Riverside Government Television (GTV), the government cable access channel for the City of Riverside, CA, is using three JVC GY-HM790U ProHD cameras with CopperHead ProHD KA-F790 camera-mounted fiber-optic transceivers for multicamera productions in the field. The cameras are being used with a new mobile production van for live and live-to-tape coverage of local events.
Previously, with no remote production unit in place, GTV's multicamera shoots were limited, as footage from all cameras would have to be brought back to GTV's offices and edited. That changed late last year when a new production van from Frontline Communications, which was equipped by the GTV team and systems integrator Rich Rosensweig of Vidiflo in Long Beach, CA, hit the road.
Now, programs are shot with JVC professional cameras, switched live and recorded to AJA Ki Pro recorders. Programs are produced in HD and downconverted to SD for cable, but HD versions are available on the city's YouTube channel.
During the last two months of 2011, GTV produced multicamera coverage of several sporting and other local events. GTV broadcast a University of California Riverside basketball game and the city's Festival of Lights live using a LiveU video-over-cellular transmitter. In December, a MotoSAT satellite transmitter was installed on the production van to provide further live capabilities.
The fiber-optic transceiver in use reduces setup time. The unit connects directly to the GY-HM790U — no external cables required — and a single cable simultaneously transports bidirectional video, as well as two-way camera control, audio, sync, tally, prompter, and intercom signals between the camera head and the CopperHead base station in the van.
Two of the station's three GY-HM790Us were purchased in 2010. The third was added in September 2011 specifically for multicamera productions. GTV also has a compact GY-HM100U and a full-sized GY-HM700U.
In the past, post production was slowed by hours of ingesting tape footage into Apple Final Cut Pro, but JVC's native file recording allows GTV to import footage directly into the NLE timeline without transcoding.
Although GTV does not have a studio, it produces a variety of programs beyond live events. Official city meetings are shot at city hall using an installed PTZ camera system, but all other productions are shot on location with JVC cameras.