Pro Media/ UltraSound Upgrades Audio At Historical St. Joseph's Church With JBL VP Series Powered Loudspeakers

St. Joseph's Church in Pinole, California

In a retrofit project that delivers high-impact, reliable audio to a historical parish, Hercules, California-based Pro Media/UltraSound recently upgraded the sound system at St. Joseph’s Church in Pinole, California with JBL Professional VP Series loudspeakers. The Church has been a permanent fixture in the Pinole neighborhood for more than a century, and a constituted parish in its own right since 1947. The parish's congregation currently consists of more than 10,000 individuals.

The church needed improvements in both sound quality and coverage while maintaining a simplistic system for the church staff to use on a regular basis. Pro Media/UltraSound designed a cost-effective, high-performance system with these needs in mind. The main PA system is designed for speech and live music, and includes a center cluster containing three JBL VP7212/64DP powered loudspeakers. To effectively cover the choir and opposite transept area, Pro Media/UltraSound installed two Control 29AV-WH-1 white surface-mount loudspeakers, while two AC2212/64 loudspeakers serve as delays in the rear of the worship space. The Control and AE Series loudspeakers are powered by Crown CTs 4200 amplifiers.

"As a sound designer I can count on the consistency of JBL loudspeakers," says Ted Leamy of Pro Media/UltraSound. "This installation combines a variety of loudspeaker models for a great sound at the right budget. I know that when I turn the system on, each of the loudspeakers will work well with each other."

Along with JBL and Crown components, the sound system is also supported by BSS Soundweb London, which allows for an auto mix system. The system was configured using Harman the HiQnet London Architect communications protocol. A BSS BLU 10 controller provides the head usher with an easier way to turn the system up, down, off and on.

"The BSS London and BLU 10 gives the technology required to zone, time, and EQ the system, yet is elegantly simple for the church staff to operate," Leamy adds.

For more information on Pro Media/UltraSound, please visit www.promediaultrasound.com.

JVC Unveils New Strategy for Broadcasters and Production Facilities at NAB Show

JVC unveiled a new strategy for broadcasters and production facilities at the recent NAB Show held in mid April 2009. This is a pivotal year for the broadcast industry. Declining viewership, falling revenues, increased fixed costs, competition from new programming sources (internet and mobile), the switch-over to digital transmission, and an imminent need to transition to HD programming have all come together in the worst economic climate since the Great Depression.

In many instances, the economic downturn has delayed purchases, giving broadcasters an opportunity to look at new equipment in order to reevaluate their purchasing budgets and determine where to best allocate capital investments.

With broadcasters' capital budgets being slashed dramatically, it would seem an inopportune time for a manufacturer to launch a new series of cameras targeted at the broadcast industry. But a close look at JVC's approach reveals the transition to digital HDTV can actually save the broadcaster money while providing a means to increase market share and revenue. In a competitive environment, broadcasters and production facilities may find affordable solutions in JVC's ProHD line-up.

ProHD Makes Your HD News Highly Cost Effective.
JVC’s ProHD is an integrated family of new HD cameras, camcorders and system components, deliver excellent HD format and solid state recording flexibility through a highly attractive performance-price ratio.

When the ProHD concept was introduced back in 2004, JVC declared that the products must be able to utilize inexpensive, readily available media. Initially that meant tape, and JVC added random access capability with an optional HDD. JVC determined that the move to solid state would occur only when they could offer the convenience and economy of tape, and the random access capability of a hard disk. It is finally possible to do that with SDHC memory. It's reliable, proven, and widely available in capacities up to 32GB. 16GB Class 6 SDHC cards are advertised for under $30. A pair of these cards will hold 1 hour and 40 minutes of HD at the highest quality level. A quick comparison of 1080/HD recording times tells the dramatic difference between SDHC and proprietary formats, such as P2 cards and SxS memory. Whereas P2 costs about $50 per minute, and SxS costs about $14 per minute, SDHC comes in at less than $1 per minute, is non-proprietary, and is about the size of a postage stamp.

So why does lower cost media matter in a file based workflow where media is reused, and files are stored on a server? The reality is that in the field, footage is often edited where access to the servers is limited. A camera operator can easily hand an inexpensive SDHC card to a reporter or producer and not worry about tracking it down later, or whether the files have been off loaded. It's treated like tape. Just pop in a new blank media card and continue working. Files can be archived just by saving the SDHC card.

As for storage solutions, JVC offers 3 x 5 note card size sleeves for storing SDHC media. While a seemingly low tech approach for file storage, many users will prefer the simple hands-on ability to archive the SDHC cards themselves.

Regardless of whether the broadcaster chooses to archive media itself, or simply reuse it, the cost of a file-based SDHC workflow is far less than competing proprietary solid state solutions, and lower than tape itself (when considering machine maintenance, physical storage requirements, etc.).

JVC’s first two solid state camcorders, the GY-HM100 compact hand held and GY-HM700 compact shoulder camcorders record directly to SDHC cards. While the two cameras are internally quite different, they do share the same encoder meaning that the files created are interchangeable regardless of shooting mode. With the GY-HM700, JVC also offers a model that records to both SDHC and SxS cards.

Native File (Fast-to-Air) Acquisition
Both the GY-HM700 and GY-HM100 camcorders incorporate JVC’s ProHD Native File Recording technology, storing video in a Ready-to-Edit file format (.mov) on the SDHC memory card. The files are used and accessed directly by Apple’s Final Cut Pro non-linear editing system. The native workflow means several things:

Files are in a format that is easily and instantly editable. There is no waiting for conversion or transcoding, which is critical in a breaking news environment when you need to be first to air. Files are compressed at a bit rate that makes efficient and economical storage and manipulation possible. Gone are the huge server requirements of 100+ Mbps video. Basically, any infrastructure that can accommodate DV (25Mbps) can accommodate ProHD at 19-35Mbps.

Even off the shelf computers and editing systems (such as a Mac Book Pro equipped with FCP) can be used, saving huge amounts of money over proprietary news editing systems. Using popular editing products such as FCP, also makes sense from a staffing perspective since there are many more trained editors that are familiar with these products.

Smaller files are also ideal when they need to be used by many different people within the organization. One user might be editing a story for the evening news, while another user may be preparing the story for a webcast, or mobile news cast.

It all goes to the bottom line. Operating a news operation or a production facility requires changing the way things have been traditionally done, and embracing new more cost-effective technologies.

Interchangeable HD Lenses: Adaptable Front-End View
Another HD production area sometimes overlooked is the lens, which may well be one of the most important pieces of the production chain. JVC understands that professionals need to have flexibility in what lenses they use and how they use them.

That’s why JVC cameras feature a Bayonet-style mount that accommodates a wide range of interchangeable lenses. The user should not be limited by a fixed lens selected by a manufacturer that may or may not be optimal for their type of projects. All types of lenses, from wide-angle, telephoto, ENG-style to box-style studio models are being used every day, for a variety of applications, with JVC cameras.

The GY-HM700 features a standard 1/3-inch lens bayonet mount and can accept numerous lenses from JVC and other manufacturers. Canon developed the KT14.4KRSJ lens especially for this camera to provide superior performance to the economy lens usually provided base packages. The lens has improved lateral and longitudinal chromatic aberration characteristics and is ideal for full 1920 x 1080 imaging. Best of all, its angle of view is 20% wider than JVC’s previous 16X "stock" lens. For customers wanting to upgrade, JVC offers a 13x (3.5 mm) wide Fujinon zoom lens, 17x Fujinon zoom lens, 18x Fujinon zoom lens (with and without a 2x extender), 20x Canon zoom lens, and adapters that allow 1/2" and 2/3" bayonet mount lenses to be used. JVC also offers the HZ-CA13U PL mount adapter that enables use of 16mm prime lenses. This is an extremely high quality piece of glass that has a special appeal to filmmakers and cinematographers. When using a prime lens, the image is flipped upside down. The GY-HM700 features a built in circuit that inverts the image so that it can be viewed normally.

True to The Mission
JVC says it is the only company to offer the ability to facilitate and manage the entire production chain of an HD program, from acquisition to distribution. And they often do it at a price and operating efficiency production facilities cannot afford to ignore.

At about one-third of the cost of other HD production equipment, ProHD systems are ideally suited to today’s tightening economics. This includes cameras, player/recorders and Vèritè displays. JVC’s ProHD product family also offers the most economical media costs: whether it be tape, hard drive or non-proprietary, solid-state media. Prices will continue to come down while the quality will only improve with time.

Now entrenched within the industry, JVC ProHD products also complements other companies’ low-cost workflow solutions, such as those from Apple, Bit Central, Omneon, and others.

For more information, please visit www.pro.jvc.com.

Shure Acquires Crowley and Tripp Ribbon Microphones

Shure Incorporated, manufacturer of microphone legends like the SM57 and SM58, today announced the acquisition of Crowley and Tripp Ribbon Microphones from Soundwave Research Laboratories of Ashland, Massachusetts. Under the agreement, Shure now owns all intellectual property, microphone process equipment, product designs, and other important assets related to the Crowley and Tripp line. Shure will manufacture ribbon microphones in its Wheeling, Illinois, facility using the revolutionary, patented Roswellite shape-memory acoustic ribbon material developed by Soundwave Research.

“Ribbon microphones have always been prized for their warm sound quality, but older designs are delicate, which has limited their applications,” says Scott Sullivan, Shure’s Senior Director of Global Product Management. “With the acquisition of the Crowley and Tripp product line and their Roswellite ribbon technology, Shure is extending the use of ribbon microphones to the stage in addition to their use in the studio.”

“We are very pleased to have the opportunity to work with the leading manufacturer of microphones to further the development and commercialization of improved ribbon microphones,” said Soundwave Research President Robert J. Crowley.

“Bringing new technologies like Roswellite into the marketplace is an important goal for our company,” adds Sandy LaMantia, Shure’s President and CEO. “Our customers expect continuous improvement. For more than 84 years, Shure has been dedicated to manufacturing the finest microphones in the world and developing innovative audio technologies for our customers.”

“This new ribbon technology enables us to combine the characteristic ribbon sound with the durability for which Shure products are famous,” says Chad Wiggins, Shure’s Wired Microphone Products Category Manager. “Our customers know they can use their Shure microphones in every conceivable scenario, from the most subtle vocal performance to high-SPL instruments, like a kick drum. Now they can take advantage of the unique sound signature of a ribbon microphone no matter what their application is.”

Shure will manufacture ribbon microphones exclusively in the U.S. Shure will also assume responsibility for ongoing service and support for existing owners of Crowley and Tripp ribbon microphone products.

For more information, visit www.shure.com.