JVC Partners with Cal Poly Journalism Department

JVC Professional Products Company, a division of JVC Americas Corp., announced a “partnership in education” with the California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) Journalism Department in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

The school has acquired 10 GY-HM150 ProHD compact handheld camcorders, which students began using in September for a variety of coursework as part of Cal Poly’s hands-on, “learn by doing” educational philosophy.

Professor Richard Gearhart, also a well-known news anchor at KSBY, the NBC affiliate in San Luis Obispo, helped foster the partnership between Cal Poly and JVC.

“We chose JVC for several reasons, including the compact design that doesn’t give up any picture quality,” he said. “Having access to these cameras will give our students the hands-on experience they need.”

“This partnership with JVC enables us to educate students using equipment that they will encounter in the journalism profession when they enter it,” added Harvey Levenson, interim chair of the Journalism Department and head of the Graphic Communication Department. “We are proud to be partnered with JVC, a highly respected company producing high quality and reputable products.”

Cal Poly already owns other tapeless camera systems, but Gearhart prefers JVC’s use of non-proprietary SDHC and SXHC media cards.

“The ability for students to easily go to any electronics or even drug store to buy additional cards is really, really helpful,” he explained. “In addition, the ability to remove and replace cards without stopping the camera is a very impressive feature.”

Gearhart said the new ProHD cameras are part of a migration to full HD production and a file-based workflow for Cal Poly.

“Commercial news operations are using tapeless formats,” he noted, “so we need to have our students learn what is standard in the industry. With these cameras, we can now conduct our advanced broadcast news production class utilizing an entirely tape-free system. Using the cameras for classes and on-campus video projects will give the students a big advantage in the job market.”