Connectivity is at the core of JVC’s end-to-end IP-based production solutions. At the forefront of JVC’s family of connected systems is the new GY-HC900 CONNECTED CAM, a 2/3-inch broadcast camcorder unveiled today at the 2018 NAB Show (Booth C4315) in Las Vegas. It is JVC's first model featuring a new communications engine that optimises both image processing and IP performance in advanced models. Designed as a complete news-over-IP workflow solution for live ENG reports, it delivers streaming performance up to 20 Mbps with Zixi™ error correction and SMPTE 2022 forward error correction for reliable transmission.
When paired with any of JVC’s ProHD Bridge products, CONNECTED CAM simultaneously records and streams live video, plus it decodes return video with embedded audio and IFB. Latency can be as low as 500ms for both outgoing and incoming video. As a result, a reporter out in the field in one city can have a real-time conversation with a presenter at a sister station at another.
“Connectivity is at the core of our professional video solutions,” explained Gustav Emrich, European Product Manager. “Our engineers have designed our product lines to share protocols and integrate seamlessly. With JVC, you don’t have to worry whether various pieces of gear will work together – that level of connectivity helps our customers reduce costs and work more efficiently.”
JVC has been building and reinforcing its IP-based production workflow solutions since 2012, when it announced the GY-HM650 mobile news camera. It was the industry’s first professional camera with built-in FTP and Wi-Fi connectivity. Back then, the GY-HM650 was not considered a serious replacement for microwave or satellite trucks, but times have changed.
Today, with better cellular networks and bonded cellular solutions, stations like KOAA in Colorado Springs-Pueblo, Colorado, are using JVC cameras and ProHD Portable Bridge wireless cellular uplinks to produce live ENG shots from across its viewing area. And Televisa, the largest mass media company in Hispanic America, is using more than two dozen ProHD Wireless Bridge units for live ENG field reports from 21 different markets throughout Mexico.
Another new component in JVC’s video-over-IP workflow is the BR-DE900 ProHD decoder. It supports H.265 and H.264 compression standards and is built for both portable use or permanent installation. When paired with JVC cameras, the BR-DE900 provides a bandwidth-efficient, error-free streaming solution over any network, including the internet. Hardware-based decoding provides optimal quality of service with low latency for ENG field reports and other video-over-IP applications.
The same technology that can drive major market broadcast news can also be scaled to deliver affordable, high-end results for a church, school or government facility. JVC offers a variety of IP-enabled cameras in a number of form factors (handheld, shoulder and PTZ) with pricing to suit any budget. The economical ProHD Studio creates a compact control room for webcasts or broadcasts of worship services, student programming or local government meetings.
A small but powerful part of JVC’s connectivity story is the RM-LP100 remote camera control. Its joystick and zoom rocker provides smooth and precise camera movements for the KY-PZ100 PTZ camera but also acts as a virtual CCU for any JVC IP-enabled camera. A seven-inch touchscreen panel provides control of camera groups, presets, and camera settings. The RM-LP100 is also a key component of JVC’s S.L.I.M. studio camera system – an affordable multi-camera production approach that uses the remote camera control as a CCU for JVC IP-capable cameras.
Even single-camera productions can benefit from JVC’s connectivity. The new GY-HM250E offers live streaming as well as lower-third and full-screen titling solutions without an external CG or production switcher. Graphics are generated and controlled through a tablet or smartphone, and up to 50 graphics can be stored in the camera. The new GY-HM250SP adds sports-specific score overlays, which can be placed in various screen positions and updated manually or automatically (when wirelessly connected to a Sportzcast Scorebot that is integrated with the venue’s scoreboard).
JVC’s vision of IP connectivity continues to grow. News-over-IP has become a reality, and a number of other vertical markets are now embracing an IP production future. With new cameras and new system components, JVC delivers a complete video-over-IP solution that can be customized for broadcasters or scaled for smaller installations. The result is an affordable approach to video production that delivers high-end imagery and secure, reliable workflows.
