Boca Raton Turns to Broadcast Pix for Improved City Council Coverage
(Billerica, Massachusetts) December 2, 2009. Broadcast Pix™ announced
today the City of Boca Raton, Fla., is using a Broadcast Pix Slate™
1000 integrated production system to produce coverage of city council
meetings as well as events in the community. The system was integrated
into the City Council Chamber in City Hall along with new cameras this
summer, and has been used for live broadcasts on BocaTV, the city’s
cable channel, since August. 
BocaTV has only one part-time and two full-time employees. Plus, the
new Slate system shares a small space with a Mackie Onyx 1640 audio
board and other equipment directly in front of the dais where city
council members sit during meetings. As a result, personnel resources
and equipment space are at a premium.
“We wanted a system that one person could run and have a polished
looking product,” said Mark Witzen, video producer and multimedia
specialist. “We also had a very small budget, so we had to find the
best bang for our buck.”
Between the city council and various committees, BocaTV usually
provides coverage of at least nine meetings per month. Housed in a
portable cart built by Bigfoot Mobile Carts in Vacaville, Calif., the
Broadcast Pix system can also be transported from its usual space in
City Hall to locations around the city for live events. For example,
Witzen said the Slate 1000 will be used for coverage of the 38th annual
Boca Raton Holiday Street Parade in December.
The Slate is being used in conjunction with four Panasonic AW-HE100
HD/SD PTZ cameras during meetings. John Wallace, video producer and
multimedia specialist, said the new setup has improved the quality of
their broadcasts, and he is particularly pleased with the Slate’s
built-in Inscriber CG. “It’s so much better,” he added.
Currently, the city produces and broadcasts its meetings in SD, but
Witzen said the Slate’s easy HD upgrade path could be a big help in the
future. Witzen appreciates the built-in multi-view as well, and plans
to use even more of the Slate’s built-in functionality, including its
clip store, in future broadcasts. “We can do so many different things
with it,” he said.
About Broadcast Pix Broadcast Pix is the leader in
integrated live video production systems. Its Slate systems create
compelling content by combining a switcher with its unique Fluent
file-based and network-based workflow tools. Fluent tools include a
clip store, graphics system with CG, watch-folders, multi-view, macros
and remote control. Slate is a fraction of the purchase and operating
cost of traditional solutions, and is future-proof as it’s upgradeable
to 3G 1080p. Broadcast Pix is based in Massachusetts, with offices and
dealers worldwide. Customers include leading broadcast, webcast,
podcast, cable, entertainment, mobile, corporate, education, religious,
and government studios in over 70 countries. Broadcast Pix, Slate and
Fluent are trademarks of Broadcast Pix, Inc. Patented. Made in USA.
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Editor’s Note: Color product photographs are available upon request.
Robin Hoffman
Pipeline Communications
277 Valley Way
Montclair, NJ 07042
(973) 746-6970
cell: (917) 763-8069
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“The Slate 1000 isn’t just enabling us to do high school sports in high-def, it’s making it profitable because it’s extremely cost, space, and energy efficient.”