NBC Station WNYT Improves News Production Efficiency With Telemetrics Camera Robotics

WNYT-TV, the NBC affiliate television station licensed to Albany, New York, has revamped its main news studio with robotic camera systems from Telemetrics. The new studio, which officially went on-air last Spring, was launched with a new set, on-air graphics, new LED lighting and additional cameras for more comprehensive news story telling and an improved on-air look.

We're seeing more and more stations commit their news studios to remotely controlled cameras because it allows them to do so much more in terms of adding new production values to their newscasts, said Michael Cuomo, Vice President of Telemetrics. Management at WNYT-TV saw the value of refining its on-air look in the most cost-effective way and has enjoyed very positive results.

The station's previous studio had three cameras on PT heads and fixed tripods, with a simple shot box controller and two manned cameras on manual pedestals. The new installation has replaced those two pedestals with three more cameras on Telemetrics PT-LP-S5 Pan/Tilt heads (with Panasonic AG-HPX370 cameras, Autoscript teleprompters and confidence monitors) and another on a Telemetrics EP6-600 Televator folding floor dolly that is moved around the studio as required for different news segments.

A Telemetrics RCCP-1 Remote Camera Control Panel with Studio Software was also added, which is operated by the station's CG operator, who sits right next to the director. This facilitates good collaboration between the two during the live newscasts.

Steven Robbins, Director of Operations and Digital Services at WNYT-TV and sister station WNYA-TV, said the move to the Telemetrics robotics systems and control panel brings greater operational efficiency, a more consistent on-air look and the power to set up and store camera moves for instant recall. The latter saves significant time in between shows.

I can't say enough about the Telemetrics engineering staff that were on-site helping us launch our new studio.

Camera robotics has helped us to be more consistent in our shots and have less on-air errors, he said. With the Telemetrics RCCP-1 control panel we can get to some shots quickly, which make our newscasts move along more smoothly. We've strategically blocked the camera shots with much less camera pedestal movement and it has worked out great for our directors and news staff.

The Telemetrics system is now used regularly to produce more than six hours of news content each weekday and another four hours on the weekends. That's in addition to several public affairs and sports talk shows produced in the studio. Sister station WNYA-TV also utilizes the studio for its 10:00 pm newscast.

We like the reliability of the Telemetrics gear and the fact that several different people can run the system and get the same great results, Robbins said. We like robotic operations because it provides consistency and forces the news department to think about what they want to do before they do it.

The RCCP-1 panel now controls every pan/tilt head in the studio. A unique counter-balancing system on the Telemetrics PT-LP-S5 servo-controlled head enables quick, easy and accurate setup, even when a teleprompter, confidence monitor, and other components are mounted on the head. Multiple cameras can be easily configured with pan, tilt and pedestal parameters and accessed via a simple push of a button on the PT head, facilitating quick local setup, as well as maintenance and trouble shooting. In addition, the ultra-precise mechanics provide smooth motion and an accuracy of 0.016 , making the PT-LP-S5 ideal for virtual set applications.

Robbins also pointed out the install commissioning site visit he received from Telemetrics, which was critical to get the station on the air in a timely manner.

I can't say enough about the Telemetrics engineering staff that were on-site helping us launch our new studio, he said. When choosing a camera robotics system the technology must do its job, but more importantly it has to have a company behind it that supports its equipment. I give Telemetrics an A for that effort.

About Telemetrics, Inc.

Telemetrics, founded in 1973, revolutionized the robotic camera control industry with the introduction of robotic camera control over Triax. Today, Telemetrics is a pioneer of innovative solutions used in Studio, Legislative, Military, Corporate, Houses of Worship, Sports, and Education. Telemetrics offers the S5 line of Pan/Tilt heads, motorized columns with the Televator, ceiling or floor mounted TeleGlide track systems and expansive software control packages with the RCCP-1 platform. Telemetrics is committed to making the most reliable, durable, and dependable broadcast ecosystem in the world products that can be built on for decades not just years.

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Mel Medina

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MMedina@telemetricsinc.com

LINK:	https://www.telemetricsinc.com/pressreleasecrtnetwork102018-2-2-2-2/...
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