WOODBURY, N.Y.—The University of North Alabama recruited Hitachi Kokusai’s Z-HD5000 HDTV cameras when the athletic department was required to upgrade and expand its production capabilities to handle streaming broadcasts for ESPN+.

Now that UNA has joined Division I’s Atlantic Sun Conference, the school has games broadcast on the sports network’s streaming service. As part of its preparations, it acquired four Z-HD5000 cameras. The school uses them for baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball and volleyball broadcasts. 

In addition to broadcasts for ESPN+, the cameras are also used to feed large video boards and record footage for highlight reels.

Eddy Forsythe, UNA’s athletics broadcast/video coordinator, praised the Z-HD5000’s visual quality and the camera’s ability to adapt to varied lighting conditions. He was also pleased with the ease of use of the cameras to be able to train students who assist with broadcasts.

For more information, visit the Hitachi website. 

WOODBURY, N.Y.—A trio of Hitachi’s Z-HD5000 cameras are heading to class at Austin-Peay State University, with the school’s department of communication purchasing the cameras for its instructional television studio to give students hands-on experiences.

APSU previously purchased six Z-HD5000s from Hitachi for its basketball and football venues. Now that the three new Z-HD5000s are replacing the previous models in the department’s educational TV studio, it allows for consistency across productions, said Kathy Lee Heuston, professor and interim chair for the Department of Communications at APSU.

In the studio, the Hitachi cameras are set in a fixed position, though the other Z-HD5000s owned by the school are used with tripods, ladder mounts and as handhelds as needed. School officials also cited improved visual quality and the easy-to-teach setup of the cameras as reasons for selection.

“We are very fortunate to be able to use the Hitachi cameras in our classroom environment as well as in our productions, to give our students hands-on experience with professional equipment that will benefit them after graduation,” said Lee Heuston.

WOODBURY, N.Y.—Southeast Missouri State University has upgraded its cameras to stream Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) sports and other TV productions with the purchase of four Hitachi Z-HD5000 cameras.

The cameras, deployed by the university’s Mass Media’s TV and Film program –a department of the Holland College of Arts and Media, will be used for studio and remote video acquisition.

Students in the department produce content that’s broadcast as SETV on the local CBS/CW and Fox affiliates. They also work as crew members to produce and stream more than 100 OVC sporting events annually involving the Southeast Missouri Redhawks every year on ESPN+.

“When the OVC made it a requirement to stream sporting events, each school received a production pack with starter-level equipment including cameras,” explained Dr. Jim Dufek, professor, operations manager and SETV director in the department of Mass Media at Southeast Missouri State University. “After running into a variety of problems and limitations with it, we elected to purchase our own equipment that we could use for the Mass Media program as well as OVC sports coverage.”

Working with St. Louis-based reseller Modern Communications, the university selected the Hitachi cameras “based on their quality, affordability and reputation,” said Dufek. The cameras match the local CBS affiliate’s studio cameras, which allows the university to produce programs with the same quality as the broadcaster and to give students experience to make an easy transition to the station, he added.

The cameras are mounted on Vinten pedestals in the studio and Libec tripods in the field. They are used with Marshall monitors and a NewTek TriCaster production switcher and graphics system.

More information is available on the Hitachi website.

WOODBURY, N.Y.—When Four Village Studio (4VS), a government access television studio based in Floral Park, N.Y., began its upgrade to HD production capabilities, it made the decision to acquire four Z-HD5000 HDTV cameras from Hitachi. While currently still limited to standard-definition delivery for television, 4VS is utilizing its new Hitachi cameras for HD streams onto its website.

“Upgrading our production operations and infrastructure will allow us to offer HD streams on our website in the short term, and be HD-ready when our television carriage allows it,” said James Green, operations manager at 4VS. “The flexibility, performance and exceptional value of the Z-HD5000 cameras make them ideal for our transition.”

4VS produces government, educational and culturally-themed shows for Floral Park and other surrounding villages. With about half of the staff being made up of 15- to 25-year-olds, according to Green, the Z-HD5000s add an extra advantage by allowing them to train with professional grade equipment.

WOODBURY, N.Y.—After nearly 75 years of serving its congregation, Grace Church of Wooster, Ohio sought to add a video element to its services. To do so, it acquired Z-HD5000 HDTV cameras from Hitachi within the last year.

Grace Church has two venues for its attendees. The first is a “contemporary” venue that hosts a live speaker in a transformed gymnasium. The church uses two of its Z-HD5000 cameras to magnify the service on large screens at the location, and audio and video feeds of the sermons for distribution to the separate “traditional” auditorium. Clips from the services are later posted online.

According to the church’s video producer, Drew Boatner, the cameras offer easy use and set-up, allowing volunteers to quickly learn how to operate them.

The Z-HD5000 cameras feature Fujinon lenses and are connected to Hitachi’s CU-HD1500 camera control units and RU-1000 control panels. It also features an AMX network video recorder.

WOODBURY, N.Y.—Water of Life Community Church, a non-denominational church based in Fontana, Calif., recently expanded with a new facility and equipped it with four Hitachi Z-HD5000 HDTV cameras. Three of the cameras are in fixed positions within the church’s main auditorium, while the fourth is used for both stationary and on-the-should acquisition.

(Photo Credit: Mario Herrera)

The Z-HD5000s feature a 2/3-sensor, program audio in and out, microphone inputs, multiple headset connections and integration with the church’s Clear-Com intercom system. In addition, the cameras are equipped with Fujinon lenses and are connected via SMPTE fiber to Hitachi CU-HD500 camera control units and RU-1000 control panels in the broadcast control room.

The cameras are used to support live image magnification on the auditorium’s 44x13-foot LED video wall, capture services and special events and distribute them over fiber connections to multiple locations on and off site.

Water of Life Community Church purchased the cameras through Mankin Media Systems.