The Q-Ball robotic camera system from Camera Corps, a Vitec Group Company, and a leading innovator of specialty remote cameras and camera support systems, was used by the BBC to provide clear, uninterrupted images of the announcement of the arrival of the royal baby and when he was first seen by the world. BBC Television used the unique positioning aspects of the Q-Ball system to capture high-definition footage of both the entrance to St Mary’s Hospital, London, and of reporters, television camera crews and photographers gathered from around the world to cover this momentous event. Images both of the hospital entrance and the assembled news media were televised live and recorded for subsequent broadcast, including nationwide news coverage in the U.K. and internationally the same evening.
“Camera crews attending this type of event traditionally find themselves working in competitive conditions, comparable to a rugby scrum, as each crew vies for a favourable position,” explains Camera Corps Managing Director Laurie Frost. “Because of its remote operation design, Q-Ball gave the BBC crew much greater freedom in where the camera was positioned. The pan/tilt/zoom head was mounted on a lamp post above the news media fray, ensuring stability and a clear field of view of all aspects of the situation. The system was then operated not from the roadside but from the much more professional environment of a satellite news vehicle where the video output could be viewed under control-room monitoring conditions. The Q-Ball, with its integral pan/tilt/zoom/focus system, is suitable both for indoor and outdoor use and was fully able to contend with the 30 degree Celsius (86 degree Fahrenheit) summer day which, by British standards, constituted a heat wave.”
Camera Corps’ Q-Ball offers a robust, high-level full broadcast quality mini-cam system with excellent performance in the most demanding remote camera applications. An ultra-compact, weather-resistant HD/SD remotely controlled camera, it features an integral 10-times-zoom optical lens and smooth-accelerating pan/tilt motors. Housed in a robust 115-mm diameter aluminium sphere, the Q-Ball camera has a two-megapixel CMOS sensor and is capable of operating in daylight or with infrared illumination. It delivers 1080i/720p high definition or 625/525 standard definition imagery at 50- or 59.94-Hz refresh rates. In addition, its ease of use makes for prompt on-location installation.
