JPEG photo (519KB)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fort Pierce, FL (September 7, 2001)--The Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, one of the four largest oceanographic institutes in the world, has acquired JVC D-9 video equipment from JVC PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS COMPANY for marine and scientific research aboard the Johnson-Sea-Link for the 2001 operating season.

Dan Boggess, a 12-year veteran with Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, and a submersible pilot and senior electronics technician on the Johnson-Sea-Link I and II, was looking for new equipment that could be used as a standalone recorder to pick up the smallest objects and details while researching the marine environment. He came across D-9 equipment at the NAB show in 1998. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute purchased the BR-D85U Editing Recorder and the BR-D4OU Dockable Recorder at Midtown Video in Miami about a year ago.

The JVC D-9 equipment is the main recording gear utilized on Johnson-Sea-Link missions. Harbor Branch recently used the JVC D-9 equipment on an expedition in the Gulf of Mexico where scientists were studying hydrocarbon seeps from their four-person submarine submerged at depths of up to 3,000 feet. The Johnson-Sea-Link submersibles are designed with a forward five-inch thick acrylic sphere to accommodate the pilot and an observer at "one atmosphere." The sphere allows panoramic visibility. A second crew member and another observer occupy the aft observation chamber where a video monitor and side view ports provide forward and side observation.* According to Boggess, "It is so dark that vegetation grows by chemosynthesis, not photosynthesis. I enjoy my job because I get to go where people and light have never been before."

The JVC D-9 equipment exceeded Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute's expectations. "The equipment provides better resolution for scientific and commercial use. We are able to record detailing without motion artifacts," explains Boggess. "JVC D-9 equipment provided the best quality and the smallest size." When the budget permits, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute would like to purchase a D-9 edit system for use on the ship.

The BR-D40U dockable videotape recorder used on the sub provides over 2 hours (124 minutes) of uninterrupted recording that accommodates the two to three-and-a-half hour dives. The recorder's small size, (301 x 266 x 142 mm / 11-7/8" x 10-1/2" x 5-5/8"), lent itself to the tight space of the sub. According to Boggess, the JVC D-9 equipment was able to capture the smallest details. The is due to an extremely mild, perceptually lossless 3.3:1 compression ratio and a rich data rate of 50 Mbps. D-9 can capture even the most challenging picture in all its splendor without annoying compression artifacts such as pixel noise, edge defects, blockiness and multi-generation degradation that can be produced when 5:1 compression systems record difficult pictures. To maintain superb picture quality from acquisition to production, all D-9 products use a data rate of 50 Mbps. This feature enables Harbor Branch to sell their stunning images as stock photography.

HARBOR BRANCH OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTE is located in Fort Pierce, Florida and studies the Earth's water masses. For more information about HBOI please call Geoff Oldfather at 800-333-4264 or visit their Web site at www.hboi.edu.

JVC PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS COMPANY is based in Wayne, New Jersey and distributes a complete line of broadcast and professional equipment including cameras, recorders, monitors, projectors, and editing products. For more information about JVC products or services, please call David Walton at 1-800-JVC-5825 or visit the corporate Web site at www.jvc.com/pro.