Shotover Jet installs HD cameras in all Jet boats

Media release from Shotover Jet
December 10, 2014

Shotover Jet installs high definition cameras in all Jet boats

Leading New Zealand tourism operator Shotover Jet has installed state-of-the-art High Definition (HD) cameras on its entire jet boat fleet, providing guests with improved footage of their once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The equipment has been uniquely designed especially for the Queenstown-based tourism giant by leading photographic and video company Magic Memories.

Shotover Jet Business Manager Clark Scott said he was “chuffed” to offer the upgraded system on its fleet following three years of testing and development.

“The system has substantially improved the end product for guests,” said Mr Scott.

“The old system was based on a handy-cam style set up and quality, and while it provided decent footage, it couldn’t withstand the high intensity and rigour of the jet boating environment.

“We’ve now got a faster and more sophisticated high-quality system that automatically feeds the footage captured during the ride to the photographic team at base.

“By the time passengers come off the jet boat, the video’s already being downloaded and packaged up by our team, ready for them to view and take away.

“A seamless and quick process is crucial to us and our passengers. We turn around up to a thousand people a day and so a system that provides quality footage quickly is key.

Magic Memories works with Shotover Jet on its photographic and video product. Chief technical officer Irik Anderson said the custom-made solution was “a serious step ahead of what others are using.”

“The High Definition Broadcast TV technology is stare-of the-art, easier to operate, and more reliable and hard wearing,” he said. “We tested a couple of ideas but weren’t satisfied they provided the best end result, so we kept going until we cracked it.”

The new bullet (or lipstick) camera’s HD sensor uses a rolling shutter and television HD broadcast quality to deliver to external HD wirelessly in real time. The shutter regularly checks light balance, which is very important in the changing canyon light.

“The bullet camera has a wider field of view than a normal action camera, so we get more ‘real estate’ and scenery in the shot. It gives a panoramic feel to the video,” said Mr Anderson.

The jet boat driver pushes a button to record footage several times per trip, captured by one of two cameras set up on the boat. The on-board system then stores the footage until the boat nears the jetty at the end of the trip, when all footage is automatically downloaded via WiFi to Shotover Jet’s video office for processing.

Shotover Jet maintenance manager Brett Dingle said it had been “quite a journey” to install the equipment in such harsh environments.

“We have water, snow, boat vibrations, heat and other elements to cater for when installing any kind of new equipment. However it was worth it because the image quality on the new system is a huge step-up,” he said.

View the amazing new HD technology video here: https://vimeo.com/114052000

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