IBC 2024: Panasonic intros new 4K studio camera and fibre adaptor

By Jason Dachman Sunday, September 15, 2024 - 02:46 Print This Story

Panasonic Connect Europe has announced its new AK-UCX100 Studio Camera and AK-CFA100 Camera Fibre Adaptor at IBC 2024. The two products provide customers with increased production flexibility in studio or live events while delivering the highest quality visuals. The UCX100 allows users to choose their operating style to meet their budget and production challenges. It can operate with a single camera head or in combination with the Camera Fibre Adaptor (CFA), or a Camera Control Unit (CCU) – delivering the highest quality footage in any shooting environment. The UCX100 and CFA100 will be available from December 2024.

Flexible operation

The new AK-UCX100 Studio Camera

The UCX100 supports 3G and 12G SDI outputs from the camera head and direct connection of the Remote Operation Panel, with sync and tally, so it can be operated as a standalone. The camera head can also operate in non-CCU mode by direct connection to a 25 Gbps network utilising a ST 2110 media transport network. By adding bidirectional SFP+ modules, this provides full redundancy of ST 2022-7.

Panasonic’s new Camera Fiber Adaptor (CFA100) can insert camera power into a standard ST 311 hybrid fibre cable for standalone camera operation. Alternatively, the camera can be powered by a CCU or a local 12 V XLR power supply. Users can take advantage of either power supply mode and connection method like dark fiber or ST 2110 connection. When used in combination with the CFA100, it can supply power for approximately 2km (extending to a maximum of 10km with a fibre optic cable1).

AK-CFA100 Camera Fibre Adaptor

When producing content in a traditional studio with a CCU, the camera pairs with Panasonic’s recently released AK-UCU700/UCU710 Series Camera Control Unit, which provides all traditional points of connectivity, alongside optional Dante, ST 2110 and ST 2022-7 redundancy. In addition, it optionally supports a wide range of protocols, such as NDI High Bandwidth, SRT, as well as the parallel operation of baseband and IP.

The UCX100 can easily pair with any Panasonic camera, including the AW-UE160 PTZ camera, to ensure consistent, cohesive production quality. Both cameras also share the same sensor enabling smooth colour matching. When used with AK-UCU700/710 Series, the UCX100 supports 4x high speed 1080p and 2x high speed UHD.

Designed for the future of live productionUsing the latest innovations, Panasonic has addressed a range of IP conversion challenges for users. The UCX100 studio camera is compatible with the SMPTE ST 2110 IP-based video transmission standard – delivering uncompressed 4K video for both studio-based and live production shoots. ST 2110 can either be connected via the AK-UCU700/ or directly to the camera for CCU-less operation. For those on-location events where bandwidth is limited, the UCX100 can transmit visual loss-less video quality with low latency using the JPEG XS standard2. It will also feature a “tagged VLAN” function3, which can group connected cameras together, simplifying management during large-scale network operation.

Bringing live to life through the lensThe UCX100 is designed to bring live stage productions to life through the camera. The resolution of 2.000 TV lines reproduces details in high definition. The wide dynamic range and colour gamut of HDR (HLG)/BT.2020 conveys rich gradations and colours with a sense of realism. In addition, the camera has a variety of shooting support functions, such as moiré suppression filter4 that can reduce moiré generated when shooting on LED walls. It also features a high-precision focus indicator that supports focus points with a guide display.

Stefan Hofmann, Sales Engineering Manager for MEBD Pro-AV, at Panasonic Connect Europe GmbH, comments: “The requirements of live event production are evolving rapidly, with the increased adoption of LED walls and lighting technology driving the need for cameras that deliver high-quality content. The UCX100 studio camera and CFA100 addresses this challenge, providing production teams with the flexibility of choice and the assurance of high quality output regardless of the environment.”