TV Broadcast using FCP7?

I run a small public access TV station housed in an art center in Carson City, NV.

Here is my dilemma.

When we first set up for broadcast, 5 years ago, the only (or best or most affordable) piece of equipment to run 2-5 cameras straight into a video input application and be able to switch between cameras, with 2-5 separate audio inputs as well, was the New Tek VT4, we upgraded to VT5 a few years back. We can key out the background and film directly on to the hard drive, switching to the built in Speed Edit app. quite easily to finish and output. We can also send our signal straight to our broadcast system, a Rushworks Multizone PC (cough, cough).

I am a MAC snob. The computer we have New Tek on is failing, or it could be the application, but more likely the computer. We have two MAC towers, both substantial in power and hard drive space. My feeling is I should switch to one of these and use FCP7 or 10, however I do not know if either of those apps will do what I need as far as multi cam input goes. And what type of hardware I'd need to make it happen.

Are any of you familiar with using FCP in this capacity? Do you know some one who is using it in such a manner that I could talk to and pick their brains?

The Mayor wishes to start using our Performance Hall that is above our studio for overflow government meetings since we can broadcast live from this location. I need to solve this little problem we have of the computer (or the application) shutting down willy nilly. Just would not do to have a meeting going out live and have the computer stop working. I realize a MAC could do this too, but a lot less likely and of course a new PC could take care of the problem as well, maybe.

Anyway, do you have any ideas, solutions?

The station does not have FCP 7 or 10 yet. Did I mention we are public access? No money=no new apps. But the city is ready to pay what is needed to get overflow into my building. We can go from FCP6 to an upgrade of FCP7.

Thank you SO much, Darla Bayer dbayer@bactv.org

Multicam editing for broadcast? Definitely. I'm working on a multicam reality series for my kid's birthday party.. No I'm kidding. For broadcast, where else? I'm on FCP 7. Good for editing.

FCP X just released an update with multicam yesterday. Not sure how stable that will be for now. I may try FCP X again and maybe I'll like it, or maybe I won't. I dunno.

Now, crashes. I'm not sure what the broadcasters use for broadcast playback as all computer editing systems will crash once every few weeks or months and a lot more if the user doesn't use it well.



www.strypesinpost.com

Daria, do you mean live broadcast with multiple video and audio inputs? So, really, switching, but capturing the live broadcast at the same time to do a 'finished' version later?

Or do you mean filming, then ingesting all the angles from all the cameras, then syncing and then cutting and outputting?

Final Cut is not meant to replicate the functions of a live broadcast switcher. It is designed to capture 1 stream of video at a time. It would be possible to capture multiple streams with several systems, of course, but you are going to have to have one copy of the program, running on a separate workstation for each angle you want to capture. There are much more efficient ways to do this.

Even if you did rig up a system with say four cameras capturing to four Mac's each with a copy of Final Cut you still don't have a way to live switch a feed. You would have four ISO records, which then have to be cut together one shot at a time.

There are applications and hardware to do what you want, but Final Cut is not your answer. You mentioned using a New Tek product, Sony makes a nice little studio in a box called the Anycast. Blackmagic has a small switcher. You might want to look to a system integrator to help you build out what you need.

Finally a word on reliability. Personally I think anybody who takes a general purpose computer live to air is either incredibly brave or foolhardy. Computer crash. Always at the most critical moments. I have done a LOT of live TV. When I am using Final Cut I always playout or push my work to playout servers or video tape before it airs. On very rare occasions I have run so close to air time that the top of my element is on the air while the back is still being recorded. My doctor has to double my blood pressure medication after one of those!

So Vance you haven't used IPEdit in Edit2Air mode yet?

...


me neither ;-)

my first sugegstion would be something on the order of the newtek tricaster. simply because ive worked on shoots with those a few times and they have been pretty bulletproof. never heard the directors say anything unpleasant. and we all know they ARE capable of such things ; )

but if you are dead set on going with something mac based. blackmagic has some new stuf that looks pretty interesting:
[www.blackmagic-design.com]
scroll down to the production switchers section.

Maybe this summer Trevor. Got a contract to work you side of the pond for a few weeks.

I mean the former, live broadcast with multiple video and audio inputs.

Thank you.

Thank you all for your input to date.

As I have admitted, I am a MAC snob, but that is not the real reason I am looking to use MAC at this point. We have little money to replace computers and happen to have two pretty good MAC's that are not being used to their best advantage.

However, I actually AM leaning toward a Tri Caster, we have one already in our Government meeting location and really it has not failed us.

I also got a message from another who suggested Telestream Wirecast:

[www.telestream.net]

Has anyone used this? And do you know if it works with Watershed? And can it output to LIVE broadcast?

Thank you! Darla