SABC begins move to IP

The deal was completed this week through local distributor and integrator Harambe. 

At IBC, Lesetja Lekgotho, GM Technology Operations (TV), SABC, said: “Because of the funding challenges, we decided to go on a modular upgrade approach, and the camera is the natural place to start with because it’s visible to the viewer’s eyes.” 

The installation takes in four studios, for news, presentation and production, but there are 11 studios in total.  

“This will be a rolling programme that will cover all the studios,” said Lekgotho. They won’t all necessarily use the same cameras, as drama and sport may need other equipment, “but based on the performance of that which we bought, I think [Ikegami] stands a good chance as well”. 

The move to IP, initially in a hybrid approach, is being driven by SABC’s adoption of an Evertz ST 2110 core router. “Everything has to work with that, as we are building out IP capability from the inside out,” said Lekgotho. 

Michael Laetzsch, Division Manager, Broadcast & Professional Video, Ikegami Europe, said: “We have a very long relationship with SABC, going back more than 30 years.”  

Dr Vuyo Nyembezi, Group Executive of Technology, SABC, agreed. “One of my colleagues reminded me that when Nelson Mandela was released, SABC was using Ikegami to shoot on that day, and we have a big picture of the camera during that time still hanging on the wall,” he said.  

Over the summer, the South African parliament installed 12 Ikegami UHL-X40 box cameras, selecting them because their compact size and 1.1kg weight meant they could use longer, higher quality lenses than at typical PTZ setup. 

Stand Number: 12.A31 

Company: www.ikegami.de