Union University Department of Communication Arts Rebuilds HD Studio Around Broadcast Pix Slate 3016 System Following Destructive Tornado
Students Produce Daily Live Programming from Upgraded Facility
 BILLERICA, Massachusetts (May 5, 2009) After a tornado severely damaged their broadcast facility last year, Union University students are back in business with a newly rebuilt HD studio that features a Broadcast Pix Slate 3016 live video production system.
The tornado struck Jennings Hall on Feb. 5, 2008, ripping off much of the roof and causing extensive water damage. Repair and renovation work began immediately, and the new TV studio was operational by the beginning of the Fall 2008 semester.
Nashville, Tenn.-based system integrator M/BITS worked with Broadcast Pix and the university to design and configure the new studio. Students enrolled in the Department of Communication Arts attend classes in Jennings Hall and produce a daily half-hour live program, Jackson 24/7, which was launched last October and airs on local cable system channel EPlusTV 6.
Prior to the installation of the Slate 3016, students had been working with an outdated analog switcher. Even before the tornado’s sudden and catastrophic effects, there was no question an upgrade was needed, according to Steve Beverly, Associate Professor of Communication Arts. However, given the changes in technology and limited funds with which to rebuild the facility, careful consideration went into the decision.
“We worked closely with M/BITS evaluating and examining other switchers that were available on the market. The Slate 3016 offered a really unique set of features that were well-suited to the needs of our program,” said Beverly. “The built-in features of the Slate 3016 stood head and shoulders above similarly priced switchers in a head-to-head comparison.”
The Slate 3016 includes a 16x16 router for more I/O and redundancy. It provides 12 live inputs, five channels of HD graphics and two clip channels, and eight outputs for program, preview, clean feed, or aux. Like all other Slate family switchers, it has a built-in CG, clip, store, multi-view, monitoring, and AutoAspect to enable mixing of 16:9 and 4:3 content without stretching video.
In the control room, a Sony KDL-42V4100 42-inch LCD monitor handles preview, program, and source monitoring for the Broadcast Pix operator, while audio is handled through a Yamaha LS9-32 digital mixing console. The new studio includes three JVC GY-HD250U cameras with studio packages, each outfitted with a Telescript FPS150F prompter.
The Slate 3016 works well for the Broadcast Journalism program, where news reporting, anchoring, and field reporting are primary components of the curriculum. An entire show can be produced by a team of students or just one operator, without sacrificing functionality or quality.
“While we serve a large number of students within our journalism program, we do have varying enrollment for the production side of the curriculum,” said Beverley. “Having the flexibility to roll several positions to a single operator was immensely important in our purchase decision.”
A former television news director, Beverly said live productions serve as the testing ground for emerging student skill sets. “What stood out to me throughout the whole evaluation process was that this product was a terrific teaching tool,” he explained. “The students are not intimidated in the least and are quickly mastering the complex task of technically directing half-hour shows within a short period of time, thus giving them the confidence to take on even more complicated assignments.”
About Broadcast Pix Broadcast Pix is the leader in integrated live video production systems. Its Slate systems create compelling live video far more cost effectively than conventional control rooms. Slate includes a switcher, multi-view, CG, clip and graphic stores, Fluent workflow software, as well as aspect and format conversion. Slate is a fraction of the cost of a conventional control room, even a solo operator can create engaging video, and it is upgradeable to 3G 1080p, the emerging HD standard. Broadcast Pix is based in Massachusetts, with offices throughout North America and in Europe. Customers include over 1,000 leading broadcast, webcast, podcast, cable, entertainment, mobile, corporate, education, religious, and government studios in over 70 countries. For more information, go to www.broadcastpix.com.
Broadcast Pix, Fluent and Slate are trademarks of Broadcast Pix, Inc. Patented.
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Robin Hoffman
Pipeline Communications
277 Valley Way
Montclair, NJ 07042
(973) 746-6970
cell: (917) 763-8069
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We chose the Broadcast Pix Slate switcher because of its price performance, production value, and ability to cut our capital and operating costs significantly.