Polecam press announcement, 2009 September 3
Scheduled for launch at IBC 2009 in Amsterdam, the nanoFlash is a powerful new addition to the Polecam range of portable video production equipment. Capable of operating in HD or SD direct to dual Compact Flash solid-state cards, it can be attached to a Polecam rig or mounted direct to a camera. It can also be connected to any HD-SDI source via BNC coax.

HI Rez images (Click to download)

NanoFlash ultra-compact solid state video recorder

See Polecam at IBC 2009, Stand 10.C49, RAI Centre, Amsterdam, September 11-15

"The nanoFlash is the perfect solution for truly portable digital film, HD and SD video origination," comments Polecam founder and Managing Director Steffan Hewitt. "Both the recorder and its Compact Flash storage media are very competitive in comparison with traditional tape-based video recorders. Measuring only 107 x 94 x 36 mm and weighing just 400 g, it creates digital files for fast transfer to industry-standard editing software such as Final Cut Pro, Avid and Premiere. Besides its very small size and low weight, the nanoFlash consumes a tenth the power of a typical hard disk drive and has practically zero maintenance cost. The nanoFlash has the extra advantage of being ideal for use in extremes of vibration, temperature, and humidity: there is no scanner to get stuck, no tape to tangle and no disk mechanism to crash. And operation is absolutely silent."

"Up to two hours and 40 minutes of 50 megabit/s video can be accommodated on a pair of 32 gigabyte Compact Flash cards," adds Polecam Sales & Marketing Director Mel Noonan. "Coming soon will be the ability for operators to hot-swap Compact Flash cards seamlessly which will provide effectively limitless recording time. An LCD display on the front panel shows the remaining storage capacity on each card as well as the total available recording time. Two or more nanoFlash recorders can be genlocked for easy 3D or multicam recording. Additional features include the ability to start/stop multiple nanoFlash recorders or players from a single command."

The file format used in the nanoFlash conforms to the FAT32 standard used in PCs and Apple Macintosh platforms. Automatic file-coupling ensures compatibility with the 4 gigabyte FAT32 file-size limitation. Nine bit-rates are supported, ranging from 160 megabit/s I-frame-only 4:2:2 1920 x 1080/1280 x 720p master quality to 18 megabit/s Long-GOP 1440 x 1080/1280 x 720p HD as well as 50- megabit/s 720 x 576i and 720 x 480i SD. The nanoFlash can, as an option, also output 18 megabit/s MPEG 1 Layer 2 Long-GOP streamed ASI HD.

Two channels of audio can be captured direct to the nanoFlash with respective levels displayed on the front-panel LCD. Using an external embedder, up to eight channels of audio can be recorded direct to the SDI stream.

Available now, the nanoFlash ultra-compact solid state video recorder will be demonstrated on the Polecam stand (10.C49) at IBC 2009.

Polecam was established in 1998 by extreme sports cameraman/director Steffan Hewitt. While directing a series of windsurfing kit commercials in Hawaii, he needed to obtain close wide-angle front sequences of a windsurfer in action, shot from a tracking boat or jet ski. Steffan improvised a rig comprising a miniature camera on a carbon-fibre windsurfing mast. Returning to Britain, he developed a lightweight go-anywhere rig with a remote joystick controlling a high-precision pan and tilt head. Polecam is now supplied in HD and SD versions with a range of additional options including underwater and 3D pan/tilt heads. Polecam Ltd is active globally from its base near Bedford, England.

Media contacts:

Mel Noonan, Sales and Marketing Manager, Polecam Ltd
Tel: +44 (0)1234 855 222
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David Kirk, Stylus Media Consultants
Tel: +44 (0)1342 311 983
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