(A Really) Good Thing Comes In A Small Package

You may have seen shows that use this and not even known it. You many have worked on shows that use this and not even known it.

And that's precisely the point.

Meet the Iconix HD-RH1.



The Iconix HD-RH1 camera is all about size. And it produces a very big picture from a very small unit.

Quite simply, measuring a miniscule 4 inches with lens, it is the world's smallest HD camera.

This camera is finding it's way more and more into sports productions. It has been successfully employed for working shots in announce booths and for unique POV and beauty shots around ballparks and arenas.

With a price tag under $16,000, it's physical size isn't the only thing that's small.

The HD-RH1 will work in any and all HD formats: 1080sF, 1080P, 1080i, and 720p.

It also can output in SDI, DVD-D and analog.

And, when placed next to a Sony HDC-1500 camera, video engineers say the pictures are nearly identical.

That is not to say it doesn't have a limitation or two. It does.

Distance is not the HD-RH1's friend. At least not distance from camera to CCU.

The camera and CCU are connected by a 10 meter cable. Period. So, unless you're shooting something inside the truck, a video engineer can't control it alone. A frame shaker will help out, but access to the CCU is still essential for creating optimum results.

Like many POV's, interchangable lenses are used rather than a single zoom. Obviously that can pose some problems when the look you want is somewhere between the available sizes (15 mm, 4 mm and 2.4 mm). Having something like an 8 mm lens would be a nice option to have.

The HD-RH1 also has an appetite for light and it eats a lot of it. In most applications, this shouldn't be a problem, but it is helpful to know that the camera requires a stop or two more than most HD cameras.

Regardless, the pros far outweigh the cons, making the Iconix HD-RH1 a terrific addition to almost any sports production.

Choosing Another Club To Play With

It's not exactly a golf cart submerged in a lake, but this is pretty damn funny.

Pretty Woman meets Toy Story

Seasons Greetings from Julia Roberts and Buzz Lightyear.

CAPTIVE AUDIENCE

Hotels often go to great lengths to accommodate their guest's demands. In many cases, such efforts are the difference between getting and losing valuable customers.

For the second straight year, hotels wishing to lodge NFL Network's on-air, production, and technical personnel have been required to add the station to their TV channel line-up. That's one way of getting your product in front of more people, even if it's mostly people that work for you.

At some hotels however, adding NFL Network to their system meant removing another, potentially more popular, service. This has led some to wonder just what happens when the game is over and the crew has checked out...

LOOK, UP IN THE SKY... IT'S A BIRD... IT'S A PLANE... NO, IT'S JUST A BAD GAME!

Stricken with a sore throat and hoarse voice, Bryant Gumbel will miss NFL Network's broadcast of Thursday's Denver - Houston game.

This is particularly ironic because a much sought after demographic won't be able to hear Tom Hammond (pinch hitting for Gumbel) nor analyst Chris Collinsworth anyway.

DirecTV, exploiting the ongoing feud between NFL Network and the nation's largest cable operators, will "air" the game (and the balance of NFL Network's live game schedule) via the 70 x 30 foot screen on the side of their blimp. DirecTV plans to fly the blimp over the Tampa - St. Pete area for Thursday's game as well as Saturday night's Cincinnati - San Francisco contest. Next week, NFL Network's two games will be visible to sky watchers in the Orlando area.

As the blimp can cruise at altitudes of no lower than 1,000 feet, viewers will literally only view the game. They'll have to imagine what the announcers are saying.

The DirecTV blimp will target areas whose cable companies do not offer the channel in the hopes of gaining subscribers along with the publicity.

Nobody has said who will take responsibility for any traffic accidents that may occur as a result of the obvious distraction to Florida's many elderly motorists.

SECURITY IS A RELATIVE TERM

Everyone knows that TV crews are more than just a little familiar with the intricacies of the country's sports venues. This applies to stadium and arena security as well, especially if there are potential breaches.

So local crew members at one multipurpose arena weren't exactly surprised when a man slipped through the venue's vaunted security web around 3:00 PM on a game day and managed to get down to the service & locker room level before being stopped.

Not that he needed additional help getting inside the building, but the man was also armed with a gun. He peacefully relinquished his weapon when he was finally detained.

Somehow this story has gone unreported by the mainstream media, leaving shaken and embarrassed arena management breathing several signs of relief.

No word if the venue's security measures are being re-evaluated.

Do you think it will matter?