Education 
Broadcast Pix switchers are used in educational institutions ranging from the largest universities to high schools. Applications include school events, distance learning, campus wide television shows, school sports, and teaching live production.
Broadcast Pix User Reports
Georgia High School Invests in Digital Broadcast Studio
Oct 15, 2008 By Linda Seid Frembes
(courtesy of svconline.com)
The two-camera digital broadcast studio has a 4TB server with Avid nonlinear editing capability, eight editing bays, Avid Media Composer, a full lighting rig, and light and audio consoles. White also chose a Broadcast Pix Slate 2100 production system that has eight to12 live video inputs and incorporates a switcher and graphics in one platform. White says he preferred the Slate 2100 because of its PC-based workstation. "The 2100 has all the bells and whistles at an affordable price," he says. "I love how the all-digital studio eliminates videotape. Students can send their packages from the server over Cat-5 cable to the 2100."
In its two short years of existence, the broadcast studio at West Forsyth High School has experienced constant use. The studio is used every Monday, Tuesday, and Friday for a two-anchor news broadcast. Each broadcast is 5 minutes long, recorded to tape, and aired on the school's closed-circuit television station. The broadcast includes information on activities and announcements. In addition, the station airs news packages with interviews and graphics.
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Moreau Catholic High School Selects Broadcast Pix Slate HD Switcher to Produce Live News Program
Moreau Catholic High School of Hayward, California, has purchased a Broadcast Pix Slate 1000h system featuring full HD production capability for MCTV, its new film and television arts studio. The high school recently completed a multi-million dollar construction project throughout the campus that includes the new MCTV studio. Educators worked with systems integrator Snader and Associates to design and build a fully-equipped state of the art control room and filming space featuring two JVC GY-HD250U camcorders, Teleprompters and a Slate 1000 switcher at its heart.
The Broadcast Pix Slate 1000h comes complete with innovative and cost-effective features that dramatically streamline live HD productions, making high quality HD productions possible without a big team or budget. For a fraction of the cost of conventional HD control rooms, the Slate 1000h provides all the necessary tools needed to produce live HD HDproductions into a single platform.
Like all Broadcast Pix products, Slate HD systems offer a fast learning curve through ease of operation. Film and Video Arts teacher Paul McKenna says the Slate switcher exposes his students to high quality production equipment that is simple to operate. “When we were selecting a switcher for the new studio, we took great care to be sure the learning environment we were about to create was preserved. We were pleased to see that the all-in-one configuration of the Broadcast Pix switcher also was flexible enough for multiple students to be hands-on with the equipment.”
McKenna added that the ability to bring HD capability into the high school classroom factored into the decision to choose the Broadcast Pix Slate 1000h. “HDTV is the future of professional broadcasting, and the value of training our students on HD equipment now will be a tremendous benefit to them as they move onto college and into the workforce,” said McKenna. “The Broadcast Pix Slate HD system gives our students a leg up on their peers.”
Prior to the studio upgrade and installation of the Slate 1000 switcher, students were exposed to a predominantly post-production atmosphere in their film and video arts courses. Video shot by teams of students on location would be edited in Final Cut Pro and aired on the school’s closed circuit system to classrooms after announcements were read over the PA system during the morning homeroom period.
That set-up provided a satisfactory method of displaying student-produced pieces, but the piecemeal arrangement often created anxious moments during show times. “Whenever we’d go on air last year, I’d find myself distracted by minor details,” said McKenna. “The equipment X-Factor would detract from my ability to oversee the students in a real production scenario. While producing a live show this year is slightly more involved, I’m able to sit back and let the students run the show.”
Students now experience a more robust journalistic learning environment since the addition of the Slate 1000h. Students learn about story writing, reporting and even use the Slate 1000h to run b-roll that was shot the day before. Shortly after the start of the school year, MCTV II students produced their first live program. A pair of anchors read live announcements, and the broadcast included a piece on the football team produced by MCTV I students.
MCTV programming is currently shown to the student body only. However, McKenna says the Broadcast Pix Slate 1000h can potentially expand the reach of the student-produced programs. Airing shows on a local access channel or archiving programs online are no longer out of the question.
“We recognize the way in which the addition of this equipment has stepped up our game,” said McKenna. “The other day a teacher threatened not to turn on the TV during our show and the entire class protested. Can we produce for a larger audience someday? The answer is yes.”
NEELB Teaches Video from a Traveling Van
 We have been using Broadcast Pix system on the Truck for nearly two years now and we love it. It is equally at home in a training environment with our 360 kids or in a production environment. We have recently added satellite facilities to the vehicle and these will be fed from the output of the Broadcast Pix. This will allow us to webcast programmes to all our schools in Northern Ireland and beyond and send video to our broadcasters using MPEG4. An eight camera broadcast truck operated by kids is going from strength to strength as a result of your equipment....THANKS! Many many thanks for a great product.
- Peter Simpson, Assistant Adviser ICT
North Eastern Education and Library Board (NEELB)
Northern Ireland
http://www.thetruck.org.uk
BUTV uses Broadcast Slate 100pro in it's TV Production Class
- This is Nate Selvidio (Installed and trained studio in Brattleboro VT). You guys supplied us with the BP 100 Pro earlier this year and I though that you guys would like to see the final product. The installation of the control room and studio has been complete for several months now, the entire campus has been outfitted with over 200 LCDS, direct lines to all areas in the high school are complete to enable the students in the TV Production class to go live anywhere (class room, football field, gyms, etc.) to the entire school and the entire region of the state.I just finished
 training students on the system about two weeks ago, and they loved it. They system worked great for doing live daily newscast. Students write, prepare, direct, create all of the graphics for the live show after the class. During the day, they use the loop clip feature to show the previous days sporting event, play or anything that has been captured on tape and the background for the announcements that continue to scroll all during the day (the scrolling announcements are created in the main office, and since the entire system is networked bases, they are then sent and updated automatically to the control room) for students to see on the 52" plasma in the café or on any of the multiple LCDs in on the walls in the hallways. It is also broadcast during the day during different times during the day to the entire part of the state of Education Access LIVE.Just wanted to let you know that if you ever have anybody interested in the product and want to talk to someone about it, feel free to give them my contact information as the system far succeeded my original thoughts of it capability.
I am in college now studying in this field, and in the future I am sure that I will be installing many more of these systems. (Your system was not a problem at all to install. It was the easiest thing in the entire control room actually.) With the entire project exceeding $100,000, the BP System was the best money spent out of everything.
Thanks again for helping me with getting this product earlier this year. - Nate Selvidio College Student
Broadcast Pix 2000 Digital Switcher Selected by Seattle Public Schools TV as Part of Major Studio Remodel
Built-In CG, Still Store, DVE and Intuitive Design Make the Grade for Live, Local Broadcasts
When remodeling its studio facility, Seattle Public
Schools TV, the channel that runs live broadcasts of the city’s school
board meetings, selected a Broadcast Pix 2000 digital switcher based
upon its built-in CG, still store, clip store, and DVE capability. In
addition to broadcasting school board meetings, the new studio is also
being used to produce training videos for the school district.
“Two of its biggest selling points for us were the programmability of
the switcher and its ease of use,” said Greg Hughes, Station Manager,
Seattle Public Schools Television. “We have a variety of untrained
personnel operating the system so it must be extremely intuitive, which
it clearly is. The internal CG, stills, clips, and DVE moves have
enabled me to produce a much more professional looking program. And
because of its all-in-one approach, one person can now cover the
meetings or training events. It’s much easier to operate than having a
separate CG system. Plus, the service we’ve experienced through
Broadcast Pix has been superb. They’ve been very responsive whenever
we’ve called.”
The Broadcast Pix 2000 switcher includes a rack-mounted workstation
with a hard-panel control panel and a Break-out-Box. It includes a
digital switcher with four keyers, Inscriber Character Generator, clip
stores, still stores, logo generator, three DVEs, and it provides SDI
and analog I/O, including composite, Y/C and component. Options include
control of cameras and video servers.
Growing Texas School District Takes Broadcast Pix Switchers to the Classroom and the Field for Instructional and In-Stadium Usage
Integrated Graphics and Ease-of-Use for Students Top Reasons for Switcher Selection
Based on the successful implementation of a Broadcast Pix 2000 digital switcher in a classroom environment at its Ben Barber Career Tech Academy, the Mansfield Independent School District (Mansfield ISD), located in Mansfield, Texas, selected a second Broadcast Pix 2000 switcher. The second switcher will be used for closed circuit broadcasts within the school district’s new multi-purpose stadium and natatorium currently being constructed. Broadcast Pix is a premier manufacturer of live switchers for the broadcast market with such high-profile customer as CBS, ABC, Fox and PBS, as well as large corporations including Microsoft, HP, Cisco and Morgan-Stanley.
With over 27,000 students enrolled at its 33 schools from elementary through high school, Mansfield ISD is one of the fastest growing school districts in Texas. Because of the pace at which it’s growing, the school district is constructing a new sports stadium complex to accommodate the needs of its student body. The new stadium will include a Broadcast Pix 2000 switcher housed within the press box for signal switching to a Jumbotron system. Three JVC GY-DV550U camcorders will be on the field – with two stationed in the press box and one on the field. One Canon NU700N remote control camera will be placed on top of the Jumbotron and operated remotely from the press box.
The ease with which graphics and titles are created and integrated within the live video was the main advantage of the Broadcast Pix 2000 switcher, according to Jerry Cantu, Media Technology Instructor, Mansfield ISD’s Ben Barber Career Tech Academy: “We can have one person creating graphics simultaneously while another person is doing the switching. Previously, we’d have to go to a separate software program, transfer the graphics to removable media, import the files into the system, and then bring up the graphics. It’s much easier to operate than having a separate CG system. And the number of inputs we’re able to assign sources to more than meets our expectations.”
Because the Ben Barber Career Tech Academy already has a Broadcast Pix 2000 switcher in the control room for its “Media Technology” program, selecting the 2000 for the new stadium was an easy choice. “Our students will be the crew for the Jumbotron broadcasts,” explained Cantu. “And they are already familiar with the switcher through our Media Technology classes at Ben Barber, so they won’t need any training at all.”
Three JVC DV-550U cameras are installed in a “newsroom” set up in Ben Barber Career Tech Academy’s Media Technology program that also houses the Broadcast Pix 2000 switcher. The Ben Barber Career Tech Academy offers career tech training in the culinary arts, electronics, RTV communications, business marketing, geographical information systems, and automotive industries.
The Broadcast Pix 2000 switcher includes a rack-mounted workstation with a hard-panel control panel and a Break-out-Box. It includes a digital switcher with four keyers, Inscriber Character Generator, clip stores, still stores, logo generator, three DVEs, and it provides SDI and analog I/O, including composite, Y/C and component. Options include control of cameras, video servers and routers.
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The cost savings were tremendous. Staffing costs were also reduced since only one dedicated operator was required to run the system.