NewTek LightWave

Television

Name: WCBI-TV, Columbus, MS
Studio: WCBI-TV
Website: http://www.wcbi.com

News departments around the world are transitioning to tapeless, but many of them have not completed that transition due to the complexity and costs involved. WCBI-TV, a CBS and UPN affiliate in the mid-size news market of Columbus Mississippi, wanted to transition to tapeless, but do so in a way that was affordable and easy to use. WCBI’s Chief Engineer, Gary Savage explains that so many alternatives were not suited for news or over-priced, or both. “We looked at some solutions that were specific news-servers, but in our applications, that was not what we were doing. They started at $80,000.” Not deterred, he kept investigating options until he chose NewTek VT[4]. “VT[4] fit the bill at MUCH less cost. We got a powerful VT[4] turnkey workstation with plenty of SCSI storage for about $14,000.”

http://www.wcbi.com

Tapeless Broadcasting - WCBI-TV, Columbus, MS

News departments around the world are transitioning to tapeless, but many of them have not completed that transition due to the complexity and costs involved. WCBI-TV, a CBS and UPN affiliate in the mid-size news market of Columbus Mississippi, wanted to transition to tapeless, but do so in a way that was affordable and easy to use. WCBI’s Chief Engineer, Gary Savage explains that so many alternatives were not suited for news or over-priced, or both. “We looked at some solutions that were specific news-servers, but in our applications, that was not what we were doing. They started at $80,000.” Not deterred, he kept investigating options until he chose NewTek VT[4]. “VT[4] fit the bill at MUCH less cost. We got a powerful VT[4] turnkey workstation with plenty of SCSI storage for about $14,000.”

The primary function of VT[4] in the WCBI newsroom is as a playback server. News crews shoot with JVC cameras and Firestore drives, so with the addition of VT[4], the newsroom is tapeless from acquisition to playout. They edit directly from the Firestores and save their voice-overs and packages straight to the networked drive in the control room. It was important that the workflow remain simple, and Savage says VT[4] actually made the newscast easier to manage. They assigned the videotape operator tasks to the audio engineer, and he quickly rolls any selected clip with a footswitch, leaving both hands free for the board.

Savage notes that most of the on-air tape mistakes had involved operator error on the part of the videotape operator, or VTO, and that those mistakes have largely disappeared due to the simple interface of the VT[4] DDR. “I don’t know of any system that’s any easier. The editors simply drag & drop the package into the on-air folder. They drop it in and walk away from the edit bay. The audio op looks at the pretty picture, drag it over, hit the footswitch and it’s on the air. We needed ease of operation; it was paramount. Our configuration is as easy as it gets. It took them maybe 5 minutes of training to be proficient. "

Savage is quite pleased with the flexibility that VT[4] LIVE provides the on-air team. “Another good thing is late breaking stories…we can get it to air while we’re on the air, and VT[4] doesn’t care. No problem getting it into the lineup. Playback operator sees the new file and moves it in. "After completing its transition to a tapeless workflow, Savage says he’d never think about reverting to tape, adding with a smile, “What’s a pre-roll, anyway?”
WCBI-TV broadcasts CBS and local programming to the greater Columbus Mississippi area.

WCBI-TV
http://www.wcbi.com