
--
Widespread accessibility to internet connectivity and high-quality smart device cameras have brought live, self-shot interviews to the forefront of modern television, from reality star confessionals to athlete commentary. As the global population continues to shift toward a remote workforce, the role of these interviews is rapidly growing.
A majority of remote shoots originate away from traditional studio environments with dedicated camera setups, instead relying on smartphone, tablet or laptop cameras to capture video. Integrating these real-time feeds into a broadcast quality production introduces a host of challenges that The Video Call Center (VCC) aims to solve for content producers. Combining off-the-shelf tools like the AJA HELO H.264 streamer/recorder and the AJA ROI scan converter with the patented VCC video call production platform, The VCC extends the production capabilities of clients like A&E, Discovery Networks, FOX, TLC, Vice and WWE with high quality video remote and automated production workflows and services.
The VCC's solutions make it easy for productions to procure, manage and integrate low-latency, broadcast quality video feeds from any number of smartphone, laptop or tablet callers into live or recorded programming, or captured for post. During live shows, the VCC works to optimize each remote as needed based on the particular smart device, calling apps and internet connection, and adjusts lighting, angles and more to ensure a high-quality, clean video feed. Often this process is executed in seconds or minutes at air time.
Time permitting, as in the case of the VCC's NFL Draft production earlier this year, The VCC team may walk participants through a test run of calling into the main broadcast. In this case, the VCC Call Manager Pro (CMP) system is used to launch and manage the video call feeds, and run a final test call using an available endpoint. Once launched, the call is monitored using HELO's output. An AJA ROI scan converter enables standard video raster size and frame rate output from a variety of devices with non standard video rasters and facilitates audio embedding. When ready to broadcast the caller, The VCC simply cues the client's control room and the feed is sent through on-premises hardware for seamless switching into the production.
For the NFL Draft, The VCC helped produce live video interviews with 58 draft prospects eagerly awaiting pick reveals from home. Ahead of the event, the athletes received an iPhone kit, and The VCC worked with each on shot framing and connection testing through a series of dress rehearsal calls. On the night of the draft, the prospects waited in the digital wings and were given a two-minute warning prior to going on air. Working from their respective homes, The VCC Call Producers assigned the feeds to the appropriate endpoint through the Queue Manager and using Call Manager Pro launched the call and set it up to ensure a stable signal before handing it off to the NFL. Part of The VCC's toolkit for video remotes, HELO played a crucial role in monitoring the quality of all the video calls.
Previously endpoints and Call Producers needed to be in the same location, but HELO provides an alternative, allowing Call Producers to remotely monitor real-time feeds from anywhere. HELO is one of my favorite tools. It allows us to run our business the way we want, while also allowing our clients to reap the full benefits of our solutions; we can monitor, take care of quality and framing control from anywhere with an internet connection, without adding additional latency, shared Jackie Lennon, Manager, Marketing & Administration, The VCC. Having that flexibility is crucial, and we also appreciate the option to record simultaneously with HELO.
The AJA ROI Mini-Converter has also proven a steady workhorse for The VCC, enabling video outputs and supporting a diverse range of audio formats that clients request. She added, ROI Mini-Converters are instrumental to ensuring a stable, high fidelity remote video caller output and give us the flexibility to adapt to audiovisual needs and match formats at our client sites.
Although a majority of The VCC's more than 30 HELO units are located at client facilities, a select few remain on-site at its headquarters for clients that leverage its Host Automation Tool (HAT). The VCC HAT workflow allows call producers, a line producer, and a host to run a full, broadcast quality program. With the system, clients can produce a show with video callers from anywhere, and Call Producers can enhance the feeds as they're able to see the video output using the HELO to monitor the feed remotely.
###
About HELO
AJA's HELO allows users to simultaneously stream video signals to Web Content Delivery Networks while encoding and recording H.264 files to SD cards, USB storage or network-based storage with the push of a button. Supporting a range of professional workflows, the H.264 streaming, recording and encoding device includes 3G-SDI and HDMI inputs and outputs and the power to handle up to 1080p recording formats among other features. www.aja.com/products/helo
About AJA
Since 1993, AJA Video has been a leading manufacturer of video interface technologies, converters, digital video recording solutions and professional cameras, bringing high quality, cost effective products to the professional broadcast, video and post production markets. AJA products are designed and manufactured at our facilities in Grass Valley, California, and sold through an extensive sales channel of resellers and systems integrators around the world. For further information, please see our website at www.aja.com.
###
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Zero in on one that says yes (and no)
Andy Marken May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image courtesy of Deposit Photos
For content creators the most difficu...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
29/05/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
29/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
29/05/2026
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and playlists are filling up for the season. With summer around the corner, Spotify's global edito...
29/05/2026
New retro-inspired MPC announced
There are few devices that have gained the status held by Akai Pro's MPC range, and in recent years, the company have s...
29/05/2026
Save up to 30 on acclaimed titles
Following a successful launch at Superbooth 2026, Bjooks have revealed that they will be continuing the Kickstarter campa...
29/05/2026
Binaural monitoring application improved
Genelec have just released an update that brings some powerful new features to their HRTF-based binaural headphone ...
29/05/2026
6 June 2026 at SAE Institute, London, UK
IMSTA FESTA 2026 is almost upon us, with some of the biggest names in pro-audio set to descend upon SAE Institute i...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, died April 12, 2026, at his home in...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Comparing 5 AI Video Enhancers for Restoring Old Video Quality
Kate Luvis May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Digitizing VHS, MiniDV, and other legacy formats doe...
29/05/2026
Studio Hamburg Builds New Post Pipeline with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Workflow replaces a patchwork of legacy tools...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
At the Intersection of Music and Dance, an Epic Collaboration Boston Conservatory musicians and dancers found creative parallels in their recent performance o...
29/05/2026
May 29 2026, 09:00 (PDT) Dolby and rednote Bring More Immersive Storytelling to...
29/05/2026
Something fundamental has shifted in how people consume media. Audiences aren't abandoning television or radio content; they're just expanding how, wher...
29/05/2026
Youtube exclusive special drops today
Watch now
UKTV today announces another e...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
The Official Trailer of Physical 100 Italy, on Netflix From Se...
29/05/2026
At just 20 years old, Sean Melia from Summerhill Co. Meath has been revealed as the winner of Super Garden 2026. Sean is the youngest ever contestant and winner...
29/05/2026
Experimental HIV vaccine achieves a long-sought goal In a first for the field, all non-human primates given a new series of vaccines generated antibodies capabl...