Ikegami: History and Chronology<\/p>\n
The Los Angeles Olympics, one of the proudest moments in American history, was just one way in which Ikegami showcased its achievements, because it was Ikegami’s advanced broadcast cameras and monitors used extensively by ABC that played a critical role in bringing this international athletic event to television viewers the world over. Performance, brilliant color, and absolute reliability once again established Ikegami’s undisputed leadership in broadcast equipment engineering and design.<\/p>\n
In 1964, the seeds of this organization were planted in a small sales office in New York City. Soon, Ikegami quickly outgrew its Manhattan headquarters. The company’s expansion ultimately required three relocations before its arrival at the present custom-built, 90,000 square-foot complex in Maywood, New Jersey, in 1978. Today, Ikegami’s longstanding history as a pioneer in broadcast technology remains unsurpassed, distinguished by such introductions as the first practical portable color TV camera and the first all-electronic, computer-controlled studio camera.<\/p>\n
The story of Ikegami Electronics (U.S.A.), Inc., however, is but a single chapter in the legacy of its parent company, Ikegami Tsushinki Ltd. Founded by Kosei Saito in the Ikegami district of Tokyo, the company began manufacturing telephone coils in 1946. Three years later, with the advent of the television industry in Japan, it introduced studio and measuring equipment for both TV and radio. Its early broadcast designs were developed in cooperation with the renowned Technical Research Laboratory of NHK (the Japan Broadcast Corporation). Soon afterward, Ikegami became the first company in Japan to use transistors in broadcast equipment. It was already well on its way to pioneering the age of Electronics News Gathering (ENG) with the development of its first portable hand-held TV camera. This portable TV camera made its worldwide debut in the United States in May 1962, when CBS used the product to document the historic launching of the first manned space flight of Mercury 7, The demand for high quality, lightweight and reliable field cameras grew tremendously from this start, revolutionizing broadcast and video production in the process. Ten years later, Ikegami made yet another breakthrough by introducing its first color hand-held camera -the HL-33 – for broadcast use.<\/p>\n
Ikegami continues to reap honors for its research and development in video technology. It is the recipient of two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in the Science of Television Engineering: for the development of digital techniques in automatic studio camera set up and for the design of the EC-35 Electronic Cinematography Camera. Ikegami technology has claimed many “firsts” throughout its corporate history. But for a select group of people who came to the United States from Japan in 1964 and for those who have since joined the company, the Olympic Games in Los Angeles signaled a special moment -the culmination of years of dedication and hard work. Ikegami cameras were recognized by the broadcast profession as “the best”. And the story has grown even greater since then.<\/p>\n
Company Chronology:<\/p>\n
1960\u2019s
\nEstablished under the name of Ikegami Electronics Industries Inc. of New York on December 28th, 1964
\nIkegami cameras used to broadcast the excitement of the Mexico Olympics.<\/p>\n
1970’s
\nFirst display monitors delivered to Incoterm Corporation (Honeywell Information Division).
\nIkegami studio and field cameras used at Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.
\nIntroduced the TK-355, the Ikegami’s first one-inch tube format color studio camera.
\nDeveloped the HL-33 \u201cHandy LookyEhand-held color broadcast camera. The first camera in the world to use one-inch Plumbicon tubes. First delivery in the U.S.A. made to CBS, signaling the birth of the ENG (Electronic News Gathering) age.
\nUnveiled the HK-312, the first all electronic computer-controlled color studio camera in the world, at the SMPTE Show in New York.
\nFirst HL-33 hand-held cameras in South America delivered to TV Globo in Brazil.
\nAmerican Broadcasting Company (ABC) selected Ikegami’s innovative HK-312; first delivery in the U.S.A. made to KABC.
\nIntroduced the HL-35, the world’s first ENG color camera using 2\/3-inch Plumbicon”‘ tubes.
\nChanged its corporate name to the current Ikegami Electronics (U.S.A.), Inc.
\nFirst HK-312 computer-controlled studio cameras in South America delivered to TV Globo in Brazil.
\nIntroduced the HL- 77 ENG\/EFP handheld camera at NAB.
\nIntroduced the HK-357 at National Association of Broadcasters convention.
\nIntroduced the HL- 79A ENG\/EFP color camera at the SMPTE Show.<\/p>\n
1980’s
\nIntroduced the ITC-350 low cost hand-held color camera.
\nReceived the Engineering Achievement Emmy. Award for the development of digital techniques for automatic set up of TV cameras.
\nDelivered its 100,000th display monitor to Honeywell Information Systems in the United States.
\nIntroduced the HK-322 fully automated studio color camera.
\nIntroduced the ITC- 730 low cost hand-held camera.
\nBegan shipments of color display monitors.
\nReceived an Emmy Award for the EC-35 Electronic Cinematography camera.
\nIntroduced the first High Definition TV camera system in the USA.
\nDelivered the first HK-322 studio cameras to KOMO-TV.
\nIntroduced the HL-95 Unicam, the most versatile one-piece hand-held camera; first six units delivered to ABC for use at the Los Angeles Olympics.
\nHundreds of Ikegami cameras and monitors used by ABC for coverage of the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo and the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California.
\nCelebrated the unprecedented sale of the 5000th HL-79 series ENG\/EFP camera.
\nIntroduced HK-323 1″ and 2\/3 “field\/studio cameras.
\nIntroduced HK-355 2\/3″ CCD field\/studio cameras.
\nIntroduced HL-55 2\/3” CCD hand-held cameras.
\n(Plumbicon is Registered Trade Mark of N.V.PHILIPS)<\/p>\n
1990’s
\nEmmy for Skin Detail, first applied to a broadcast camera in the HK-327
\nHK-377, top-of-the-line high resolution CCD studio camera, sales to ABC and CBS for network production
\nIntroduction of the broadcast industries first tapeless camcorder, the DNS-11
\nDevelopment of the HK-388, full digital studio camera
\nIntroduction of the HDK-790, the industries first full digital HD camera system
\nDevelopment of Chip C4 video processing ASIC with 0.18 micron design, equivalent to 3.3 million gates<\/p>\n
2000’s
\nIntroduction of the industries first HD triax system
\nIntroduction of the first HD wireless RF camera system, the HDL-0101
\nIntroduction of CMOS sensor technology for broadcast cameras, HDL-40C & HDK-79EC
\nIkegami’s HDK-79NA provides first HD Aerial coverage from the Goodyear Blimp at the US Open, Monday Night Football and the Super Bowl (Jan.2005)<\/p>\n