Gearhouse goes Hitachi HD exclusive for Barclays ATP finals

Broadcast services specialist Gearhouse made exclusive use of Hitachi HD cameras to televise the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, which took place at London’s O2 Arena earlier this month. The company now plans an extensive Hitachi set-up for its coverage of the Australian Open Tennis Tournament, taking place in Melbourne in January.

Gearhouse Broadcast provides all technical, crewing and production facilities for its client, Tennis Properties Limited (TPL), which operates the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tennis tournaments. At the O2, it used 12 HD-SK1200 high-end multi-format 1080p/3G production cameras as well as two channels of Hitachi’s new SK-HD1500 HD Supermotion system camera to equip its production team.

The deployment of this production system – which was provided as a fly-away – follows Gearhouse Broadcast’s major investment in Hitachi cameras earlier this year.

Kevin Moorhouse, chief operating officer of Gearhouse Broadcast, comments: “Out of the box, we have found the Hitachi cameras to be versatile and reliable – in the first month we took 22 of our HD-SK 1200 cameras and two Supermotion SK-HD 1500 slo-mo cameras to equip the team that televised the ATP World Tour tennis event in Cincinnati. Once there, we confirmed what we already knew – the Hitachi cameras performed outstandingly in this demanding production environment. In a wide range of different lighting conditions in Cincinnati we enjoyed excellent picture quality and where impressed by the cameras signal to noise performance.”

Reflecting on the partnership with Gearhouse that has lately yielded the high-profile Barclays ATP deployment, Paddy Roache, director and general manager of Hitachi Kokusai Electric Europe, adds: “Through major sporting events such as this, we can build our reputation as a leading supplier of 3G and future broadcast camera technology. We are developing a close strategic partnership with Gearhouse Broadcast and we are very pleased to support their international broadcast operations.

Continuing the association, Gearhouse Broadcast will use Hitachi cameras to televise the Australian Open Tennis Tournament in Melbourne next January. The company will provide broadcast services for host broadcaster Channel 7, as well as bespoke support to international broadcasters, ESPN, the Tennis Channel and Tennis Australia.

In Melbourne, Gearhouse Broadcast will install 55 SK-HD1200 high-end multi-format 1080p/3G production cameras, as well as seven channels of Hitachi SK-HD 1500 HD Supermotion.The cameras will provide coverage of the event’s seven main show courts at Melbourne Park, split between the Rod Laver Arena and the Hisense Arena.

In addition to the Hitachi SK-HD1200 3G production cameras and SK-HD1500 6G super motion cameras, Gearhouse Broadcast will construct a Fly-away TV broadcast facility complete with all technical, crewing and production resources.