ARRI Selects Miranda’s Telecast CopperHead Fiber for Cameras

Miranda Technologies, a Belden Brand, a global provider of integrated solutions for production, playout, and delivery systems for television broadcasters and multi-system operators, has announced that ARRI has selected and deployed Miranda’s Telecast CopperHead Fiber Optic Camera Transceiver system as an integral component of ARRI’s new Fiber Remote Option (FRO) for its ALEXA and ALEXA Plus camera models.

Fiber connectivity permits the ALEXA’s unparalleled image quality, already highly sought after for film-style, single camera production, to be used for live, multi-camera productions. The FRO consists of a Fiber Remote Box mounted on  top of  the ALEXA camera, coupled with a Telecast CopperHead 3400 system, which includes a camera-mountable transceiver, base station and CHRCP-2050 remote camera control panel.  The CopperHead 3400 system is ARRI-certified as an essential third-party accessory that enables the ALEXA cameras to be connected and remotely controlled via SMPTE 311M fiber.

Proprietary software developed by ARRI for the CopperHead remote camera-control panel makes it possible to control RGB gain, gamma, shutter, iris and all other parameters typically associated with broadcast cameras while retaining ALEXA’s 35mm filmic look. Adding the ability to perform live image painting enables ALEXA camera users to extend its high value image qualities to live, multi-camera productions using familiar broadcast-style joystick and rotary controls.

Marco Lopez, Miranda’s president, said, “The CopperHead-supported Fiber Remote Option enables the ALEXA camera system to operate at its full dynamic range, delivering a much broader range of options for directors to capture the look and feel they desire.”

CopperHead is specifically designed to provide a robust fiber link between camera and truck or studio, simultaneously converting baseband signals from 3G/HD-SDI outputs to optical and transferring them over a single, lightweight fiber optic cable to a CopperHead base station for insertion into a live production. This provides the ability to integrate live imagery into any studio or production room environment.

Markus Dürr, ARRI Product Manager Camera Systems, commented, “We are excited about the greatly extended opportunities for the ALEXA camera system with our new Fiber Remote option. The Telecast CopperHead system is a well-established and successful system in its market and offers a great solution to integrate the ALEXA Fiber Remote camera system into TV studio or OB van environments for full functional live painting and highly reliable video/audio signal transmission.”

Among other productions, the ALEXA FRO was effectively used to transfer images for the recently released COLDPLAY LIVE 2012 DVD, capturing detailed highlights and shadows, rich color, and natural skin tones.

ARRI is offering three options for FRO-equipped ALEXA systems, all requiring CopperHead, which is serviced and supported by Miranda.