KRNV, the Intermountain West Communications-owned NBC affiliate in Reno, NV, has purchased 14 JVC GY-HM790U ProHD cameras for ENG and creative services applications. The cameras arrived at the station in April, and most have already been deployed in the field.
Jeff Deitch, KRNV chief photographer, said each shooter has two 32GB SDHC media cards, which provide more than enough storage for a normal news day. Paired with an interchangeable Fujinon 17x lens, the GY-HM790U is well equipped for one-man-band ENG work. Specifically, he said the lightweight camera’s 4.3in flip-out LCD monitor makes it easier for reporters to shoot stand-ups on their own.
“We needed a camera that wasn’t too large, wasn’t too small,” Deitch explained. “This one fit the niche. I think it’s a great camera.”
KRNV made the conversion to local HD news in 2006. The new JVC cameras replaced Canon XL H1 camcorders that were equipped with external Focus Enhancements hard drives. David Feher, director of engineering for Intermountain West Communications, said KRNV conducted extensive research on ENG cameras before selecting the GY-HM790U.
JVC’s use of non-proprietary SDHC cards as its recording media was “an extreme plus,” and its native file recording (.MP4) for the station’s Grass Valley EDIUS NLE systems was another important feature, he said. “Technically, the camera embodies everything that we found useful.” Feher said.
