Technicolor - Thomson LDK 100 manual Technology, Digital Processing, Film-like characteristics

Technology

The LDK 100 camera is a multi-role digital camera head using 2/3-inch CCD sensors. This is a flexible camera that is equally at home in the studio or out on location in an OB environment.

Digital Processing

The advanced digital processing of the camera is based on 12-bit A/D converters and more than 20-bit internal processing. Two DSPs combine all major camera functions in the digital domain, including knee, gamma, contour, matrix and colour correction.

The intelligent continuous automatics facility provides automatic control of black levels and black shading. Each sensor provides black reference signals that are used to monitor temperature changes. This means that continuous automatic correction is applied without operator intervention.

The digital contour processing uses full amplitude video RGB signals via an extended dynamic range contour circuit.

Colorimetry is selected by means of a variable 6-point digital matrix or via preset matrices. Digital gamma circuits provide a wide range of standardised gamma curves and enable soft contrast in black scenes to be enhanced, together with hard contrast and saturated colour in bright scenes. The matrix and gamma sequence is software programmable for precise colour matching.

Film-like characteristics

The pivoting knee circuit adapts both the knee point and the compression ratio according to the highlight content of the picture to emulate the softly limiting S- shaped transfer characteristics of film. Digital True Colour Knee circuitry maintains the correct hue for compressed highlights, reproducing colours faithfully, even overexposed skin tones.

Digital contrast circuitry provides a black stretch function for more detail in black areas and a black press function for improving the contrast impression by simulating the S-curve of film.

SuperXPander

An optional SuperXpander enables the camera to be used with large lenses so extending the camera's use in studio and EFP situations.

Camera Head Versions

The camera head can be supplied in three different versions depending on the type of sensor required.

The Frame Transfer CCD sensor version offers superior performance and can handle highlights of up to 600%. The 2/3-inch sensors have a high dynamic range and high linear sensitivity over all camera lens apertures. Frame Transfer technology ensures that there is no lag nor smear.

The Frame Transfer DPM version uses Dynamic Pixel Management which allows the format of the sensors to be switched between 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios at the touch of a switch without loss of horizontal or vertical resolution. The 1000 pixels per line in both formats ensures that there is no loss in the horizontal viewing angle but also ensures high resolution in the red, green and blue channels.

The Interline Transfer sensor version is a very cost- effective camcorder that still provides superior digital signal processing.

The Interline Transfer Wide (ITW) Switchable sensor version is fitted with switchable aspect ratio IT CCD sensors. This version enables the format of the sensors to be switched between 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios at the touch of a switch. Aspect ratio switching to 4:3 ratio is achieved by activating two horizontal side panels.

1-2 Operator's Manual LDK 100 Camera Head Introduction