RPR Sports, a Los Angeles-based production company for corporate and network clients, built an HD studio from scratch on the beach this past August for the Huntington Beach U.S. Open of Surf National Surf Competition. Central to the on-site studio were FOR-A production switchers, including the HVS-300HS HD/SD portable video switcher and two HVS-3800HS HD/SD2M/E digital video switchers with DVE options.
According to RPR Sports director of operations Robert Real, the all-in-one functionality and small footprint of the FOR-A switchers make them indispensable for extreme shooting environments such as this. The company covers many productions in hazardous situations, often running off a generator, according to Real. The HVS-300HS’s built-in multiviewer‚ along with other built-in components, means they don’t need monitors and a lot of additional equipment to set up the control room/studio.
Setup on location is simplified by the frame-sync capability included on every input of the HVS-300HS. Real sad he also relies on the switcher’s HD inputs and multiple HD outputs as well as its expanded aux outputs with the SDI output option, which provide flexibility for feeding monitors or projectors as well as providing an aux output for a producer.
RPR Sports also makes extensive use of the FOR-A HVS-500HS HD/SD portable digital video switcher along with two HVS-300HS units and the HVS-3800HS.
