Mica 1000 integrated production switchers for its extensive coverage of government meetings and studio productions. Housed in the County Commission Boardroom, the first Mica is dedicated to coverage of about eight government meetings per month. The second Mica anchors PGTV’s three-camera studio, which is used by the PGTV team to produce about a dozen different local shows every month.
The Mica’s built-in CG is used to produce lower-thirds for each meeting’s agenda items. Meeting coverage features five PTZ cameras, as well as an input that is shared between the room’s document camera and computer input. Two additional inputs can be used for inputs from the production studio or the field routed through master control.
In the studio, PGTV produces programming on topics of local interest. The Mica’s built-in clip store has simplified PGTV’s live sports show, because it has made it easier to include roll-ins and animations. BPview, Mica’s integrated multi-view, has also been a big hit with the PGTV team, allowing different producers to set their work area the way they want it to look.
Stephen Barnes, PGTV producer, said the upgrades to both control rooms were essential, as PGTV staff was spending too much time and money trying to keep its older systems operational. “Even our new equipment was old. Downtime had also become a problem,” he explained. “Having something that we could rely on faithfully for the next several years was a real driving factor. The price point and the functionality of the Broadcast Pix fit our budget for this government project.”