The future of TV broadcasting is visible today behind a 120ft glass window at a Reno, NV, shopping mall where the new purpose-built studio complex for Pappas Telecasting’s KREN-TV 27 and co-located sister station KAZR-TV 46 resides.
The stations have been engineered to integrate the latest digital, computer-based technologies to maximize production workflow efficiencies and bring viewers HDTV picture quality.
Central to this design is Pappas Telecasting’s choice of Canon’s XL H1 HD cameras for all of the stations’ video-acquisition needs. Three XL H1’s have been configured for studio camera operation, with another three used in the field to gather news. A seventh serves as a hand-held camcorder for impromptu interviews at the mall, where the stations’ glass window lets the public watch live newscasts.
KREN is a CW affiliate, and KAZR carries Azteca America programming. Both stations went live from the new facility in early September and are currently delivering a 1080i HD signal via local cable providers to about 50 percent of their DMA (Designated Market Area). Pappas Telecasting is preparing for daily production of two separate one-hour HD newscasts for both KREN and KAZR seven days a week. All video capture, field and studio, will be done exclusively with the Canon XL H1 HD camcorder.
The HD-SDI output of the KREN/KAZR XL H1 studio cameras is fed directly into the stations’ HD production switcher. The stations are also using Canon Console software that can run on a desktop or laptop computer to serve as a camera control unit (CCU) for the XL H1 HD camcorder.
The backbone of KREN’s advanced digital architecture is a gigabit Ethernet network, which links all production equipment, including a shared storage system that enables anyone to access video footage from any location in the station. The system is administered by a broadcast information technologist, a new job title combining IT and broadcast-engineering skills. The technology implemented at the stations will serve as a beta test site for Pappas Telecasting’s other stations.
For more information, visit www.usa.canon.com.
