In Broadcast - April 2015 - 70

70

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 5 - Issue 4 | April 2015

InTech

IMT Debuts COFDM Dropcam
I

ntegrated Microwave Technologies
(IMT) will introduce its Nucomm liveaction point-of-view transmitter with
camera (Dropcam) at NAB 2015.
The Nucomm Dropcam is a selfcontained, small, rugged COFDM
(DVB-T compliant) transmitter
with assorted adapter modules.
IMT say the Dropcam is an
ideal camera transmitter to
capture point-of-view video
for sporting events, reality
television,
hidden-camera
applications, and many
other broadcast

uses requiring unique and dynamic
camera angles.
"We are excited to bring several
innovative new products to this year's
NAB show, including our new Live
Action Point-of-View Transmitter
with Camera, as it is a testament to
how our products continue to evolve
with the changing needs of the
broadcast industry," says John Payne
IV, CTO, IMT. "New technologies and
equipment, such as the Dropcam,
give broadcasters the tools needed to
provide its viewers with an all-access,
inside look into major events
happening across the
globe."

The Nucomm Dropcam is a
ruggedised transmitter
with camera

The Dropcam comes standard
with an HD-SDI adaptor module.
The module enables small, remotely
mounted HD cameras to be interfaced
directly to the Dropcam without
additional batteries. Addition modules
are available including an integrated
Swivel Camera HD Module, which
combines a low-light camera with a
high dynamic range microphone.
Operators can manually rotate the
swivel camera head 180 degrees. The
Dropcam also features an assortment
of
removable
sensor
modules
depending on the users' speciﬁc
application and need.
Offering exceptional RF performance
and durability, the Dropcam combines
true ease of operation and superb
H.264 high-proﬁle encoding. It uses
COFDM digital RF transmission,
enabling superior non-line-of-sight
performance in buildings, sports
venues and urban environments. This
level of performance is unattainable
with conventional analogue or
802.11(Wi-Fi) products.

The Dropcam may be optionally
ﬁtted with an internal edge video
recorder, which records audio and
video onto an internal memory for offline analysis. Users can download the
recorded video over a USB connection
to any computer.
The Nucomm Dropcam's integrated
battery can power the transmitter
for more than three hours, and can
be recharged using the AC adaptor
provided in the kit. It is also capable
of AES encryption, making it ideal
for high-proﬁle live sports broadcast
applications.
The video from Dropcam can be
received on any MPEG-4 capable
handheld receiver, receive sites or
broadcast trucks.
IMT's two-way diversity handheld
receivers, such as Direct VU or the
new compact Nucomm Mini Viewer,
are ideal for video assist and video
streaming with the Dropcam.
NAB 2015 visitors can see the full
portfolio of IMT receivers on the NAB
booth.

DAT Offers Novel Antenna
Approach
By Lee Norton, BSI UK, Managing Director

D

esigned
and
developed
exclusively by BSI UK, DAT's novel
approach eliminates the requirement
for traditional omni "stick" antennas
for RF transmission and UHF reception,
that have been a common feature on
every COFDM based wireless cameraback system for the past 15 years.
You'd be forgiven for thinking,
"something's missing". After all, at
ﬁrst glance it's immediately apparent
that there appears to be no antenna.
This is primarily due to the fact that
the new antenna structure utilises
multiple antenna elements distributed
over the surface of the transmitter,
similar to the technique employed in
mobile telephones, in order to prevent
single point masking of the antennas.
Currently,
these
antennas
operate within the 3400-3700MHz

band required for video
transmission and over the
460-470MHz band for the
camera control reception,
however more frequency
options will be available
shortly.
In addition to DAT, the team
has been working on custom
designed housings, utilising
RF transparent materials
to enclose the antennas,
transmitter
and
camera
control receiver (see picture).
The impetus to developing
this new technique has been
largely driven by comments from
camera operators over the years.
Traditional antennas impede their
use of the camera, especially when
performing creative under-arm shots,

and certain camera manoeuvres
such as 360 degree shots which were
impossible.
BSI's DAT approach gives the camera
operator "Real Freedom" to work

DAT utilises RF transparent materials

and provide previously unachievable
images to our screens.
BSI, change the way you view the
world!
http://www.inbroadcast.com http://www.imt-broadcast.com/ http://www.broadcastsportsinc.com/
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