We’ve seen big high-definition images coming from small cameras before, but at the CeBIT conference in Hanover, Germany this week, a broadcast-quality HD camera the size of a bar of soap is being introduced. Its designer said the camera meets all the requirements for professional HDTV production.
Called MicroHDTV, the tiny POV camera was developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS in Erlangen (Germany) and has a single 2/3-inch CMOS sensor, a 1920 x 1080 capture capability and a variable frame rate of up to 60 frames per second. Its designer said the camera meets all the requirements expected for professional HDTV production.
Measuring a mere 1.5 x 1.5 x 3 inches, the camera is small enough to fit in a ski jumper’s helmet or on the dashboard of a racecar. It supports all of the common HD formats, including 720i @ 100 and 120Hz; 720p @ 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94, and 60Hz; 1080i @ 50, 59.94, and 60Hz; and 1080p @ 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, and 30Hz.
The MicroHDTV’s sensitivity allows for an f5.6 setting at 2000lux, and the lens has a nine f-stop range that expands to 12 stops in “high gain mode.” The camera supports numerous manual image adjustments including gamma (on/off, adjustable), color saturation (adjustable), white balance (presets, adjustable), gain (adjustable), and shutter speed (adjustable).
Integrated software in the camera lets users remotely control all parameters through the Internet. To access the camera controls, the user views a web browser on a notebook computer networked to the camera via 10/100Mbps Ethernet.
The MicroHDTV’s outputs allow data transfer at up to 100 Mbps and through an HDSDI/SDI terminal for studio environments.
The Fraunhofer Institute said the camera will soon go into production, although no price or availability was announced.
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