SAN MATEO, Calif.—At the Bay Area Online Sports Network (BAOSN), our mission is to deliver cost-effective, high-definition, quality broadcasts of local high school and college sporting events online. As our tagline—“Game On—Live and Later”—says, our broadcasts are available live and then archived for several years. Any broadcast, live or archived, can be viewed by anyone for free and in order to make live events special, we cover not only the game on the field, but the cheerleaders, bands, and dance teams as well.
Produce at a Higher Level
We have used JVC cameras since we started in 2014, so when JVC introduced its 500 Series CONNECTED CAM with SRT, it was a game changer for us. The GY-HC500 camera—with its 40X lossless dynamic zoom and ability to use SRT—has allowed us to be able to play at a higher level.
Most of our games are shot in 720p, as most of our clients—both national and local—ask for it. The 40X zoom was one of the key factors that made us go with the GY-HC500. Today we utilize four GY-HC500 CONNECTED CAMs, four BR-DE900 decoders, JVC’s professional-grade, high-performance IP decoding appliance, and two previous generation JVC cameras.
Covid Shift to REMI
In response to the pandemic, remote production took center stage and we shifted to REMI (REMote Integration production). When a broadband connection is available on location and at the studio, the workflow involves simply connecting the camera LAN to the router or using built-in camera Wi-Fi for wireless connectivity. REMI allows us to send the H.264- or HEVC-encoded ISO feed from each camera directly to our BR-DE900 decoders using SRT.
Setup on location is always quick and simple. The GY-HC500 can store four streaming destinations and return video (IFB) sources and with all settings preprogrammed—connecting to the internet and pressing the “Online” button is all that is needed to start a contribution-quality video feed to the remote studio.
Trying to purchase and learn how to use new cameras during the pandemic posed potentially unprecedented challenges for us, but the support we received from Edgar Shane, JVC general manager, engineering, and his team was incredible. They made sure we were up to speed on how best to set up and utilize our new cameras and about SRT technology in general.
Due to the pandemic, all of our training and support was done remotely over the phone, and they were incredible to work with. You don’t necessarily think about the support component when you make a purchase, but JVC’s customer service is top notch.
For more information on JVC cameras visit http://pro.jvc.com.
