Panasonic got practical with 8K at NAB, showing a multicamera system with the capability of generating multiple HD-resolution videos from crops of each camera’s 8K frame. Designed for live events and sports applications, the system could add value to productions by having each 8K camera seem to do the work of four separate HD cameras.
The AK-SHB800GJ box camera (pictured above) has an 8K CMOS image sensor and an EF lens mount. The AK-SHU800 Image Processing Unit, combined with a PC running Panasonic’s Framing Control Software (sold separately), can run up to eight SHB800GJ cameras in a region-of-interest (ROI) multicamera system.
Up to four different HD frames can be cropped out of a single 8K image captured by the camera, Panasonic said, and each HD frame can be independently panned, tilted and zoomed, with a wide-angle distortion-correction feature to restore natural geometry to images cropped near the edge of frame.
A full 8K image can also be output from the camera control unit as four 12G-SDI feeds for use by an 8K ROI replay system, Panasonic said.
The system is scheduled to ship in July on a made-to-order basis.
