THE
MEDIA CENTER
SERVES
BROADCASTERS, WEBCASTERS WITH JVC PROHD CAMERAS
The Media Center, a
satellite uplink, video production, and computer animation service
provider based in Charleston, W.V., has built a new flypack production
system built around three JVC GY-HM790 ProHD cameras. The new system
was designed to support existing broadcast clients, as well as attract
new webcasting clients. In January, only a few days after the flypack
was assembled, it was already being used for both.
For its first project, the flypack was used to produce a three-camera
production of the inauguration of West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin.
Then, The Media Center partnered with RSN Sports to provide coverage of
the Big Atlantic Classic high school basketball tournament in Beckley,
W.V. The tournament was streamed to www.rsnsports.com, and the two
companies will provide online coverage of upcoming high school
wrestling and softball events.
The new flypack is built around three JVC GY-HM790 ProHD cameras with
Canon lenses mounted to Acebil tripods. On location, two of the cameras
are used with full studio configs, including JVC KA-790G studio sleds,
while the third is used for handheld shots. Dan Shreve, owner and
co-founder of The Media Center, said the company’s uplink business
remains robust, but he is excited to expand his business to include
more Internet streaming projects.
“The JVC GY-HM790 is a perfect fit for our flypack multi-camera
production system,” Shreve said. “It makes a great picture, it’s very
easy to use, and I like the menu system. Plus, it’s really cost
effective, especially for the quality you get.”
Initially, Shreve was drawn to the JVC camera because The Media Center
is an Apple house, and the GY-HM790 offers native QuickTime (.MOV) file
recording (in addition to .MP4 files). As a result, footage can be
edited immediately, without transcoding. “That feature is what turned
me toward JVC,” he added, “and the more I looked at their camera, the
more I liked it.”
The Media Center has been working with tapeless acquisition for years,
but Shreve prefers JVC’s nonproprietary approach. “Not only are the
SDHC cards we use affordable – and you get so much footage on those 32
GB cards – I can go to Best Buy and buy a $15 card reader instead of
investing in another piece of expensive, proprietary gear,” Shreve
said. “That’s convenient.”
With its innovative modular design, the GY-HM790 is ideal for multicore
or fiber-based studios. Three, 1/3-inch progressive scan CCDs produce
1080i and 720p images, as well as SD (480i) for operations that have
not yet made the move to HD. The compact, shoulder-mount camera is also
an outstanding choice for ENG use, with a dual SDHC card slot design,
pool feed input, retro cache that records up to 20 seconds to prevent
missed shots, and both a 4.3-inch flip-out LCD monitor and high
resolution LCOS viewfinder.