DREWRY COMMUNICATIONS GROUP STATIONS
STANDARDIZE ON JVC PROHD CAMERAS FOR ENG
KFDA Is First Station in Group to
Launch Local HD Newscast
WAYNE,
NJ (March 30, 2011) – JVC
Professional Products Company, a division of JVC Americas Corp., today announced that Lawton,
Okla.-based Drewry Communications Group has standardized on JVC ProHD cameras
for electronic newsgathering (ENG) for all five of its television stations.
On Feb. 23, KFDA-TV, the Drewry CBS affiliate
serving Amarillo, Texas (DMA #131), was the first station in the group to
launch its local newscast in HD. Brent McClure, KFDA general manager, said the
station is using seven GY-HM790U cameras in the field for local news and sports coverage.
Last month, KFDA’s new JVC camcorders literally had a
trial by fire, covering range fires that blanketed some of the new ENG cameras
in dirt and soot. McClure said he was very satisfied how the cameras performed
in the adverse conditions. “The picture to the marketplace is great,” he added.
Mike
Lee, vice president and general manager of KXXV, the Drewry-owned ABC affiliate
serving Waco-Temple-Bryan, Texas (DMA #89), said the group’s choice of JVC ProHD camcorders, particularly
the GY-HM790U, was a result of several factors. “First and foremost, the camera
makes a great picture,” he said. “Plus, it looks and feels like conventional
ENG cameras that we used for years.”
Lee did not
want to commit to an expensive, proprietary recording media when the stations
transitioned to HD production. JVC's ProHD cameras use inexpensive SDHC media
cards, which fit the bill perfectly. Lee also said the JVC cameras were a
cost-effective solution that helped the station group maximize its budget.
KFDA
maintained a very structured migration to HD. Starting in December, all new
elements of its HD workflow – from master control to graphics – were
individually introduced into the workflow. Even field production was converted
one camcorder and one edit bay at a time. By the time the station launched its
HD newscast, all its new equipment and workflows were established.
The current
workflow at KXXV involves ingesting tape-based footage to its Adobe Premiere
CS5 NLE systems for post, then dubbing completed packages to tape for playback.
With the move to a file-based system (along with its HD upgrade), the station
will save on maintenance costs for its aging VTRs and camcorders. Plus, with
JVC’s native
file recording, there
is no need for ingesting or transcoding footage, which will save significant
editing time. “Better product and we save money – it’s a wonderful
combination,” Lee said.
KXXV
is expected to make its own transition to local HD news on April 25. It has
purchased 10 GY-HM790Us
and three GY-HM700Us with Canon lenses for its main
facility in Waco and KRHD, its digital low-power satellite station in
Bryan/College Station, Texas. Drewry’s other stations that have not yet made
the transition to local HD news are KSWO and KAUZ, serving the combined market
of Lawton, Okla., and Wichita Falls, Texas (DMA #146), and KWES in
Odessa-Midland, Texas (DMA # 151).
Lee said the
GY-HM790U is “the most impressive product JVC has put on the market for many,
many years. I think it’s a well thought-out design, and the layout is very
familiar, especially for veteran ENG shooters.”
JVC will demonstrate its
full line of ProHD camcorders, including the GY-HM790U and the new GY-HM750U, at the 2011 NAB Show, which runs April
11-14 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev. (Booth C4314).
ABOUT JVC
PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS COMPANY
Headquartered
in Wayne, New Jersey, JVC Professional Products Company, a division of JVC
Americas Corp., is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Victor Company of Japan Ltd.
JVC is a leading manufacturer and distributor of broadcast and professional
video and audio equipment. For further product information, visit JVC’s Web
site at http://pro.jvc.com or call (800)582-5825.
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