The Meduza TITAN: A Single Camera 3D Solution for TV Production

“The desire of the consumer for an enhanced 3D television entertainment experience and the pressure on hardware manufacturers and retailers to sell the new 3D enabled hardware, is mandating the broadcaster to deliver,” says Cary.  “There is no doubt that content is king when it comes to driving the television market and right now there clearly isn’t enough 3D television content being produced. An unquestionable demand has been established in the 3D equipment marketplace where currently there is a void for a camera with the versatility of the TITAN.”

Featuring two 1080p CMOS sensors, TITAN is capable of a full range of frame rates, from 24 fps to 120 fps in 10 bit, and has fast, fully motorized inter-axial (the distance between the lenses) and convergence, both essential to quality S3D film making.  Convergence is accurate to 1/1000 of a degree and the inter-axial to 1 micron.  Meduza can also provide motors for Iris and focus control.  At only 7.5 lbs (3.5 kilos), the robust and compact TITAN is crafted of a unique titanium body for lightness and durability.

TITAN provides a much needed solution for on-the-fly sports field coverage and is also a powerful tool for documentary as well as narrative producers, whether shooting in the studio, on location, or deep in the field.  With all of the control systems integrated inside the camera, the setup is also optimized for shooting in the kind of adverse weather conditions that affect outdoor sports and natural history productions.  Titan affords great mobility and can be controlled from anywhere, either on-board or via tethered or remote controls.

“We had expected theatrical productions to continue being the driving force for the growth in 3D equipment until late in 2012,” added Cary.   “Our plan has always been to release a 1080p only camera system for television but it was originally scheduled later in our release cycle.  The huge effort being made by Sky in the UK and other broadcasters to unlock the possibilities with 3D for broadcasters has shifted the underlying demand to television.”  The TITAN and its big brother, the modular Meduza MK1 (recently launched at IBC), are not intended to replace rig systems but are completely complimentary.  In television where time, space, flexibility and above all budgets are tight, TITAN provides a liberating solution.

Testing by 3D Visual Enterprises in the UK, has included mounting the Titan on top of traditional broadcast cameras to determine how positioning and framing can be shared, but with 3D controlled remotely.  Soccer, golf and tennis would all benefit from this set-up for some camera positions.

TITAN is priced at $55,000 US and can be ordered with either C mount or the new Meduza mount for the Meduza matched pair prime lens series (Delta 4KS3D).  Pre-order customers can expect delivery of the TITAN in late December.

About Meduza Systems
3D Visual Enterprises Ltd, the UK based holding company, was established specifically to service the growing demand within the professional film and television community for a complete and technically advanced 3D image capturing system.  Meduza Systems was created to develop an imaging system that would solve the single camera problem within an architecture that could be constantly upgraded to keep pace with the growth of the industry and advancing technology.   The system had to be versatile, flexible, capable of being upgraded and adapted to match the pace of developing sensor and optical technology and to deliver visual images at the highest resolution possible at all times.  The Meduza MK I was designed to fill the void in the market with compatibility in all of the production environments and in any industry, from Giant Screen 15/70, to live events, to hand held natural history productions.  The TITAN has been created to provide a purpose built tool for the television industry.  Above all, the company’s mission is to create a stereoscopic digital 3D camera that would never be obsolete and that could constantly strive to meet the growing and changing needs of its customers.