How the AW-UE150’s Ver. 2.62 firmware update makes the flagship Pro PTZ camera even better
By Adam Noyes
The AW-UE150 is the flagship camera in Panasonic’s Pro PTZ lineup. The 4K PTZ camera features a 1” MOS sensor for 4K/UHD 60p video output, including 12G-SDI, HDMI, optical fiber and IP. It also features a best-in-class 20x optical zoom lens with a 75.1-degree viewing angle and optical stabilization. “We consider the UE150 to be the crème de la crème of PTZ cameras, especially for the broadcast environment,” says Hamid James, Panasonic Product Manager, Remote Systems. “Now, it’s the best solution for those who want to do remote productions, as well as some levels of cinematography.”
Last year’s firmware upgrade added V-Log support, which added more latitude and enabled the UE150 to better match VariCam and EVA1 cameras in producing a more cinematic look. Because of this, the UE150 has been used on a number of high-profile broadcast productions, including the HBO Max series Selena + Chef and Netflix series The Circle. Also, with remote production without film crews becoming more common, the SOLO Cinebot has become a valuable tool in creating cinematic content safely. At the heart of this remote system is the UE150.
Panasonic recently released firmware update Ver. 2.62, which brings major improvements to the PTZ camera, including SRT, TSL 5.0 support, improved Pan/Tilt movement and Minus Gain. Along with having top of class image quality, Ver. 2.62 makes the AW-UE150 the ultimate streaming PTZ camera as well.
Cleaner Pictures & Fast Moves
Gain is a digital camera setting that controls the amplification of the signal – measured by decibels (dB) – from the camera sensor. Ver. 2.62 for the UE150 brings Minus Gain with an adjustable range of -3dB to 42dB (0dB to 42dB previously). In well lit environments, by dropping the gain to -3dB, your images will contain less noise, which will produce cleaner green screen work and enable additional depth-of-field control to separate your subject from the background.
Another improvement is faster pan and tilt speed with 60-degrees/second added in acceleration (rise time) and deceleration (fall time) in Normal Pan/Tilt mode and 180-degrees/second in Fast Pan/Tilt mode. This improvement gives the UE150 the equivalent Pan/Tilt speed of the AW-HE130 PTZ camera.
Secure Streaming
There are a number of streaming protocols (RTSP, RTMP, RTMPS, etc.) to distribute video content over the Internet. Originally developed by Haivision, SRT (Secure Reliable Transport) is an open source video transport protocol that improves video streaming performance across unpredictable networks like the public Internet.
If you’re a government agency like NASA where privacy is essential, SRT is known for its security. It is also designed to protect against jitter, packet loss, and bandwidth fluctuations to give you an overall better viewing experience. “In a nutshell, if you’re looking for a streaming protocol that is much more secure, has lower latency, as well as great video quality over the Internet, SRT is the streaming protocol for you,” says James.
To download Ver. 2.62 for the UE150, click through here.