CyanView shows remote camera control at IBC2017 to simplify any production

posted:

14/08/2017

New Company Launches to Make Vision Engineers Happier, Productions Better

Broadcast vision engineers frustrated by the difficulty and inefficiency of trying to get optimum images from mini-cameras, especially in live broadcast, will welcome the arrival of CyanView, a new company created specifically to make their work both easier and more rewarding. The company has developed a range of tools designed to give vision engineers as much shading control over remote, often mobile, cameras.

“I have always been fascinated by the precision of the work of vision engineers,” said David Bourgeois, founder and CEO of CyanView. “They pay a lot of attention to all the details that make a picture look good.”

“Our system provides a universal and cost-effective solution that will enable productions to easily use any specialty camera they want, without worrying whether it’s feasible or not,” he continued. “We can enable vision engineers to quickly, easily and intuitively deliver images that they can be proud of by totally transforming what’s possible in terms of image quality from any mini-camera.”

At the heart of CyanView’s IP-based Cy-Stem product range is the Cy-RCP, a universal remote control panel compatible with any camera, that enables the control of multiple cameras. It is ideal for remote production and features physical buttons, rather than a web interface.

Nothing but frustration

“With today’s mini-cameras, vision engineers experience nothing but frustration,” said Bourgeois. “The cameras are usually far from the quality of typical broadcast cameras – but you still want to get the most out of these mini-cameras, with full control of the image parameters. Most of the time, however, instead of a full-featured RCP, you simply have no control of the camera at all - so you end up using post-processing equipment to correct what was wrong in the first place.”

“Then the next frustration kicks in,” went on Bourgeois, “when you discover that most video processors haven’t been designed to be camera CCUs, but generic colour correctors at most. You still have no RCP, and the settings available through the web interface are not behaving the way a camera does. And, while a vision engineer will usually shade no more than four cameras, the need to engage audiences and the falling price of mini-cameras means that often ten or more are being deployed – and they all need to be controlled.”

“But that’s not all,” said Bourgeois. “When the vision engineers join the crew before the event starts, they might notice that the focus isn’t perfect or the framing has to be altered. That becomes the start of a half hour of semi-blind adjustments, where the vision engineer tries to guide someone over a talkie to adjust the iris and focus and correct the framing. The end result is often an image that the vision engineer is dissatisfied with, and much wasted time.”

Happier vision engineers, better productions

“CyanView’s Cy-Stem family eliminates all those inefficiencies and frustrations,” concluded Bourgeois, “leading to happier vision engineers and better productions.”

The Cy-RCP is a universal remote control panel compatible with any camera, and that enables the control of multiple cameras. IP-based, it is ideal for remote production and features physical buttons, rather than a web interface. It is supported by the Cy-CI0 which from a simple RJ45 connection enables control of cameras, lenses and other accessories via RS232, RS422, RS485 and LANC serial protocols,. Power is provided via PoE+.

The Cy-GWY gateway features the open Ember+ control protocol, and provides an interface to a VSM (Virtual Studio Manager) and the Lawo V-pro8 video processor. WAN capability enables remote production, update and support.

The Cy-VP4 video processor supports four 3G HD (50/60) cameras or a single 4K (25/50/60) camera, together with SDI in/out and HDMI out for monitoring. The implementation of 3D LUTs (look-up tables) enables advanced, multi-matrix colour correction. Future releases of the Cy-VP4 will see more advanced camera processing and features specifically designed for vision engineers.

CyanView’s product range has undergone extensive pre-launch testing in real world scenarios. In April, it supported the production of the Ninja Warrior TV game show. The range was also extensively involved in the most recent series of French TV game show Fort Boyard, where 22 CyanView-supported minicams were key to the success of the program. The Cy-RCP was integrated with AMP VISUAL TV’s HF system to control all the onboard cameras at the Le Mans 24h motor race.

Premiering its exciting new product range at IBC 2017 is first time exhibitor CyanView. [Belgian Pavilion, Booth 10.D31]

About CyanView

CyanView designs and manufactures Cy-Stem, a universal mini-camera system consisting of an RCP control panel and small hardware modules that improve and simplify the production workflow. By leveraging IP technologies to power and transport data, control, audio and video over a single IP cable, CyanView’s solutions address three stages of the broadcast acquisition: control, image quality and video transport. Its universal RCP controller is designed for vision engineers and interfaces with mini-cameras, lenses and other accessories. On the truck side, it also controls video processors for advanced image processing and leverages leading edge colour science in HDR, wide colour space, 4K and high frame rate.