK-UC3000 4K cameras. “As the results show, the UC3000 offers an unprecedented performance and 4K picture quality. Additionally to the quality, we are also impressed by the camera’s user-friendliness and handling,” says Trond Hermansen, CTO at NEP Switzerland. “The UC3000 achieves an excellent balance between the different image quality parameters – such as sensitivity and resolution, a good signal-to-noise ratio and a large dynamic range. Also worth mentioning is the low power consumption as well as the camera’s compact size.”

Camera Shading in NEP HD-41

NEP Switzerland also was pleased with the camera’s short delivery times for the OB truck: “Time was an important factor for the build of the OB truck,” summarises Hermansen. "When we were enlisted to produce the Swiss football league, we had less than six months to build and test the OBVan before the first production in July of this year."

Production Area in NEP HD-41

The AK-UC3000 is a compact studio camera with a sensor which outputs a UHB signal with up to 3840x2160/60p and which is compatible with all B4 mount camera lenses. A multitude of features such as Turbo (“shockless”) Gain (-3 db to 36 dB) and multi-stage digital noise cancellation expand the camera’s easy operation and flexibility. The UC3000 can be simultaneously used in the 4K and HD modus. Panasonic thus simplifies the transition from HD to 4K, as was the case at the time with the transition from SD to HD.

Panasonic is an internationally leading producer of professional broadcast and video solutions. Industry specialists praise the excellent reliability, speed and re-writability of Panasonic’s solutions. With solid state SD cards, fast and IT processes – which are matched to live operations, as well as extreme reliability without external tools – the Panasonic next generation AVCCAM camcorder offers clear advantages compared with tape-based MPEG-2-HDV systems. Panasonic’s professional broadcast product range includes solutions with 4K and HD studio cameras, remote camera systems, live mixers and HD recorders, HD/SD monitors and energy efficient LCD monitors for outstanding image quality.