University of Oregon
School of Journalism Selects Broadcast Pix Slate 1000 Switcher
to Produce Live News Program
February 28, 2008
Source: Broadcast Pix
Broadcast Pix today announced
that the University of Oregon, School of Journalism and Communications,
has installed a Broadcast Pix Slate 1000 switcher. System
integrator Advanced Broadcast Solutions (ABS) worked with
Broadcast Pix and the University to set up the Slate 1000
in the school's television studio at the Chambers Electronic
Media Center. That is where students enrolled in the Electronic
Media program attend production classes and produce a daily
five minute newscast as well as a weekly live half hour news
program called, "Oregon News." The live newscast
airs locally on area cable systems.
Prior to the installation of the Slate 1000, students had
been working with an analog switcher that dated back to the
1980's. There was no question of the need for an upgrade,
however Instructional Technology Coordinator Andre Chinn said
that given the immense leap in technology and features that
the school was about to take, careful consideration went into
the decision.
"We spent a fair amount of time evaluating and examining
other switchers that were available on the market. The Slate
1000 offered a really unique set of features that were well-suited
to the needs of our program," said Chinn, "The built-in
features of the Slate 1000 stood head and shoulders above
similarly priced switchers in a head-to-head comparison."
Audio Visual Technician, Kevin May adds that because the switcher
is software rich, it paves the way for the school to continue
upgrading studio facilities. "We've come a long way since
the studio began running in 1996, but we must continue to
evolve and grow to offer the best learning environment for
our students. Each new purchase must be made with an eye on
how it might impact future purchases. We consider the purchase
of the Slate 1000 an investment in the future, since it is
so easily upgradeable."
The Slate 1000 is a live video production system that features
a professional physical control panel. The switcher uses a
switcher on a card (patent pending), and plugs into an included
workstation, which adds multi-view monitoring, clip store,
still store and Inscriber CG. The computer display provides
full motion monitoring of program, preview, and all cameras,
so separate video monitors are no longer needed, but can still
be added. The Slate 1000 can mix up to eight digital and analog
live video inputs with five graphic sources and two clip channels.
Slate 1000 adapts well to the learning environment in the
Electronic Media program, where television news reporting,
anchoring and field reporting are primary components of the
curriculum. The switcher allows for an entire production to
be carried out by a team of students or one operator without
sacrificing functionality or quality, and the live productions
serve as testing grounds for the students' emerging skill
sets.
"While we serve a large number of students within our
Journalism program, we do have varying enrollment for the
production side of the curriculum," said Chinn. "Having
the flexibility to roll several positions to a single operator
was immensely important in our purchase decision."
Slate 1000's integrated clip store offered the ability to
further streamline production workflows for the students,
and features importation of QuickTime clips. The Electronic
Media program had abandoned tape use a year ago in favor of
a computer based playback system. However, before the Slate
1000 installation, student directors still needed to make
multiple calls to ready, then roll the clip, and take it to
air. "The clips player function fit in perfectly with
our goal to tightly integrate the playback aspect of a news
production," explained Chinn.
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