Castilla y León TV updates the equipment of its production centers with Sony

CyLTV adquiere a Sony un total de 27 cámaras de mano PXW-Z280, 8 cadenas de cámara de estudio HXC-FB80 y 13 cámaras robotizadas BRC-H900.

Como parte de un ambicioso plan de renovación tecnológica, Castilla y León Televisión (CyLTV), ha realizado una importante inversión en cámaras profesionales de Sony, además de la primera implementación de flujos de trabajo inalámbricos para producción de informativos.

CyLTV ha adquirido un total de 27 cámaras de mano PXW-Z280, 8 cadenas de cámara de estudio HXC-FB80 y 13 cámaras robotizadas BRC-H900 with remote control capability. In addition to offering improved image quality and making operations in its studios more efficient, CyLTV's investment in camera technology with connectivity through wireless mobile networks has allowed them to optimize production workflows and be able to distribute news images more quickly.

The regional television of Castilla y León is managed by the 100% private capital company Radio Televisión de Castilla y León S.A., which is the licensee of the DTT service in said Community. It began broadcasting on March 9, 2009 and distributes its audiovisual offering through two channels: La 7, whose regional programming is similar throughout the territory 24 hours a day, and La 8, an autonomous channel with a provincial identity with territorial disconnections in certain time slots.

CyLTV's main work centers are in Valladolid, where it has two headquarters dedicated to information services and self-produced programs. In addition, it also has 10 territorial production centers located in the nine provincial capitals of the Community (Ávila, Burgos, León, Palencia, Salamanca, Segovia, Soria, Valladolid and Zamora) and in the region of El Bierzo (Ponferrada), and has a delegation in Madrid.

Since its inception CyLTV has always worked with Sony on recording equipment. This positive experience added to the features, performance and robustness of the Sony equipment has convinced CyLTV to trust the Japanese manufacturer again in this important renewal process. In addition, the chain's staff is already familiar with the operations and functioning of the equipment, which provides important added value at a time of technological change such as the one CyLTV is in.

Wireless connectivity

To record news in the field throughout the region, the network has complemented its current operation with 27 Sony PXW-Z280 light camcorders. Its 3 1/2” Exmor CMOS sensors with 4K resolution (3840 x 2160) make it an exceptionally bright model, reaching a sensitivity of F13 at 50Hz and an S/N ratio of 63 dB.

3G and 4G wireless connectivity enables camera operators in the field stream live content or send recorded files to the production center. This prevents teams from having to travel long distances back from the news location for content ingestion, saving valuable time that news production teams can use so that breaking news can be distributed with images as quickly as possible.

CyLTV is also using 8 networks studio camera HXC-FB80 from Sony to produce news and entertainment programs in its two production centers in Valladolid. The cameras have 3 2/3″ Exmor CMOS sensors that produce impressive image quality and can even offer Ultra High Definition and HDR outputs. As a novelty, they allow operation through the HZC-RCP5 control software and a single RCP 3500 remote panel, so that a single operator can control several HXC-FB80s from a network computer that dynamically assigns control of the cameras to the remote panel.

In addition to this, CyLTV uses 13 robotic cameras BRC-H900. This model is an integrated PTZ (Pan, Tilt, Zoom) camera equipped with 3 Full HD (1920 x 1080) CMOS sensors of 1/2" size, which makes it the triple sensor robotic camera with the largest capture devices on the market. These compact cameras are used for the production of local programs and news in CyLTV's territorial centers. A single member of the team can operate up to three remote cameras, which allows optimizing operations without sacrificing the production value.

Jorge Losada, director general de CyLTV, reconoce que “en CyLTV estamos tremendamente ilusionados. Con este nuevo equipamiento podremos dar un importante paso adelante para ofrecer mayor definición, agilidad y versatilidad de nuestros contenidos a los espectadores castellanos y leoneses. Esto refuerza nuestro compromiso por ofrecer una televisión de cercanía, y sobre todo de servicio público de calidad”.

"For Sony it is a pleasure to have the confidence of CyLTV in our entire range of cameras, from the ENG that will be used to report from the news location, to the robotic cameras that will be used in the territorial centers and the studio cameras that will be installed in the two headquarters in Valladolid. We are very proud to be able to accompany them as technological partners in this important process of transformation and modernization," he comments. Hector Sierra, Key Account Manager de Sony.