Valhalla, NY—Fujifilm North America Corporation, Optical Devices, announced that the Seattle Mariners MLB American League team debuted a new Panasonic Lighthouse 1080i HD LED video display featuring imagery from new HD camera equipment put into service just before the season opener in April.
The new camera equipment includes two Grass Valley LDX 80 Premiere multiformat studio/field cameras paired with two Fujinon XA77x9.5 HD telephoto field lenses. The Seattle Mariners also ordered a Fujinon HA14x4.5 super-wide-angle HD ENG/EFP lens for use on a Sony PMW500-HD02 XDCAM camcorder. A second XDCAM camcorder is paired with a Fujinon ZA22x7.6BERD ENG/EFP HD lens acquired last year.
Since the new camera equipment was installed and commissioned in March 2013, it has been used for game-day entertainment at Safeco Field—the home ballpark for the Seattle Mariners—starting with the 2013 season opener. It has also been used to support and enhance a variety of community events, including a private Microsoft corporate party and a series of high school baseball games held at Safeco.
“Considering the size of our new, widescreen HD video board, it’s critical to have acquisition gear that can produce exceptional HD picture quality that stays clear and sharp on such a massive display,” said Yezmin E. Blue, BSCS, CBTE, manager of broadcast engineering for the Seattle Mariners. The new 11,425-square-foot Panasonic LED display is roughly eight times larger than Safeco’s previous video display.
“With 81 regular season home games and over 450 private events annually, our cameras and lenses are in constant use, often in windy, rainy or dusty conditions,” Blue added. “We’re committed to producing the best possible big-screen video show and these rugged, reliable Fujinon lenses enable us to do that.”
To cover action on the field, the two studio cameras are situated on tripods on the club level behind home plate. Video signals are carried over 1,000 feet via triax cable to the control room, also on the club level, where they’re switched using a Ross Vision production switcher. The two camcorders are shoulder-mounted, and VistaLink HD RF wireless transmission systems enable the operators to freely rove the stands for crowd shots.
“When you make a significant investment in production equipment, you want assurance that the vendor stands behind its product. With our new broadcast-grade lenses, I can honestly say that the service we’ve received from Fujinon sales rep Josh Ewing has been outstanding,” Blue said. “When I recently requested a lens cleaning kit, Josh came out to Safeco with supplies and even gave our technicians an impromptu demonstration on the proper way to clean and care for the lenses. I’ve been very impressed with our Fujinon lenses and the manufacturer’s commitment to excellent customer service.” fujifilmusa.com
