WYFF finds competitive edge in Next-Generation News approach
Oct 15, 2010 11:40 AM, By Phil Kurz
Like other broadcasters around the nation, WYFF-TV, the Hearst-owned NBC affiliate in Greenville, SC, faces the challenge of how to take contributions from non-traditional video sources, like mobile phones and the Internet, and convert them into usable material that can be taken to air.
For WYFF-TV, however, that challenge took on added importance as the station launched Next-Generation News, an approach to newsgathering technology that leverages streaming live video from the scene of news events captured via cell phones and the Internet.
"We needed to find a way to take this video from a PC and integrate it seamlessly into our newscast,” said Douglas Durkee, director of broadcast operations. The station turned to the Matrox Convert DVI to provide the solution. The device converts Internet and cell phone video and audio and provides the genlock needed to switch seamlessly to these nonconventional contribution sources.
"Being able to incorporate these videos into our regular broadcast has given us a real edge, Durkee said. “For instance, on primary election night this past June, we went live from multiple candidates’ headquarters using the Next-Generation News technology. On a normal night, with three ENG vans and one SNG truck, our live remote capability is adequate, but not on an election day. The Next-Generation News equipment, including Matrox Convert DVI, enabled us to cover five additional candidates’ locations live, far outdistancing our competition with live coverage."
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