The Patriot League, a Division 1 conference with sponsored championship competition in 24 sports, has purchased 30 JVC GY-HM600 ProHD cameras as part of 10 portable video production systems to stream live coverage of sporting events from its member schools to its digital network, in partnership with Campus Insiders
JVC Professional Products Company, a division of JVC Americas Corp., today announced that the Patriot League, a Division 1 conference with sponsored championship competition in 24 sports, has purchased 30 JVC GY-HM600 ProHD cameras as part of 10 portable video production systems to stream live coverage of sporting events from its member schools to its digital network, in partnership with Campus Insiders.
Established in 1986, the Patriot League includes 10 full members and three associate members. It has been streaming sports coverage for seven years, but had limited digital rights and only produced about 150 events per year. This year, armed with a more consolidated rights package and custom-built, multi-camera HD production systems for each full member school, the league will stream nearly 250 live home games in the fall from a variety of men and women’s sports, including football, basketball, field hockey, volleyball, and soccer.
Designed and built by Applied Video Technology, a systems integrator based in Malvern, Penn., each “VidCaster 455” system is anchored by three GY-HM600 cameras and a NewTek TriCaster 455 integrated production system. “We designed the VidCaster 455 to be a self-contained HD production system that’s easy to transport and set up,” Bruce MacLelland, owner of AVT. “We think the JVC GY-HM600 is perfect for the Patriot League. It’s affordable, works well as studio configs or as a handheld, and has a built-in 23x zoom lens that’s a great choice for sports.”
According to Richard Wanninger, Patriot League senior associate executive director, the new systems were deployed starting in mid-August, and the new site, www.campusinsiders.com/network/patriot_league, went live on Aug. 26. “We are excited to have the opportunity to get cameras of this quality,” said Wanninger. “For action footage, it’s unbelievable. We are able to capture the action better than we could in the past, especially with the zoom features.”
Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Penn., produced the inaugural live event using a new VidCaster 455 system, providing coverage of its women’s soccer season opener, a 3-0 victory over Rider University, on Aug. 23. Prior to the VidCaster 455 system, Bucknell had relied on Canon GL2 mini-DV cameras for game coverage.
Doug Birdsong, the radio/TV coordinator at Bucknell University, reported very positive reactions from viewers and staff following the first production using the new JVC cameras. “There was no comparison. The picture quality – it just blew everyone away,” he said. “With sports, the action happens so quickly. The zoom is incredible. It’s fast and you don’t get a fuzzy image. All I could say was, ‘Wow.’”
The Bucknell crew kept its GY-HM600s on tripods for the first production, but has already added handheld footage to football coverage. With its built-in BNC connector for SDI output, the camera is ideal for mobile sideline shooting, Birdsong said.
The GY-HM600 features three, 1/3-inch CMOS sensors that deliver excellent sensitivity in low light, which was put to the test during Bucknell’s first production. The soccer field was not evenly lit – one end of the field was noticeably darker – but Birdsong said there were no significant issues with contrast between the cameras.
Beyond game coverage, the new JVC cameras are being used to produce highlight and feature packages. The Patriot League purchased an additional GY-HM600, housed at the league’s main offices in Center Valley, Penn., to produce clips on student athletes and alumni throughout the year. Member schools are producing their own packages as well.
With its .MOV native file recording and use of non-proprietary SDHC or SDXC media cards, the GY-HM600 has ushered in a tapeless ENG workflow for Bucknell. Birdsong said post production is much easier now, as he can quickly access clips from Final Cut Pro without transcoding.
“There are just a lot more features with the JVC GY-HM600,” he added. “Particularly for what we were hoping to do, it offers the best solution for the schools in the Patriot League.”
"The Patriot League features tremendous student athletes and programs, and we are proud to be partnering with them," said Crowley Sullivan, general manager of Campus Insiders. "This is a great match of college sports content and Campus Insiders’ distribution platforms that will enable us to best serve the fans of the Patriot League and its member schools.”
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League continually demonstrates that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing its high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education. Starting on July 1, 2013, the Patriot League full membership is be comprised of American University, Boston University, Bucknell University, Colgate University, College of the Holy Cross, Lafayette College, Lehigh University, Loyola University Maryland, United State Military Academy and United States Naval Academy. In addition, Fordham and Georgetown are associate football members, and Georgetown and Massachusetts Institute of Technology are associate women’s rowing members.
ABOUT AVT
Since 1996, Applied Video Technology, Inc.’s philosophy has been very simple – find the best digital media solution that meets our customer’s needs; take the time to understand our customer’s application; find the right equipment; design a system that uses that equipment to its fullest potential; integrate that system correctly the first time. Our staff has over 150 years of combined experience in providing quality editing suites, conference rooms, broadcast television facilities, private TV digital signage networks, and everything in between. Find out more at www.appliedvideo.com.
ABOUT JVC PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS COMPANY
Headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey, JVC Professional Products Company is a division of JVC Americas Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of JVC Kenwood Corporation. JVC is a leading manufacturer and distributor of broadcast and professional video and audio equipment, D-ILA front projection systems, and Super LoLux HD video security products. For further product information, visit JVC’s Web site at http://pro.jvc.com or call (800) 582-5825.