(Secaucus, New Jersey--October 31, 2008) WFFF-TV (channel 44), Vermont’s Fox-affiliated television station, was the first in its market with an HD newscast, and P2 HD camcorders—four AG-HPX500s and two AG-HPX200s—are the linchpin of the station’s ENG operations. An additional pair of HPX500s in full studio configuration reside in the station’s news studios in Colchester, VT.
A property of Smith Media, WFFF has a sprawling geographic footprint that encompasses large sections of upstate New York and New Hampshire as well as the entire state of Vermont (except Bennington County). WFFF also produces newscasts for the local ABC affiliate WVNY.
According to Director of Engineering Matt Servis, the fact that WFFF’s was a start-up news operation supported the station’s endeavor into HD news (WFFF initiated HD broadcasts ten months ago). “Unlike other stations in our DMA, we didn’t have to dismantle a previous news operation and could move quickly,” Servis said. “We evaluated P2 vs. XDCAM, and opted for P2 based on its solid-state, no moving parts guarantee and our perception that the format would easily fit into our newsroom editing plan.”
WFFF maintains 20 desktop editing seats in its newsroom where reporters can edit their stories in full HD. The station runs Edius NLE software on Dell computers. Each desktop is equipped with an AJ-PCD20 five-slot P2 drive for instant access and continuous editing of all recorded P2 content in sequence. News is played out on a Digital Broadcast server.
WFFF’s four full-time photographers are each assigned an HPX500, and two video journalists cover the market with an HVX200. All the cameras are fully loaded with 16 GB cards. The station also maintains an HD satellite truck with an AJ-PCD20-equipped laptop running Edius. Edited packages are fed over microwave or satellite back to the studio via a FireWire bridge.
WFFF airs a daily 30-minute newscast at 10 p.m., and produces a daily 30-minute 7 p.m. newscast for WVNY. WFFF is on with two hours of news in the morning and is about to launch a two-hour ABC morning show; live shots, cut-ins and select content will be shot on the P2 HD cameras.
“ENG functionality has become easier with the P2 HD camcorders,” Servis said. “Moving content around as a file is not a big deal. It’s easy to FTP packages to the Fox network, as well as to downconvert to SD and center cut material when required.”
“The HPX500’s five-year warranty is a definite plus,” he added. “It lightens the maintenance load, and makes us confident that we can accomplish more at less cost.”
For more information about WFFF-TV, visit www.fox44.net.
About the HPX500
The AG-HPX500 teams the full production-quality of 2/3” 3-CCDs, DVCPRO HD, 4:2:2 sampling and independent frame encoding with the versatility of interchangeable lenses and the creativity of variable frame rates. Offering the highly popular features of the incredibly successful AG-HVX200 P2 HD hand-held camcorder but with many new enhancements, the 8.2-pound HPX500 features progressive 2/3” 3-CCDs that provide a larger light receiving area resulting in increased resolution and sensitivity, superb low-light performance and wide dynamic range. The HPX500 records in 32 high definition and standard definition formats, including 1080i and 720p in production-proven, 100 Mbps DVCPRO HD. The HPX500 records on removable P2 solid-state memory cards in 1080/60i, 50i, 30p, 25p and 24p; in 720/60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, and 24p; and in DVCPRO50, DVCPRO and DV. To lower total ownership costs for the fully solid-state HPX500, Panasonic offers a five-year limited warranty (Panasonic Broadcast’s normal 1-year basic warranty plus an extended warranty for years two through five upon product registration). For more information on the HPX500, visit www.panasonic.com/P2HD.
About the AG-HVX200A
Panasonic recently introduced its new AG-HVX200A, an enhanced version of the HVX200. The 1/3” 3-CCD handheld P2 HD/DV camcorder now features improved progressive 3-CCD imagers, a DSP that increases sensitivity while lowering noise and smear, and a new 13X zoom lens. The ultra-versatile HVX200A records in 1080i and 720p in production-proven 100 Mbps DVCPRO HD quality, with the ability to capture images in 21 record modes. The camera records video on a P2 card as IT-friendly MXF files in 1080/60i, 30p and 24p; in 720/60p, 30p and 24p; in 50Mbps DVCPRO50 and in 25Mbps DVCPRO or DV. The HVX200A can capture fast or slow action in 720p at various frame rates: the shooting frame rate in 720p native mode can be set for any of 11 steps between 12fps and 60fps including 24fps and 30fps. For more information on the HVX200A, visit www.panasonic.com/P2HD.
About Panasonic Broadcast
Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Co. is a leading supplier of broadcast and professional video products and systems. Panasonic Broadcast is a unit company of Panasonic Corporation of North America. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation (NYSE Symbol: PC) the hub of Panasonic’s U.S. branding, marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. For more information on Panasonic Broadcast products, visit www.panasonic.com/broadcast.
###
|
| | | |
 Related News:
 Related Article:
 The Redrock Micro DSLR Cinema Bundle for the Canon 5D MKII
If you are using the Canon 5D MKII or Nikon D90 for their gorgeous HD video, or even thinking about it, you need to read this. Creative COW Contributing Editor Jim Harvey shows how the Redrock Micro DSLR Bundle makes these cameras even more useful for video shooters, then shows how he and other pros are using it, in the field and in the studio. Jim is enthusiastic about the possiblities it opens up, and thinks you will be too.
Read Article Subscribe
more articles » | | | | |
|
