The Basics of PTZ Setups

So, you have got yourself a nice sizable venue―it could be a stadium, concert hall, or house of worship―and you’d like to outfit it with a multi-camera setup that can be controlled easily, all by one person. In comes the Pan-Tilt-Zoom camera, a.k.a. the PTZ. PTZs are a subset of robotic cameras that are intended to be operated from a distance, typically from one controller. Today, we’ll be discussing how to construct PTZ setups at their basic configuration, and what you’ll need to know to assemble your very own fully functional system.

Regardless of what cables or connections you use, there are three bases that always need to be covered.

1. Video Feed

2. Camera control

3. Power

These three are the foundation of every PTZ setup. Without one of these, your broadcast will not work. Theoretically, you could make do without camera control; however, that would defeat the purpose of having a robotic camera, making it a forever locked-off shot―no good. So, let's go over some of the basic options available for each one of these foundations.

Video Feed and What You Need

For each one of these core basics, there are multiple solutions available. Depending on what your use case is, some will be more beneficial than others. Transmitting and capturing a video feed from a PTZ to a video switcher or computer is straightforward, but again, there's more than one way of doing it.

These days it’s quite common to see PTZs with more than one source of video output. Take for instance, Panasonic’s AW-UE150K UHD 4K PTZ.

The AW-UE150K has a 12G-SDI, 3G-SDI, and an HDMI out, all viable options for transmitting and capturing a video feed. In most applications, one of the two BNC-SDI ports would be the go-to, since BNC connectors can lock in to keep cables from being accidentally pulled from the camera. Over long distances, BNC-SDI is far more reliable in maintaining visual fidelity, because standard HDMI cables begin to lose signal strength over distances of more than 25 feet. This, of course, isn’t the case with all HDMI solutions; high-speed fiber optic HDMIs boast far greater visual strength over longer distances and HDMI boosters can also be employed to strengthen the signal carried through an HDMI. In most professional cases however, SDI will be the way to go, thanks to SDI’s reliable video-quality retention over long distances, as well as their locking mechanism that keeps things from going awry if accidentally tugged.

How do we go about capturing the video feed that's traveling through these cables? Well, if you have one camera, a simple capture card will do the trick; just make sure you get the right input (HDMI/SDI) to match the cable that you’re running from the camera. Something like a Magewell USB Capture SDI Plus or a ATEN CAMLIVE HDMI to USB Video Capture Adapter will do you just right.

Let's say you have multiple PTZs (three for instance). How would you go about controlling and capturing all those video feeds? You’d use the handy-dandy video switcher, a tool designed to receive multiple video signals and send them out in one convenient and digestible package. Again, you’re ideally going to want to purchase a switcher that is compatible with the cabling you plan on running; for instance, Blackmagic sells its popular ATEM switcher series in SDI- or HDMI-ready packages. For situations where transitioning between the two formats is necessary, Blackmagic also makes SDI to HDMI (and vice versa) converters.

Camera Control

If you’re getting a PTZ, you’re going to need to control it one way or another. While just about every PTZ manufacturer includes an IR remote packaged along with its PTZs, IR remotes aren’t precise tools and leave a lot to be desired. Instead, opting for a stand-alone PTZ controller designed for your PTZ of choice would be the better solution. For instance, if you were to use a PTZ from PTZoptics such as the Move SE, using something like its dedicated SuperJoy controller will give you full and precise control over all the camera’s parameters. Once you know what brand PTZ you’re using, such as Canon, Sony, Panasonic, etc., we recommend you remain within those ecosystems and acquire controllers designed by the same company.

Let’s talk protocols. There are numerous ways for a controller to communicate between a PTZ. Serial control over VISCA protocol has been a very popular method for a long time. This would often comprise an individual 9-pin D-Sub F to 8-pin M cable running from the controller to the first PTZ in a PTZ chain, with the 9-pin linking up to the controller and the 8-pin to the camera. Then, to create a link from multiple PTZs to the one controller, you’d build a daisy chain: Here, you’d run an 8-pin M to 8-pin M cable from the first PTZ to the second, and then the same from the second to the third, and so on, tying all the PTZs together.

Conversely, a more practical and more budget-friendly option is the Ethernet route. Here, you employ a network switch to act as a hub of sorts to relay your controller inputs to all of your PTZ’s, no daisy-chaining necessary. Instead, all you’d have to do is run a single Ethernet cable between your controller and network switch. From there all you’d have to do is link up your fleet of PTZs to the network switch, also via Ethernet cable. Super simple and super streamlined. There are still many other possible methods for PTZ control, such as control over IP and NDI, which we’ll cover more thoroughly in future installments. If you would like to get a better grasp of NDI right now, check out What You Need to Know About PTZ Camera Networking with NDI.

Power

Now it may seem obvious, but making sure you have a reliable and efficient source of power can be an easy thing to overlook if it’s your first time setting up PTZs. Most PTZs feature what is called Power Over Ethernet, or POE, which is exactly what it sounds like. The very same ethernet cable that you’d use to control a PTZ can act as a sufficient source of power to keep it up and running. There are a few things to keep in mind, however.

Your PTZ and network switch need to be POE capable for this to work. There are also varying levels of POE such as POE+ and POE++. These variations simply refer to the amount of power a PTZ requires to function successfully over Ethernet, with standard POE requiring the least amount of wattage (up to 15 watts) and POE++ requiring the most (up to 60 watts). Of course, there are also PTZ options available that don’t feature POE capabilities, which require the use of the external power supply that should come included with the purchase of any PTZ. While it is totally doable, this method would require you to place your PTZs near outlets or run extension cords to make it all work. For this reason, most recommend going the POE route to avoid any headache in finding ideal locations for PTZ placement.

Consider this article as your introduction to the expansive world of PTZ cameras and PTZ setups; with the widely diverse range of robotic cameras that are available, each providing its own unique methods of operation, there is most certainly an answer available for even the most complex of venue setups. If you’d like to further your knowledge of PTZs in real-life applications, check out Practical Setup Examples to Build Your PTZ Camera Network and PTZ Cameras as a Conferencing Solution.