New World Symphony Adopts 4K/UHD Panasonic Professional PTZ Camera Systems to Level Up Its Highly Distinguishable Performance Hall

Challenge

When New World Symphony, a unique post-graduate orchestral academy under the artistic direction of 11-time Grammy award-winning conductor and co-founder Michael Tilson Thomas was preparing for its first international livestreamed WALLCAST concert, the academy’s video production team realized that in order to capture more dynamic point-of-view (POV) video, their infrastructure needed an upgrade to compliment the Performance Hall’s high-caliber video production system.

Although New World Symphony’s Performance Hall was already equipped with AV technology, the professional POV ‘lipstick’ cameras NWS experimented with lacked modern features, flexibility, and most importantly, 4K video quality and color shading. As a result, the camera operators’ ability to broadcast dynamic 4K video was restricted.

“The challenge we faced was two-fold as we needed to find a solution to replace our existing lipstick, point-of-view cameras with remote control capabilities that integrated smoothly into our Telemetrics environment,” said Clyde Scott, director of video production and resident projection designer at New World Symphony.

Solution

Seeking flexible solutions, New World Symphony added seven Panasonic robotic AW-UE150 4K/UHD 60P pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) cameras and an AW-RP150 touchscreen remote camera controller into their infrastructure. The AW-UE150’s exceptional video quality, wide 75.1-degree viewing angle, and quiet pan and tilt performance made the camera the perfect choice to meet the academy’s goals and objectives. Furthermore, the AW-RP150’s one-hand operation joystick and large touch-panel LCD screen for monitoring and menu settings complimented the Symphony’s production infrastructure.

“For the longest time, we were seeking quiet, robotic cameras that could mirror what was being captured on our 4K studio and broadcast cameras. In the case of our first international webcast, we needed high-quality, small robotic cameras to showcase the different musical elements involved in Thomas’ composition without distracting or disturbing the musicians or our in-house audience.”

Result

New World Symphony’s’ Performance Hall can be characterized as nothing short of magical. Numerous luminaries including John Williams, PitBull and Katie Perry have carried out captivating performances in the Hall, and over the years, the academy has been eager to broadcast and share those intimate experiences with its audiences.

After deploying Panasonic’s UE150 PTZ cameras, New World Symphony enhanced its overall video production capabilities for its beloved Performance Hall, enabling their video engineers to fully embrace a true 4K broadcast environment. In addition to seamlessly capturing the performance of Thomas’ piece in 4K, NWS’ updated production capabilities will foster unique musical performances and experiences for its guests – regardless of their location – now and in the future.

Customizing the Solution

New World Symphony (NWS) completed its New World Center campus in 2011 to create a musical laboratory to generate new ideas about the way music is taught, experienced and presented. This breathtaking venue, which is the only building in Miami, FL, designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry, contains the critically-acclaimed Performance Hall. With state-of-the-art audio and 4K video technology built into its production environment, the venue is the perfect place to bring to life the most demanding musical projects.

After testing different types of static and robotic cameras, NWS selected Panasonic to provide a solution that would complement their existing video production infrastructure. By incorporating Panasonic’s AW-UE150 PTZ cameras and AW-RP150 touchscreen remote camera controller into the Performance Hall’s infrastructure, the Symphony’s video team gained countless advantages over their previous setup.

“Prior to installing Panasonic’s solutions, camera shading was a difficult task, partially because the smaller form-factor cameras we had been working with had limited controls available for shading,” said Scott.

Thanks to the AW-UE150 PTZ’s large 1" MOS sensor, 4K/UHD 60P video capture and 20x optical zoom, the PTZ systems paired harmoniously with the Performance Hall’s large multi-camera, 4K broadcast environment. Furthermore, the cameras’ form factor and design and quiet pan and tilt movement allowed NWS’ production crew to broadcast more engaging video that immersed their audience within the musical performance itself.

Coupled with the PTZs, Panasonic’s advanced AW-RP150 touchscreen remote camera controller provided NWS’ camera operators with more reliable functionality, right at their fingertips. The AW-RP150’s intuitive touchscreen allows for rapid camera adjustments, up to 100 camera presets and precise camera movement via the built-in joystick. In addition to controlling the Panasonic PTZ cameras, the controller enabled the Symphony’s video team to operate their multi-camera, 4K broadcast environment on its Telemetrics system, streamlining their production overall.

After experiencing the 4K steaming benefits of Panasonic’s PTZ cameras, New World Symphony purchased ten additional AW-UE150 PTZ cameras to facilitate its graduate in-person and online music program which prepares young musicians around the world for leadership roles in professional orchestras and ensembles. To date, NWS has helped launched the careers of more than 1,150 alumni worldwide.

To learn more about NWS, visit nws.edu.