WAYNE, N.J. —KATC, the Cordillera Communications, Inc.-owned ABC affiliate in Lafayette, La., is using its JVC GY-HM650 ProHD mobile news camera as part of a multimedia journalist kit to provide live HD reports from the field. The camera has typically been coupled with a Verizon 4G LTE mobile hotspot for live shots two or three times per week.
In December, KATC used a satellite truck to produce a multicamera shoot at the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl to provide coverage of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns football team. The station also took the GY-HM650 to the French Quarter in New Orleans for additional live segments.
Chief Engineer Don Mouton, Jr. said the GY-HM650 has “all the ‘little things’ that most photogs would like to have. The focusing on the camera is phenomenal, and the built-in 23x zoom lens is impressive.”
He is also pleased with JVC’s use of SDHC and SDXC media cards.
Last June, KOAA, the NBC affiliate for Colorado Springs-Pueblo, Colo., was the first Cordillera station to adopt the GY-HM650. Mouton said KATC can take a live feed from KOAA’s camera straight into their production switcher. It only requires establishing a connection between the two stations and programming the GY-HM650 to the port on the receiving decoder to accept the signal. “For station groups like ours, this opens up all kinds of applications for coverage of natural disasters and other events,” he offered.
The GY-HM650 was purchased along with two JVC GY-HM750 ProHD compact shoulder-mount camcorders, which are used for commercial production. According to Mouton, KATC has already budgeted for two additional GY-HM650s. Plus, plans are in place to purchase six of JVC’s new GY-HM890 shoulder-mount cameras, as well as additional Teradek decoders that will allow KATC to have multiple live shots from JVC cameras in the field during a single newscast.
“Eventually, all our MMJs and all our photogs will have cameras that will allow us to go live in the field with a hotspot,” he added. “JVC’s in-camera live HD transmission technology is making our job a whole lot easier in the long run – and it’s a cost effective solution.”
