Datavideo PTC-150 PTZ Camera Witnesses the Birth of a Chess Queen
Dec 03 2018
On November 25, at the 2018 Women's World Chess Championship Final held in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, Chinese grandmaster Ju Wenjun faced off against Russian star Kateryna Lagno. Over the four-game final, Ju trailed with two draws and one loss in the first three games. Under immense pressure in the fourth game, she secured a crucial victory to force a tiebreak. Ultimately, Ju defeated Lagno with a score of 3–1 in the rapid tiebreak, becoming the first player in women’s chess history to win two World Championship titles in a single calendar year. The Datavideo PTC-150 PTZ camera captured every moment of this historic title defense, delivering exceptional image quality throughout the finals!
With countless cameras on the market—and even the latest digital cameras universally equipped with video recording functions—digital video cameras are certainly nothing new. So why was the Datavideo PTZ camera entrusted with the crucial responsibility of broadcasting the finals of the World Chess Championship?
Broadcasting a chess tournament might seem like a straightforward indoor event. However, because the players' priorities and focus must come first, operating without causing any distraction is the single biggest challenge for on-site crews. According to professional media specialists, to allow chess players to maintain absolute concentration during match play, all non-essential personnel—aside from the arbiters—must maintain a considerable distance from the players. As a result, PTZ cameras, which excel at fixed-position shooting and remote control operations, became the ideal choice. Functioning as silent observers of the game, these PTZ cameras seamlessly deliver every exciting move of the match to audiences watching in front of their screens.
The Datavideo PTC-150 PTZ Camera features a 30x optical zoom, allowing operators to capture close-up shots seamlessly even when mounted at a distance from the players. Furthermore, the optical compression effect of telephoto lenses naturally isolates the subject with a softly blurred background—vividly capturing the players' intense focus while accentuating the psychological tension of every strategic move.
Equipped with a 270° pan range, 90° tilt-up, and 20° tilt-down capability, the PTC-150 integrates effortlessly with the Datavideo RMC-180 Camera Controller. Up to four camera presets can be assigned to shortcut buttons, enabling operators to swiftly transition between critical angles with a single keypress. Designed for whisper-quiet pan, tilt, and zoom performance, the camera's compact footprint blends unobtrusively into tournament venues, eliminating any sense of intimidation for competing grandmasters. While the Datavideo PTZ camera may sport a modest design, its understated poise subtly mirrors the calm, calculated composure of world-class chess masters.
The Datavideo PTC-150 PTZ Camera delivers 1920x1080 Full HD resolution, meeting the stringent demands of today’s mainstream video production. However, high resolution alone does not guarantee superior image quality—indoor shooting presents unique hurdles, primarily stemming from complex lighting conditions.
Indoor artificial lighting often presents severe challenges for accurate white balance calibration. Furthermore, cameras shooting indoors typically boost their ISO/sensitivity automatically to ensure adequate exposure. However, elevated ISO levels frequently introduce noise, compromising color purity—one of the most widely criticized drawbacks of high-ISO digital imaging. If white balance calibration fails or a camera cannot deliver clean imagery at high ISO settings, high resolution becomes meaningless. Therefore, beyond high pixel counts, precise white balance control and low-noise performance under elevated ISO conditions are crucial benchmarks for evaluating camera performance.
Designed to excel in indoor production, the Datavideo PTC-150 incorporates Digital Noise Reduction (DNR) technology to minimize video noise in low-light environments while preserving image clarity. The camera features six white balance modes, including beginner-friendly Auto White Balance (AWB) and key color temperature presets—3200K (Tungsten), 4200K (Fluorescent), and 6500K (Warm Light)—covering the vast majority of shooting scenarios. For professionals requiring exacting color accuracy, Manual White Balance (MWB) allows precise tuning to the ideal color temperature, while custom settings can be saved as One Push Auto White Balance (AWC) for effortless recall.
The Datavideo PTZ camera is one of our most established and flagship product lines. Traditionally, we have seen our users deploy PTZ cameras in conference rooms, concerts, houses of worship, and auditoriums. However, this marks the very first time we have witnessed our PTZ cameras being utilized for live chess tournament coverage. This remarkable case study provides compelling new insights—not only for Datavideo as a manufacturer, but also for our broad user community worldwide. As a dedicated leader in professional broadcast equipment, Datavideo welcomes innovative application ideas from our users. These real-world experiences not only foster knowledge-sharing across the industry, but also spark valuable inspiration for our future product R&D!
