The move to small-format, solid-state, lightweight and inexpensive camcorders for ENG has shifted into high gear at CNN. The all news network has purchased 177 GY-HM100U ProHD camcorders from JVC for use throughout CNN’s global operations. And CNN plans to buy more in 2011 to replace hundreds of its existing tape-based DV camcorders now in use.
A compact, “run and gun” style camcorder with 3-CCD (1/3in) chips, the GY-HM100U records HD video at 35Mb/s in the MPEG-2 format, which is immediately compatible with the XDCAM file-based workflow now used throughout CNN. It includes built-in image stabilization features and records 1080i files in the MP4 format directly onto SDHC memory cards. This facilitates a short content creation cycle from the field to editing and then on-air, which is critical for newsgathering.
