Ikegami
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese manufacturer of professional and broadcast television
equipment, especially professional video camera
s, both for electronic news gathering
and studio
use. The company was founded in 1946.
Many of the model numbers of Ikegami portable television cameras begin with the initial letters "HL", which stand for "Handy-Looky", an original translation from the Japanese.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese manufacturer of professional and broadcast television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
equipment, especially professional video camera
Professional video camera
A professional video camera is a high-end device for creating electronic moving images...
s, both for electronic news gathering
Electronic news gathering
ENG is a broadcasting industry acronym which stands for electronic news gathering. It can mean anything from a lone broadcast journalist reporter taking a single professional video camera out to shoot a story, to an entire television crew taking a production truck or satellite truck on location...
and studio
Studio
A studio is an artist's or worker's workroom, or the catchall term for an artist and his or her employees who work within that studio. This can be for the purpose of architecture, painting, pottery , sculpture, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, radio or television...
use. The company was founded in 1946.
History
- Most noted of Ikegami's achievements in broadcast television technology was its introduction of the first portable hand-held TV camera. The camera made its debut in the United States in May 1962, when CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
used it to document the launching of NASA's Aurora 7Mercury-Atlas 7-Backup crew:-Crew notes:The original prime crew for Mercury Atlas-7 was to have been Deke Slayton, with Schirra as his back-up. However Slayton was removed from all flight crew availability after the discovery of cardiac arrhythmia during a training run in the g-loading centrifuge...
manned space flight. Ikegami continued in the development of portable video camera technology and in 1972 introduced the HL-33, the first compact hand-held color video camera for ENGElectronic news gatheringENG is a broadcasting industry acronym which stands for electronic news gathering. It can mean anything from a lone broadcast journalist reporter taking a single professional video camera out to shoot a story, to an entire television crew taking a production truck or satellite truck on location...
. The compact ENG cameras made live shots easier and—when combined with portable videotape recorders—provided an immediate alternative to 16mm television news film, which required processing before it could be broadcast. The later HL-51 was popular among broadcasters for both ENG and EFPElectronic field productionElectronic field production is a television industry term referring to a video production which takes place in the field, outside of a formal television studio, in a practical location or special venue...
image acquisition.
- Although Ikegami is known as a manufacturer of high-quality television cameras, the company does not make video recorder mechanisms (VTRs), and has been a licensee of professional video formats such as SonySony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
's BetacamBetacamBetacam is family of half-inch professional videocassette products developed by Sony in 1982. In colloquial use, "Betacam" singly is often used to refer to a Betacam camcorder, a Betacam tape, a Betacam video recorder or the format itself....
SP and DVCAM, and PanasonicPanasonicPanasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
's DVCPRO. In 1995 Ikegami co-operated with AvidAvid TechnologyAvid Technology, Inc. is an American company specializing in video and audio production technology; specifically, digital non-linear editing systems, management and distribution services. It was created in 1987 and became a publicly traded company in 1993...
on a tapeless video acquisition format called EditcamEditcamEditcam is a professional digital camera system manufactured by Ikegami and first introduced in 1995, available both as professional camcorders and modular dock recorders...
but few were sold. Ikegami's latest tapeless camera format is called GFCAM, jointly developed with ToshibaToshibais a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
.
- According to some sources in the early 80s, Ikegami developed a number of arcade gameArcade gameAn arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
s as a subcontractor to Japanese video game companies. Among the games they may have developed are Computer OthelloComputer Othellois a reversi-based video arcade game developed and published by Nintendo. It is one of their earliest video arcade games along with Block Fever and after they did release a dedicated console called Color TV Game 6 and a variety of electromechanical arcade games earlier in the 1970s. It was...
, Block Fever, Monkey MagicMonkey Magic (arcade game)is a 1979 arcade game by Nintendo. It is a Breakout clone and one of Nintendo's earliest arcade games. Some sources claim that Ikegami Tsushinki also did design work on Monkey Magic. Players control a paddle to hit the ball at a large amount of blocks shaping a monkey's face...
, Congo BongoCongo BongoCongo Bongo is an isometric platform arcade game released by Sega in 1983. Strong evidence from analysis of the game's ROM claim that Ikegami Tsushinki also did development work on Congo Bongo. The game has come to be seen as Sega's answer to the highly successful Donkey Kong game that was...
, PopeyePopeye (arcade game)is a 1982 arcade game developed and released by Nintendo based on the Popeye cartoon characters licensed from King Features Syndicate. Some sources claim that Ikegami Tsushinki also did design work on Popeye....
, Donkey KongDonkey Kong (video game)is an arcade game released by Nintendo in 1981. It is an early example of the platform game genre, as the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging and jumping over obstacles. In the game, Jumpman must rescue a damsel in distress, Lady, from a...
, Radar ScopeRadar Scopeis an early cabinet arcade game developed and published by Nintendo in November 1980. Some sources claim that Ikegami Tsushinki also did design work on Radar Scope. It is a shooter that can be viewed as a cross between Taito's Space Invaders and Namco's Galaxian...
, SheriffSheriff (arcade game)is an arcade game developed by Nintendo R&D1 in 1979, designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Genyo Takeda. Some sources claim that Ikegami Tsushinki also did design work on Sheriff. It is one of the earliest Western-style video games developed . The player controls a county sheriff who must defend the...
, Space FeverSpace Feveris a 1979 arcade game by Nintendo R&D1. Some sources claim that Ikegami Tsushinki also did design work on Space Fever. It was released in both monochrome and color versions. It is Nintendo's version of Taito's 1978 Space Invaders. The game was distributed by Far East Video.-Gameplay:Similar to the...
, Space FirebirdSpace Firebirdis a 1980 arcade game developed by Nintendo R&D1. It was published by Nintendo in Japan and in the North America. It was also published by Sega-Gremlin in the US as well...
, Space Demon, Heli FireHeli Fireis an arcade game developed by Ikegami Tsushinki and Nintendo, and released in September 1980 by Nintendo. A Nintendo Entertainment System/Famicom port was planned but was canceled for unknown reasons. Similar to the 1976 Midway title Sea Wolf, players control a submarine in which they must...
, Sky SkipperSky Skipperis a 1981 arcade game by Nintendo R&D1. Some sources assert that Ikegami Tsushinki also did design work on the game. The game look and feel is very similar to Popeye which was released the following year, suggesting that the same development team were involved in both releases. It was released...
, Space LauncherSpace Launcheris a 1979 arcade game developed and published by Nintendo. Ikegami Tsushinki also did design work on Space Launcher. The game was released in Europe and Japan, was distributed by Far East Video in Europe.-Gameplay:...
and ZaxxonZaxxonZaxxon is a 1982 arcade game developed and released by Sega. Some sources claim that Japanese electronics company Ikegami Tsushinki also worked on the development of Zaxxon...
. At that time, computer programs were not recognized as copyrightable material. According to these sources, Ikegami proceeded to sue Nintendo for unauthorized duplication of the Donkey Kong program code for the latter's creation of Donkey Kong Junior (1983, Tokyo District Court), but it was not until 1989 that the Tokyo High Court gave a verdict that acknowledged the originality of program code. In 1990, Ikegami and Nintendo reached a settlement, terms of which were never disclosed.
Products
Some Ikegami Models included the ITC (Industrial Television Camera)-730, HL-79 HL-55, HL-V55 and HL-99. Ikegami makes a full line of SDTV and HDTV TV cameras.Many of the model numbers of Ikegami portable television cameras begin with the initial letters "HL", which stand for "Handy-Looky", an original translation from the Japanese.