Telecast to offer glimpse of Pace 3D HD system

Next week, NAB attendees will see the first public unveiling of the 3D camera that promises to change live sports forever. Telecast will display the “Fusion3D” camera system, complementing the NBA’s multicamera demonstration of the groundbreaking footage that it has already produced.

Telecast Fiber Systems today announced that PACE is incorporating its “CopperHead™ JT” technology into the revolutionary PACE/Cameron “Fusion3D” system. The Fusion3D will be on display exclusively at the Telecast booth, SU10213, at the NAB2007 exhibition at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The demonstration, to be held at the Sports Technology Forum, will feature footage acquired during the 2007 NBA All-Star Game played in February. That game marked the world’s first-ever live sports event in 3D HD, with special viewing parties held during NBA All-Star Saturday Night and the NBA All-Star Game.

The Fusion3D system is based on the world’s most advanced high-definition 3-D camera, developed by PACE. To create this revolutionary camera, PACE utilizes two optical blocks from Sony’s F950 4:4:4 “Dual-Link” camera system. The cameras’ optical blocks are separated from the cameras’ “bodies” by the Telecast CopperHead JT link, which is integrated into the Fusion3D camera. This is the world’s first optical link that permits separation between a 4:4:4 camera’s optical block and camera body, where processing of the camera’s image occurs. For live sports coverage, the result is a manageable dual-link 3-D feed from inside any sports venue to a specially configured 3-D high-definition control room.

The separated segments of the camera system are linked together by Telecast’s lightweight “tactical” fiber optic cable. While only some of the cable runs exceeded 1,000 feet for the NBA game, the fiber system is capable of supporting runs of more than 30 kilometers with no loss in signal quality. To ensure the most reliable performance, the Fusion3D camera utilizes Telecast’s miniature “MX” expanded-beam connector, which has become widely used in television production.

In addition to the pristine raw video from the camera’s optical block, the CopperHead JT delivers a return HD/SDI feed from the control room back to the camera head, as well as PACE’s proprietary bidirectional CamNet™ Motion Control Communications data, which manages 10 channels of motion at the camera. These channels include Dynamic Convergence™, Dynamic Interocular™, and 3-D configuration metadata, as well as zoom, focus and other critical data. Together, they deliver the first proven 3-D acquisition workflow that is robust enough for a live sports event, with the quality required for production of feature films. The Fusion3D system was developed in a partnership between PACE and world-renowned director James Cameron, who is slated to use the system on his next two feature films, currently in preproduction.