City of Fayetteville, N.C., Anchors Full HD Production with Broadcast Pix

Fayetteville PEG Channel Improves Workflows, Anchors Full HD Production with Broadcast Pix

Chelmsford, Massachusetts Nov. 15, 2016 FayTV, the government access channel for the City of Fayetteville, N.C., purchased two Broadcast Pix integrated production switchers with BPNet last summer to improve its workflows and complete its HD transition. The new Mica 1000 is used to produce government meetings from the PEG (public, education, government) channel's temporary facilities near City Hall, while the new Roadie mobile system is dramatically improving remote productions.

Before the Roadie was purchased, remote shoots were a tedious process that required significant work in post before airing. For example, a local candidate forum hosted by the local chamber of commerce would be covered using one camera, and graphics would be added in post. The finished program would require hours of editing, plus additional time for exporting the finished program and multi-camera remote shoots would take even longer. As a result, programming could take days to air.

With the Roadie, FayTV can switch a multi-camera shoot and add graphics during the event, which practically eliminates post production. Using the system's BPView customizable multi-view, Gavin MacRoberts, public information specialist for the City of Fayetteville and content producer for FayTV, pairs the Roadie with a 21-inch monitor to display the preview/program and camera feeds, and uses the Roadie's touchscreen monitor to access clips and graphics through the PixPanel.

As a result of the new workflow, this fall's candidate forum aired later the same day on FayTV's SD channel on Time-Warner cable, and was posted in HD on its website as well as YouTube and Facebook. Without Roadie, it takes days to get that done, said MacRoberts. Now, it's a much quicker turnaround.

With its built-in streaming, the Roadie has also improved FayTV's live coverage of press conferences on Facebook Live. Instead of shaky phone video you have a multi-camera shoot and a clean audio feed, MacRoberts said. For us, that was the bottom line to produce content to connect and engage with citizens.

MacRoberts is also looking to improve workflows by adopting the new BPNet cloud-based video workflow service, which integrates seamlessly with Broadcast Pix switchers. The Roadie system records .AVI files that are not supported by FayTV's Tightrope content distribution system. With BPNet, uploaded program files are transcoded automatically for playback through the Tightrope system. We're really excited to be able to implement that workflow and have an even faster turnaround, MacRoberts added.

Every two weeks, FayTV uses the Mica 1000 in its small studio to produce Fayetteville Focus, a 15-minute newsmagazine show. The studio segments use Broadcast Pix's ClearKey next generation chromakey technology to produce a virtual background. I was really impressed with the green screen capabilities of the system, which in many ways works better than what we had with Adobe Premiere, said MacRoberts.

The Mica switcher, which was installed by Technical Video Systems in Cary, N.C., has also helped FayTV provide closed captioning for its viewers. At first, closed captioning was downstream from our Tightrope system, so we were not capturing the data file on our recordings, MacRoberts explained. Now, our captions are between our Broadcast Pix and Tightrope systems, so we can rebroadcast with closed captioning. It adds value for our residents.

For MacRoberts, the choice of Broadcast Pix was easy. We're comfortable with the layout and functionality of the Broadcast Pix, and its integration with Tightrope, he said. Our content quality is much better, and we're really excited about that. We really do appreciate the abilities of the Roadie and the Mica.

About Broadcast Pix Founded in 2002, Broadcast Pix provides tailored solutions for any live production environment. From compact mobile units to large-scale solutions, every Broadcast Pix features patented control and automation technology and a performance toolset that make it easy to optimize and customize your workflows. With customers in more than 110 countries, Broadcast Pix is the leader in integrated production switchers for broadcast, streaming, live event, and visual radio applications.

Broadcast Pix, BPNet, and BPView are trademarks of Broadcast Pix, Inc. Patented. Made in USA.

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LINK:	http://www.broadcastpix.com/Press-Releases/City-of-Fayetteville,-N.C.,...
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