CyanView Camera Control System Deployed For ESPN Spelling Bee

CyanView's camera control system has been deployed by ESPN to deliver coverage of the National Spelling Bee.

The competition has been broadcast for the last 25 years to millions of viewers across the US.

This year ESPN needed to control five different types of speciality mini-camera as part of its live outside broadcast.

"That's precisely the kind of task and event for which CyanView's camera control system is designed, and we were able to accomplish it with a single RCP controlled from the Evertz router panel," said David Bourgeois, founder and CEO of CyanView.

CyanView also took the opportunity to demonstrate to ESPN the Cy-VP4 video processor.

"A significant issue with mini-cameras is that each has a different set of characteristics and controls," Mr Bourgeois explained. "Some lack control of blacks, while some struggle to control the colour matrix. The result is output that is visibly different – something no vision engineer wants. ESPN told us that they would use mini-cameras more frequently if they were easier to control and provided better, more uniform image quality – and they saw how they could achieve that with the Cy-VP4."

Each mini-camera has its own strengths and weaknesses: some, for example, are very small, while others have a range of available lenses, and yet others have the sensitivity needed for good beauty shots. Not only is this a potential problem with output: it can also be difficult for vision engineers to be 100% familiar with each one's idiosyncrasies and RCP.

"Having a single RCP with a consistent interface with a similar organisation to that of Sony cameras definitely helps the vision engineer to find the features needed or to know what the camera does or doesn't support," Mr Bourgeois continued. "It doesn’t matter if the engineer has never seen that camera before: our RCP enables him to use it as if he had been using it for years. Even PTZ cameras that may have very specific menus that differ between brands can be simply and consistently controlled by using the Cy-RCP and a familiar interface."

CyanView will be showcasing a range of solutions, including its camera control system, at the upcoming IBC Show in Amsterdam, from 13-18 September, on booth 10.D31.

www.cyanview.com