VIEWERS CLOSER TO THE ACTION (NAPSA)—Football players seem to walk all over the yellow first down marker that extends the width of the field. Swimmers appear to splash while skaters glide over images of their countries’ flags that seem to float just beneath the surface. You can’t see these superimposed images if you’re in the arena, because they're only visible, through new technology, on the homescreen. The way we watch television has changed more in the last few years than in all the years since the entertainment box was invented. Flat screens, HDTV and 270-degree instant replay angles are just a few of the latest technologies making debuts. Much of what we see has to do with the high-tech precision of lenses used on studio, field and handheld cameras. The optics in these lenses, some of which cost $175,000 each, allow directors to create eye-pleasing effects for our viewing pleasure. The latest innovation is the 100X Canonlens that zooms viewers closer than ever into the middle of the action. Providing crisp high definition details and tested at the 2002 World Cup soccer in Japan, the world’s first broadcast 100X zoom lens captures the smallest details at incredible distances, such as a tear on a cheek. It is used for breaking news events, sports broadcasts—such as Mondaynight football and Sunday night baseball and football— nature shows and many other kindsof televised programming. “The lens allows broadcasters to deliver programming with extensive creativity while giving viewers a ‘you are there’ feel in high definition,” said Canon's Gordon Tubbs. “At full telephoto zoom, an image of a human eye will fill the TV screen.” For those who prefer shopping via TV rather than watching New TV lenses bring viewers closerto the action. news, sports and nature, several leading home shopping networks use Canon lenses to showcase products from glittering jewelry to home gadgets. Selling success depends on providing viewers with as much detail as possible. “We could not help Oreck sell vacuums as well as we do without these camera lenses,” said Christopher Moran, a marketing project manager at Coordinated Strategic Alliance who, as a product specialist, packages and preps his clients for their TV appearances. CSA, located about 60 miles north of Manhattan in New York’s Orange County, specializes in marketing strategies, including electronic retail, that deliver innovative products to the consumer market. CSA provides video, graphics and packaging with one-stop shopping convenience for companies seeking solid marketing support. “The vacuum picks up pet hair and cereal, and it lifts the nap of carpeting,” added Moran. “It’s the close-ups by the lenses that pick up every detail, like lifting ground-in dirt on uneven surfaces such as a stone patio, to bring out the true performance features of each product.” Faithful television viewers should get ready to see more people, events, products and even ground-in dirt in that up-close and personal way.
