Crossing the TV Divide

by Kieron Seth
Issue 102 - June 2015



From corporate to TV For years, Reels in Motion has been associated with producing high quality live events and corporate video. Its ongoing project with The Property Investors Network is typical of the kind of long term projects the midlands-based company is involved in. Tasked with recording all day training workshops using a multicam set up for a six hour shoot requires a high degree of production management as Director Joe Gordon explains: "With several HD cameras plus a laptop feed, the only way to handle the shoot cost effectively is to mix and record live. Editing and synchronizing six hours of footage from multiple sources in post is just not an option when there's a need to get a final production turned around fast." For a number of years Reels have relied on Datavideo switchers to produce client videos. "We've recently invested in a portable mixer, with a built in HD monitor. It's an HS-2200 briefcase style unit and it's doing a great job." Continues Joe. Indeed so effective has the unit been that it has recently helped the company win a broadcast commission to produce a 36 episode chat show on Star TV. Broadcast Standards "The beauty of the production unit is its portability and reliability. Neither the HS-2200 nor the HS-550 we had before has ever let us down despite the units themselves being so discreet and relatively inexpensive." He remarks.



The Datavideo switcher has a traditional hardware control panel that is both familiar and intuitive, allowing technicians to work confidently under pressure. Its HDMI input delivers quality results from external PC sources which is essential for everything from training videos to sports programming. Media players in the switcher make inserting logos into a live picture and playing out on-air holding graphics very simple to configure and operate. "With the time pressures of shooting multiple TV episodes a day or the need to get an awards ceremony right first time, we need a production workflow we can rely on utterly. The Datavideo's SDI connectivity is a must - it's far more robust than HDMI - and the HS-2200's inbuilt intercom is absolutely essential to make sure the crew is working together as a unit." He concludes. New Options for Broadcasters The success of Reels in Motion in winning the multi episode Amit Kainth Show is proof that reliable, cost effective kit has a serious role to play in broadcast television. The small form factor of devices like Datavideo's integrated switchers allows producers to be more versatile than ever, with the entire production kit fitting into a typical family sized car. Moreover, the focus on hardware panels as opposed to software control gives technicians significant advantages in the field in terms of usability and supported of working. It also delivers that all-important confidence that TV producers simply cannot live without.

Contributing Author Kieron Seth#

Read this article in the tv-bay digital magazine

Article Copyright tv-bay limited. All trademarks recognised.
Reproduction of the content strictly prohibited without written consent.

Related Interviews

Tektronix at IBC 2015
Facilis at NAB 2013
Facilis Technology at BVE 2013
Softel at IBC2011
Broadcast Bionics MOR Multi-Object Recorder at IBC 2017
Softron MovieRecorder updates at NAB 2014
Sound Devices PIX260i Recorder at IBC 2013
Atomos Ninja2 Recorder at IBC 2013
Video Devices PIX-E at IBC 2016
Sound Devices Wingman app at IBC 2016
BBright at IBC 2015
Matrox at IBC 2015
Matrox at IBC 2014
Matrox Monarch HD at NAB 2014
PacTV Truck at NAB 2014
Sound Devices at NAB 2014
Matrox Mojito at NAB 2014
Matrox Capture Card at NAB 2014
Atomos Samurai Blade at BVE 2014
Atomos Ronin at BVE 2014
Atomos Ninja Blade at BVE 2014
Matrox Monarch HD and VS4 at BVE 2014
JVC HM850 at BVE 2014
Atomos with the Samurai Blade on BroadcastShow LIVE at IBC 2013
Atomos with the Ronin on BroadcastShow LIVE at IBC 2013
Sound Devices on BroadcastShow LIVE at IBC 2013
Audio Network on BroadcastShow LIVE at IBC 2013
Atomos Ronin at IBC 2013
Atomos new Samurai Blade at IBC 2013
ChyronHego Paint at IBC 2013
Atomos at BVE 2013
Blackmagic Design at NAB 2012
Atomos Samurai at NAB 2012
MOG Technologies at BVE 2012
Sennheiser at BVE 2012
Sound Devices at ProVideo2011
Atomos at ProVideo2011
Source Distribution and Rode at BVE North 2011
FOR-A at IBC2011
Suitcase TV at IBC2011
Frontniche at IBC2011
Sony at IBC2011
SADiE at IBC2011
Sound Devices at IBC2011

Related Shows

Atomos Live Show: BVE Day 1

Articles

Smashing the WTA Tour

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) is the global leader in women’s professional sport with more than 2500 players representing nearly 100 nations competing for a record $146 million in prize money. The 2018 WTA competitive season includes 54 events and four Grand Slams in 30 countries. In 2017, the WTA was watched around the world by a total TV audience of 500 million – with host broadcast services provided by NEP UK.

Tags: iss133 | tennis | wta | nep | outside broadcast | ob | Danny Ridler

Contributing Author Danny Ridler

Click to read or download PDF

What is next in OTT

In the past year alone, we’ve seen a substantial increase in the amount of OTT content that’s being streamed. In the first quarter of 2018, there’s been a 114 percent year-over-year growth in streaming video hours, and those numbers are only expected to rise. With OTT revenue predicted to reach $16.6B in 2018, a 40% gain over last year, there’s no question that OTT is booming, and that there’s never been a more critical time to pay attention to the space.

Tags: iss133 | ott | verizon | cisco | Mary Kay Evans

Contributing Author Mary Kay Evans

Click to read or download PDF

IBC in a post Brexit world

Cast your mind forward and we are not in 2018 but next year and, yes, it’s you and me walking to the departure lounge to catch the plane to IBC just as I, and perhaps also you, have done for the last 25 years. (By the way, where is my long service award – and perhaps a new pair of shoes as I must, surely, have walked the equivalent of five Caminos covering the 12 halls in the Rai). We are at the gate and my imagination kicks in as I hypothesize on what the trip might look like next year. I leave it to you to decide which is closest to what might be to come.

Contributing Author Peter Savage 2

Click to read or download PDF

The Pace of Change

The youngest human to stand on the moon (so far) was Charles Moss, the lunar module pilot of Apollo 16. Charlie had a wonderful claim: his father witnessed the Wright Brothers’ first flight at Kitty Hawk, and lived to see his son on the moon.

Does anything capture the speed of technological advance better than that? The whole of the history of powered flight in one lifetime.

Tags: iss133 | state of the nation | st2110 | st2110-10 | Dick Hobbs - new

Contributing Author Dick Hobbs - new

Click to read or download PDF

Ruth Matos Interview - A Career Unfolds

We first met Ruth when we employed her as a student to help with our live studio at BVE in 2013. We were struck by her determination, passion and ‘I’ll do anything to help’ attitude. We became friends of Facebook and have since seen her career in the industry develop and unfold. We thought it was about time to catch up and share her inspiring story of where she is now, how she got there and the challenges she has faced along the way.