Salt Lake City’s CBS affiliate, KUTV television, has moved its ENG operations into high definition with the purchase of 16 JVC HD camcorders.
“The picture quality from the JVC GY-HM700 is top notch, definitely broadcast quality,” said Donovan Reese, KUTV’s director of engineering. “Price was one of the initial reasons we looked at JVC ProHD, but picture quality was one of the main reasons we chose JVC ProHD.”
KUTV’s JVC GY-HM700s are equipped with Fujinon TH17x5BRM lenses and use non-proprietary SDHC solid-state media cards for recording. The camcorders were added by KUTV as part of its phased-in approach to taking its newscasts into HD. High definition was added to studio operations in 2008, with the JVC camcorders being acquired last December and going into service this January.
“When my photographers first got their hands on our GY-HM700 camcorders, they were a little hesitant because they were used to our old, bulky equipment,” said Reese. “However, very quickly it became apparent that JVC camcorders are the real deal. They may be lighter than other camcorders, but they are built to withstand the tough conditions of ENG work.”
The station has also installed an Omneon Media Grid storage system as part of its move into high-definition origination and a file-based workflow.
