A studio shot at KMCC using a JVC GY-HM650 camera
WAYNE, N.J. —JVC Professional Video, a division of JVCKenwood USA Corporation, today announced KMCC, a MundoFOX affiliate in Las Vegas (DMA #41), is using three JVC GY-HM650 ProHD mobile news cameras in the field and two GY-HM890s in its new studio. Acquired last summer, the cameras are used to produce two nightly Spanish newscasts for the market.
KMCC had been sharing production space in town, but moved into a new facility in the Boulevard Mall, which is about two miles east of the famous Las Vegas Strip, last August. The mall provides convenient access to the station’s Spanish-speaking audience for man-on-the-street interviews.
The new studio is unique because the area that houses station sales and administrative personnel opens directly to the studio floor. According to Roy A. Phillips, II, regional director of engineering for MundoFOX Las Vegas, there is infrastructure to support four-camera live productions, but most newscasts use the two GY-HM890 cameras.
Phillips is a “new convert” to JVC ProHD cameras. He is already planning to upgrade to JVC cameras at KYVV, which is co-located with San Antonio CW affiliate KMYS.
Although KMCC field reporters tend to use tripods, the GY-HM650 has allowed ENG reporters to produce some inventive handheld shots.
“For the majority of the operational controls that need to be accessed in the field, it’s pretty simple even for non-technical people. It allows everyone to be one-man bands,” Phillips said. “They get very creative. The weight and size of the camera is allowing them to do that. It’s a brave new world—and JVC is at the forefront.”
Beyond the cameras themselves, Phillips is also pleased with the service he has received from JVC.
Designed for ENG, the compact GY-HM650 and GY-HM600 (without streaming features) include a built-in Fujinon wide-angle 23x zoom lens with manual focus, servo zoom, iris rings, three ND filters and a removable hood. The cameras record HD or SD footage in multiple file formats to SDHC or SDXC media cards. Audio features include a built-in stereo microphone, two XLR inputs with phantom power, shotgun mic holder, headphone jack, and additional input for a wireless mic receiver.
JVC’s dual codec design allows live transmission when paired with a 4G LTE modem or hotspot. With Zixi’s Advanced Streaming Technology (AST), the camera provides content-aware error correction and bandwidth shaping, while Zixi proprietary algorithms maximize bandwidth to ensure reliable transmission even under difficult conditions.
Although KMCC is not yet using its GY-HM650s to stream live HD reports from the field, Phillips is considering implementing the technology as a “major initiative” for both KMCC and KYVV in San Antonio (DMA #33), both of which have been MundoFOX affiliates since the network was launched in August 2012.
