Contour Launches First Broadcast Camera

Technology News - Hands-free camera maker, Contour has launched its first camera for the broadcast and professional market, the Contour+. The product, which shoots 1080p video, offers a number of video and audio enhancements over the company's other hands-free, wireless cameras and was designed to be particularly appealing for action sports, documentaries, films and broadcast.

"Nowhere on Earth is off limits to filmmakers and other visual storytellers, but there are plenty of places standard pro cameras can't go," noted Marc Barros, Contour CEO in a statement. "Contour+ delivers high-quality video, audio, location data and streaming capabilities anywhere there's a story to tell....We've created the most affordable way to give prosumers, broadcast and filmmakers everything they need to tell incredibly rich stories from right within the action."

The product offers a professional quality six-element glass lens for 1080p video quality, an adjustable white balance and a 170-degree field of view to help integrate peripherals and backdrops in each shot.

Steaming video capabilities via HDMI and an external transmitter allows users to broadcast live action.

For audio, Contour+ has an external 2.5mm microphone jack that the company is billing as a first on "any hands-free camera."

Additional capabilities include built-in Bluetooth capabilities so it can be connected to a mobile phone, which can then act as a wireless viewfinder to check the angle during productions; an HDMI port that allows instant replay on a laptop or widescreen direct from the included microSD card; the ability to shoot in three resolutions and four frame rates; and an internal interactive GPS receiver to track speed, location, and elevation at four frames per second.

"Hands-free is a big revolution in the camera space, but we haven't had anything that was progressive enough to use on professional shoots until now," noted film producer and Freeride Entertainment Director, Derek Westerlund in a statement. "The Contour+ allows me to capture great POV shots and will help bring the movie's story to life." [source]

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