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 AN EMERGING
POINT OF VIEW
By Tom Butts, Content Director, TV Technology

The increasing popular- and image quality improve. “PTZ cameras lend
ity of PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) themselves to be a little more flexible than the
cameras in the broad- traditional set,” said Hamid James, product man-
cast and professional live ager with Panasonic.
production markets is a
testament to the flexibil-
ity and image enhancing
technologies of the past
decade.
While the majority of PTZ cameras are used
for surveillance and other industrial uses, the
compact cameras are becoming a mainstay in
studios, production facilities, and perhaps most
prominently, live venues from concert halls to
educational facilities, conference rooms and
sporting arenas. Installed or hidden away in
confined spaces, they provide a convenient, cost-
effective way for media producers to get more
specialized points of view, giving viewers a more
up close and personal look at the action.
It’s easy to take PTZ cameras for granted, Panasonic’s AW-UE4 IP streaming camera is ideal for
meeting rooms large and small.
partly because part of their purpose is to be
placed in out-of-the way, hard-to-access areas.
That’s also why they need to be reliable, rugged Media producers are also using AI in conjunc-
and compact. tion with PTZ cameras to identify individuals
Improvements in lenses, imagers and IP and inanimate objects, improving production
control have spurred the PTZ market in recent and presentations in the classroom, boardroom,
years, expanding its market applications. For news set or at a sporting event.
broadcasters, in particular, the need for manned In these pages, we take a look at the potential
studio cameras is diminishing as control, latency uses of PTZ cameras on the set and in the con-
cert venue as well as take a look at how AI will
enhance PTZ production.

INSIDE How are you using PTZ cameras in

PTZ Cams Go Small, But Hav your production? Drop us a line at
Growing Industry Reach....................................................... 3 tvtechnology@futurenet.com.

Panasonic PTZ Cameras

Enhance Live Concert Coverage........................................ 7
‘Smarter Sight’.......................................................................... 9

[2] GUIDE TO PTZ CAMERAS | FEBRUARY 2020


PTZ CAMS GO SMALL, BUT HAVE
GROWING INDUSTRY REACH
As productions downsize, PTZ cameras
are there to meet demands
By Michael Balderston
WASHINGTON—It’s not the size that counts, but
how you use it. PTZ cameras—named such for their
“pan, tilt and zoom” capabilities—are growing in
popularity among broadcasters not in spite of their
diminutive size compared to traditional broadcast
cameras, but rather because of it.
PTZ cameras first cut their teeth mainly for surveil-
lance, but they have become more popular in a number
of other industries, including broadcasters who use
them for specialized roles in certain productions. Now,
as new technological capabilities are being added to
boost the functionality and quality of these cameras,
there is a growing acknowledgement that the cameras
can come close to matching those of traditional broad-
cast cameras—some even think that they could eventu-
ally surpass them.
FITTING IN
We carry computers in our pockets every day in
Remote operation of PTZ cameras,
including the ability to operate multiple
cameras at once, is helping to
streamline production resources.
the form of our smartphones. Technology has gotten
smaller, and as a result more adaptable as to where
and how they can be used.
Even still, a traditional broadcast camera setup in
a production studio will often require things like a
pedestal, dolly, jib and a camera operator for dynamic
movements. PTZ cameras, on the other hand, have
built-in capabilities that can mimic some of those
movements without the size restrictions.
“Most [PTZ cameras] are compact, they’re small,”
said Hamid James, a product manager at Panasonic.
“You still need equipment to support a PTZ camera,
but not the same level that you would the traditional
camera. So it helps them save on space.”
That can be true in a traditional studio space, but
PTZs are also proving beneficial in places that don’t
have the space to begin with. Podcasts and radio sta-
tions looking to create videos or live simulcasts have
often utilized that type of strategy.
TV TECHNOLOGY [3]
 “You certainly see them more of RUSHWORKS, a Dallas-based
and more in really small studios, provider of production automa-
where they don’t want manned tion technology. “That’s just the
cameras,” said Drew Buttress, nature of the market.”
senior product manager, Sony Beesley believes that for
Electronics. “So they’ll put a broadcasters facing those con-
number of PTZs on tripods to straints, it is only practical that
give them different angles and they look toward robotic, PTZ
different shots.” cameras, which in addition to
Buttress also can see PTZ cam- being generally less expensive
eras, which already are used on than traditional broadcast cam-
occasion in sports productions, eras, do not require individual
expand their role on the base- camera operators. A particular
ball diamond, basketball court, example of this, he sees, is with
hockey rink or football field. news production.
“You would potentially see “It’s a repetitive model that
PTZs where there’s not a lot of happens every day, multiple
space in the actual broadcast JVC’s KY-PZ100B PTZ camera times a day, and it just makes
boost with that talent calling the perfect sense to have robots
play-by-play,” he added. “So they might put a PTZ in there because if you think about what’s going on, the
there just to be able to take a live shot of the talent studio may have one or up to four sets in a 360-degree
while the game or event is going on.” He does, howev- circle,” Beesley said. “If the cameras are mounted
er, think that high-end cameras will always be needed properly and used properly you can block the shots.”
for top-end sports productions and larger shows. “PTZ cameras lend themselves to be a little more
flexible than the traditional set,” James added.
A CHANGING WORKFORCE The move to more unmanned studios is a change
Broadcasters’ operating costs are in many cases not that doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon,
what they used to be—many have had to downsize according to Buttress.
their budgets, their staff and their workspace. All of
which have a potential solution in the form of PTZ THE FUTURE
cameras. These are the basic elements of PTZ cameras that
“The evolution of broadcast as we know it is sort of have helped them grow in popularity among broad-
in a ‘half-life’ right now, where traditional approaches casters, but new technology that could boost resolu-
to this are being replaced by much less expensive, more tion and functionality will help determine just how far
efficient ways to do things,” said Rush Beesley, president PTZs can grow within the industry.
The biggest argument for traditional cameras is
that their resolution quality cannot really be matched.
However, while PTZ cameras are not at the same
level, the differences to viewers is miniscule, to the
point where people at home can’t really tell the dif-
ference, says Beesley.
“The gap is definitely narrowing, but there is
still a gap,” said Edgar Shane, general Manager,
Panasonic’s
AW-UE4 PTZ Engineering, JVCKENWOOD USA Corp. He points to
camera recent upgrades to better sensors and higher signal-
to-noise ratio. “PTZ cameras are pretty good today
and perhaps they will be better tomorrow.”
The main question with resolution in PTZ cam-
eras is two-fold: getting the necessary equipment for
4K-quality images in their compact frames, and the
ability to create appropriately-sized lenses.
The transmission of information is also a key part
of these cameras’ development. There has been a
Continued on page 8 ❱

[6] GUIDE TO PTZ CAMERAS | FEBRUARY 2020

PANASONIC PTZ CAMERAS
ENHANCE LIVE CONCERT COVERAGE
Flypacks provide HDR capture across all cameras
By TV Technology Staff
201 Productions, specialists in multicamera live cov-
erage of major music tours, festivals and corporate
events, utilized new 4K mobile fly-pack systems
equipped with Panasonic HDR-capable cameras (AK-
UC4000 studio/field and AW-UE150 pan/tilt/zoom
cameras) on last year’s cross-country tour of legend-
ary rock band Phish.
The company also made extensive use of a smaller
fly-pack comprised of six AW-UE150s on a nine-show
spring tour with a new band, Ghosts of the Forests,
fronted by Phish’s Trey Anastasio. The new Panasonic
cameras were also used on Phish’s fall/winter tour.
CLARITY AND EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE
201 Productions’ principal Trey Kerr explained
that, with the purchase of five AK-UC4000s and six
AW-UE150 PTZs with AW-RP150 controllers, the com-
pany’s primary fly-pack systems now boast HDR cap-
ture across all the cameras. (Cameras with HDR are
capable of capturing brighter whites and/or deeper
blacks.)
“Concert productions are the mainstay of our
business, and the combination of larger camera sen-
sors, 4K and HDR affords us so much clarity and
exceptional performance in low light,” Kerr said.
“We’re committed to providing the best available
solutions for our clients, and given music perfor-
mances’ varying contrast levels, with HDR we are
able to capture the wide gamut of what we’re trying
to shoot.”
201 Productions’ chief assignment for Phish was
live production, but the company was also tasked
with providing a feed for live webcasts on LivePhish.
com, as well producing performance videos for the
band’s YouTube page and archiving each concert.
“The UC4000 delivers exceptional performance in
low light, and really enables us to deal with whatever
red, green or blue washes the lighting designer calls
for,” Kerr noted. “The UC4000 can handle a solid blue
wash better than any other camera I’ve ever experi-
enced.”
MANAGING 10 CAMERAS WITH STAFF OF TWO
For the majority of The Ghosts of the Forest’s per-
formances, a staff of only two—working with the two
Continued on page 8 ❱
TV TECHNOLOGY [7]
 ❱ Continued from page 7
AW-RP150 controllers—was
able to manage 10 cameras
the (six AW-UE50s, three
POV cameras and a locked-
off Panasonic AK-UC3000)
for live IMAG and the
recording of archival video.
“There’s so much func-
tionality with the AW-UE150
and the AW-RP150 control-
ler,” Kerr said. “It was so
impressive how we were
able to start a move, then
transition to another cam-
era, and it was simply
remarkable what we could
accomplish with only two 201 Productions used a range of Panasonic HDR cameras to cover live concerts last year.
people.
“Because of AW-UE150’s advanced features, we
are now able to bring our same professional, award-
winning production values to smaller, lower-budget
events.” “It was so impressive how we were
Kerr typically shoots and archives music tours in
4K, 3840 X 2160 29.97. The UC4000s are outfitted able to start a move, then transition
with UHD UA107X8.4 Box-Type 107x Zooms for the to another camera, and it was sim-
main front of house lenses, as well as the Fujinon ply remarkable with what we could
UA70x8.7 box-type zoom and the Canon HJ22ex7.6b
multipurpose production lens. At most venues, he accomplish with only two people.”
uses one AK-UC4000 each in the pit, handheld on —Trey Kerr, 201 Productions
stage and at the front of the house mix position, with
two deployed in various ways contingent on the lay-
out of each space. Four AW-UE150 PTZs are always
used on stage (left, right, on the drum kit and upstage 201 Productions now offers clients three discrete 4K
center), with the fifth reserved as a “bonus-cam” for mobile fly-pack systems: one with the AK-UC4000s
interesting aspects or angles. + AW-UE150s; a second with the AK-UC3000s +
Having previously invested in AK-UC3000 4K stu- AW-UE70s; and the third, smaller system built entirely
dio/field cameras and AW-UE70 4K/HD PTZ cameras, around the AW-UE150s.

❱ Continued from page 6
big push for PoE technology being added to PTZs,
with NewTek NDI IP technology a popular option.
Broadcasters also have a keen eye on the develop-
ment of the SMPTE ST 2110 video over IP transport
standard. Buttress says that Sony has its bases cov-
ered with either, embracing 2110 in system cameras,
while also having NDI-ready cameras.
It is pretty much unanimous that PTZs are a grow-
ing part of the broadcast industry, but their potential
is still up for debate.
“The incline will be relatively shallow,” said
Beesley. “It’s made a lot of increases recently because
of things like the NDI/PoE, but past that I don’t see
vertical ascension as there is in so many other areas
of technology.”
Shane, meanwhile, thinks it’s just about some-
one connecting the dots: “I’m pretty sure a talented
designist will try to bridge this gap between the
high-end PTZ and broadcast cameras. And when
they do that becomes an interesting product.”
“Honestly, I don’t see limitations in the PTZ cam-
era market, I see an industry that is growing and will
continue to grow,” James adds. “Those box cameras,
if they don’t adjust or adapt, the PTZ cameras are
going to overtake it.”

[8] GUIDE TO PTZ CAMERAS | FEBRUARY 2020

‘SMARTER SIGHT’
Artificial intelligence is transforming
the way we manage video
By James Careless
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the next big thing for
video. Companies such as Pexip and Sony are har-
nessing AI-enabled video platforms to make presen-
tations and videoconferences easier to execute and
better to watch. Here is what both companies have
come up with in this area, plus insights into how
AI-enriched video can make life simpler for everyone,
how this technology can protect participant privacy,
and where artificial intelligence for presentations and
videoconferences is headed next.
PEXIP’S AI APPROACH
Pexip’s entry into AI-enabled video analytics is
called “Adaptive Composition,” which the company
bills as “the first AI-powered technology designed to
put people, not systems, at the heart of the meeting
Sony’s Edge Analytics Appliance is designed to improve many aspects of distance learning, multisite presentations, and videoconferences.
experience,” according to Jordan Owens, Pexip’s vice
president of architecture.
In plain language, Adaptive Composition’s ability to
autonomously manage key elements of meetings allows
participants to focus on themselves and their content,
rather than staying within the limits of their technol-
ogy. Adaptative Composition’s auto-framing function
“automatically frames the camera shots around the
participants’ faces, ensuring that no one appears off-
center or distant in the presenting room,” Owens said.
This provides a more naturalistic look to multisite
meetings, and avoids the awkwardness that can occur
when presenters are half in frame or too far away to
be clearly seen onscreen. (Pexip’s AI-enabled auto-
framing is device-agnostic, by the way.) Meanwhile,
Continued on page 10 ❱
TV TECHNOLOGY [9]
 ❱ Continued from page 9
Adaptive Composition’s intelligent layout function
ensures that the most active rooms in a multisite vid-
eoconference are given priority, along with the most
active speakers. This is in contrast to basic voice/
sound detection technology, which can maximize the
view of a room with two people in it above all others,
just because one of them happened to cough.
Again, the result of using AI-enabled video analyt-
ics is a more natural flow to multi-site meetings, with
improved AV management allowing the technology
to recede into the background. Pexip will introduce
Adaptive Composition this year as a tech preview in
version 23 of Pexip’s the company’s self-hosted soft-
ware, Pexip Infinity.
SONY’S TAKE ON AI
Sony’s Edge Analytics Appliance (REA-C1000) takes
a different approach to AI. It is a physical device that
can be licensed to do one of five AI-enabled tasks:
handwriting extraction, PTZ camera auto tracking,
close-up by gesture, chromakey-less CG overlays on
backgrounds, and focus area cropping. To add a second
function, a second appliance and license are required.
The Edge Analytics Appliance is designed to improve
many aspects of distance learning, multisite presenta-
tions, and videoconferences. For instance, “In handwrit-
“With AI-enabled video
analytics, participants across
multiple sites have a more seamless
and natural experience.”
—Jordan Owens, Pexip
ing extraction mode, the Edge Analytics Appliance can
capture what a professor is writing on a whiteboard,
and then add it to a continuously updated digital over-
lay,” said Sony product manager Drew Buttress. If need
be, the professor can be made semi-transparent on
screen to ensure that the writing isn’t blocked to the
viewers. They can see everything that is being written as
the professor writes it, no matter what happens.
In close-up by gesture mode, the Edge Analytics
Appliance displays a 4K camera view of the entire
audience. “When someone in the audience stands up,
we produce a 1080p close-up of that person until they
sit down,” Buttress said. “Once seated, the Edge goes
back to the wide 4K view of the audience. Sony’s
[10] GUIDE TO PTZ CAMERAS | FEBRUARY 2020
In close-up by gesture
mode, Sony’s Edge Analytics
Appliance can ingest a 4K
camera feed and then auto-
matically digitally zoom into
a speaker who is gesturing in the shot, creating
a 1080p HD video close-up in the process.
chromakey-less CG overlays extracts the presenter’s
live image from the shot and overlays it over any CG
background that the operator selects, no green/blue
screen required. This makes it possible to make pre-
sentations more visually compelling with a minimum
of production equipment.
Finally, the Edge Analytics Appliance’s focus area
cropping mode allows a single camera feed to be
used for two shots: A 4K wide shot of the speaker
and his or her surroundings, plus a 1080p close up
of the speaker.
MAKING LIFE BETTER FOR EVERYONE
Both Pexip’s and Sony’s AI solutions enhance the
visual quality of distance communication while simpli-
fying the production process. For example, using artifi-
cial intelligence to keep the participants in frame elimi-
nates the need for human camera operators and the
“amateur hour” appearance when non-AI-enabled sys-
tems fail to track participants accurately and smoothly.
Somewhat paradoxically, the use of artificial intelli-
gence in multisite presentations and videoconferences
can make the experience feel less artificial. “With our
handwriting extraction feature, for instance, the stu-
dents can see what’s being written on the whiteboard
clearly in addition to the teacher’s face and body lan-
guage,” Buttress said.
This makes the presentation experience more true-
to-life and less mechanical; AI helps the technology
get out of the way of the human interaction.
“With AI-enabled video analytics, participants across
multiple sites have a more seamless and natural experi-
ence,” Owens said. “They don’t have their experience
 disrupted by worrying about being in the frame, or
having someone interrupt their presentation to ask,
‘Could you please zoom in because I can’t see you?’”
AV technology managers who use AI-enabled video
platforms will find their working lives less stressful,
because their meetings will run smoother as this
technology assumes many duties previously assigned
to humans or other less-capable mechanical systems.
The result is happier users, fewer presentation issues,
and a reduced workload for AV staff.
PROTECTING PRIVACY
By its very nature, AI-controlled technology is highly
programmable. This means that AV managers can set
whatever parameters are necessary to protect par-
ticipant privacy, subject to the organization’s rules that
govern these matters. Granted, some of these limits are
a function of equipment deployment rather than AI.
“In schools, we can’t show students’ faces due to
privacy issues,” Buttress said. “This is why the cam-
eras are set up to shoot the teachers at the front of the
room and the back of students’ heads.”
Still, there are times when everybody’s faces are
shown and yet privacy is still an issue, such as a cor-
porate multisite town hall meeting that isn’t open to
the general public. In these cases, an artificial intelli-
gence-enabled video system can automatically impose
whatever level of encryption and routing is required
to keep everything private.
“This includes graphical information that is being
shared inside the meeting itself, such as facial recogni-
tion in aid of auto-tracking,” Owens said. “This data is
protected within the system itself.”
WHAT’S TO COME
Today’s AI-powered video platforms are just the
start of what is possible with AI-enabled AV equip-
ment. Sony’s Buttress can foresee a time when “video
analytics are incorporated into the processing that
goes into augmented realIty and virtual reality to pro-
vide more realistic experiences.”
Meanwhile, Pexip’s Owens is more taken with the
idea of AI making all aspects of AV multi-site presen-
tations more naturalistic and seamless to participants.
“We’re looking at that now: trying not just to create
better face-to-face communications, but driving better
overall meeting experiences across the board,” he said.
One thing is certain: Today’s AI-enabled video
platforms are just scratching the surface of what
is possible with this technology. Some day in the
future, AI may be managing all aspects of multi-site
meetings so efficiently and smoothly, that no one
will even notice the AV equipment that makes these
meetings possible.

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