Syracuse’s Newhouse Studio & Innovation Center Opens With Ikegami HDK-95C, HDL-57 Cameras

Syracuse University is making a big statement in media education, with the recent unveiling of its brand new Newhouse Studio & Innovation Center. An expansive $18 million facility, it will instruct the next generation of media professionals with four Ikegami HDK-95C Full Digital Portable CMOS camera systems, as well as four new HDL-57 One-Piece Full Digital Native Multi-Format HDTV cameras with 2.5 mega-pixel CMOS sensors. The integrator for this project was The Systems Group of Hoboken, New Jersey.

The Ikegami cameras will be in use across two soundstages and three control rooms, and will see extensive use by students across three departments: traditional radio/TV/film, broadcast journalism, and online journalism. After experiencing the dependability and support of Ikegami cameras for years, Syracuse didn’t hesitate to turn to them again for the Newhouse Studio & Innovation Center.

“University budget cycles can be few and far between – we have to make purchase decisions that we know we’ll be able to live with,” says Neal Coffey, Manager of Operations and Engineering, Newhouse. “When evaluating cameras, reliability is the Number One consideration: That’s why we selected Ikegami.”

Tasked with preparing their students for best practices when they begin working in the real world, Syracuse’s Ikegami HDK-95C and HDL-57 cameras – both equipped with CMOS sensors – expose them to the highest level of imagery. “These are beautiful cameras,” Coffey says. “. The pictures they create really benefits the students, when they see what current technology can do and the kind of content they can create with it.”

Part of Ikegami’s Unicam HD line, the HDK-95C HD portable digital camera is equipped with Native multi-format 2.5 million pixel, 2/3 inch CMOS sensors. It also features an upgrade path to 24p and 3G formats, including 1080/60p and 4:4:4 24p.

The one-piece Ikegami HDL-57’s will see heavy use in newsroom applications at Newhouse. The HDL-57 provides superb picture quality in a very small device with low power consumption. All native 1080/59.94i, 1080/50i, 720/59.94p, 720/50p, and 1080/23.98p formats are available from the camera head.

Both the Ikegami HDK-95C and HDL-57 cameras feature CMOS sensors, the sensor technology which is now meeting and exceeding the performance of CCDs in sensitivity, signal-to-noise ratio, and resolution. They continue to offer low power consumption, no vertical smear, and a high degree of format flexibility. With extensive ongoing research and development in this technology, the adoption of CMOS for broadcast camera use is now the trend.

Versatility is also a key component of the HDK-95C’s design: providing end-to-end digital processing, it features a low-profile docking camera head for fiber, triax, or wireless applications. Meanwhile, its multi-format capabilities gave Syracuse added value. “We wanted an HD camera that would afford us optimal flexibility,” Coffey notes. “This is a 60i plant, but we liked the upgradeable features on the HDK-95C, which allows us to move up to 1080p with a software update.”

Just as important to a university environment, where student users often subject cameras to extreme use, Ikegami’s customer service had passed the test with Syracuse. “We’ve had Ikegami cameras in our plant before, and we’ve always been quite pleased with their support,” says Coffey. “The quick commissioning of these new cameras proved it again – it only took 1 1/2 days to complete. That was probably the easiest part of the entire build at our new facility!”

Now standing as one of the most advanced motion media facilities in higher education, Syracuse’s Newhouse Studio & Innovation Center is giving its students an advantage with Ikegami. “Having Ikegami in the classroom is an important part of their experience,” Neal Coffey concludes. “Knowing Ikegami means they know quality. That will help them when it’s their turn to make purchase decisions.”

Ikegami Electronics (U.S.A.), Inc. is a leading supplier of professional broadcasting products in the Western Hemisphere. With US offices in New Jersey, California, Florida, Texas, Illinois, Indiana, and Georgia, the Ikegami name is recognized globally for its state-of-the-art television cameras and closed-circuit TV equipment. World-class CMOS imagery, multi-format flexibility, and unparalleled customer support define the Ikegami experience for users in broadcast, sports venues, mobile production, houses of worship, education, corporate and many more applications.