ENG

The NBC Hartford, Conn., O&O unveiled its new, state-of-the-art ENG vehicle appropriately called “All-Terrain One.” The first-of-its-kind 4×4 Ford F-250 pickup truck with a massive 18-inch extended cab is capable of transmitting satellite and microwave images.

Now that stations are recovering from the budget-slashing days of the recession, many are getting back into the sky with helicopters. There are between 100 and 120 TV news choppers today, compared to about 180 that were in operation pre-recession in 2007. One station that’s added its own bird is NBC-owned WCAU Philadelphia.

The newsgathering cooperative is using LiveU’s bonded cellular technology to provide live, multi-camera feeds for a fuller picture of breaking news as it unfolds. It’s also partnering with Swedish startup Bambuser to give citizens with the ability to be video eyewitnesses on behalf of the Associated Press and stream video via smartphones.

The station group’s IP-based GrayMax Hotspot system is designed to provide the reliability of a microwave truck without the telescoping mast, and the newsgathering freedom of bonded cellular technology without the worry of being knocked off the air by cellular congestion. It’s being tested at Gray’s KBTX Bryan, Texas.

Canon is making another run at selling camcorders to TV stations for ENG, introducing two new units at NAB. Rivals in the market: Panasonic’s AG-HPX and AJ-PX lines; JVC’s GY-HN650 with dual-codec live streaming; and Sony’s new PMW-450 and its PMW-200.

The CBS San Francisco O&O purchased Dejero’s LIVE+ VSET, which bonds bandwidth from cellular networks, microwave and satellite and transmits live SD and HD shots.

Grass Valley is working with Vislink and at least one other manufacturer to incorporate wireless connectivity into its LDX Flex ENG camera, said Tim Thorsteinson, president-CEO of the company, at […]

Canon, best known for its lenses in broadcast circles, might be making a run in the highly competitive ENG camera business with its introduction today of two new ENG professional cameras that offer wireless content transfer and remote operation.

Panasonic will introduce a new, shoulder-mount camcorder suitable for high-end ENG at NAB next month, the company announced today in New York. The AJ-PX5000G, which comes with a $28,000 price […]

One of the biggest myths is that broadcasters need a lot of bandwidth to import good video from the field via the cell networks. It isn’t true. One modem and 500 kpbs will do the job. And many broadcasters don’t realize that the more modems you stream with, the higher your on-air latency. 

TVU Networks, a supplier of electronic news gathering broadcasting solutions, today released TVUPack Cloud, a cloud-based broadcasting platform that lets professional newsgathering organizations of all sizes capture live coverage of news, […]

The Chicago ABC O&O has just made a large investment in bonded cellular technology that lets crews send live video back to the station over public wireless broadband networks. The gear comes from Dejero Labs. Portable transmitters the size of small suitcases send signals using an online system manager to in-station receivers, which capture the incoming video and convert it to genlocked SDI video ready for ingest into the station’s workflow.

With an “arsenal” of three camcorders with solid-state media, the company is ready to compete with Sony, Panasonic and JVC for stations upgrading to high-def news. Says Canon’s Larry Thorpe: “We have jumped in … because we certainly have seen over recent years a very definitive move of broadcasters looking for lower-cost equipment for newsgathering … and we play down there in that lower-cost end.”

At a pre-NAB press conference in New York yesterday, the video vendor says to expect new ENG camcorders at NAB that will meet the demand of broadcasters for “smaller, lighter” gear. But it declines to give details. It also slashes the price on its P2 memory cards by 20% and offers new software and hardware aimed at taking some of the kinks out of the P2 workflow.