Shotoku Broadcast Systems, the international manufacturer of high-quality, easy-to-use, and reliable robotic and manual camera support systems, has announced that SoftRail has won in the Best of Show awards at IBC2024 in the TVBEurope category. SoftRail, a brand-new concept, provides the best of all worlds for robotic camera systems by merging the path-following capabilities of a physical rail system with the total freedom of a free-roaming pedestal. The feature, incorporated into Shotoku’s TR-XT studio control system, was unveiled for the for the first time at IBC 2024.
Explains James Eddershaw, managing director for Shotoku UK, “For decades, high-end robotic camera systems have included free-roaming studio pedestals such as Shotoku’s SmartPed. Around 12 years ago, however, rail camera systems began to gain popularity, but they hindered future production design flexibility and new creativity, and so we developed SoftRail that combines the best benefits of each. We are honoured that TVB Europe, one of the most respected publications in our industry, has recognised the ingenuity that has gone into the design of this system and the potential it brings with it.”
The Best of Show awards recognise the very best media & broadcast technology products and solutions on display at IBC2024, with hundreds of products and solutions considered. All entries were reviewed by a panel of industry experts and editors at the RAI. Factors taken into account include how diverse and comprehensive the product’s features are; how easy it is to use and how it integrates with other products; how well it solves a problem for the user; and how innovative and unique it is within the market.
SoftRail checked the boxes with its ability to maximize flexibility by providing the benefit of a rail camera while avoiding any physical track or guide on the floor. The SoftRail feature opens studio floor space to limitless software defined paths while eliminating the restrictions of physical floor tracks on presenters, guests, and other cameras. Because it is integrated into Shotoku’s TR-XT studio control system the SoftRail function can be turned off If the path is no longer needed and SmartPed returns to its traditional free-roaming pedestal mode with all the benefits freedom of movement brings.
The awards’ editorial team have said that “IBC2024 has been busier than ever this year, with over 1,300 companies showcasing their latest innovations. Our awards followed suit with this popularity and more were entered than ever before”. They continued to say “judging and winner selections were extremely difficult this year, feedback from our judges confirmed that the standard across the board was incredible. To all those companies who have won, you can be truly proud of your company’s achievements in standing out amongst the crowd at IBC2024”.
