Chelmsford, Mass. – Broadcast Pix™ today announced KTEN, a dual NBC/ABC affiliate with a CW substation serving the Sherman-Ada market (DMA #160), upgraded its control room in August with a Broadcast Pix BPswitch™ integrated production switcher. Mark Farrell, news director for KTEN Media, said the new BPswitch was part of an effort to ready the station for next month’s election coverage.
Owned by Lockwood Broadcast Group, KTEN’s studio is based in Denison, Texas, and produces more than seven hours of local news each weekday across its three channels. News broadcasts begin with morning news starting at 4:30 a.m. and conclude with a 10 p.m. newscast. The studio includes three robotic cameras and a stationary “grid cam,” which is used for bumps and other transitions.
Steven Martinez, assistant chief engineer, said one of the big benefits of the new switcher is its integrated NewBlueNTX multi-layer 3D graphics. Both he and Farrell are also excited about the new BPfusion software, which integrates seamlessly with NewBlueNTX to streamline the creation of data-intensive CG graphics. BPfusion automatically updates graphics using data from RSS feeds, Twitter, scoreboards, and other sources over IP. With simple drag-and-drop operation, BPfusion uses templates to integrate information into customized graphics like multi-layer election maps without re-keying the data.
BPfusion also allows KTEN to import Adobe After Effects projects directly into NewBlueNTX. Previously, the graphics department had to render some graphics as Targa sequences, which added a cumbersome step to the production process. Now, the graphics are simply dropped into the BPswitch Watch-Folders media management system without re-rendering, then transferred to the switcher’s integrated clip store. Martinez said BPfusion has also “really streamlined our scoreboard gathering” for KTEN’s Friday night high school football show.
The new BPswitch, which replaced KTEN’s older Broadcast Pix Granite™ system, has helped the station enjoy more efficient news production with minimal retraining. For example, the station continues to use the built-in BPview™ multi-view, as well as the same control panel from the previous system. However, the station now produces two-box effects directly through the switcher, which Martinez said is much easier than relying on an aging DekoCast during live productions. Plus, instead of using a separate playout server, KTEN now stores and plays its roll-ins directly from the BPswitch.
About Broadcast Pix With a tightly coupled switcher and 3D motion graphics CG, Broadcast Pix provides the most fully integrated live video production systems with patented control and automation technology. From compact units to large-scale, multi-system solutions, every Broadcast Pix features an extensive toolset that makes it easy to optimize and customize your workflows locally and over IP. Plus, its BPNet ecosystem provides secure cloud services and asset management. Founded in 2002, Broadcast Pix has customers in more than 100 countries and is the leader in fully integrated production switchers for government, broadcast, streaming, live event, and visual radio applications. Learn more at www.broadcastpix.com.
Broadcast Pix, BPview, BPswitch, and Granite are trademarks of Broadcast Pix, Inc. Patented. Switchers are made in USA.
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