Featuring event memory and macro functionality, FOR-A’s HVS-490 switcher is designed to make settings quick and easy to recall.
In late 2021, Compass Christian Church in Chandler, Ariz., celebrated the opening of its newly constructed 2,200-seat worship center. The new facility is considerably larger than the church’s previous home, which sat 700. Its camera rig has doubled from three to six.
For Broadcast Video Director Will Livingston, this mandated the need for more volunteers to operate the video systems for Compass’ weekly in-person and online services. Before, Livingston’s video team was comprised of two to three volunteers per week; in the new space, he needs nine. In total, there are close to 50 volunteers that serve in the video ministry on a rotating basis.
Will Livingston, video director at Compass Church, was able to grow the volunteer base five-fold by specifying volunteer-friendly video production equipment. At the same time, the video production capability skyrocketed with the addition of the For-A Hanabi HVS-490 video switcher. The new switcher offers the church lots of headroom for growth while being programmable, so complicated video productions can be operated by relatively inexperienced volunteers. Learn more in this video.
Livingston knew that his reliance on volunteers––non-professionals with varying degrees of technical skill––dictated the need for an intuitive, user-friendly video switcher. He also wanted a system with adequate headroom, and that would perform more sophisticated functions when required. The FOR-A HANABI HVS-490 has met all of these criteria.
Featuring event memory and macro functionality, FOR-A’s HVS-490 is designed to make settings quick and easy to recall. It supports 40 inputs/18 outputs, 36 inputs/20 outputs, or 32 inputs/22 outputs (including two-channel HDMI outputs). In 4K-UHD, this translates to 10 inputs/six outputs, nine inputs/six outputs, or eight inputs/seven outputs. The HVS-490 also features 16 channels of 2.5 DVE (which can be expanded to a maximum of 32 channels on an optional basis). MELite technology eliminates the need for multiple switchers in a multi-monitor environment, and provides users with easy-to-use features like upstream and downstream transition effects.
In this video, Livingston relays his experience incorporating the FOR-A HVS-490 into Compass’ Christian Church’s video rig, how it has helped to streamline volunteer training, and how he and his team take advantage of the automation it offers. Satoshi Kanemura, President and Chief Operating Officer at FOR-A Corporation of America, reveals the manufacturer’s philosophy on product development and customer care, and how houses of worship have influenced the design of its solutions.
