Harry Stoetzel
MENOMONEE, WISC.—Our operation here has recently seen one of the most dramatic changes in its 27 years of existance with the implementation of our Leightronix UltraNexus video server.
Several years ago, when we migrated to S-VHS as part of our workflow, we began to produce more shows than ever before. The only real problem was the manpower needed to manually start and stop tape playback and to change tapes.
Leightronix changed all of this with their low-cost system for unattended operations. Their Mini-T-Net provided scheduled control of our bank of S-VHS machines, and later our DVD players. It ultimately allowed us to broaden our identity within the community by allowing us to increase the amount of local programming.
Based on our familiarity with Leightronix products, we looked at the company's newly introduced Nexus video server. This became our next major technology change, and from that point on, Falls Cable Access has never been the same.
INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY
Almost immediately we were able to provide a more comprehensive and diverse schedule, re-introduce a community bulletin board, provide remote access to scheduling and incorporate emergency messaging—all while maintaining the quality of original productions.
Due to the great support we'd always had from Leightronix, along with their eagerness to incorporate suggestions from end users, we didn't hesitate to upgrade to the UltraNexus when it was released. Once again, we were not disappointed with our decision.
Since introducing the UltraNexus system, we've produced more than 500 shows, with some 400 of these available on our integrated PEG central streaming video-on-demand site. We're a source for information in the community and our producers and hosts have become celebrities. Non-profit groups in our village look to cable access to highlight their efforts.
Those that are homebound or confined to health care facilities depend on cable access for community involvement. Our police and fire departments use our operation not only for emergency situations such as weather warnings and Amber Alerts, but also to provide public awareness programming.
The school district uses the second output from the UltraNexus to provide original programming on a sister cable channel.
LOCAL SPORTS COVERAGE
Sold-out high school basketball games are recorded at the school and then the tape is immediately ingested in the UltraNexus. Within minutes the show is added to our schedule, while simultaneously being encoded and streamed. In only 15 minutes from the end of a game, it's being aired to the public, with the streamed feed made available to out-of-town relatives of the players.
There is no question that the innovations by Leightronix have made us one of the most productive and successful access centers in the state.
The ease of operation and the intuitive workflow make the UltraNexus the only choice for any cable access studio. The UltraNexus has by far the best value of any equipment we have ever purchased—ever.
Harry Stoetzel is access coordinator at Falls Cable Access. He may be contacted at harry@stoezelproductions.com.
For additional information, contact Leightronix at 800-243-5589 or visit www.leightronix.com.
