Category
New studio technology
— non-broadcast
Submitted by
Burst
Design Team
GemsTV: Mike Johnson, COO; Dan Bryant, eng. mgr.
Burst: Doug Houston, VP sys. integration; Scott Barella, VP eng.; Tom Norman, sr. design eng.; Dave Stengel, sr. proj. mgr.; Letha Koepp, admin. proj. mgr.
Technology at work
Canon
YJ20X8.5KRS lens
J22EX7.6BIRSE lens
Cartoni pedestals
Chyron Hyper X graphics Clarity 46in Baycat LCDs
DNF Shot Box control
Harris
Integrator router
6802 series terminal frames and modules
LG 42in plasma displays
Masstech Off Air Logger
Miranda Kaleido Alto RTS/Telex Zeus intercom
Sony
DXCD50 triax cameras
DSR1800A DVCAM VTRs
TANDBERG encoders
Tektronix waveform and vector display
Thomson Grass Valley
Kayak switcher
K2 servers
Yamaha DM1000 V2 audio console
GemsTV launches U.S. operations from a new state-of-the-art facility
In April of 2006, GemsTV approached Burst with its intention to build the organization’s first broadcast production facility in the United States. At the time, the company broadcast its live auction programming solely from its production studios in the UK on Sky A and Sky B. Ten months after its preliminary meeting with Burst, GemsTV was broadcasting 20 hours of live programming per day from a new, state-of-the-art production facility in Reno, NV.
GemsTV is an integrated manufacturer and TV home shopping retailer of colored gemstone jewelry. The company sells its own handcrafted gemstone jewelry directly to customers primarily via television through a reverse auction system.
In the spring of 2006, GemsTV was looking for an integrator to help it construct a studio to enter the U.S. TV home shopping market. It needed a studio that could accommodate live auction broadcasting, equipment and employees. And it needed it quick. Although it was April, GemsTV’s goal was to launch the station prior to the Christmas retail season.
GemsTV constructed a temporary studio that was operational by December, while Burst designed and built the master control and live studio facilities. The new studio was operational by mid-February.
Burst designed a traditional live studio facility that airs 20 hours of live programming per day, seven days a week. The system is designed to meet a fast-paced production environment with virtually no breaks in the schedule.
Graphics presented an unusual twist in that auction prices change very quickly and are tied to a live inventory database. Coordination between the on-air product and inventory is instantaneous.
The most interesting challenges, however, involved communicating with technical personnel in the UK. The production system was loosely based on a successful analog PAL system in Redditch, England, but had to meet U.S. SDI specifications. Burst personnel visited the UK facility and studied workflow, confirming many engineering assumptions with the engineering staff there.
Burst also provided an innovative low-power, low-maintenance lighting package, complete with lighting design services from Lighting Services to assure a quality image.
GemsTV started its U.S. operation from the ground up, and 18 months later, with a fully operational studio designed and built by Burst, GemsTV is now a major player in the jewelry home shopping arena. With its new state-of-the-art studio, and a strong, continually expanding customer base, GemsTV is headed for a prosperous future.
