The standard production video switcher is becoming more commonplace in the house of worship. This isn't surprising when you consider how many projectors and LED displays are in churches nationwide. What is surprising is the number of features and options that are now available to churches. Panasonic recently introduced a new product to this category, the AV-HS6000. I saw this switcher demonstrated at NAB, and it seems like Panasonic may have hit their stride with this one. The control surface is as fun to use as it is aesthetically pleasing. But there are a few features that make the AV-HS6000 unique, most notable of which is the OLED source name and multi-selection panel, allowing operators to clearly read labels and see still stores and ingested videos.
Tech Specs
The AV-HS6000 has 34 inputs (32 SDI and two DVI) of which all the SDI inputs are equipped with a 10-bit frame synchronizer. The DVI inputs will make connecting computers running presentation software very easy. Within those 34 inputs, eight are equipped with color corrector. This is perfect for fixing that one camera that is always a little more red then the others. Up-converters are available on four of the inputs, however those signals may be delayed as much as eight frames, making them pretty much useless in an IMAG setting.
On the output side there are 16 SDI outputs two per channel, four of which are also equipped with color correctors and two have down converters. The AV-HS6000 supports, or will support in the near future, all flavors of SDI including; 480/59.94i, 576/50i, 720/59.94p, 50p, 1080/59.94i, 1080/24PsF, 23.98PsF, 25PsF and 1080/59.94p, 50p.
It also features a four-channel multiviewer, which allows you to view up to 64 preview monitors across four outputs. The multiview screens can display names, tallies, level meters, clock and safety markers.
Once the inputs are connected there are many ways the video can be affected. The AV-HS6000 has all the standard keys; full, chroma, picture in picture, luminance, and liner are available four per M/E (eight in total) plus four channels of downstream keying (DSK) for a total of 12 keys. The additional downstream keys are great for putting text over video, such as name supers and the like, but the switcher also features four upstream keys (USK). These can be used to fill in the gaps left when 4:3 aspect ratio video is ingested in 16:9 system. The resulting pillar-boxes can be filled in with a USK creating an entire 16:9 image.
Unique Features
This is a bit of a misnomer since most of these features are becoming more standard, however they are not overwhelmingly implemented by all manufactures yet. The AV-HS6000 has a massive 16 auxes, which is well beyond standard with out additional routing. However, auxes 1-4 also have available mix transitions; meaning if you are using those feeds for overflow, broadcast, or other distribution you are not limited to just cut transitions. This is still one step short of a home run. If Panasonic had added keying on the auxes, this switcher could produce several outputs, i.e. IMAG, broadcast, and overflow all at once. As it is, the AV-HS6000 is capable of producing multiple show outputs, but keying is only supported on the M/E's.
One other really unique feature is the entire multi-selection panel. All the buttons in the multi-selection panel are small OLED screens. This makes it very easy to see what you are selecting when it comes to wipes, shot memory, and event memory, but beyond that it will actually show the first frame of video, or stills stored in the internal memory. Add to this a large, easy-to-use touch panel for quick and easy menu operation and you have a piece of hardware that is very easy on the eyes.
To sum up the Panasonic AV-HS6000 is a powerful and versatile switcher, which looks amazing and it is easy and fun to use. It has lots of I/O and tons of auxes making it a great option for the worship market. Keep in mind, you might not want to up-convert signals within the switcher, so find a way to externally up-convert signals, because the internal up-converters are nothing to write home about --- with as much as an eight-frame delay.
No doubt the AV-HS6000 going to find its way into a lot of churches. And with starting price on a complete system is $39,000 it's at a price that is almost as attractive as the control surface.
