TSE Taps Hitachi Kokusai for Eastern Michigan University HD Control Room

Hitachi Kokusai Electric America has announced that TSE (Total Sports Entertainment) Services — a systems integrator based in La Crosse, WI — installed three new Hitachi Z-HD5000 HDTV studio cameras, a YESCO video board, and a full HD production control room in the Convocation Center on the campus of Eastern Michigan University (EMU) in Ypsilanti, MI. The HD control room was designed to serve the production needs of other athletic facilities on the EMU campus, including Rynearson Stadium, the 30,200-seat football stadium next door to the Convocation Center.

The Hitachi Z-HD5000’s fiber camera adapters enable long-fiber runs within the arena—and eventually from other campus venues—back to the ‘production room.’ In this room, TSE installed a Broadcast Pix Granite 2000 integrated HD production switcher and a NewTek 825 8-channel replay system, as well as ClickFX Crossfire and Blaze systems to feed the big-board.

At present, the Hitachi cameras will capture HD video of games and special events like graduations for display on a four-sided, center-hung YESCO LED display/scoreboard and two 50-foot courtside LED ribbons.

Under the project management of A/V Consultant Frank Moraski, Jr, a principal of Anthony James Partners (AJP) in Richmond, VA, the facility renovation involved LED displays from YESCO (Young Electronic Sign Company), in Logan, Utah, which in turn contracted TSE Services for the turnkey systems integration work.

Bob Johnston, regional sales manager, Hitachi Kokusai Electric America, facilitated the camera order, including three Hitachi Z-HD5000 HDTV studio cameras with CU-HD500 camera control units and FUJINON HD lenses, as well as a Hitachi RU-1000VR control panel for remote camera setup. Two Z-HD5000’s are in a studio configuration on tripods, while one is used as a shoulder-mount handheld within EMU’s Convocation Center — an 8,000-seat arena where the University’s NCAA Division I basketball, volleyball, wrestling, and gymnastics events are held.

“For live event entertainment, EMU has invested in broadcast-quality, HD cameras, and the picture quality is outstanding,” said Marty Masewicz, an A/V systems integrator with TSE Services, which specializes in the design and installation of big-board displays and A/V installations for sports, education, and other applications nationwide. “As the public becomes more media-savvy, picture quality is a key consideration, especially when the image will be displayed on a huge video screen.”

Another important consideration favoring the selection of Hitachi cameras was user-friendliness, since EMU students often operate the video equipment in the Convocation Center.

“In our experience,” Masewicz said, “colleges and universities have increasingly been adopting high-quality HD video displays to provide live entertainment during athletic and special events. The Hitachi Z-HD5000 is an affordable, high-performance solution, ideal for this application.”

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