Among the product highlights at the NAB 2012 Booth of Hitachi Kokusai Electric America, Ltd., will be the U.S. introduction of a slow-motion HD camera capable of capturing video at 2.5X and 3X the speed of standard frame rate cameras. The SK-HD1500 uses standard 2/3-inch Bayonet mount lenses and integrates easily into existing Hitachi SK-series camera infrastructures. Also to be introduced will be the new HV-HD33 – a compact, 3-MOS sensor, multi-standard, P.O.V. HD camera – and the super-small, self-contained, signal sensor KP-HD20A HD camera.

Hitachi Kokusai Electric America will exhibit in booth #C4309 at the annual NAB convention, running from April 14th-19th at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Several recently introduced multi-format cameras will also be in the Hitachi NAB 2012 booth this year. Those include: the SK-HD1200 native 1080/60p studio and EFP camera; SK-HD1000 dockable studio and field camera, SK-HD2000 native 1080/60i studio and field production camera, Z-HD5000 HDTV studio and field camera, DK-H200, DK-H100 and the DK-Z50 multi-purpose HDTV camera.

“We anticipate a tremendous reaction from sports producers and mobile truck companies to our new slow motion camera and a lot of excitement from the broadcast, security, and industrial markets over the cost-effective HV-HD33,” said Sean Moran, Hitachi Kokusai Electric America’s National Sales Manager. “I’m positive this will be a very strong show for us. We’ve incorporated feedback from our customers, and now we get to show off the results of our efforts.”

The SK-HD1500 slow motion HD camera rounds out Hitachi’s offerings to mobile truck companies and sports producers. Hitachi now provides a comprehensive model line of HDTV cameras suitable for mobile sports and field production companies.

The SK-HD1500 has three 2.3Mpixel 2/3-inch, progressively scanned IT-CCDs. Like its sibling, the SK-HD1200, it has state-of-the-art, digital-to-analog, 16-bit RGB converters that further improves the dynamic range, signal-to-noise, and color fidelity. It is capable of 6Gbps transmission over SMPTE standard optical fiber. Hitachi assures compatibility with most slow-motion servers capable of 3X SMPTE292M 1.5Gbit/second HD-SDI links. This new slow motion HDTV camera can record at speeds of 150 and 180 frames per second, and its outputs are digital HD/SD video at 1080i, 720p and 480i all at 59.94 or 50Hz field rate. The SK-HD1500 employs the control panels, viewfinders, studio build-up kits and accessories of the existing Hitachi SK-series cameras. The SK-HD1500's sensitivity is F9 at 2000 lux with a signal-to-noise ratio of -58dB. The camera has 1100 TVL of standard resolution.

First introduced at IBC 2011, orders for the SK-HD1500 have already been placed by Saudi TV, the Arabic news and entertainment channel in Saudi Arabia. Saudi TV has approximately 150 Hitachi studio cameras, along with a new 16-camera OB truck, and two five-camera DSNG trucks. Delivery of the SK-HD1500 cameras will begin in March 2012.

The new Hitachi HV-HD33 is designed for general observation where high sensitivity, low-noise, multi-standard signals, and low-user intervention operation are required. The HV-HD33 finds applications in a variety of environments, including: remote observation, in-studio use, point-of-view use, unmanned vehicles, robotic systems and industrial applications like factory automation, high-end monitoring and medical imaging. The HV-HD33 is Hitachi’s most economical 3-MOS sensor, compact HDTV box camera. It uses a 1/3-inch C-mount lens. The camera has the distinct advantage of outputting SDI at multiple frame rates and TV signal standards. The user interface is menu-driven and functions are available for complete automated “dusk-to-dawn” operation without supervision. The sensor array is 1312(H) X 1032(V), SNR is 53dB and sensitivity is F8. A low power consumption of 8W and weight of 550 grams enables this camera to go where others with similar picture quality cannot.

For even more space- and price-constrained applications and budgets, the KP-HD20A offers excellent HDTV video from a single 2.1Mpixel, 1/3-inch color CMOS sensor. Full raster 1920(H) HD at 1080/ 59.94i, 50i and 1080/ 25p/ 30p can be transmitted through 100m of coax, making it an easy substitution for existing SD observation cameras. Full unattended imaging including contrast & backlight compensation make it ideal for inhospitable locations. Camera remote control is offered with both RS232C and RS485 protocols for easy integration into new or existing PTZF robotic systems.

For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at www.hitachi.com.