Rhode Island's WPRI Flips HD Switch For Local Newscasts

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Sep 26, 2011 10:42 AM, By Michael Grotticelli

WPRI, the CBS associate in Providence, RI, is right away report its local newscasts in high clarification (1080i). The hire went HD during its 5 p.m. newscast on Tuesday, Sept. 20.

The hire - owned by LIN Media - chose a Grass Valley Ignite Konnect programmed prolongation network (which includes a Kayenne switcher), leaving two people in the manage to run the whole newscast.

"The initial uncover was a bit rough, but we've completed [several] shows with it now, and we've have had washed shows every time," mentioned Bill Hague, executive of engineering at WPRI, adding that the staff lerned is to whole month of Aug and rehearsed for two weeks before going live to air this week. "The greatest dare for us was migrating to HD whilst staying on the air in SD."

The hire has moreover implemented Ignite cameras on tripods in the studio, 4 Avid Deko 3000 HD graphics generators, a Wheatstone D-8 array audio console (stereo audio), Grass Valley Trinix router, and a few Sony PDW-F355L XDCAM HD cameras in the field. The router was an exiting section that was being used in SD and HD concurrently during the transition.

"We are sharpened all HD in the margin and backhaul in HD (except live shots)," Hague said.

A new headlines set was written and built by FX Group (Ocoee, FL) and By Request Communications (Marlborough, MA) commissioned the manage room and apparatus in the studio.

Hague mentioned right away that he has vanished HD, he has to attend to customers or headlines staff that need SD dubs, so he has to downconvert the vigilance to prove them.

"I still have a lot of people requesting SD, so you have to be able to hoop that," Hague said.

The hire uses AJA Video FS-1 and FS-2 HD /SD audio/video support synchronizers and converters to obtain the work done. In addition, it uses a Thomson solid-state VHF receiver running at 30 kW - that is moreover used by the local Fox hire WNAC 64, due to a long-standing LMA.