Engineering Excellence Awards
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM
RUNNER-UP:
Category
New studio technology — nonbroadcast
Submitted by
Communications Engineering Inc.
First Baptist Church of Glenarden
In September 2007, the First Baptist Church of Glenarden built a new 205,000sq-ft structure that features state-of-the-art live production and broadcast capabilities inside a theater-style sanctuary capable of seating 4000 attendees. Key production system goals for the new facility were to provide high-quality coverage of the services and events; enable fast, efficient distribution of recorded services in various formats on a large scale; and enhance the worship experience of the attendees and home viewers. The church hired Communications Engineering Inc. (CEI) to design, integrate and install a network-quality live production facility. RCI Sound Systems provided a concert-grade sound system, and RJC Designs developed the original system concept and preliminary design.
WINNER:
KEYE-TV
Category
Station automation
Submitted by
VCI Solutions
KEYE-TV
Winner of station automation
One of the biggest challenges a station can face is taking an existing DOS, a highly customized legacy system and replacing it. This is exactly what KEYE-TV had to do this past year in upgrading its facility from the CBS Group-W-designed TMRT system.
There were the usual considerations like master control features, functionality and scalability. Additional system requirements for KEYE included content delivery integration and satellite integration. But, the true test of a system would be its flexibility to integrate and comply with a workflow that was already highly customized.
After an exhaustive search, KEYE found not only everything that it needed, but everything that it wanted in the autoXe automation system from VCI Solutions. The master control functionality and flexibility is there — and then some.
“I'm a computer-oriented person, so when we started talking about SQL, SOA and true relational databases, I knew the system was carefully thought out with a true understanding of what today and tomorrow's broadcast environment was going to be like,” said George Todd, KEYE maintenance engineer.
A few of the capabilities that the team at KEYE likes are Video Spy, logging capability, vertical and horizontal view of the delivery manager, and the versatility of the workstations because they can do all jobs.
RUNNER-UP:
Category
Station automation
Submitted by
Thomson Grass Valley
WFSB-TV
Meredith's CBS affiliate WFSB-DT began broadcasting from its new 60,000sq-ft Rocky Hill, CT, HD-SDI plant in June, calling it a broadcast production dream come true. The new facility features all aspects of the production process on the first floor, streamlining a hectic workflow that formerly included four floors in a 46-year-old building. The rooms feature a variety of Thomson Grass Valley equipment, including nine Aurora Edit SC and XT news editing systems.
RUNNER-UP:
Category
Station automation
Submitted by
Sundance Digital
WFUM-TV
To get from a tape-lugging analog facility to fully digital, automated, tapeless multichannel HD at WFUM-TV called for good planning, patience, ingenuity and unique, cost-saving engineering solutions. As the PBS member station licensed to the Regents of the University of Michigan in Flint, MI, funding arrives intermittently and is never enough to do major projects all at once. Fortunately, the station made the transition in smart phases. At the core is Sundance Digital Titan automation.
RUNNER-UP:
Category
Station automation
Submitted by
Utah Scientific
WQED-TV
Pittsburgh's WQED-TV, the first public broadcaster in the nation and home of “Mister Rogers' Neighborhood,” is now the one of the first HD broadcasters and production centers in its tri-state region, thanks to a major renovation of master control and editing, as well as new audio and video control rooms. WQED has been transmitting in HD since 2002, but prior to this upgrade, it was only able to transmit PBS's HD feeds. A Utah Scientific UTAH-400 routing switcher ties the facility together.
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