In the pursuit of extending broadcast-quality imaging into environments previously considered unreachable, the MxD SeaCam UHD Imaging System represents a new milestone in extreme-environment video engineering. Developed by DeepSea Power & Light and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), the MxD SeaCam adapts a Sony HDC-P50 broadcast camera and Canon CJ15ex4.3B UHD Super Wide lens into a titanium-housed, pressure-tolerant platform rated to 7,000 meters of seawater.

The system maintains full 12G-SDI and HDR broadcast fidelity through a single-fiber Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CWDM) telemetry link, carrying video, control, and environmental monitoring over 10,000 meters of optical fiber. Custom multi-element optical correctors and a borosilicate dome port preserve diffraction-limited UHD performance while minimizing distortion, chromatic aberration, and field curvature caused by the air-to-water interface. Precision servo controls provide variable-rate zoom and position-based focus that remain responsive under 10,000 PSI of pressure.

This presentation examines the technical architecture and design validation of the MxD SeaCam as a case study in broadcast engineering innovation—from optical performance modeling to mechanical and thermal simulation, and from pressure housing validation to system integration. By leveraging familiar broadcast standards and control protocols, the system demonstrates how studio-grade UHD imaging can operate in the most hostile conditions on Earth without compromise in color accuracy, dynamic range, or operator control.

Attendees will gain insight into design methodologies that extend the reach of broadcast technology into scientific, industrial, and documentary production applications—illustrating that the same engineering discipline used to produce live television can now “broadcast from the deep.”