The BBC recently relied on Q-Ball remotely controlled camera equipment from Camera Corps to broadcast the scene in London as the world’s news media converged on St Mary’s Hospital to report the birth of the new heir to the British throne. BBC Television positioned the system to capture high-definition footage of the entrance of the hospital, and of the crowds of reporters, television camera crews and photographers covering the event. Images both of the hospital entrance and the assembled newsmedia were televised live and recorded for subsequent broadcast, including nationwide news coverage the same evening.
“Camera crews attending this type of event traditionally find themselves working in conditions comparable with a rugby scrum,” explained Camera Corps managing director Laurie Frost. “Q-Ball gave the BBC crew much greater freedom in where the camera was positioned. The pan/tilt/zoom head was mounted on a lamppost, ensuring stability and a clear field of view. 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 so was fully able to contend with the 30 degree Celsius summer day which, by British standards, constituted a heat wave,” Frost added.
The Q-Ball has delivered close-up video from many high profile televised events in recent years, including world-class athletics, motor racing, tennis, football and rugby.
Housed in a cast aluminum sphere, the Q-Ball head contains a 1080I camera with 10:1 zoom optics plus a fully rotatable pan-and-tilt head packaged in a weatherproof housing. High precision motors enable the operator to vary the camera angle during live shooting with full control of vertical and lateral rotation acceleration.
