WPRI-TV, the CBS affiliate in Providence, RI, used fiber-optic transport equipment from Telecast Fiber Systems to broadcast the CVS Caremark Charity Golf Classic in Barrington in June.
Rain may have disrupted play at the three-day tournament from the Rhode Island Country Club, but a Telecast Ethernet Viper and CopperHead interfaced with a Sony PMW-EX3 camera, and a Telecast Rattler ensured a reliable signal throughout.
The cost-effective technology allowed WPRI-TV to broadcast a high-quality signal on a limited production budget. To support two reporters, two guests and a jib camera for beauty shots, WPRI set up an announce position next to the course, establishing interconnection with a single 500ft run of TAC-4 cable between it and the WPRI-TV production trailer. A second cable was also installed for backup. The Telecast-based systems operated seamlessly all three days, much of that time in the rain.
At the heart of the system was a Telecast Ethernet Viper that moved HD program videos, return video, six program audio channels, two IFB channels and two Clear-Com channels. One of the three Sony PMW-EX3 camcorders was fed through a Telecast Viper Mussel Shell with the second set camera connected through the two spare Mussel Shell fibers to a Telecast CopperHead that had been equipped to interface with it. The CopperHead provided camera signal interface, remote-control functions, operator intercom and tally. The third Sony PMW-EX3 jib camcorder was fed back to the production trailer using a Telecast Rattler system.
