Shotoku installs robotic pan and tilt heads in Madrid
Shotoku Broadcast has recently installed a robotically controlled system comprising numerous pan and tilt heads and dual 16-camera control systems at Atresmedia Corporación de Medios de Comunicación. The Madrid-based Spanish media group, a national broadcaster, maintains a significant presence in the television, radio and cinema industries. The sale was made through Shotoku’s regional reseller Datos Media.
After in-depth testing and on-site demonstrations, the Shotoku systems — seven TG-18 robotic pan and tilt heads and two 16-camera TR-T control systems — were selected by Atresmedia Corporación as key pieces of its re-launched and refurbished studio to replace its older gear.
“Since the first test, we were satisfied with the overall capability of Shotoku’s system, both operationally and technically,” said Fernando García del Rey, Head of Studio Operations, Atresmedia. “The system works well, operators find it easy to use, and the support we get from Shotoku, with Datos Media, has been excellent.”
According to James Eddershaw, Shotoku sales director, Atresmedia is a brand new client and the first order with Shotoku’s newly appointed agent in the region, Datos Media, signaling a major win for the company. “I am delighted to be working with Atresmedia — one of Spain’s leading national broadcasters with a long history of experience in robotic camera systems,” says Eddershaw. “To be selected by them after a detailed evaluation, is praise indeed for our systems.”
The Datos team worked very closely with the Atresmedia crew during installation and provided full training on-site once the system was integrated. Now, the station is live and on-air every day. “We were extremely pleased to be able to supply a large Shotoku system to Atresmedia, especially so soon after partnering with Shotoku in Spain,” said Tomas Nielsen, managing director, Datos Media. “Like Atresmedia, we were happy with the way the project went, with very smooth integration into the existing studio environment and all completed on time.”
The TG-18 has a 56kg payload capacity making it ideal for any ENG camera/lens combinations in typical studio configurations including the usual accessories such as viewfinder, hand controls and teleprompter/preview monitor. The TG-18 offers pan and tilt control, allowing complete freedom for on-air adjustments from the control systems. The head combines all the features expected of a high performance remote pan and tilt head (i.e. high accuracy, smooth movement, silent operation and high payload) with a full manual override capability.
The completely configurable screen layouts of the TR-T system supports 16 cameras, capable of being controlled by a single operator position, and displayed in any configuration to suit the particular requirements of the program. The TR-T panel style uses multicolored illuminated keys to communicate system status and control settings.