Canal + has selected Sony France to equip its television studios with high definition equipment, enabling the channel to launch HD television services this April, writes Fergal Ringrose.
Canal + will install the latest generation of multi-format Sony HDC-1500 cameras in its recording studios in Boulougne-Billancourt. The HDC-1500 cameras feature the latest 1080p50 sensor technology, with CCDs designed and manufactured by Sony. An image processor with 14-bit conversion provides a new level of image quality. The colour touchscreen makes it easier for the studio to perform configuration.
Canal+ has also invested in HDCAM-SR recording media. The format will convey high quality HD images at a rate of 422/10bits. Providing 12 audio tracks and maintaining its quality level even in the long term, the media is a choice for archiving purposes.
The agreement is the fruit of several months work between the teams at Sony France and Canal + to turn the HDTV project into reality. “We opted for Sony because of the advanced technology in the HD cameras. We chose the best solution and tools available on the market to meet the requirements of our HD project, which will be implemented over the course of several years,” explained Olivier Hermen, technical editing director at CANAL+.
“Canal + will be offering HD to its subscribers in April 2006. By then we need to ensure that the HD images we produce in the studio can be reproduced on the viewers’ television screens.”
