Crosslake, MN – Technologists call it augmented reality, a digitally enhanced video display that enriches the real-world environment and increases user entertainment.
For Aqua-Vu engineers, the only “real-world” that matters is the one that lies hidden beneath the surface; goals perpetually focused on maximizing enjoyment of anglers and underwater explorers. On the eve of unveiling its next-generation HDi Series cameras, the pioneering optics company has once again opened new underwater vistas.
The new HD10i Pro Gen2 will make its debut at the 2019 ICAST New Product Showcase.
Numerous upgrades to Aqua-Vu HDi Gen2 models deliver unparalleled underwater visibility—both in terms of what the lens perceives and what the user ultimately sees on the viewscreen.
Featuring Aqua-Vu’s expandable, modular XD™ Camera Housing, all new 1080p HD optics show even greater underwater details. “The new 1080p camera enhances details and image sharpness under varying light conditions,” says Aqua-Vu vice president, Tom Maschhoff.
“We’ve integrated advanced, multi-exposure optics that detect and display background images such as fish and vegetation in much greater detail,” Maschhoff explains. “Instead of seeing just the silhouette of a bass or a walleye, you’ll discern the greens and the dark lateral bars along a largemouth’s body. Or the greens and reds on a stalk of submerged vegetation. The lens differentiates color contrasts between fish and cover, so anglers will easily spot fish hiding in grass or timber, even in stained water or imbalanced light conditions.”
Complementing the camera’s crystal-clear 1080p resolution, the new optics include innovative firmware that auto-adjusts white balance and adds natural colors back into the video image. Auto-Clear Technology™ yields an enhanced underwater picture, clarifying the image in off-colored, stained or moderately dirty water.
“This proprietary water-clearing technology projects a truer image by removing heavy color casts, such as red or green hues that often highlight algae and other suspended particulate,” adds Maschhoff. “When you look at the surface of a lake and see stained or coffee-colored water, for example, the Aqua-Vu HDi camera will surprise you with a much clearer underwater image than you’d expect.
“Scuba divers who have tested Auto-Clear technology have captured footage that seems impossibly clear compared to what they see with the naked eye.”
Angler and underwater explorer Kim Stricker has been astonished by the power of Aqua-Vu’s exclusive water-clearing technology. “The difference in clarity between what I saw through my scuba mask and the lens of the Aqua-Vu HDi camera absolutely blew me away,” said Stricker, referring to diving in water that appeared almost dark at 17 feet deep through his scuba mask. “The image on the Aqua-Vu HD screen looked almost like aquarium water, as if I was looking at an entirely different lake. This is amazing, breakthrough technology.”
While the camera’s internal organs process and augment the underwater image, a high-grade lens further focuses the video. “Gen 2 HDi cameras use a prescription-grade lens we call OptiRX,” says Maschhoff. “This premium lens is akin to a pair of expensive glasses you special-order from the optometrist compared to those you’d buy on a display rack at the grocery store. OptiRX Lenses have a smoother surface and much clearer prismatic finish. This quality of lens provides the purest picture of what the optics detect, with near-zero distorting or obscuring.”
All HDi Series systems allow for portable or boat-mounted underwater viewing.
From lens to LCD, Aqua-Vu has also innovated what the angler sees on the other side of the surface. Each of four Aqua-Vu HDi Camera Systems project a super-bright underwater image, utilizing up to 2,200-nits for maximum visibility in sunlight. A new Power Saver feature allows the user to add up to 40-percent more run-time, particularly when viewing the LCD in lower sun conditions, including inside an ice fishing shelter.
The first to engineer a high-definition underwater viewing system, Aqua-Vu HDi Gen 2 models include HD10i Pro, HD10i, HD7i Pro and HD7i. All four HDI Gen 2 Series cameras include Aqua-Vu’s patented XD™ Camera Housing, compatible with all Aqua-Vu XD accessories. Each system comes complete with a Super-Bright 7” or 10” LCD, 75- to 125-feet of camera cable, built-in adjustable infrared (IR) lighting, and a 12-volt battery with charger. All HDi Gen 2 Camera Systems are ice fishing ready as well as RAM Mount compatible for direct in-boat wiring. MSRP ranges from $599.99 to $999.99.
