Nowa TV install four Panasonic AK-UC3000 for 4K, HD and SD production

Panasonic cameras were installed in the news studio of the new TV channel Nowa TV.

Panasonic have supplied the new TV broadcaster Nowa TV (Poland) with a professional system of studio cameras based on the 4K AK-UC3000 models. The channel has been available throughout Poland since 9 October via terrestrial broadcasting in the Mux 8 multiplex. It is also transmitted through all cable networks in Poland. The signal is broadcast in FHD resolution but the entire infrastructure and equipment support 4K.

Nowa TV is a free, universal TV channel that has been available since November in the Mux 8 multiplex. Just like Polo TV, Focus TV, and Eska TV, this new channel is owned by Grupa ZPR (Zjednoczone Przedsiębiorstwo Rozrywkowe): one of the largest radio, press and TV publishers and website owners in Poland. The flagship programme of the new channel is the daily news broadcast 24 godziny (24 hours). The programme is recorded at a studio equipped with professional Panasonic devices.

Before making the choice, the broadcaster conducted several hardware tests, comparing the technical specifications of Panasonic camera tracks against leading competitor products. The price to quality ratio was a very important factor. It turned out that Panasonic’s 4K system is similarly priced to competing devices offering only FHD support. Another important advantage of the AK-UC3000 model was its high sensitivity of F10 (59.94 Hz) and F11 (50 Hz) at 2000 lx. This reduced the requirements for studio lighting, contributing to cost reduction.

The Nowa TV studio has four Panasonic AK-UC3000 channels which allow recording in 4K, HD and SD. The hardware was delivered in June 2016 by Niewojt Sp. z o.o., the official Panasonic distributor in the Broadcast area. Each camera channel consists of the Panasonic AK-UCU500 camera control unit, four AK-HRP1000 remote operation panels, an AK-HVF100 LCD viewfinder, and AK-HVF21 magnifying viewfinders. Even though this studio system currently works in FHD, it is fully capable of 4K operation. An essential part of the whole system is the AV-HS6000 mixer supporting FHD and 4K.

“The Panasonic studio system is very ergonomic. Both the remote operation panel and the clear LCD viewfinder make camera control convenient and easy, which is very useful for the operators.
Having used the hardware for several months, we really know we can trust it. We appreciate this reliability especially in situations which require quick response,” says Bogusław Szetela, director of technology and TV production at Grupa ZPR.

Panasonic AK-UC3000

The video recorded using AK-UC3000 cameras owes its high quality to several features, such as focus assist and skew reduction realized through high-speed scan from the MOS sensor. The camera also offers enhanced shockless gain (-6 dB to 36 dB), a user gamma function and digital noise reduction on a 1 to 5 scale.

An important advantage of Panasonic AK-UC3000 channels is the large number of I/O interfaces, both in the camera control unit, and in the camera head. The AK-UCU500 camera control unit has 8 SDI OUT ports, 4 video feedback ports, 2 teleprompter ports, 2 data bus ports and 1 1000Base-T port. This enables transmission of additional, independent SDI and Ethernet signals (Video and Data TRUNK features).

“The main competitive advantage of the AK-UC3000 is the excellent price to quality ratio,” says Izabela Pikus, Field Marketing Manager at Panasonic. “The system satisfies the current requirements of Nowa TV, providing high image quality and simple operation. At the same time, it supports easy transition from HD to UHD in the future, making it a very good long-term investment,” Pikus adds.

After using the Panasonic studio cameras for a month, the technical engineers at Grupa ZPR decided to supplement the system by three Panasonic AW-UE70 PTZ cameras. These compact models can be installed at various locations in the studio. They support HD and 4K recording, offering excellent pan, tilt and zoom ranges. They require just two cable connections (an SDI cable for video and an Ethernet cable for control and PoE+ power). The functionality and motion of the PTZ cameras is controlled using the AW-RP120 remote camera controller.

In addition, Nowa TV uses the Panasonic AV-HS6000 2ME mixer which supports very wide integration options. Its main module includes 32 SDI inputs, 2 DVI inputs and 16 SDI outputs. Each ME unit includes 4 DVE units.