In response to Time Warner Cable's request for more content, including
live broadcasts of Rochester Institute of Technology's Division 1 hockey games,
the school has built an HD broadcast trailer outfitted with Panasonic AG-HPX500
P2 HD camcorders, field recorders and HD broadcast monitors. The school has had a partnership with Time
Warner Cable and ESPN since 2003 to air SportsZone,
its weekly half-hour show that showcases RIT's athletic programs.
The HD mobile unit is the only one of its kind in Upstate New York. The 24-foot trailer includes 5 P2 HD
camcorders, an AG-HPX170 P2 HD handheld camera, four AJ-HPM110P P2 mobile
recorder/players for slow motion instant replay and field production, several
LCD broadcast monitors for engineering and camera shading and two 50-inch
plasma screens.
"RIT stays in the forefront by continually upgrading facilities and
infrastructure and this was evidenced by our move to HD production at ETC
Production Services at the Wallace
Center," said James
Bober, chief engineer of production services.
"The university went a step further in funding the HD mobile production
unit."
The unit was largely designed and
constructed by RIT students over a five month time frame. During hockey games, three HPX500s are set up
in studio configuration while two are used as handhelds in the campus' Ritter
Arena. The camcorders are connected to
the trailer using Telemetrics Coax Link camera adapter with an HD fiber link
base station.
