As sophisticated technology becomes more readily accessible, relatively new and smaller companies can produce incredible products that rival the established brands we have all used for years. One of those companies is BirdDog, based in Australia, which recently added two new budget-friendly PTZ cameras to its lineup. These new cameras, the P110 and P120, stand a chance to be a valuable disrupter in the PTZ landscape.
The camera offers a variety of frame rates at 1080P, 1080i, and 720P. You’ll also have access to standard outputs including HDMI, SDI, NDI, and USB.
The Specs
Grazina Lomovskaja
BirdUI offers easy access to all the functions of your BirdDog hardware devices, all within an intuitive interface. The browser-based application with NDI 5 support, and can be accessed from anywhere on the same network as the BirdDog device.
The P110 offers a 10x zoom range while the P120 extends to 20x. The camera offers a variety of frame rates at 1080P, 1080i, and 720P. You’ll also have access to standard outputs including HDMI, SDI, NDI, and USB. Additionally, the camera boasts a Sony Exmor R back-illuminated CMOS sensor that BirdDog claims to capture a much cleaner image in lowlight environments.
The Software
When this camera is paired with the software provided by BirdDog, it seems to get a major feature and functionality boost. With NDI support, including NDI 5, the P110/120 offers an incredibly easy setup with control software to simplify the user experience. In addition to offering free versions of their user software applications Central Lite, Comms Lite, and Cam Control, BirdDog also allows houses of worship to access Central Pro and Comms Pro for free.
Coming in at $1799 and $1899, this camera offers an affordable price tag with a useful software suite.
If your setup requires multiple cameras, you can easily match the settings and look of each camera through the Cam Control software. You can monitor and adjust settings while viewing a live preview of up to four cameras at a time. Additionally, you can use presets to make quick adjustments to each or all cameras. Lastly, the Cam Control software allows you to set up the auto-tracking feature which uses facial and body recognition and is included with the camera out of the box.
Central Pro can become your new production control room. Within this software, you can mix your video feeds and distribute NDI content to a variety of sources. You can utilize an NDI decoder to get an SDI or HDMI output to use for any existing screens or other devices. Additionally, you can load the software on a Windows 10 Pro-enabled tablet and utilize the touchscreen feature to work with the software.
If your setup requires multiple cameras, you can easily match the settings and look of each camera through the Cam Control software. You can monitor and adjust settings while viewing a live preview of up to four cameras at a time.
The Implementation
Like many new PTZ offerings, it’s easy to see a space for this in the church world. Coming in at $1799 and $1899, this camera offers an affordable price tag with a useful software suite. In a church that has an existing gigabit network, you could purchase a few of these cameras, utilize their software, and create a high-quality video product to share on a live stream or IMAG screens without the need for additional equipment. Additionally, the ease of use with the PTZ cameras requires less manpower and lessens the need for more people to run the equipment.
