Indoor & Outdoor Camera Systems Controlled from Single Platform.
Mahwah, NJ (May 15, 2008) – KGW NewsChannel 8 in Portland, Oregon recently completed a multi-million dollar upgrade to HDTV in its news production department. Included in the over 500 new products installed was a Telemetrics Camera Control Robotics System, which provides unified camera robotic control capability on a single platform for both the indoor and outdoor camera systems.
“There were several choices available for different cameras, lenses and other gear, but Telemetrics was the only vendor who could deliver a single system for unified control of the new indoor HDTV cameras and the mix of outdoor HDTV digital and analog cameras,” said Eric Dausman, Director of Technology, KGW NewsChannel 8. “It’s obvious that Telemetrics really understands the needs of the marketplace and has the experience to address these kinds of complexities.”
As explained by Mr. Dausman, one aspect of the redesigned KGW newsroom is a complete HD environment consisting of two indoor and two outdoor systems to control four Sony HD cameras and Fujinon remote control lenses.
The Telemetrics CLIU-HFUX 310 Camera Control Interface unit, with dual camera support, provides the interface between the Telemetrics Control Panel and software and the Sony camera fiber interface unit. This configuration allows for camera paint and lens control as well as robotic control of the Telemetrics pan/tilt heads and other robotic devices such as Telemetrics’ Camera Trolley System or Televator Elevating Pedestal. All robotic control signals are sent through the Sony fiber interface. This allows for the remote camera and Telemetrics robotics to be run via fiber optics over very long distances.
A roof-top HD camera was installed in a weatherproof Telemetrics LWP-HOUL Heavy Duty Large Camera Housing, fitted to a Telemetrics PT-LWP-S3 Servo Pan/Tilt Head. The second outdoor HD camera, referred to as the Rose City Sky-Cam, is similarly outfitted and both locations transmit video and receive control signals over fiber thanks to the Telemetrics CLIU-HFUX 310 Camera Control Interface. In the future, KGW plans to move its entire Sky-Cam network of 10 cameras to Telemetrics control.
“Our outdoor scenic cameras have been in use for about twelve years now and are an integral part of our community coverage,” adds Mr. Dausman. “We plan to control them with a Telemetrics system because of its problem-free, high performance quality. We knew we wanted to use Telemetrics if possible for the new HD outdoor cameras. It really solved our problem when Telemetrics said we could control our new Sony HD cameras with a single system. All of our decisions were confirmed when everything worked – right out of the box. The system has proven reliable ever since.” In the control room, the Telemetrics desk-top CP-R-3A Remote Control Panel, complete with CPS-ST-S Studio Control System Software, operates both the newsroom and the outdoor HD cameras using a dedicated network. The system offers single operator efficient management of studio operations, with such features as storyboard configuration presets and camera grouping. The joystick panel provides trim controls for pan/tilt/zoom and focus, as well as camera iris and master pedestal. This allows the operator to adjust the camera position with smooth, on-air quality precision.
KGW NewsChannel 8, a Belo-owned station and an NBC affiliate, was the first television station in Portland to broadcast local news in high definition. The overhaul to HD, including a complete infrastructure re-design, started in the summer of 2007 and was completed in time for a January 21, 2008 launch. The station has also commenced construction of a new studio facility in downtown Portland, scheduled to open in the fall of 2008.
Mr. Dausman added, “We knew we would be growing our studio facilities and Telemetrics helped us to configure a system that met our current needs while being flexible and expandable enough to accommodate future needs.”
For more information on Telemetrics’ camera control systems call 201-848-9818, fax 201-848-9819, or visit www.telemetricsinc.com.
About Belo Corp.
Belo Corp. is one of the nation's largest pure-play publicly-traded television companies, with annual revenue of approximately $775 million. The Company owns and operates 20 television stations, including ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CW and MyNetwork TV affiliates, reaching more than 14 percent of U.S. television households, and their associated Web sites, in 15 highly-attractive markets across the United States. Belo stations consistently deliver distinguished journalism for which they have received significant industry recognition. These include nine Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Silver Baton Awards; eight George Foster Peabody Awards; and 19 national Edward R. Murrow Awards all since 2000. In each case the Belo group stations received more of these awards than any other commercial station group in the nation. Nearly all Belo stations rank first or second in their local markets. Belo owns stations in seven of the top 25 markets in the nation, with six stations located in the fast-growing, top-14 markets of Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Seattle/Tacoma and Phoenix. Additionally, the Company has leveraged its local television assets to create regional cable news channels in Texas and the Northwest increasing its impact in those regions. Additional information is available at www.belo.com or by contacting Paul Fry, vice president/Investor Relations & Corporate Communications at 214-977-6835.
About Telemetrics, Inc.
Telemetrics, Inc. offers a comprehensive line of camera control components and systems for broadcast, industrial, educational and military applications. The company’s highly specialized line includes: camera robotics systems with programmable computer controlled pan/tilt mechanisms, weatherproof camera robotic systems, motorized camera trolley systems, most with virtual set position sensors, advanced control software, and a wide variety of programmable controllers. Additional products include camera control systems through triax cable, RF and fiber links, teleconferencing and distance learning systems.
