Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) uses Panasonic PTZ cameras in unintended ways

Each room (Swinburne Studio and Gandel Digital Future Lab 1) has the PTZ permanently installed. They are complemented by a dedicated RP60 controller per space. Camera outputs are over IP at full resolution, and each can be selected as an input and controlled from the other room’s controller. SDI links are also included for redundancy in case of any network problems.

These cameras were originally commissioned before the world of pandemic lockdowns. With the venue shuttered to physical access, many ACMI staff continued working from home. The remote programming and testing of lighting routines is entirely possible with an eye in the room. Dylan found that: “The cameras were great. I did 99% of what I was working on with the cameras live, so I could see the room in real time from home. This was super helpful”. Rather than using a direct IP connection, he “setup a VLC stream, which ended up being high resolution and fast!”

The cameras are allocated a segment on their corporate network, with access granted only to ACMI AV staff. When the venue was closed, many of them started using these cameras remotely, even if only to see how a room was laid out or what gear was in there. With everything now re-opened to the public, this feature is still being widely used. Dylan continues: “I use it as a way to see what’s happening when I’m not there. I can jump in and tweak a setting or program even though I’m offsite.”