Cameras

Who’s using PTZ cameras?

You can find PTZ cameras in many popular places including TV shows, courtrooms, houses of worship, schools, and event venues. PTZ cameras are often a crucial component of video production systems for the following:

Broadcast Television
Houses of Worship
Sporting and Event Production
Education: Distance Learning
Corporate Training
Live Events: Musical Performances, Theater, Conferences

PTZ Cameras used for Broadcast

Broadcast and Production

Broadcast TV studios have been changed forever since the advent of PTZ cameras because they allow producers to centralize their teams in a single location. Smaller studios are able to capture more camera angles with fewer actual cameras by using PTZ camera presets. The Broadcast Beat studio near Miami, Florida, uses PTZOptics 20X-NDI cameras that are located inside of teleprompters for onstage guests to read from. From the video production room, operators can remotely operate the cameras while they direct the talent with information shown on the various teleprompters. Each teleprompter also includes a tally light that lights up to let the onstage talent know which camera is live at any given moment.

PTZ Cameras used in House of Worship

House of Worship

Olivet Methodist Church in Coatesville, Pa. provides an example of how PTZ cameras are used. Many churches are large spaces that have ornate architectural details. The Olivet Methodist Church is hundreds of years old and the building’s details inspire anyone who enters. PTZ cameras provide houses of worship like Olivet Methodist Church the ability to have small and discreet cameras placed in out-of-the-way locations in order to preserve the building’s aesthetic appeal. Instead of having actual camera operators for each camera which would take up floor space, PTZ cameras appear in a few key locations that provide high-quality viewing options when they are displayed on projection screens or captured for live streaming to social media.

PTZ Cameras used for Music and DJ

Live Performance and Music

Another interesting example of PTZ cameras in action is DJ Deadmau5 who is known for his electronic music. Deadmau5 uses four PTZOptics 20X-SDI cameras mounted throughout his on-stage DJ cube. The Cube v3 is the third version of his mobile touring rig that is designed to create amazing visuals and entertainment during his live performances. DJ Deadmau5 uses PTZ cameras to project live images onto LED screens that appear outside of the cube. Using an advanced video processing engine, the video from each PTZ camera is enhanced to move in a variety of artistic movements that go with the music. The DJ cube actually rotates onstage and the PTZ cameras are set to rotate as the cube moves in order to generate interesting visual effects on the front of the cube.

PTZ Cameras used for Education

Education

The SAR school in Bronx, N.Y. has had great success with students using PTZ cameras to livestream sports. The school has an active broadcast club with multiple volunteer camera operators who help livestream home and away games. The live video is watched by parents who cannot make it to the game. The recorded video is then watched by coaches and players to review key plays. The school’s athletics director Joseph Dacorta says the recorded video helps the team prepare to play against teams that his team has recorded footage of. Josh Lewis, the IT specialist advising the club, says the students involved gain real-world experience and enjoy learning about the technology associated with live video production.

PTZ Cameras for Radio

Radio

Radio is an amazing medium. “Truly we reach so many people,” says Shawn Tempesta, the host of Mix 94.1’s afternoon show. In recent years, you will find that radio stations have started to live stream their shows on social media websites such as YouTube and Facebook. Tempesta explains, “the one problem is… in a digital world, there is no such thing as viral audio.” Motivated to grow his show’s presence online, Tempesta designed a live streaming studio with multiple PTZ cameras that are used to produce high-quality close-up shots of each host and an additional camera to capture additional shots of the entire studio.

Television Use of PTZ Cameras

Television

Television studios rely on PTZ cameras for a number of reality shows that require small discreet camera placement. PTZ cameras allow television producers to place cameras in locations that would otherwise take up too much space and ruin the integrity of a reality show setting. In the pictures above, BBC South Africa used over 20 PTZOptics 12X-SDI cameras mounted throughout a restaurant that were set up as the filming location for a dating show.

PTZ cameras are used in a variety of ways. PTZ cameras are enabling new ways to make video more accessible and practical from spreading the message of god, to live broadcasts in TV studios and beyond.

Key Takeaways:

PTZ cameras are used for many different applications because they are easy to install and set up.
PTZ cameras can be used in places where regular cameras and camera operators cannot be used.
PTZ cameras are crucial for many broadcasting applications that require remote camera operation.