As part of its move to file-based, HD production, independent station group New Vision Television has signed a multiyear agreement to deploy 130 Sony XDCAM HD camcorders across its 17 owned-and-operated stations. The new technology will replace New Vision's existing ENG gear and provide a lower cost of operation and faster time to air.
The equipment purchase includes a combination of XDCAM HD422 optical PDW-700 camcorders and the compact PMW-EX3 with the Nipros optical fiber studio adapter (recording to Express Card). It’s the first phase of New Vision's long-term HD production plan, according to Lynn Rowe, chief technology consultant for the company.
The Sony XDCAM HD camcorders provide operators with the ability to review footage immediately as thumbnails on the camcorder's LCD screen and switch back to live recording at the press of a button. Both camera systems chosen by New Vision will be used for a range of applications across the New Vision stations, “from the studio to one-man band production to live ENG and SNG operations,” Rowe said.
Each station's market will dictate the primary uses for each camera. “Our approach in Mason City, IA, almost exclusively EX3s, is not the same as Portland, OR, where it's all 700s,” he said. “Each market will support a different amount of capital expenditures.”
