Lincolnshire Police Headquarters Uses Broadcast Pix Slate 1000 Switcher for Video Training and Simulations

Broadcast
Pix Inc., an exhibitor at this year’s IBC convention in
Amsterdam
this September (Hall 7; Booth 116) announces the recent installment of its
Slate 1000 digital production switcher within the newly upgraded television
studio at Police Headquarters in

Lincolnshire,

UK. Located in
the East Midlands of the
UK,
the territory patrolled by the Lincolnshire Police Force represents one of the
largest police force areas in
England
and

Wales.
The Slate 1000 was sold through the department’s long-time, UK-based dealer,
Team4, www.team4.co.uk.

The
switcher is used to produce video simulations of anti-terrorism exercises and
the resulting “mock” media coverage generated from those events. Scenarios are
created in studio with ‘live’ feeds. The police headquarters also holds
the region’s National Press Officers course, a media training program for
police staff. Officers with little or no television experience are given a
two-day course designed to give them experience in making television
appearances, A Broadcast Television Presenter instructs the officers and
conduct a number of different style interviews over the two day period. The
Broadcast Pix equipment provides an environment that closely mimics a genuine
Broadcast situation the officers would meet when put in the position to do a
real interview or program.

David
Buckley, Head of Television Production for the Lincolnshire Police Department,
said that the wide array of features the Slate 1000 offered in a cost-effective
package made it the clear choice to add it to their studio: “We selected the
Broadcast Pix unit because it eliminated the need to purchase several separate
items, such as a character generator. With the purchase of just one unit, we
had our complete studio. And because it only requires one person for operation,
it further saved us money.”

For no
extra cost, multi-image monitoring is available on the Slate 1000. Slate
switchers are the only ones with built-in, multi-image monitoring that displays
full motion program, preview, sources and keys on any LCD monitor. Buckley said
that he found the Slate 1000’s ability to add on a second monitor a strong
point as well, especially for those demanding productions that require more
than one operator. Up to 20 moving windows can be displayed on any size monitor
or spread across two. The new software provides the operator(s), with files
names and thumbnails of content, comprehensive tally, clip and graphic
libraries, clip counters and clocks. Different layouts can be saved for
different shows.

Buckley
added that he did a thorough competitive search for switchers when planning to
upgrade the department’s television studio. “Most of the other switchers didn’t
offer as high quality video. And for every feature we needed to add, there was
usually an additional cost associated with them. The ability to add different
types of input at a later date was another deciding factor, as well as the
continuing software updates.”

Exercises
taped for media training purposes often require setting up the Slate 1000 in a
remote location. Before acquiring the Slate 1000, Buckley had to customize a
show for each individual training program. With the Slate 1000, he can now save
settings and recall them each time the unit was needed.

“The most
valuable feature of the Broadcast Pix is its adaptability to any situation,”
explained Buckley. “It’s greatly improved our efficiency, and the results on
screen are excellent. Set up time was greatly reduced, giving us more time to
rehearse our program and make final adjustments.”

Buckley
added that the panel design of the Slate 1000 makes for easy operation: “I
found that after using it for just a short time, the unit became intuitive. New
users find that the touch screen and Pix buttons help immensely.” The Slate
1000 retains the familiar layout of a traditional switcher, but its PixButtons
have built-in displays that always show the exact content of every source and
key, and it provides quick access to graphics, clips and even camera controls.

Slate
systems use a switcher on a computer card (patent pending), which is closely
coupled to the included workstation’s 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 six digital and analog
live video inputs with five graphic sources and two clip channels. The
Lincolshire Police are planning to add a second clip channel to their unit.

The Slate
1000 system’s live video inputs support both timed and asynchronous inputs, in
SDI, analog composite, Y/C and component for a wide range of cameras, video
tape recorders, clip servers, DVD players, and other external elements.

The
system’s workstation is rack-mounted and installation takes only minutes.
Superior integration enables clips, animations and crawls to start playing on
transition to air. Camera control software is available for Sony and

Hitachi pan/tilt systems.
When team operation is still desired additional operators can run the graphics,
or initiate soft panels controlled from inside the studio or across the country
over IP. Unlike other computer based systems, the Slate family features
“fail-safe” operation, which keeps a camera on the air even if the computer
stops.