I-Movix provided 4K ultra-motion replays for Sky Sports‘ pioneering end-to-end live production in 4K of the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles. Sky Sports covered the entire week’s action at The Ryder Cup as a production trial for 4K broadcasting. Fletcher London provided the I-Movix X10 UHD ultra-motion system, running during the entire event at 500 fps to capture the action at the club head and in the crowd.
This test follows Sky Sports’ first 4K broadcast, showing West Ham vs. Stoke City in Aug. 2013. For this UHD trial, the I-Movix X10 UHD system was tested with the DreamCatcher from Evertz and with the FUJINON 4K Cine lens, Premier PL 75-400mm Cine Zoom (HK5.3X75). Chrosziel provided the FUJINON servos.
“The 2014 Ryder Cup gave Sky Sports the opportunity to produce a comprehensive trial production at Gleneagles with the same challenges that a big event golf tournament would give,” said Keith Lane, director of operations, Sky Sports. “Using a range of UHD cameras and lenses, we were able to cover the production on several holes. The I-Movix camera that was located on the first tee produced some excellent hi-motion UHD replay images of the players teeing off at the start of each round as well as giving replays of crowd reaction. Used extensively for replays and teases and highlights, the I-Movix X10 UHD camera proved to be good value for the production team.”
“The setup was quick and simple. Indeed, the X10 UHD system is configured in 4K ultra slow motion mode thanks to a simple switch on the OCP,” said Haydn Parnell, manager and chief engineer, Fletcher London. “We had the best available 4K monitors on the truck and we were blown away by the image quality. The I-Movix system matches perfectly the quality of the other 4K cameras we were using, and it produces stunning shots.”
Combining the core X10 ultra-motion technology with Vision Research’s Phantom Flex4K camera, X10 UHD supports operation in a range of modes to meet differing production requirements, and can be instantly reconfigured for new 4K or HD shooting scenarios. The X10 UHD now has an increased dynamic range, further boosting the versatility of the camera in widely differing lighting conditions. With its 4K image sensor and reduced noise levels to provide even sharper images, the X10 UHD also supports higher frame rates in SSM mode (continuous mode), further extending the performance advantage over other slow motion cameras.
For very high-frame rate ultra-slow motion in 4K sports coverage, the system operates in USM mode to deliver instant replays of up to 1,000 fps. For continuous non-stop recording, SSM mode delivers up to 120 fps at 4Kp60. When operating in HD resolutions (1080p or 1080i), X10 UHD offers up to 600 fps in continuous SSM mode and up to 2,000 fps in USM mode. The system can also complement these specialized applications by performing in a conventional live camera role.
