Media 3 Ltd., a New York-based provider of live shot services, recently installed a Broadcast Pix Slate 2100 switcher at its new 16,000-square-foot facility in mid-town Manhattan.
Installed in early May, the Slate 2100 powers Media3 Ltd's Studio One, a 20-by-30-foot production studio at the new facility. Studio One is equipped with three Sony HD cameras and linked to an all-digital control room. The Slate 2100, from Broadcast Pix, a Burlington, Mass.-based developer of production control systems, integrates a production switcher, production control panel, Inscriber CG, transitional effects, chromokeyer, clip store, and multiview monitoring, among other functions, in a single workstation-based system. The system can be operated with a production switcher-style control panel or by using a keyboard and mouse interface.
"The integrated virtual monitor wall initially caught our attention," said Damon Haimoff, CEO of Media 3 Ltd., when explaining why the company bought the Slate 2100. "Upon further examination of all its features, it became clear we could design an entire control room around this particular piece of equipment for less than other systems."
The Slate 2100's fail-safe features also appealed to Media 3, which counts on providing "must-make-air" live shots for its clients. Redundancy is enabled by connecting the Slate 2100's control panel with the iBob "breakout box" via a network cable and a redundant serial cable. If the computer or network goes down, the serial control takes over so the operator can continue switching cameras.
At Media 3, a single operator manages each live shot, and since the Slate 2100 is designed for this, staff members have made an easy transition, according to Haimoff. "Everything we do here is based on a single operator, so we're able to easily maintain our staffing philosophy," he said.
