Blog
The Rise of HDR in Broadcast Media
For broadcasters, HDR is the most significant advance in imaging since the advent of color.
Sony
Over the past few years, with the patience and persistence of media pioneers, high dynamic range (HDR) video has become the new standard for broadcast media worldwide. From the Super Bowl to Premier European football and rugby events to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics (the first Olympic games to be broadcast in HDR video), major-market broadcasters are moving to HDR to produce a live viewing experience that is notably richer and more colorful than anything else to date.
The integration of HDR in broadcast has been a progression of time and patience that includes working out the kinks of this new technology and getting creative with the production workflow to enable the HDR experience amidst hybrid feeds. Through this process, it has become clear that HDR technology is key to the future of live sports events for many reasons. Primarily, HDR offers 95% of the 4K experience without the complexity and cost of transmitting 4K. HDR offers a wider color gamut and transmits on 1080p, requiring only 10% of the energy of 4K. For broadcasters, HDR is the most significant advance in imaging since the advent of color.
Sony via EaseFab Software Network
The Sony HDC-P50 offers the industry exciting new possibilities for creating HD, 4K, HDR and HD HFR productions. As dedicated partners to the evolution of broadcast media, GSS has ensured this camera fits in the GSS Cineflex Mini 512 (our smallest, lightest gimbal) with a 45x or 46x lens weighing in at only 57 lbs/25.8 kg.
As always, GSS is committed to providing the most reliable and stable gimbals that support the latest camera and lens technology offering our customers a world-class product and competitive edge to stay “ahead of the game”.
For more information on HDR technology and gimbal support, email us.
GSS Unveils GeoPro Navigation System for Utility Inspection
Your Utility Inspection Solution
has arrived…..
As the Utility Industry confronts new realities for securing highly accurate inspection data, Gyro-Stabilized Systems (GSS) unveils its Utility gimbal series equipped with the proprietary GeoPro Inertial Navigation System providing an effective and impressive solution to meeting industry requirements.
The system offers customers the flexibility of hot-swappable payloads and sensors for a variety of inspection work, power line and pipeline inspection, gas leak detection and more.
The GeoPro Inertial Navigation provides highly accurate data with real-time data stream and external gimbal control. Working like a digital assistant, the software offers auto slewing to KML points, focus using slant range and DTED data, and is fully compatible with most GIS software systems.
Don’t miss the chance to bid on future inspection contracts with the highest performing 5-axis stabilization platform accommodating the most powerful cameras and sensors on the market. Watch this video to view first-hand the Utility series and GeoPro Inertial Navigation System in action!
Active Camera Systems Goes Country
Calling all country music fans! One of our clients completed an impressive project for singer-songwriter Dustin Lynch. Active Camera Systems shot footage for “Ridin’ Roads,” Lynch’s title track to his three-song EP released this spring. Check out the behind the scenes footage from ACS here!
“Ridin’ Roads” held a spot on Billboard’s Country Airplay, where it’s remained for over 13 weeks since the song’s March release. The music video, uploaded in May, has garnered over 1.3 million views! Listen to the song below with completed footage by ACS.
Patrick Longman, owner and cinematographer of ACS, perfectly captured the smooth, scenic route in their footage, the excellent companion to Lynch’s romantic tune. We are so proud to see our clients creating exciting new content, especially for chart-toppers like this! Patrick and the ACS team has impressed us with credits including The Sopranos, Daredevil, and The Wolf of Wall Street. We’re very excited to see what’s next.
GSS at Cine Gear 2019
Cine Gear 2019 was a success yet again! Paramount Studios was an incredible venue to meet and greet both new and familiar faces. As always, we are so grateful to be part of this talented community. It was such a pleasure to catch up with friends and show off GSS tech in Los Angeles!
We can’t give enough thanks to Nathan Garofalos of Incline Dynamic Outlet, Patrick Longman from Active Camera Systems, and both Rob Drewett and Adam Sculthrop from Motion Impossible for the booth support. There’s nothing like working alongside friends and true experts in the field.
We’ll see you next year!
NAB 2019
We’re relishing in the success of this year’s National Association of Broadcasters Show! Thank you to everyone who visited our booth. This was definitely the most exciting NAB Show for GSS to date.
If you didn’t attend, you missed out on some major showstoppers at our booth! It was a privilege showing off our systems alongside our talented partners and clients, including the Sony HDC-P50 4K broadcast camera, the Canon 45X 4K and Fujinon 46X 4K broadcast lenses, and the XD Motion X Fly Vertical and Tethered Drone. Of course, Incline Dynamic Outlet’s incredible Huracam camera car raced in and took everyone’s breath away.
We also had the opportunity to bring out our 2001 original Cineflex V14. Our gimbals have come a long way, and this design has truly stood the test of time. This system marked the beginning of the Cineflex legacy and still continues today in our broadcast line of products!
This year continues to look bright! What are we excited for? Expect to see low-light broadcast cameras and augmented reality overlays change the game even further for live sports and electronic news gathering market segments.
If you couldn’t make this year’s NAB Show, we know we’ll see you at NAB 2020! Stay in-the-know by signing up for our email list below!
HAI Heli Expo 2019
GSS team members commit themselves to sharing our knowledge and expanding the incredible industry opportunities. What better place to do so than Helicopter Association International’s 2019 Heli Expo?
GSS Managing Director Jason Fountaine and Vice President of Sales Nick Ricciardi exhibited this year in Atlanta and had the chance to meet with industry customers, supporters, and friends. We are always grateful to share our systems with members of the helicopter industry and expand our network. The heli industry has been the largest proponent of our systems to date, and we look forward to new opportunities within the broadcast/ENG, utility inspection, and surveillance markets for gimbals. It’s a very exciting time to work with this tech!
While HAI’s membership has grown dramatically since its inception in 1948, its mission has stayed the same. Nearly 20,000 experts gathered this season to share knowledge, focus on safety standards, and of course, show off awesome new systems within the helicopter industry. We are truly fortunate to exhibit with the best in the business and can’t wait for next year!
Stay updated by signing up for our emails below!
USAF Goes Gyro-Stabilized in Weapons Test
This past December, the U.S. Air Force released footage of a successful Flight Test Integrated-03, also known as FTI-03, shot with a GSS Cinema Pro gimbal. Watch the footage here.
Filmed with a Red DSMC2 Helium and a Canon 50-1000mm lens for day footage along with stunning night footage via a Midwave Infrared Camera, the video captured combined efforts of the Missile Defense Agency and the U.S. Navy.
The team operated the Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Test Complex based out of the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii. According to Mark Wright of the Missile Defence Agency, “This was an operational live fire test demonstrating the Aegis Weapon System Engage On Remote capability to track and intercept an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) target with an Aegis Ashore-launched Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA interceptor.”
It is incredible to see so many different purposes and projects with GSS in action. We are proud to represent the U.S. military in their defense exercises.
Get more updates of GSS gimbals, and our client’s projects by signing up for our emails below.
Award-Winning Teton Gravity Research
Last year, Teton Gravity Research created an awesome new project with their Cinema Pro+ and took home Powder’s Movie of the Year Award.
Their film Far Out goes global, from the Albanian Alps to Girdwood, Alaska. What do the world’s most wild mountain ranges have to offer? More than 30 of the most daring bike, ski and snowboard athletes find out. This epic chronicle took one of the coveted awards during Powder Magazine’s 19th Annual Powder Awards in December, an event which honors the best athletes and artists in the ski community.
Check out the trailer for Far Out below.
We are a proud sponsor of this film. As we have seen time and time again with dozens of the team’s incredible films, TGR never fails to deliver. Our client’s amazing work inspires us to push gimbal technology to new levels so they can achieve new perspectives.
A huge congrats to the TGR crew on this awesome win!
What will TGR create next? Be the first to know by following us on Instagram and Facebook!
2018 With GSS
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Gyro-Stabilized Systems!
Thank you to all of our customers, partners, clients, users, and friends that make up the great GSS community. 2018 was a great year and we are very excited how the ENG, live sports, natural history, production and government markets are all evolving. During the last 12 months we have seen many incredible images captured with GSS systems. From filming the Winter Games and Discovery’s Deadliest Catch to live action aerial news/ENG sequences and SpaceX’s Falcon landing, we are eager to see how GSS gimbals are used to push the limits and find new perspectives in 2019.
Thanks again and best of luck in the New Year to all of our GSS customers, partners, clients, users, and friends worldwide!
Inter BEE 2018
GSS had a successful trip to Inter BEE 2018 last month, Japan’s annual broadcast electronic conference and exhibition. Totsu International, our sales partner for the Japanese market, shared our advanced gimbal technologies with the Japanese broadcast audience.
GSS Japan Sales & Support Partner Totsu International President Akira Ito, Koichi Ogata and Takeshi Sasadate.
Totsu International has represented Cineflex and GSS products in the law enforcement, government, broadcast and production markets for over a decade. Their experience and knowledge of the industry has allowed us to grow our presence and market share in Japan. At this year’s Inter BEE, we showcased our Cineflex Broadcast series gimbals specifically tailored for the Japanese market, the GSS Cineflex Premier and Cineflex T2.
Customers had a chance to try out our gimbal at the Totsu booth.
Inter Bee, formerly named the Broadcast Equipment Exhibition, has showcased the latest in broadcast electronics in Tokyo since 1965. It was a privilege to attend alongside some of the world’s most advanced technology. It has continued to be a great opportunity to share our systems.
Learn more about our Cineflex Broadcast systems here.
Thanksgiving with GSS
Happy Thanksgiving from the GSS family to you! 2018 has been an incredible year for us and the entire gyro-stabilized gimbal industry.
We have accomplished so much this year. After our Cineflex acquisition at the end of last year, we focused on re-branding our look, our gimbal products and sharing these top of the line systems with our community online! We had a fun and successful trip to IFC Amsterdam and also acquired Arctic Built, the best solution to rigging your gimbal to a Robinson helicopter! We are very proud of what this year has brought us and can’t wait to see what 2019 has in store.
Since we started in 2011, it’s been your passion for film and capturing the world that drives us to create the best gimbals in the industry. To all of our clients and supporters, thank you for guiding and encouraging our efforts along the way. Your support means everything to us, and we are so grateful
If you want to learn more about our GSS technologies or have any questions at all, please feel free to call us or message us and we will get back to you as soon as we can! We’re always around 24/7 to answer your gimbal needs.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving,
The GSS Team
GSS 5-Axis Gimbals: Best of Broadcast
If you’re part of the broadcast industry, you know how crucial a small, lightweight gimbal is. Whether you’re traveling with your system or operating at high speeds, you’ll need a gimbal that can keep up. Between aerodynamics and the light weight, the Cineflex Series sets the bar for five-axis systems, making it the prime choice for your broadcast filming needs.
Our 5-axis gimbals offer increased ground clearance and a roomier internal space for a wider range of camera and lens in a small but mighty package. Consistent travelers and creative camera operators prefer this for its optimal aerodynamics, increased aircraft mounting options and the ability to ship as excess baggage.
Our 5-Axis systems use VectorSteering™ to avoid automatic gimbal lock. New mechanical and software design allows a wider range of motion than anything seen before. There’s a reason the GSS Cineflex series is the preferred gimbal of its class; its capabilities are unmatched.
View the entire Cineflex Series here.
GSS Goes to Amsterdam!
GSS ended September with an incredible IBC experience in Amsterdam. We met with some of our amazing customers and industry leaders from the broadcast and production market segments worldwide. We’re eager for our newest customers to receive their own GSS systems and excited for future customers to join this growing client base over the next six months.
Our booth, shared with our friends and client XD Motion, offered the European market a first look our new Cineflex Pro and Cinema Mini platforms along with a display of a Cinema Pro+ with RED camera and Angenieux Optimo 12:1 lens. Visitors were amazed at the Cinema Mini’s powerhouse abilities in such a small size; it can integrate today’s most popular cameras like the Sony 4K Broadcast, Grass Valley 4K, Sony P43, Arri Alexa Mini and Red Weapon with big lenses like the Canon 45x, Fujinon 46X, and Canon 50-1000mm at only about 70 pounds with no camera repackaging or modifications! This successful weekend allowed us to really prove both the Cineflex Pro and Cinema Mini systems are sized perfectly for our customer base.
The future of aerial technology is bright. The new, professional broadcast 4K cameras and 4K lenses from Canon and Fujinon will capture unparalleled image quality not yet seen in gimbal applications. We are already delivering 4K broadcast camera and lens solutions and expect this trend to take off.
XD-Motion Soars After IBC
GSS client XD-Motion hit the ground running after an eventful weekend at IBC in Amsterdam. With their Cinema Pro + and an Arri Mini with Angenieux 24-290mm lens, the team completed an aerial shoot and made every minute count.
By 1 P.M. the next day, XD-Motion Founder and Aerial Operator Benoit Dentan and the aerial equipment traveled over 900 miles to the helicopter base, a journey that originally began at 3 A.M. when the equipment arrived in Paris.
By 3 P.M., Dentan was ready to shoot an Airbus helicopter from a bracket aircraft with his 290mm lens. With only an hour to film, Dentan captured beautiful sequences.
As some of the hardest workers in the industry, XD-Motion takes our products to new limits for air and 1D, 2D, 3D cable systems. The international aerial filming organization has created content for the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Games, Kia Motors and more.
Subscribe to our newsletter for more incredible client-created projects below.
Shot with GSS, By Blue Sky Aerial
Blue Sky Aerial & Specialist Filming has taken their Cinema Pro gimbal to great heights. Their latest showreel combines clips from feature films and internationally broadcasted commercials. From Eurovision and Director Paul Feig’s Spy (2015), big-budget projects have included Blue Sky’s aerial footage through urban and natural landscapes for stunning climactic scenes.
Blue Sky, founded in 1984 by Peter Degerfeldt and Göran Widenby, combines cinematography with incredible, innovative stunts and techniques. The team rigs their gimbal across all platforms–helicopter, car, boat and wire– and coordinates the wildest aerial stunts and captures. Their clients include the BBC, National Geographic, 20th Century Fox and more.
We are so proud to see one of our gimbals used for exciting feats.
For more of our clients’ projects,
visit Shot with GSS
GSS at IBC 2018
Next week, GSS will attend IBC 2018 in Amsterdam, a six-day conference and exposition showcasing leaders in technology, media and entertainment.
We are so honored for this opportunity and invite everyone to visit our booth in Hall 12, booth E56.
Originally known as the International Broadcasting Convention, IBC was founded in 1967 and featured 32 exhibitors. Since then, hundreds of keynote speakers and thousands of guests from nearly 20 countries attend annually for 15 halls of exhibits from the world’s top media contributors.
The convention allows engineers, content providers, researchers and more from all industries to collaborate, teach and showcase their latest projects. This year’s featured guests include The BBC’s Research and Development, Verizon’s Digital Media Services, and Vimeo.
We are excited for this incredible chance to showcase our gimbals with professionals in film, broadcast and more.
Contact Jason or Nick for meeting requests during the event. If you have questions, stop by our booth; we’ll be meeting with people all day and look forward to showing our tech.
We hope to see you there! Until then, follow our Instagram @gyrostabilizedsystems and the blog for the event recap.
Travel Light with GSS
Take your gimbal anywhere without the hassle of complex packing or fear of your system getting damaged. With our lightweight cases, your gimbals can fly as excess baggage for less than 70 pounds per case.
The complete Cinema Mini/Cineflex Pro 512EX gimbal system is easily separated into three, travel-sized cases.
Packing up the Cinema Mini/Cineflex Pro 512EX for travel takes minutes.
Remove the front and rear cover using the 512EX captive hardware
Remove the inner-axis (Camera and lens Payload) via 8 captive hardware screws
Load empty turret into Turret case
Load inner-axis (Camera and lens payload) into Inner-axis case
Load hand controller, video breakout box, PDU and cables into accessories box
All cases can easily load onto a luggage cart at the airport and be checked as excess baggage on all major airlines.
Housed in its own case, the turret is a 20x20x22 unit and weighs 20.5 pounds while empty.
Protect the inner axis and payload with camera and lens configuration in a single case, perfectly fitted within a 30x16x15 shell.
The hand controller, filters, cables and video breakout box fit perfectly in the final case with more than four precisely cut compartments and a measurement of 30x30x29. With the case fully loaded, it weighs in at 66 pounds.
All cases are designed specifically to comfortably and safely fit our gimbal systems, so have no fear of damaging your system or it moving inside the case while traveling.
Contact us today about using the 512EX while traveling around the world.
Beyond The Helicopter: GSS Custom Design Services
Gimbals should go above and beyond the standard helicopter. When your project requires ground rigging from a ship or truck, as filmed during Deadliest Catch or a Teton Gravity Research project, a custom design should be within reach.
“We have mounted the C520 (Cinema Pro+) on cars, trucks, boats and small 4-wheel drive vehicles,” says Co-Founder, Executive Producer & Co-Director of Teton Gravity Research, Todd Jones.
“You can have it on a truck in the morning and move it onto a helicopter in under an hour.”
Decades of experience allow GSS engineers to develop gimbal systems which accommodate custom designs. We design every model with room for modifications as camera and lens technologies change and integrate systems to your needs.
After purchasing your gimbal, contact GSS who, along with companies including Paradigm SRP LLC, can develop unique systems fitted for your production, surveillance or broadcast needs.
Contact us about your custom design today!
GSS: quality tech, quality service
When you choose Gyro-Stabilized Systems, you’re choosing the leading gimbals in both the production and broadcast markets. Between the best quality and customer service, GSS engineers design unmatched stabilized platform solutions that you can utilize from the air, sea or ground.
Our two series of gimbals averaging 50 pounds without payload, making them easy to ship and reasonable to use. As camera and lens technology advance, so do our gimbals and customizable options. For our broadcast/ENG customers, our broadcast gimbals offer a moving map interface which we developed in-house.
These technologically advanced systems are completely upgradeable and are designed to support interchangeable lens and camera combinations for today’s most popular payloads. Gimbal technology is progressing with no sign of stopping; this means that GSS is committed to ongoing engineer development.
With a year-long warranty and 24/7, high-level customer service, our customers not only have resources for possible issues but an opportunity to build custom parts if needed.
If you are flying smaller helicopters and need your system to be optimized for weight and balance on a smaller helicopter, the R44 and R66 mounts are available in-house.
For complete product specifications and list of features, view our Broadcast and Cinema Series gimbals.
From Old to New: A Look at Stabilized Improvements with Churchill Navigation
At GSS, we always look to evolve and improve. At our core, we are engineers that love to create, test and improve our gimbals and technologies to provide the highest quality and latest advancements that integrate with our gimbals. As we analyze old footage, we are proud to see how far our stabilized gimbals have come and are able to offer the best solution for IMU integration.
In this clip, we compared the original solution, External Novatel IMU, to the new, GSS Internal IMU. Both flights featured identical paths over Philadelphia and used Churchill Navigation’s BEAR mapping system with a GSS Cineflex series broadcast gimbal. Notice the incredible stabilization improvements; the street names no longer shake or bounce, and instead, glide smoothly.
What is IMU?
An IMU, Inertial Measurement Unit, detects linear acceleration using an accelerometer and rotational rate using gyroscopes. It reports pitch, roll and yaw status on a continual basis.
We use IMU data as part of an Inertial Navigation Systems (INS). The GSS INS uses the IMU measurements to calculate attitude, angular rates, linear velocity and position relative to a global reference frame. GSS IMU/INS reports the video’s location to Churchill for a live mapping overlay. An accurate IMU data feed results in a stable mapping overlay, as you see in this video.
Learn more about our development of our in-house INS here.
For more information on integrating GSS’s IMU with your system, contact us here.