(SECAUCUS, New Jersey--February 8, 2008) In keeping with its vision of using technology in advanced and innovative ways for instruction, Governors State University's (Chicago, IL) has established a new high- definition studio system and equipped it with four Panasonic AJ-HPX2000 2/3" shoulder-mount P2 HD camcorders.
This small, public university, serving approximately 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students annually, has long had a large media footprint, producing national satellite events and telecourses that are used in scores of institutions nationwide.
Charles Nolley, Director of the Division of Digital Learning, explained that his department fulfills several roles, including the development of new media-based courses and sophisticated interactive training combining broadcast video with interactive computer-based learning, and the production of dozens of educational DVDs for national and international distribution. The Division of Digital Learning likewise operates a cable broadcast channel, and supports the creation of courseware for online learning.
"The university began the transition to digital several years ago with a vision of laying groundwork for the move to HD when the time was right," said Nolley. "Over a year ago, we had completed the transition to 16:9 standard-definition production and established a tapeless workflow for studio-based projects. So last April at NAB, when I saw the HPX2000 coupled with its AJ-RC10 remote and the Telecast Copperhead G2 fiber-optic system, bells started to go off. Here were the makings of a full-featured studio control set with a huge complement of very attractive advantages."
"We concentrate heavily on designing systems with tightly integrated and efficient workflows, so this system offered the most elegant, flexible and cost-effective broadcast HD solution currently available," Nolley continued. "By the end of NAB, I'd put together a comprehensive proposal for a complete conversion to high-definition, tapeless production based upon DVCPRO HD and AVC-Intra along with our Avid Adrenaline editors and Unity storage system."
"We now have three HPX2000s equipped with Telecast G2s as main studio floor cameras on Vinten pedestals; a fourth HPX2000/G2 combination is used on a CamMate crane in studio and also taken into the field for EFP work," Nolley explained. "The G2s provide HD-SDI video, multiple monitor feeds, multiple return video and prompter feeds, genlock, two channels of intercom, multiple audio channels, bi-directional serial communications for RCP (CCU) control, as well as several additional data channels that can provide machine control or even an ethernet connection, all over two strands of single mode fiber. It is light, robust and flexible."
"Panasonic BT-LH80W LCD monitors function beautifully as studio viewfinders and provide a nifty focus assist function which is particularly important in HD," he added. "With features such as flexible guides and a built-in waveform monitor, the BT-LH80W is a really professional tool. We put them on all of our cameras and also at the control station where the cameras are set up and shaded with the AJ-RC10s."
"Several years ago, when the IT fiber backbone was being installed campus-wide, we had multiple strands of dark fiber pulled back to our master control area from all over campus, including our new Center for the Performing Arts," Nolley said. "With the HPX2000/G2 combination, we can roll these cameras into virtually any location on campus, plug in the fiber connectors and instantly have a set of fully-functional HD studio cameras at remote locations. This opens up all kinds of production possibilities that were previously impossible, or extremely expensive and time-consuming."
GSU went from design concept to its first production in just six months. The first event was the installation of Dr. Elaine Maimon as the university's fifth president. Nolley recounted the details of shooting this high-profile event.
"The installation was held in our Center for Performing Arts, nearly 1500 feet away from our control room," said Nolley. "We were able to roll the four cameras into place, and they were up and running within 15 minutes. The event was produced in 720p and the HD signal was also fed to a campus-wide video system consisting of recently-installed Panasonic plasma displays that run at full HD resolution and receive HD-SDI signals with embedded audio over fiber from our control facility."
"A downconverted 4:3 SD signal was sent out by fiber to Comcast for live broadcast of the event over the GSU cable channel. The signal was simultaneously recorded on the Panasonic AJ-HPM100 P2 Mobile Recorder and into the Avid Unity. From this, we produced a DVD of the event, and generated web streaming files (which can be viewed in 16:9 format at
http://www.govst.edu/installation/default.aspx?id=11098)."
The Division of Digital Learning built out the rest of its HD infrastructure on the foundation of the HPX2000/G2 studio camera systems and the P2 file-based workflow. Critical picture evaluation of preview and program feeds is provided on Panasonic 17" and 26" LCD HD monitors, which are also used as evaluation monitors in each of the edit suites.
"In terms of work flow integration we can now produce in any standard - from SD to 1080i - with no compromise, and record the mixed studio signal to Panasonic's AJ-HPM100 P2 Mobile, a full-featured HD recorder/player for $12,000 that provides a tapeless alternative to a $50,000-60,000 tape machine," Nolley said.
"We are really impressed by the picture quality at 100Mbps and look forward to even better quality using AVC-Intra in the future," Nolley continued. "A great bonus is that we can record individual camera ISOs during studio productions either by popping a set of P2 cards into each of the cameras or by using a compact FireStore 100 drive mounted on the back of the camera. Either way, we have an integrated file-based recording system, all fully remote-controlled from the AJ-RC10s."
"Not only are the cameras physically more robust and reliable than any tape-based system will ever be, the file-based process creates greater simplicity and reliability in getting material from the camcorder into the editing environment," he continued. "In the analog days, we had to set up each tape from bars with all the TBC and audio settings, so no two ingests were ever exactly alike. With the P2 cards, it is a simple file transfer. There's nothing to worry about with black levels, gain, chroma or audio levels. All remains exactly as it was captured, and transfer time is considerably faster than real time."
Nolley said that finished projects are archived onto DLT tape utilizing the Quantum SDLT600, which uses FTP over the production network infrastructure and is MXF aware as well. "While we previously have used this for archiving Avid projects, it is an even more elegant and cost-effective solution for archiving the P2 footage," he said. "An AJ-PCD20 five-slot P2 solid-state memory drive is installed in an open 5.25 inch drive bay in one of the Avids so that material gathered in the field can be directly transferred into the editing environment."
"While at present most of our programs are primarily delivered for DVD or SD broadcast, we are committed to doing production in HD," Nolley said. "We are very excited about the educational potentials of Blu-ray, which combines the stunning quality of HD video with a level of interactivity that was previously available only in a purely computer-based environment, and are developing plans for new media-based courses that will fully exploit these new technologies.
"By shooting in HD from now on, we will be able to continue to release materials using current distribution patterns while developing next-generation products that will allow our current investment in production to be leveraged into future HD interactive products. The HPX2000/G2 systems and the P2 file-based production process have enabled us to move from SD to HD production in a seamless manner, and given us a level of HD broadcast production capacity and flexibility at a price we would not have imagined possible a year ago."
For more information about Governors State University, visit
http://www.govst.edu.
About the AJ-HPX2000
The AJ-HPX2000 P2 HD shoulder-mount camcorder integrates native HD progressive 2/3" 3-CCD performance with the ultra-high reliability and speed of P2 solid-state recording. As one of the most flexible, full production-quality cameras available, the AJ-HPX2000 records pristine high-quality images in over 30 HD and SD formats ranging from 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i and 576i. With the new AVC-Intra codec option board (AJ-YBX200G), the AJ-HPX2000 can deliver 10-bit, 4:2:2 master-quality video for outstanding video production and news acquisition. The AJ-HPX2000 holds up to five P2 cards offering users extended recording time. With five 32GB P2 cards, professionals can record over 5 hours of content with AVC-Intra 50 and over 6 ½ hours in DVCPRO HD 720p native.
About Panasonic Broadcast
Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Co. is a leading supplier of broadcast and professional video products and systems. Panasonic Broadcast is a unit company of Panasonic Corporation of North America. The company is the North American headquarters of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE: MC) of Japan, and the hub of its U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. For more information on Panasonic Broadcast products, access the company's web site at
http://www.panasonic.com/broadcast.
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