American Cinematographer - February 1985 - 23

INTRODUCING THE
SONY BVP-360. ON MAY 1,1985,
THE REMARKABLE
BECOMES AVAILABLE.
When we previewed this

NAB, the response was
tremendous. Which, considering

camera at

Sony's considerable reputation
for high performance broad¬
cast portables, wouldn't normally
seem so surprising. Except for
one

detail.
The BVP-360 isn't

25mm image formats. And vastly
superior to any current %"
Field/Studio camera at any price.
And, naturally, when you

combine these factors with the
extensive signal processing

technology Sony has engineered
into the BVP-360, you get specs
which could only be described as

spectacular.
A SUPERHUMAN FEAT
OF HUMAN ENGINEERING.

broad¬

portable. (Although at 50
pounds it's certainly the most por¬
table camera in its class.)
cast

What the BVP-360 repre¬
sents, however, is the culmination

of Sony's work in tube technology,
in innovative mechanical design
and in High Definition Video

Systems. A highly sophisticated,
automated camera that promises
to usher in a new era in price/per¬
formance for cameras in the Field/

were

the

Many of the experts who
able to get their hands on

camera at

NAB

were even

impressed by how it per¬
forms from a human standpoint.
more

Some

were

moved to

com¬

by how easy the BVP-360 is
to move around. Its smoothly
integrated handles. Low weight.
The highly maneuverable view¬
ment

finder. And the shortest lensfront-to-viewfinder distance in
the

industry.
Others cited the

Studio category.

uniquely pragmatic approach
automation. An ap¬
proach that concentrates
the camera's considerable
to

Sony-developed 2/3-inch Mixed Field Saticon.™
(Plumbicon™ tubes also available.)

THE %-INCH IMAGE
FORMAT COMES OF AGE.
For those of you unable to

get through the crowds for a close
look at the BVP-360, there are
two

explanations for the excep¬

tional image quality you saw on
the monitors overhead.

First, the BVP-360 employs
the remarkable, Sony-developed
2h" Mixed Field* tubes. The first
real challenge to big tube per¬
formance. Because they deliver
twice the registration and geo¬

metric accuracy of conventional
%" tubes. Plus greater depth
of modulation. And thanks to
the special Sony-developed FET
that is built into the tube and

flare and gamma.
And still others referred to
the BVP-360's extensive camera
head memory, which can store
up to sixty-four scene files, eight
setup files, sixteen lens files and
three reference files.

Plus the advantages of being
able to choose from three remote

operational panels.
NOT JUST A CAMERA.
A CAMERA SYSTEM.
But perhaps the most

striking
aspect of
"building
block" de¬

sign concept.

available.)
Secondly, the Sony BVP-360

that makes it

noise
MF Saticon™ tubes

is equipped

are

with a breakthrough

prism design that single-

handedly results in sensitivity and
depth-of-field comparable with

head able to transmit
component signals via Triax or
Multicore. Or function as a
stand-alone camera.
camera

Then, on the technical front,
alignments are handled at the
Camera Control Unit. With each
camera able to be tweaked indi¬

vidually. Or addressed as part
of up to an eight-camera chain
linked to one Master Setup Unit.
And finally, on the opera¬
tional front, all control during
production

may

be directed from

of three types of Remote
Control Panels-a simple Studio
one

model,
or a

flexible Field unit,

highly evolved Creative

panel with extensive memory and
scene-painting facilities.
ADOPT A
WAIT-AND-SEE ATTITUDE.
Of course, as we said at the
outset, the BVP-360 isn't ready
for delivery tomorrow. But that
doesn't mean you have to wait
until May to see it. There are
units here right now for demon¬
strations and evaluations.
And of course,

by the time you're
finished testing it,

raving about it

the BVP360 is its

extraordinary signal-toratio. (MF Plumbicon™ or

yoke,

FI.2

microprocessor-based intelli¬
the most difficult setup
operations; functions such as
digital registration, B/W balance,
gence on

BVP-360 Remote Control Panels: (left to right) a
flexible Field unit, a highly sophisticated Creative
Production panel and a simple Studio unit.

An arrangement

particularly

easy to customize the cam¬
era for various production
situations.
It starts with a

*Sony Mixed Field tubes use electrostatic deflection and magnetic focus ©1984 Sony Corp. of America. Sony is a
registered trademark of Sony Corp. Sony Broadcast Products Company, 1600 Queen Anne Rd., Teaneck, NJ 07666.

and getting a budget
for it (although
that last part may go
faster than you're
used to thanks to the
BVP-360's incredi¬
ble price/performance),
it won't be tomor¬
row. It'll be closer
to

May 1.

SONY
Broadcast

American Cinematographer - February 1985

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - February 1985