Broadcast Pix slate 1000 Switcher Enhances Worship Service broadcasts at First Baptist Church of Texarcana
Burlington, Massachusetts (June 13, 2007) Broadcast Pix™ Inc. announced today that its Slate 1000 switcher, a live video production system is now in use at the First Baptist Church of Texarkana, TX (FBC) for all its worship services. The unit powers FBC´s wide screen displays during services, enhancing the congregation´s experience every Sunday. Services are also broadcast locally on Texarkana´s KLFI-TV and KAQC-TV as well as KTAL-TV in Shreveport, Louisiana. Services are also seen nationally on religious networks such as The Church Channel and Family Net.
FBC producer, Jay Budzilowski says the features of the Slate 1000 stood out among other switchers he studied for the church´s broadcast inventory. "The Slate 1000 gave us three keyers and its overall product quality was much higher than other switchers we considered," said Budzilowski. "It was by far the best option for the price,." FBC currently broadcasts in SDI but plans to upgrade to HD in a few years. The upgrade will be simplified since the Slate 1000 is completely HD ready.
PixButtons that show the exact content on every source and key proved helpful for FBC´s worship production. Budzilowski admitted he had little experience in using switchers before coming in contact with the Slate 1000 and appreciated the ease of use that the clearly marked labeling offers. He said he became confident with the unit after reading through its manual and considered most of its functionality to be self-explanatory.
During worship services, the Slate 1000 controls what appears on FBC´s two 16x9 wide screens at the front of the church. As many as 2,500 people fill the pews at FBC on Sundays, making the screens a critical part of services. The screens display song lyrics and other video segments that pertain to the pastoral messages. This aspect of production became significantly more streamlined by Slate 1000´s clip store functionality.
Prior to installing the Slate 1000, Budzilowski said producing video clips and getting them to run on screen was a complex and labor intensive process. "Edited segments in Final Cut Pro were burned to DVD. Then we had to hook the player to the switcher, cue the scene we wanted, pause it and press play at exactly the right moment," Budzilowski explained. "It became a real headache, especially when there was more than one clip needed for services." Now FBC producers can simply import multiple edited pieces into the Slate 1000 and play them on the fly. With the touch of a button, the right clip plays for the duration needed.
Broadcast Pix´s Slate 1000 enhances the congregation´s experience of performed music during worship services as well. Budzilowski said FBC previously used a Power Point format to display song lyrics and they had no ability to key the lyrics over moving video. Now they are able to key lyrics over edited video clips or shots of the choir. Church members need not look down at a hymnal to read song lyrics and can sing along with their heads held high.
"With the Slate 1000, we have much more flexibility to employ creative methods and make services more engaging for the church members," Budzilowski explained. "After all, they´re here to attend church, not watch TV."
About the Slate 1000 switcher: Slate systems use a switcher on a computer card (patent pending), which is closely coupled to the included workstation´s clip store, still store and Inscriber CG. The computer display provides full motion monitoring of program, preview, and all cameras, so separate video monitors are no longer needed, but can still be added. The Slate 1000 can mix up to eight digital and analog live video inputs with five graphic sources and two clip channels. It offers a control panel, clip store, three keyers and a DVE on each keyer for up to three picture-in-picture boxes. The panel intelligently presents all elements required for a professional broadcast. It retains the familiar layout of a traditional switcher, but its PixButtons™ have built-in displays that always show the exact content of every source and key, and it provides quick access to graphics, clips and even camera controls.
About Broadcast Pix: Broadcast Pix is the leader in integrating switcher and computer technology to provide live television production systems. These are more powerful, easier to use, and much more cost effective than a traditional control room of individual components, yet retain a fast action human interface and robustness. Broadcast Pix switchers enable a single operator to create engaging live video, yet gracefully adds operators on its network when desired. It is the only switcher that can be controlled remotely over the Internet. Broadcast Pix is based in Burlington, Massachusetts, with offices in California and Europe. Customers include leading broadcast, cable, corporate, education, entertainment, mobile, faith and government studios. For more information on Broadcast Pix, go to www.broadcastpix.com. Broadcast Pix , Slate, and PixButton are trademarks of Broadcast Pix, Inc. Patents pending.
Primary Topic Channel: Broadcast Pix
Burlington, Massachusetts (June 13, 2007) Broadcast Pix™ Inc. announced today that its Slate 1000 switcher, a live video production system is now in use at the First Baptist Church of Texarkana, TX (FBC) for all its worship services. The unit powers FBC´s wide screen displays during services, enhancing the congregation´s experience every Sunday. Services are also broadcast locally on Texarkana´s KLFI-TV and KAQC-TV as well as KTAL-TV in Shreveport, Louisiana. Services are also seen nationally on religious networks such as The Church Channel and Family Net.
FBC producer, Jay Budzilowski says the features of the Slate 1000 stood out among other switchers he studied for the church´s broadcast inventory. "The Slate 1000 gave us three keyers and its overall product quality was much higher than other switchers we considered," said Budzilowski. "It was by far the best option for the price,." FBC currently broadcasts in SDI but plans to upgrade to HD in a few years. The upgrade will be simplified since the Slate 1000 is completely HD ready.
PixButtons that show the exact content on every source and key proved helpful for FBC´s worship production. Budzilowski admitted he had little experience in using switchers before coming in contact with the Slate 1000 and appreciated the ease of use that the clearly marked labeling offers. He said he became confident with the unit after reading through its manual and considered most of its functionality to be self-explanatory.
During worship services, the Slate 1000 controls what appears on FBC´s two 16x9 wide screens at the front of the church. As many as 2,500 people fill the pews at FBC on Sundays, making the screens a critical part of services. The screens display song lyrics and other video segments that pertain to the pastoral messages. This aspect of production became significantly more streamlined by Slate 1000´s clip store functionality.
Prior to installing the Slate 1000, Budzilowski said producing video clips and getting them to run on screen was a complex and labor intensive process. "Edited segments in Final Cut Pro were burned to DVD. Then we had to hook the player to the switcher, cue the scene we wanted, pause it and press play at exactly the right moment," Budzilowski explained. "It became a real headache, especially when there was more than one clip needed for services." Now FBC producers can simply import multiple edited pieces into the Slate 1000 and play them on the fly. With the touch of a button, the right clip plays for the duration needed.
Broadcast Pix´s Slate 1000 enhances the congregation´s experience of performed music during worship services as well. Budzilowski said FBC previously used a Power Point format to display song lyrics and they had no ability to key the lyrics over moving video. Now they are able to key lyrics over edited video clips or shots of the choir. Church members need not look down at a hymnal to read song lyrics and can sing along with their heads held high.
"With the Slate 1000, we have much more flexibility to employ creative methods and make services more engaging for the church members," Budzilowski explained. "After all, they´re here to attend church, not watch TV."
About the Slate 1000 switcher: Slate systems use a switcher on a computer card (patent pending), which is closely coupled to the included workstation´s clip store, still store and Inscriber CG. The computer display provides full motion monitoring of program, preview, and all cameras, so separate video monitors are no longer needed, but can still be added. The Slate 1000 can mix up to eight digital and analog live video inputs with five graphic sources and two clip channels. It offers a control panel, clip store, three keyers and a DVE on each keyer for up to three picture-in-picture boxes. The panel intelligently presents all elements required for a professional broadcast. It retains the familiar layout of a traditional switcher, but its PixButtons™ have built-in displays that always show the exact content of every source and key, and it provides quick access to graphics, clips and even camera controls.
About Broadcast Pix: Broadcast Pix is the leader in integrating switcher and computer technology to provide live television production systems. These are more powerful, easier to use, and much more cost effective than a traditional control room of individual components, yet retain a fast action human interface and robustness. Broadcast Pix switchers enable a single operator to create engaging live video, yet gracefully adds operators on its network when desired. It is the only switcher that can be controlled remotely over the Internet. Broadcast Pix is based in Burlington, Massachusetts, with offices in California and Europe. Customers include leading broadcast, cable, corporate, education, entertainment, mobile, faith and government studios. For more information on Broadcast Pix, go to www.broadcastpix.com. Broadcast Pix , Slate, and PixButton are trademarks of Broadcast Pix, Inc. Patents pending.
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Preparing for a Pandemic
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Meeting the Needs of Students with Autism
It's estimated that one out of every 150 children in the United States has some form of autism, and that number is escalating at a frightening pace.
Igniting and Sustaining STEM Education
As the workplace changes and becomes increasingly global, today's students must be educated with a 21st-century mindset.
Securing Student Laptops for Safe Learning
New software makes it possible for companies to activate web-based communication with laptops, tracking their position and having them returned if they are stolen.
Online Learning
Thousands of K-12 schools across the nation are turning to online-learning providers for help with credit recovery, enrichment opportunities for gifted students, and for providing core curriculum classes in areas where there isn't enough demand to justify keeping a teacher on staff.
Measuring 21st-century skills
Graduates who enter the workplace with a solid grasp of 21st-century skills bring value to both the workplace and global marketplace.
Placing Reading Power in Students' Hands
All students deserve an equal education, but sometimes language barriers or learning disabilities leave some students lagging behind and struggling to understand words or concepts.
Stimulating Achievement: Your Guide to Ed Funding
Learn how to make wise spending decisions and keep track of school needs as stimulus funds become available.
Visit the following special content centers, and discover how technology is helping educators every day.
Successful Video Production
Knowing how to produce, edit, and distribute video gives high school and college graduates a valuable and much-in-demand skill.
Anytime, Anywhere Professional Development
When teachers are confident in the curriculum they teach, students will become more engaged in lessons and will learn more.
21st Century Libraries
The internet has given students an incredibly vast world of up-to-the-minute resources, including nearly limitless outlets for research and investigation. But many students turn immediately to the untamed internet when faced with a research assignment, often overlooking the value in a virtual library solution.
Preparing for a Pandemic
With fears about the H1N1 virus, commonly known as "swine flu," putting school leaders on high alert, we've compiled this collection of news stories and additional resources to keep you up to date on the latest developments in this critical story--and to help you deal with the crisis in your own schools.
Meeting the Needs of Students with Autism
It's estimated that one out of every 150 children in the United States has some form of autism, and that number is escalating at a frightening pace.
Igniting and Sustaining STEM Education
As the workplace changes and becomes increasingly global, today's students must be educated with a 21st-century mindset.
Securing Student Laptops for Safe Learning
New software makes it possible for companies to activate web-based communication with laptops, tracking their position and having them returned if they are stolen.
Online Learning
Thousands of K-12 schools across the nation are turning to online-learning providers for help with credit recovery, enrichment opportunities for gifted students, and for providing core curriculum classes in areas where there isn't enough demand to justify keeping a teacher on staff.
Measuring 21st-century skills
Graduates who enter the workplace with a solid grasp of 21st-century skills bring value to both the workplace and global marketplace.
Placing Reading Power in Students' Hands
All students deserve an equal education, but sometimes language barriers or learning disabilities leave some students lagging behind and struggling to understand words or concepts.
Stimulating Achievement: Your Guide to Ed Funding
Learn how to make wise spending decisions and keep track of school needs as stimulus funds become available.
