Raycom Media Standardizes on JVC ProHD Cameras

JVC Professional Products Company, a division of JVC Americas Corp., announced Raycom Media has purchased more than 130 GY-HM650 ProHD mobile news cameras. It is the first in a series of purchases that will standardize all ENG operations in the company on the GY-HM650 camera.

“The major differentiator for the GY-HM650 is all of its IP capabilities,” explained Dave Folsom, vice president and chief technical officer, Raycom Media. “Between the built-in live streaming and FTP file transfer capabilities, we can’t wait to get these cameras in the field.”

Raycom, which began with 15 stations in 1996, owns or provides services for 52 stations in 36 markets in 18 states, covering more than 12 percent of U.S. TV households. The new cameras began arriving this month, and are being distributed between the 31 Raycom stations that produce local news. This large adoption follows an earlier Raycom purchase of JVC cameras for studio use.

“We have a lot of aging cameras at many of our stations,” Folsom noted. “We intend to buy many more cameras going forward, because we have to replace as well as greatly expand our fleet over the next few years. The GY-HM650 is being used to enhance that older fleet.”

Many of the older models are larger, heavier shoulder-mount models that use proprietary recording media. “JVC’s new ProHD cameras are much lighter, they have great performance, and have far more features,” Folsom said. “We tested the camera in a couple of locations, and our shooters loved the images and the sensitivity. Plus, SD cards are more ubiquitous, easier to use, and cheaper than proprietary systems.”

While 100 of the new JVC cameras will be used to directly replace aging ENG models, more than 30 new cameras will be used to increase the number of cameras at select stations. “It’s not just a one-to-one replacement. We’re expanding the number of cameras in use and increasing our commitment to local news coverage,” Folsom said.

“We’re delighted that Raycom Media chose the GY-HM650 to expand and replace their existing fleet of ENG cameras,” said Lawrence Librach, vice president of broadcast & public sector, JVC Professional Products. “We look forward to working with them closely as they implement JVC’s FTP and live video transfer capabilities into their workflow.”

Designed for mobile news and reality documentary production, the lightweight GY-HM650 features three, 12-bit CMOS sensors and a built-in Fujinon wide angle 23x zoom lens with auto-focus, optical image stabilizer, and manual controls. When equipped with a Verizon 4G LTE modem connected to the back of the camera via USB, the camera’s unique dual codec technology allows shooters to stream live HD video transmissions while continuing to record footage. The camera is also able to transfer recorded clips to a remote server via built in FTP. The GY-HM650 records HD or SD footage in multiple file formats – including native XDCAM EX™ (.MP4), Final Cut Pro™ (.MOV), .MXF, and AVCHD – to non-proprietary SDHC or SDXC media cards. JVC will demonstrate the GY-HM650’s live transmission capabilities at the 2013 NAB Show (Booth C4314), which runs April 8-11 in Las Vegas, Nev.