The University of Oregon, School of
Journalism and Communications, has installed a Broadcast Pix Slate 1000
switcher. System integrator Advanced Broadcast Solutions (ABS) worked with
Broadcast Pix and the University to set up the Slate 1000 in the school’s
television studio at the
Prior to the installation of the Slate 1000, students had been working with an analog switcher that dated back to the 1980’s. There was no question of the need for an upgrade, however Instructional Technology Coordinator Andre Chinn said that given the immense leap in technology and features that the school was about to take, careful consideration went into the decision.
“We spent a fair amount of time evaluating and examining other switchers that were available on the market. The Slate 1000 offered a really unique set of features that were well-suited to the needs of our program,” said Chinn, “The built-in features of the Slate 1000 stood head and shoulders above similarly priced switchers in a head-to-head comparison.”
Audio Visual Technician, Kevin May adds that because the switcher is software rich, it paves the way for the school to continue upgrading studio facilities. “We’ve come a long way since the studio began running in 1996, but we must continue to evolve and grow to offer the best learning environment for our students. Each new purchase must be made with an eye on how it might impact future purchases. We consider the purchase of the Slate 1000 an investment in the future, since it is so easily upgradeable.”
The Slate 1000 is a live video production system that features a professional physical control panel. The switcher uses a switcher on a card (patent pending), and plugs into an included workstation, which adds multi-view monitoring, clip store, still store and Inscriber CG. The computer display provides full motion monitoring of program, preview, and all cameras, so separate video monitors are no longer needed, but can still be added. The Slate 1000 can mix up to eight digital and analog live video inputs with five graphic sources and two clip channels.
Slate 1000 adapts well to the learning environment in the Electronic Media program, where television news reporting, anchoring and field reporting are primary components of the curriculum. The switcher allows for an entire production to be carried out by a team of students or one operator without sacrificing functionality or quality, and the live productions serve as testing grounds for the students’ emerging skill sets.
“While we serve a large number of students within our Journalism program, we do have varying enrollment for the production side of the curriculum,” said Chinn. “Having the flexibility to roll several positions to a single operator was immensely important in our purchase decision.”
Slate 1000’s integrated clip store offered the ability to further streamline production workflows for the students, and features importation of QuickTime clips. The Electronic Media program had abandoned tape use a year ago in favor of a computer based playback system. However, before the Slate 1000 installation, student directors still needed to make multiple calls to ready, then roll the clip, and take it to air. “The clips player function fit in perfectly with our goal to tightly integrate the playback aspect of a news production,” explained Chinn.