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BBC R&D White Paper WHP034

Colorimetric and Resolution requirements of cameras

Addendum 13: Menu settings for Panasonic AK-HC900P and AK-HRP900C Varicam (720/4~60Hz proscan)
Alan Roberts

Abstract
Brief assessment was made on one sample of the camera. It is a 720-line progressive variable frame-rate box-camera with separate controller; it has neither sound nor viewfinder facilities, nor recorder. All menu items refer to this camera only. Later versions may differ. The camera appears to be based on the optical and electronic components of the AJ-HDC27F Varicam camcorder.

The camera has 3 ccds, each of 1280x720 pixels. The signal output from the camera box is digital only, but the controller has analogue component outputs for monitoring. The output signal frame rate is constant despite any camera frame rate changes, always running at 60 (or 59.94) frames/second. When the camera is set to run at lower frame rates, replicated frames are output as needed. Thus, the variable-speed pictures can be monitored using a fixed frame-rate display. A special hardware/software system is required to extract frames from the tape to reconstruct a sequence of non-replicated frames at 24 per second. Nominal frame rate is 24fps, so the camera can effectively operate between 2.5 times (60fps) and 1/6 (4fps) normal speed. If the camera is set to 24fps, then the output signal is effectively performing a “3:2 pull-down” operation as is normal for film work in 59.94Hz countries.

The camera is small (1.85kg) and is useful mostly for remotely operated, single-camera work. It has internal menus for setting the performance, and two versions of most of them, giving a range of combinations that it has been impossible to investigate thoroughly in the limited time available. The camera cannot be operated at all without its controller (remotely, up to 60m by repute), even power supply (12v dc only) comes via the controller. There are three distinctly different modes in which it can operate. It is clearly designed with the intention of supplanting film, both for television and for printing back to film for distribution.

Keywords
camera, colorimetry, gamma, knee, aperture correction, detail enhancement, film look, shuttering