A Case Study

EHC Camera Control System

We were recently able to do an equipment install for Every Home for Christ, a non profit in Colorado Springs and one of our longtime clients. Every Home for Christ (EHC) requested a new camera system to install in a main conference room called the Watchman Training Center.

​They seldom have more than one person who is able to run their cameras and they didn’t have the space to dedicate the area for manned cameras. After walking through what they needed, Lambda decided the best option would be to install a custom Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) camera system. EHC also had some unique requirements for shooting their video stream. They wanted it to be shot in 4k resolution and wanting to have a high quality image chip for good color and contrast in images. But there was a small problem. Available PTZ camera systems just didn’t fit the use case due to smaller sensors and lower quality.

What did Lambda do about it? We decided to go for a fully custom system to answer this challenge. EHC already had a creative workflow based around the Black Magic Ursa Cameras (which we love) and EF lenses, so it was an obvious choice to build a PTZ camera system based around the Ursa and pro cameras. ​

It wasn’t an easy task. After we get the equipment into our shop we not only test it to see if it works, we test to make sure everything properly connects together and will work for each specific client. In this case, many of the integrations that had been offered to us by manufacturers and presented as being fully functioning or available, did not actually work once we got the items into our shop. It certainly took longer than we had first anticipated, but we wanted to make sure that EHC got the best possible combination for their room. One challenge at a time, we were able to work out each detail and create the best custom option for EHC.

We tried multiple lensing options on the center camera, moving from a Fujinon B4 lens to a Canon Cine full servo lens. We worked directly with the manufacturer of our control system to test several different iterations of software. Finally we were able to settle on the perfect combination. The control system is a controller made by Skaarhoj, a Swedish company. It is unique as it allows us to control the switcher, the cameral PTZ heads, cameras, and even the recorders all from one place. We also used our favorite streaming box, the Boxcaster Pro, to provide an easy, schedulable and 4k ready streaming solution.

In the end Lambda’s ability to think outside the box, try new solutions, and test things created a camera PTZ system like no other, unique to EHC. This system has extreme quality built for creatives and is easily controllable by a single person from an easy to use control surface. We were able to come alongside Every Home for Christ, hear their needs and create a solution so their team can keep creating clear, quality content without the added stress of trying to recruit more team members. They are able to keep their same familiar processes with the added ease and simplicity that this new camera control system brings to them.

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