Principals from Harris Broadcast and JVC were on the Concilium Technologies stand at
the recent Mediatech Africa show to showcase their latest products – the Harris
Broadcast Versio integrated play-out solution and the JVC GY-HM650 tapeless HD
camera respectively.
According to Christopher Darnley, general manager: JVC Kenwood, the GY-HM650,
which features an extremely long (23x) wide angle lens, has proved incredibly popular
overseas, with the BBC standardising on this camera for ENG operations globally.
“Over the course of 2013, the BBC will purchase more than 500 units,’ continued
Darnley. “We’ve also made sales to other major broadcasters in the US and the Middle
East.
“Apart from its lens, the big selling point of this camera is its low light capability – F11
sensitivity at 2 000 lux. This surpasses any other camera of similar chip size currently
on the market and is essential for shooting in Africa.’
Darnley maintained that the GY-HM650 changes the news workflow paradigm as it has
built-in FTP and WiFi connectivity. It adds live transmission (streaming) while recording
to memory cards.
“You can publish your footage on the internet, or transmit it to broadcasters, within
minutes of recording. Transmission at selected resolutions and bitrates is possible
independent of the recording mode. You can stream 1920×1080 (3Mpbs or 5Mpbs),
1280×720 (1.5 or 3Mbps) or 480i (0.8Mbps).
“Additionally, you can control the camera by any web-ready device, such as a tablet or
smart phone. The camera comes with its own IP address – you type in the address on
the device and immediately you see the live picture. You can also load metadata on the
camera via the web-ready device,’ he explained.
The GY-HM650 has received certification from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU)
approving it for electronic news gathering (ENG). It is also the first1/3-inch 12-bit CMOS
camera to be approved by the EBU for documentary filming.
Another JVC camera that Darnley believes should appeal to the South African market is
the 790 studio camera, which has been sold to Libya, Egypt, Morocco and the Middle
East.
Versio
At Mediatech Africa Mat Shell and Tim Eyles of Harris Broadcast told Screen Africa that
Versio, which combines baseband video, channel branding and graphics and automated
workflow capabilities in an easy-to-deploy, software-based, single-rack-unit solution,
was launched at last year’s IBC.
“Versio stands out in the market because it entirely powered by Harris’ award-winning
end-to-end workflow capabilities. Generally in a comprehensive product like this you
often find that companies are strong in one area only, unlike Harris Broadcast which
benefits from years of experience in automation, servers, branding and workflows.
We’ve had a lot of interest in this product because of the proven reliability in the core
technologies behind it. Our automation systems are the most widely used in the world
and our server capability is equally well respected,’ said Eyles.
Shell stressed Versio’s scalability and flexibility. “It can be used for single channel or
multichannel applications. With Versio broadcasters can work either with its internal or
external shared storage and they also have the option to use the unit’s internal
automation or use external automation.
“Versio can integrate directly into an existing system – this particular capability was
crucial to us. We’ve sold Versio to HBO Moscow and Indian broadcaster Angel TV. I can
reveal that we will soon deploy the first Versio in Africa; it’s being pre-built by a French
system integrator.’
In November last year, Shell conducted a Versio road show to South African
broadcasters SuperSport, SABC and CNBC Africa.
“One of our ways into the African market is through Harris Broadcast’s range of high
quality transmitters. These clients often have further requirements for playout
management and automation solutions from a supplier they trust,’ noted Eyles.
