Canon U.S.A will provide a free-of-charge firmware update for two of its 4K PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) models—the CR-N500 (released in May 2021) and the CR-N300 (released in June 2021). The firmware update, which is now available, will add support for the SRT Protocol, which has been widely adopted in the remote production market, as well as the FreeD Protocol used in the virtual production industry. With the addition of this support, the PTZ camera models can be used in a wider variety of applications and meet more diverse visual production needs.
The CR-N500 and CR-N300 4K PTZ cameras deliver the same high-image quality as Canon’s renowned professional video cameras while also supporting IP3 connection. The cameras are compatible with Canon’s proprietary XC Protocol as well as the NDI|HX4 protocol, which is widely used within the video production industry. With this new firmware update, the cameras gain support for two new communication protocols, thus increasing their ease of use for the growing remote production and virtual production sectors of the video production industry.
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The SRT Protocol for video transmission is widely adopted for video streaming and live broadcasting. Standing for “Secure Reliable Transport,” the protocol enables high-security transmission of encrypted video data, stable and reliable transmission of video data thanks to packet loss5 re-sending and recovery functionality as well as network monitoring and a versatile buffer management system that consistently helps to ensure high image quality with low latency even in environments where bitrate is unstable. Thanks to these key features, and through linking with supported device and cloud services, the SRT Protocol helps to create more efficient video streaming workflows.
With the new firmware update, the cameras will also support the FreeD Protocol, which is used broadly in virtual studio software for VR and AR video production. By supporting this protocol, the CR-N500 and CR-N300 can also be easily utilized in virtual production to make possible high-image-quality VR and AR video production workflows based on video capture information including camera pan and tilt.
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Canon firmware enhancements
CR-N300 Firmware v1.2.0
Firmware Version 1.2.0 incorporates the following enhancements:
- Adds support for SRT protocol.
- Adds support for FreeD protocol.
- Fixed a bug that sometimes caused the pan/tilt/zoom to not move to the correct position during prolonged continuous power supply.
CR-N500 Firmware v1.2.0
Firmware Version 1.2.0 incorporates the following enhancements:
- Adds support for SRT protocol.
- Adds support for FreeD protocol.
- Fixed a bug that sometimes caused the pan/tilt/zoom to not move to the correct position during prolonged continuous power supply.
- Fixed a bug in 'Genlock phase adjustment function'—When using Genlock, set 3G-SDI Mapping to Level A to avoid any Vertical phase shift.
