In 1995 Ikegami was the first manufacturer to launch a camcorder that didn't require a video tape cassette, the Editcam.
More than 10 years later the Japanese company's new GigaFlash (GF) camera system - GFcam - is its first acquisition equipment to make use of flash memory, a technology more commonly associated with the transfer of data between personal computers, digital cameras and other digital consumer products.
Developed with Toshiba, GFcam is targeted at producers and broadcasters looking for a cheaper way to exploit a tapeless ENG (electronic news gathering) workflow.
The GFcam line-up includes:
GFcam, and its associated recording decks, use GFpak media, a removable flash memory cartridge with a capacity of up to 64GB that is about half the size of a Betacam videotape cassette.
GFpak can record more than two hours of HD video and has a USB port allowing access to footage when the cartridge is not installed in either the camcorder or the deck.
The HDS-V10 is a three-CCD camcorder providing 1080i/720p HDTV format support and multiple digital recording modes. Reports suggest that it will be priced at around $25,000 (£13,000).
Record, not fade away
The GFS-V10 studio deck recorder is a central video management and recording system that includes a front-mounted USB port. It can play and record HDTV pictures with GFpak or with its built-in memory.
All the Ikegami GFcam products will be exhibited at NAB 2008.
Ikegami and Hitachi formed a business alliance in 2007 with a view to producing a flash-memory based acquisition system.
Panasonic introduced flash-based acquisition and workflow, based on its P2 memory card, in 2006.
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