The price point and image quality of HD help make a compelling argument for shooting in this format.
by Christine Burnish
RANDALL P. DARK
President/CEO
HD Vision
www.hdvision.com
Dallas
STRENGTHS The world has changed dramatically with the events of 9-11. Historically, in times of conflict the entertainment industry has always been important for the pure distraction it gives to people. But the communications business also dispenses information, and I believe HD will lead to greater compassion and understanding through its sense of being there. Why don't we understand each other? Because we don't know, see or feel people and events that are different from us. HD could give us a better understanding of the planet.
In terms of production, right now HD is as user-friendly as it can possibly be, and it's very cost effective. The low cost of HD stock relative to film enabled me to keep recording for over 35 minutes nonstop waiting for a bear to come down a tree and toward its mother when I was shooting Wyoming Wild. Had that been film, it would have cost a fortune for that one moment. If you're doing nature programs, trying to get a CEO to relax or capturing that warm and fuzzy shot of kids you can keep the camera rolling and not have to worry about it. With professional actors you never lose momentum by changing film mags. 24p HD cameras and the economies they offer compared to shooting film will be a boon worldwide to independent imagemakers. The first dollar in and the first dollar out is the hardest for independent imagemakers to get. But with HD, the upfront cost drops dramatically. [HD Vision offers concept to completion HD services as well as camera rentals and an HD stock library at HD Vision.]
WEAKNESSES What used to be the weakest part of the chain -- display devices in theatrical and home environments -- has now become one of HD's strengths. The images are spectacular on the third- or fourth-generation TVs, and you should see HD projected on a 40-foot screen! The price points are down dramatically on home display devices: They're very close to the best standard definition TVs on the market. But there's a lack of understanding of where we are today with this technology. There's misinformation, a lack of information and blatantly wrong information out there. I still get calls asking when will we decide on a broadcast standard, which was done in 1998. We need to sit down and revisit where we are. Although nonlinear HD editing is already available, there still aren't enough HD edit suites for producers to go to.
OPPORTUNITIES There are millions and millions of storytelling opportunities for HD. Every documentary ever done in 4-by-3 NTSC or film looks and feels totally different in HD. Side-by-side, it's a whole different experience, so the opportunities to go out and re-tell these stories is endless. And HD's cost factor means that stories, which have never been told because there was no financing for them, now have the chance to be made.
THREATS When should existing plants jump into the marketplace? It's a difficult time for broadcasters and facilities: redoing their plants, the overhead, amortizing equipment. When will manufacturers switch over completely? When will broadcasters switch for fear of losing market share? When will imagemakers switch for fear of losing clients?
Randall P. Dark
"The biggest tip I can give anybody is go try it! It's an enlightening experience. Even if you don't prefer HD to Super 16 or Digital Betacam, you can talk about it; trying HD gets rid of the fear factor. The community does a disservice with the 'which is better: HD or film?' argument. HD isn't better than film but different. It's a different art form.
"HD gives you multipurpose images. For some clients we're shooting HD and using the HD for HDTV broadcasts or large-screen presentations; for others we are converting the HD to NTSC for broadcast, downconverting to VHS and DVD for mass distribution and producing print images.
"HD is very personal. Producers and directors who have tried it, used it and had success with it, end up using it over and over. People who haven't used it yet have a tendency to dig in their heels and find reasons not to want to try it."
excerpt from Post
Saturday, December 1, 2001
Saturday, September 1, 2001
Developing a market
by David English
If you've thought about moving to high definition video but aren't sure there's enough work out there to justify the move, look no further than Randall Dark, president and CEO or Dallas-based HD Vision.
One of HD Vision's most recent projects is an HD recruitment video for Texas A&M University. Dark used Sony HDC-700A cameras with Canon 9-to-1 and 18-t0-1 lenses. One version of the video is shown to prospective students, and another is shown to parents and faculty. "The university ripped out a video wall and created a high-definition theater with a JVC rear-screen projector," he explains. "The video debuted to 60 other university representatives from around the United States, and the response was stunning."
HD Vision created a similar recruitment video, this time for Baylor University. "We created the world's first touring e-cinema showcase," says Dark. "We had DLP projectors playing back the video in high definition on something like a 40-foot screen." For the showings, the university rented high-profile venues, such as opera centers, across the nation. Dark sees these projects as the beginning of a trend. "Universities and corporations are looking at this new technology as a really exciting way to get their messages across."
Dark is especially excited about the prospects for 24P HD video, which is designed to be a source for both 24-frames-per-second film and 30-fields-per-second video. Although the overall quality is comparable to that of 35 mm film, 24P costs significantly less. "The advent of high definition," Dark says, "has made it much more cost-effective to do an inexpensive feature, You can get actors to work inexpensively. The director can use his aunt's money. But film is really expensive. Not only as raw stock, but you also have to develop it, process it and transfer it before you can edit it."
Though Dark praises the versatility of 24P, his company tends to use 10801 cam eras. "The only reason I would use 24P is if the end result was a film for theatrical distribution." He says that a lot of producers prefer the look of 24-frame video, even when it's destined for television. "It duplicates the look of film because you lose the artifacts of motion strobing."
Should other video producers consider moving to HD? "You're doing a disservice to your client if you don't," Dark explains. "If you're creating content with any sort of shelf life, or any sort of evergreen capabilities, you have to shoo wide-screen, you have to shoot digital and you have to shoot high-resolution. That's where the world is going. We've gone from cave drawings to high definition."
from AV Video Multimedia Producer
If you've thought about moving to high definition video but aren't sure there's enough work out there to justify the move, look no further than Randall Dark, president and CEO or Dallas-based HD Vision.
One of HD Vision's most recent projects is an HD recruitment video for Texas A&M University. Dark used Sony HDC-700A cameras with Canon 9-to-1 and 18-t0-1 lenses. One version of the video is shown to prospective students, and another is shown to parents and faculty. "The university ripped out a video wall and created a high-definition theater with a JVC rear-screen projector," he explains. "The video debuted to 60 other university representatives from around the United States, and the response was stunning."
HD Vision created a similar recruitment video, this time for Baylor University. "We created the world's first touring e-cinema showcase," says Dark. "We had DLP projectors playing back the video in high definition on something like a 40-foot screen." For the showings, the university rented high-profile venues, such as opera centers, across the nation. Dark sees these projects as the beginning of a trend. "Universities and corporations are looking at this new technology as a really exciting way to get their messages across."
Dark is especially excited about the prospects for 24P HD video, which is designed to be a source for both 24-frames-per-second film and 30-fields-per-second video. Although the overall quality is comparable to that of 35 mm film, 24P costs significantly less. "The advent of high definition," Dark says, "has made it much more cost-effective to do an inexpensive feature, You can get actors to work inexpensively. The director can use his aunt's money. But film is really expensive. Not only as raw stock, but you also have to develop it, process it and transfer it before you can edit it."
Though Dark praises the versatility of 24P, his company tends to use 10801 cam eras. "The only reason I would use 24P is if the end result was a film for theatrical distribution." He says that a lot of producers prefer the look of 24-frame video, even when it's destined for television. "It duplicates the look of film because you lose the artifacts of motion strobing."
Should other video producers consider moving to HD? "You're doing a disservice to your client if you don't," Dark explains. "If you're creating content with any sort of shelf life, or any sort of evergreen capabilities, you have to shoo wide-screen, you have to shoot digital and you have to shoot high-resolution. That's where the world is going. We've gone from cave drawings to high definition."
from AV Video Multimedia Producer
Monday, June 25, 2001
Finding the art in HDTV
by Karen Anderson Prikios
When HDTV first hit the stage, there was talk of $400,000 cameras and $300,000 tape decks--enough to make program producers say, "Nice but too expensive."
Now the cost of HDTV production gear has fallen to the $70,000 level, and there's talk out of Hollywood that the producers of prime time pilots are shooting them in HDTV because it's cheaper than shooting in film.
What a difference five years can make. HD productions are beginning to become attractive. More important, consumers waiting for an attractive mix of price and programming before purchasing an HDTV set may find that the increase in HD productions (and, in turn, HD broadcasts) provides the necessary impetus to invest big bucks in a big set.
...
The key driver to HD production, however, will be cost savings.
"Forget artistic integrity and being a storyteller with film or HD," says Randall Paris Dark, president of HD Vision, an HD production facility based in Irving, Texas. "For me, it's always been about follow the dollar. And if you do an apples-to-apples comparison of shooting with 24p HD vs. film, no one can dispute that it's much cheaper to use HD than 35mm."
Dark says it's less expensive for a number of reasons, including film-stock processing and transferring. "You can get actors to work at rate, you can get people to donate things, but the hard dollar is in the stock," he says. "When you look at shooting HD, 40 minutes is $76, and, in our world, that's pretty much free."
When it comes to the cost of equipment, it's a simple example of supply and demand, according to Seidel. "We've been doing [HDTV productions] for two-plus years, and, each year, there is a reduction in the cost of doing this," he says. "When you have equipment readily available, the cost per unit goes down. The cost of HD recorders and the HDCAM cameras continue in a downward pricing trend. With competitive pricing, people are choosing to do HD as the norm."
While HDTV still meets resistance from the major networks, primarily because of related costs of HD post-production and the challenge of putting new apples on the cart, there are signs that the technology may be sufficiently mature to be attractive.
"Until now, shooting HD would never be considered because it was expensive and, to be quite honest, the equipment has been user-hostile," says Dark. "And there hadn't been enough bells and whistles on the post side so that color-correcting DVE could be purchased at an affordable price point. But my feeling from talking to people is that everyone is revisiting HD. And because it's no longer dominated by Sony, the price points are dropping dramatically."
excerpt from Broadcasting & Cable
When HDTV first hit the stage, there was talk of $400,000 cameras and $300,000 tape decks--enough to make program producers say, "Nice but too expensive."
Now the cost of HDTV production gear has fallen to the $70,000 level, and there's talk out of Hollywood that the producers of prime time pilots are shooting them in HDTV because it's cheaper than shooting in film.
What a difference five years can make. HD productions are beginning to become attractive. More important, consumers waiting for an attractive mix of price and programming before purchasing an HDTV set may find that the increase in HD productions (and, in turn, HD broadcasts) provides the necessary impetus to invest big bucks in a big set.
...
The key driver to HD production, however, will be cost savings.
"Forget artistic integrity and being a storyteller with film or HD," says Randall Paris Dark, president of HD Vision, an HD production facility based in Irving, Texas. "For me, it's always been about follow the dollar. And if you do an apples-to-apples comparison of shooting with 24p HD vs. film, no one can dispute that it's much cheaper to use HD than 35mm."
Dark says it's less expensive for a number of reasons, including film-stock processing and transferring. "You can get actors to work at rate, you can get people to donate things, but the hard dollar is in the stock," he says. "When you look at shooting HD, 40 minutes is $76, and, in our world, that's pretty much free."
When it comes to the cost of equipment, it's a simple example of supply and demand, according to Seidel. "We've been doing [HDTV productions] for two-plus years, and, each year, there is a reduction in the cost of doing this," he says. "When you have equipment readily available, the cost per unit goes down. The cost of HD recorders and the HDCAM cameras continue in a downward pricing trend. With competitive pricing, people are choosing to do HD as the norm."
While HDTV still meets resistance from the major networks, primarily because of related costs of HD post-production and the challenge of putting new apples on the cart, there are signs that the technology may be sufficiently mature to be attractive.
"Until now, shooting HD would never be considered because it was expensive and, to be quite honest, the equipment has been user-hostile," says Dark. "And there hadn't been enough bells and whistles on the post side so that color-correcting DVE could be purchased at an affordable price point. But my feeling from talking to people is that everyone is revisiting HD. And because it's no longer dominated by Sony, the price points are dropping dramatically."
excerpt from Broadcasting & Cable
Wednesday, March 14, 2001
NATPE embraces HDTV
by Ken McGorry
NATPE, the traditional show for TV program syndication, has been expanding its reach over the years, adding lots of "pavilions" to its exhibit floor; including New Media and Animation Pavilions. This past January the show and its 20,000 attendees moved to Las Vegas's convention center and Post Magazine co-sponsored NATPE's first "post" pavilion. Called the "Post/DTV Pavilion," and co-sponsored with the ATV Forum (www.atvforum.org), Post Magazine had its first NATPE booth, as did about 14 other companies, Sony, Chyron, Cheetah International (for captioning) were among the manufacturers who joined post/production facility exhibitors,,
Except we spell DTV with an "H."
Post people have been creating in "digital" television long before the congressional mandate. It's HDTV that poses the real technical and artistic challenge to Post's readers, and there were numerous HD practitioners exhibiting. The Consumer Electronics Association has a presence and IBC touted its Nombre d'Or awards program. Bennet-Watt HD Productions showed a beautiful tour of Ireland (shot in DVCPro HD) and New York's ColossalVision boasted a staggering number of leads. SF Video exhibited, as did NYC-based high-end post providers SMA Realtime. Also from New York, The Image Group (whose story on the HD sitcom Welcome to New York appears on page 38) was doing brisk business, too.
The HD Theatre set up in the pavilion also drew crowds, as did the slate of panels and workshops that appeared on its stage. One, on post production issues relating to HD production, featured Conrad Denke of APS (in Seattle and LA) and Randall Dark of HD Vision in Irving, TX, as well as Tom Fletcher of Fletcher Chicago (which does rentals and sales of HD and film production gear). Rounding out the panel (which was moderated by moi), was Jerry Butler, senior director, DTV strategic services group, for PBS in DC. (He's all about enabling quality HD programming for public TV.)
"Probably the most important point is that HD online is a mature technology," Denke told the SRO crowd. "We are way beyond experimentation and it only requires a small amount of re-orientation on the part of producers or post supervisors to make it run smoothly."
"I believe there is too much at stake for production companies to stay as passive as they have been," says Dark, who has been an active HDTV producer for many years. "At this point in the evolution of HO equipment -- specifically, the 24p HD cameras -- the tools are now so prime-time, so user-friendly and, most importantly, so cost-effective that producers have no excuse not to consider HDTV a viable capture medium."
Dark echoed Denke and many more at the show, saying of the DTV/Post Pavilion,' "I thought it was a great idea and would be willing to participate again."
from Post
NATPE, the traditional show for TV program syndication, has been expanding its reach over the years, adding lots of "pavilions" to its exhibit floor; including New Media and Animation Pavilions. This past January the show and its 20,000 attendees moved to Las Vegas's convention center and Post Magazine co-sponsored NATPE's first "post" pavilion. Called the "Post/DTV Pavilion," and co-sponsored with the ATV Forum (www.atvforum.org), Post Magazine had its first NATPE booth, as did about 14 other companies, Sony, Chyron, Cheetah International (for captioning) were among the manufacturers who joined post/production facility exhibitors,,
Except we spell DTV with an "H."
Post people have been creating in "digital" television long before the congressional mandate. It's HDTV that poses the real technical and artistic challenge to Post's readers, and there were numerous HD practitioners exhibiting. The Consumer Electronics Association has a presence and IBC touted its Nombre d'Or awards program. Bennet-Watt HD Productions showed a beautiful tour of Ireland (shot in DVCPro HD) and New York's ColossalVision boasted a staggering number of leads. SF Video exhibited, as did NYC-based high-end post providers SMA Realtime. Also from New York, The Image Group (whose story on the HD sitcom Welcome to New York appears on page 38) was doing brisk business, too.
The HD Theatre set up in the pavilion also drew crowds, as did the slate of panels and workshops that appeared on its stage. One, on post production issues relating to HD production, featured Conrad Denke of APS (in Seattle and LA) and Randall Dark of HD Vision in Irving, TX, as well as Tom Fletcher of Fletcher Chicago (which does rentals and sales of HD and film production gear). Rounding out the panel (which was moderated by moi), was Jerry Butler, senior director, DTV strategic services group, for PBS in DC. (He's all about enabling quality HD programming for public TV.)
"Probably the most important point is that HD online is a mature technology," Denke told the SRO crowd. "We are way beyond experimentation and it only requires a small amount of re-orientation on the part of producers or post supervisors to make it run smoothly."
"I believe there is too much at stake for production companies to stay as passive as they have been," says Dark, who has been an active HDTV producer for many years. "At this point in the evolution of HO equipment -- specifically, the 24p HD cameras -- the tools are now so prime-time, so user-friendly and, most importantly, so cost-effective that producers have no excuse not to consider HDTV a viable capture medium."
Dark echoed Denke and many more at the show, saying of the DTV/Post Pavilion,' "I thought it was a great idea and would be willing to participate again."
from Post
Monday, June 26, 2000
The road show
Demand for production mobile units for sports means equipping trucks that are bigger and better.
by Edmond M. Rosenthal
HD on wheels
Fully dedicated to HD production, post-production and mobile work since March 1992, Dallas-based HD Vision is handling mobile production for a mix of sports events, concerts and trade shows. Recent projects include the Final Four NCAA basketball telecasts for CBS and a Barry Manilow concert for Angotti Productions.
Pointing to the increased affordability of equipment, Randall Dark, HD Vision president and CEO, notes that, two years ago, an HD camera cost about $350,000. Now, one costs about $150,000. Similarly, VTRs for HD have dropped from $365,000 to about $70,000.
"The equipment has also gotten more user-friendly," he observes. "It's more portable and has more options. It's easier to get a variety of lenses." He expects overall HD production to increase dramatically in the fall.
except from Broadcasting & Cable
by Edmond M. Rosenthal
HD on wheels
Fully dedicated to HD production, post-production and mobile work since March 1992, Dallas-based HD Vision is handling mobile production for a mix of sports events, concerts and trade shows. Recent projects include the Final Four NCAA basketball telecasts for CBS and a Barry Manilow concert for Angotti Productions.
Pointing to the increased affordability of equipment, Randall Dark, HD Vision president and CEO, notes that, two years ago, an HD camera cost about $350,000. Now, one costs about $150,000. Similarly, VTRs for HD have dropped from $365,000 to about $70,000.
"The equipment has also gotten more user-friendly," he observes. "It's more portable and has more options. It's easier to get a variety of lenses." He expects overall HD production to increase dramatically in the fall.
except from Broadcasting & Cable
Thursday, May 18, 2000
IECF honors Dark as industry pioneer
Randall Dark is one of two leaders in the field of high-definition production who have been selected for major awards from the International Electronic Cinema Festival (IECF) in Portland, Oregon May 15-19.
Joe Flaherty, Ph.D. of CBS is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award and Randall Paris Dark of HD Vision was selected to receive the Pioneer Award. The Astrolabium Awards ceremony is May 19 at 11 a.m.
Randall Paris Dark, founder, president and CEO of HD Vision, was selected to receive the Pioneer Award. The Pioneer Award is granted for "contributions the individual has made to HDTV production and/or to the promotion of the IECF from a technical, creative, or business aspect."
Dark is an undisputed pioneer in the HDTV industry. He has over 300 high definition productions to his credit, in a career that began with "Chasing Rainbows," the world's first mini-series imaged in High Definition. As a writer, director, and producer he is able to offer an artist's point of view while demonstrating the technological advantages of high definition.
From January-April 2000 alone, programs he directed and produced have received one Silver and three Bronze Tellys, two Communicator Crystal Awards of Excellence, a Communicator Award of Distinction, an Aurora Gold Award, a Gold Summit Creative Award, an Aurora Platinum Best In Show Award and a Certificate of Merit from the Chicago International Television Festival.
In addition to his experience in high definition, Dark is a theatrical director/producer and published playwright, with memberships in the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, and the Playwrights Union of Canada.
The International Electronic Cinema Festival, the oldest and most prestigious forum for recognizing outstanding achievements in digital television and digital cinema, is in the United States for the first time ever in Portland, Oregon. It has been held alternately in Montreux, Switzerland, and Chiba, Japan, since 1987.
read the full press release here
Joe Flaherty, Ph.D. of CBS is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award and Randall Paris Dark of HD Vision was selected to receive the Pioneer Award. The Astrolabium Awards ceremony is May 19 at 11 a.m.
Randall Paris Dark, founder, president and CEO of HD Vision, was selected to receive the Pioneer Award. The Pioneer Award is granted for "contributions the individual has made to HDTV production and/or to the promotion of the IECF from a technical, creative, or business aspect."
Dark is an undisputed pioneer in the HDTV industry. He has over 300 high definition productions to his credit, in a career that began with "Chasing Rainbows," the world's first mini-series imaged in High Definition. As a writer, director, and producer he is able to offer an artist's point of view while demonstrating the technological advantages of high definition.
From January-April 2000 alone, programs he directed and produced have received one Silver and three Bronze Tellys, two Communicator Crystal Awards of Excellence, a Communicator Award of Distinction, an Aurora Gold Award, a Gold Summit Creative Award, an Aurora Platinum Best In Show Award and a Certificate of Merit from the Chicago International Television Festival.
In addition to his experience in high definition, Dark is a theatrical director/producer and published playwright, with memberships in the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, and the Playwrights Union of Canada.
The International Electronic Cinema Festival, the oldest and most prestigious forum for recognizing outstanding achievements in digital television and digital cinema, is in the United States for the first time ever in Portland, Oregon. It has been held alternately in Montreux, Switzerland, and Chiba, Japan, since 1987.
read the full press release here
Monday, December 20, 1999
New HD truck hits the road
Stations may rent unit; goal is to make HDTV production more affordable.
by Ken Kerschbaumer
There's a new HD production truck on the road, and it's for rent. First stop was North Carolina for an HD production of a college basketball tournament. Next, it's off to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show, Jan. 5-9.
The mobile truck is a joint venture of WRAL Digital, DTV Resources and HD VISION and is part of an effort to make HDTV production more affordable for HDTV Consortium member stations. Stations may book the truck for five-day periods, with the standard NATPE/HDTV Consortium configuration price including the truck, five Sony cameras and three Sony HDCAM VTRs. (Additional equipment is priced separately.).
"We're relying on volume, and I anticipate keeping the truck very busy," says Randall Paris Dark, president of HD VISION. "We're doing this for the consortium and are trying to have cost-effective programming. It's not like we built it so we could make lots of money. We just want to pay the bills."
The truck's first event, the Food Lion MVP Classic basketball tournament in Charlotte, N.C., Dec. 3-5, was produced and broadcast by WRAL-TV, Harris and Raycom Sports. It was carried on 10 DTV stations across the country (including WETA-TV Washington, which became the first PBS station ever to broadcast a college basketball game).
At press time, the truck was under contract for four events, and another dozen are in negotiation. While in Vegas, the truck will be used for the production of a daily newscast in high-definition, to be broadcast throughout the convention floor.
"We'll be doing the wraparounds with portable Sony HD cameras, and we're also putting together a studio," Dark says. "The biggest limitation to HD that everyone has been pointing to is having no programming. Having another HD truck creating cost-effective programming will add to the overall mix."
Dark says the cost to rent the truck is slightly higher than that for a 601 digital truck. "It's a great learning tool. Stations can rent a truck that has a post room and get their feet wet without paying too much extra. It's a great way to get your hands wet without purchasing anything."
The truck features an array of HD equipment including four Sony HDC-700 studio cameras and four Sony HDC-750 portable cameras, each outfitted with Canon lenses. It also has four Sony HDW-500 HDCAM VTRs, and can be outfitted with two additional HDCAM units and four Panasonic HD-D5 VTRs, if desired.
The production switcher is a Snell & Wilcox HD1024 1-1/2 ME version, with integrated still store, two DVEs, three keyers, three chromakeyers, three expanded border generators, seven color correctors and four positionable frame buffers. On-board graphics are handled by a Collage Clarity-HD graphics system and a Sony BVE-9 100 linear editing system can be used to create packages using the VTRs and Tascam DA98 recorders.
Audio signals are handled in a pair of Mackie Digital 8-Bus mixers providing 48 analog inputs, 48 digital inputs, and digital, analog, and eight-channel surround outputs. There also is on-board Dolby encoding and decoding equipment for both AC-3 and Dolby E.
In-band data broadcasting offered
SkyStream and General Instrument Corp. are working together on an integrated data broadcasting solution for digital cable applications to broadband cable operators worldwide. The system is designed to allow cable operators to deliver a variety of high-speed data programming and content, including ATVEF (Advanced Television Enhancement Forum) compliant, HTML-based. television content; large data file downloads; and cacheable Internet content to General Instrument's DVi-5000+ (DVB) and DCT-5000+ (ATSC/OpenCable) advanced interactive digital consumer set-top terminals.
In-band data broadcasting also enables cable operators to reserve the DOCSIS spectrum for increasingly bandwidth-hungry, point-to-point Internet data transactions. SkyStream's media routers will be integrated with General Instrument's digital cable headend system.
from Broadcasting & Cable
by Ken Kerschbaumer
There's a new HD production truck on the road, and it's for rent. First stop was North Carolina for an HD production of a college basketball tournament. Next, it's off to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show, Jan. 5-9.
The mobile truck is a joint venture of WRAL Digital, DTV Resources and HD VISION and is part of an effort to make HDTV production more affordable for HDTV Consortium member stations. Stations may book the truck for five-day periods, with the standard NATPE/HDTV Consortium configuration price including the truck, five Sony cameras and three Sony HDCAM VTRs. (Additional equipment is priced separately.).
"We're relying on volume, and I anticipate keeping the truck very busy," says Randall Paris Dark, president of HD VISION. "We're doing this for the consortium and are trying to have cost-effective programming. It's not like we built it so we could make lots of money. We just want to pay the bills."
The truck's first event, the Food Lion MVP Classic basketball tournament in Charlotte, N.C., Dec. 3-5, was produced and broadcast by WRAL-TV, Harris and Raycom Sports. It was carried on 10 DTV stations across the country (including WETA-TV Washington, which became the first PBS station ever to broadcast a college basketball game).
At press time, the truck was under contract for four events, and another dozen are in negotiation. While in Vegas, the truck will be used for the production of a daily newscast in high-definition, to be broadcast throughout the convention floor.
"We'll be doing the wraparounds with portable Sony HD cameras, and we're also putting together a studio," Dark says. "The biggest limitation to HD that everyone has been pointing to is having no programming. Having another HD truck creating cost-effective programming will add to the overall mix."
Dark says the cost to rent the truck is slightly higher than that for a 601 digital truck. "It's a great learning tool. Stations can rent a truck that has a post room and get their feet wet without paying too much extra. It's a great way to get your hands wet without purchasing anything."
The truck features an array of HD equipment including four Sony HDC-700 studio cameras and four Sony HDC-750 portable cameras, each outfitted with Canon lenses. It also has four Sony HDW-500 HDCAM VTRs, and can be outfitted with two additional HDCAM units and four Panasonic HD-D5 VTRs, if desired.
The production switcher is a Snell & Wilcox HD1024 1-1/2 ME version, with integrated still store, two DVEs, three keyers, three chromakeyers, three expanded border generators, seven color correctors and four positionable frame buffers. On-board graphics are handled by a Collage Clarity-HD graphics system and a Sony BVE-9 100 linear editing system can be used to create packages using the VTRs and Tascam DA98 recorders.
Audio signals are handled in a pair of Mackie Digital 8-Bus mixers providing 48 analog inputs, 48 digital inputs, and digital, analog, and eight-channel surround outputs. There also is on-board Dolby encoding and decoding equipment for both AC-3 and Dolby E.
In-band data broadcasting offered
SkyStream and General Instrument Corp. are working together on an integrated data broadcasting solution for digital cable applications to broadband cable operators worldwide. The system is designed to allow cable operators to deliver a variety of high-speed data programming and content, including ATVEF (Advanced Television Enhancement Forum) compliant, HTML-based. television content; large data file downloads; and cacheable Internet content to General Instrument's DVi-5000+ (DVB) and DCT-5000+ (ATSC/OpenCable) advanced interactive digital consumer set-top terminals.
In-band data broadcasting also enables cable operators to reserve the DOCSIS spectrum for increasingly bandwidth-hungry, point-to-point Internet data transactions. SkyStream's media routers will be integrated with General Instrument's digital cable headend system.
from Broadcasting & Cable
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