Canal 13, Universidad Católica de Chile, and TVN, Televisión Nacional de Chile, two of the most traditional and important channels in that country, made a significant purchase of Panasonic equipment of solid state P2 technology.
Chilevisión, another of Chile's major channels, also acquired systems based on P2 technology.
"Canal 13 is one of Chile's largest channels, with extensive national coverage, comprising 242 transmitting stations and generally leading audience measurements," said Roberto Plass G. channel engineering manager, who also commented that the new camcorders will be used to support its news operations and gradually replace several camcorders with more than 15 years of utilization.
For his part, Eng. Jaime Sancho, engineering manager of the National Television of Chile, said that "TVN is a leader in regional newscasts and in national news disputes hand in hand the first place. TVN has the first place at the level of average general audience."
TV and VIDEO interviewed Roberto Plass of Chile's Channel 13 and Jaime Sancho of Chile's National Television to learn more about this migration.
Could you list and describe the P2 equipment you are currently purchasing? Did they already have equipment of this technology?
Channel 13: We have acquired 21 Panasonic P2 camcorders model AJ-SPX 800. We did not have equipment with this technology, but we were interested in it since the beginning of 2004, only that the product was not yet available until the end of that year.
TVN: Televisión Nacional acquired 6 P2 cameras from Panasonic, which will be destined to TVN regional centers, for the production of regional newscasts and correspondents of the national newscast. We did not have equipment of this technology, although we had had the opportunity to test them.
Is this acquisition part of an overall modernization plan? Could you describe it? What other equipment are you buying?
Channel 13: It is about partially renewing the Sony BVW-300-A camcorders, which have already exceeded 15 years and are still in a position to operate, but it is necessary to adopt new technologies with better resolution and sensitivity in the camera section and also migrate to a digital format without videotapes. We have also acquired Sony XDCAM PD-530 camcorders for high-quality recordings in soap operas with their optical disc. Equipment renewal needs have been gradually met, with the addition of AVID and other non-linear storage and editing equipment.
TVN: The main reasons why we adopt this technology are, firstly, that it is perfectly suited to the workflow of our regional stations and, second, because it is an excellent opportunity to intensively evaluate a technology other than those we have traditionally used, with a view to future decisions to renew the equipment we use at our headquarters.
What were the main technical considerations for opting for P2 technology?
Channel 13: As for P2, we think it is the technology of the future, without usual wear and replacement parts, which in addition to providing greater reliability, provides a result free of vibration problems or inertial movements. Transferring content at high speed directly from removable memory or via USB 2.0 to a laptop allows for fast non-linear editing in the field, or storage on an inexpensive portable hard drive.
Do you have any studies on the return on investment of this equipment?
Channel 13: We have not carried out definitive studies of the ROI, but in attention to the value of the Heads of the Betacam and all its other parts that require maintenance, the return is fast.
Moving away from the subject a little, and taking advantage of this interview, what is the situation of digital television in Chile? What is the government's strategy and what is its channel's?
Channel 13: Digital Terrestrial TV does not yet have a regulatory decision by the competent authorities, this has been postponed without a date for now. We have carried out experimental transmissions in ATSC standard for 2 years and the results were good. The channels have boosted HDTV's digital technology, but we have to wait for an official resolution, with their respective migration schedule to DTV.
TVN: Televisión Nacional has made experimental broadcasts since 1997 in different periods and has some high-definition equipment that is used in the production of the documentary area and also to produce promotional material.
