Sony Technology Helps Capture Video for Discovery Channel's Shark Week

  • Sep 20, 2011

Ocean Presence Technologies, the Santa Cruz, California‐based underwater camera manufacturer, will be utilizing Sony Security's SNCER580 FULL HD (1080P) network surveillance camera in the company's third‐generation "OceanCam" designed for research, conservation, education, entertainment and emerging underwater security applications.

The Sony cameras are housed in special "hemispheric domes" -- high‐pressure containers with some Ultra‐deep models tested to operate at depths of up to 600 feet. The design allows for as much as 60 percent camera tilt providing exceptional range of visibility. The initial release of the "OceanCam" in 2006 featured Sony's SNC‐RZ25N PTZ cameras. Following this success, the second-generation units feature an HD upgrade utilizing Sony's SNC‐RH124 Rapid Dome cameras. This past Summer, Discovery Channel viewers saw SharkCam footage both online and over cable TV as part of the broadcaster's annual "Shark Week" event.

This past summer, more than 8.9 million Discovery Channel viewers saw the live view from the OceanCam inside the Georgia Aquarium's exhibit, the world's largest indoor marine habitat.

This was part of their online and cable TV annual broadcast of "Shark Week". OPT's OceanCam 720p HD utilizing Sony's SNC‐RH124 was also used to capture images of Great White sharks in South Africa waters for the event.

"Sony's network cameras have been an integral part of our success opening the underwater world, and the new FULL HD versions with the SNC‐ER580 will take this to the next level," said Robert Aston, president, Ocean Presence Technologies. "While this will further enhance our core education, research and entertainment markets, this will also help develop the underwater security business. Already, we are seeing interest in how this technology can serve in a wide variety of applications from port security to protecting underwater archeological sites."

Aston added that the SNC‐ER580's onboard recording capabilities are especially helpful when utilizing the units for research in remote locations. Without it, footage is typically recorded to a laptop computer connected to the system prior to uplink elsewhere. Recording in the camera itself saves having to provide power and other support for the laptop, an added overhead that can be burdensome.

"Ocean Presence Technologies is a great example of the innovative applications that we support with our surveillance video technology," said Mark Collett, general manager, Sony Security Systems Division. "Here, our 5th‐generation network cameras are literally on the frontier creating new opportunities across‐the‐board for innovators. While we have tremendous success in developing our camera technology, our focus is enabling solutions for applications. Here, now that educators and broadcasters have discovered the value of underwater surveillance, the security applications become clear."

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