Innovative GY-HC900 and GY-HC550 CONNECTED CAM™ Broadcast Camcorders Provide Station Group With High-quality, Flexible Video Solution
MILWAUKEE — Weigel Broadcasting Co. in Milwaukee, home to WDJT-TV, CBS 58, WMLW-TV, The M, WBME-CD, Me-TV and WYTU-LD Telemundo Wisconsin, recently selected several GY-HC900 and GY-HC550 CONNECTED CAM camcorders for high-quality, flexible broadcasting. Products of JVC Professional Video, a division of JVCKENWOOD USA Corporation, the cameras are part of JVC’s plug-and-play CONNECTED CAM™ series.
The JVC GY-HC900 and GY-HC550 give the stations the necessary flexibility they require, while also providing a means of natively recording to SD. “We have been using JVC for over a decade in the field and have been very happy,” says Steve Percefull, chief engineer, Weigel Broadcasting Co. Milwaukee. “We have the GY-HM650 ProHD Mobile News Camera and GY-HM790 ProHD Solid State Media Camcorder, as well as GY-HM850 and GY-HM890 ProHD Shoulder Camcorders in our inventory. We have tried other manufacturers’ cameras over the years, but have to use adapters to use SD cards, which became problematic. This time around, when I was buying cameras, I wanted something easy and user-friendly, so we went back to JVC.”
The GY-HC900 is a unique and innovative broadcast camcorder that makes no compromises in image quality while offering a level of connectivity not found elsewhere. Additionally, the
GY-HC900 has a full-frame and a two-thirds lens, which Percefull says is perfect for the group’s needs. “It has more bells and whistles than some of the other cameras we were using, and a larger lens, so it was any easy choice,” he adds.
Aaron Frye, WDJT director of photography, was among the first to use the cameras at Weigel Broadcasting. “I primarily use our new JVC GY-HC900 for field anchoring and to shoot news stories, and have been really impressed,” he says. “The GY-HC900 has a nice depth of field and the colors really pop; it’s a great upgrade from our previous cameras.”
Additionally, the station purchased the GY-HC550s to replace aging cameras in the Multimedia Journalist (MMJ) kits, which are used by photographers for multi-camera shoots. Percefull has been impressed with the ruggedness of both the GY-HC900 and GY-HC550. “I’m really glad that JVC upgraded to a more waterproof design,” he says. “These are the most road-ready JVC cameras we have used. In addition, the support we receive has been top notch. Both cameras are very user-friendly, as they are very similar to the other JVC cameras we have in our inventory.”
While Weigel uses the JVC CONNECTED CAM camcorders for traditional live stand-ups, the GY-HC900 and GY-HC550 both offer a wide range of live streaming capabilities. Included among these is direct streaming to Facebook Live and YouTube Live.
WDJT-TV, WMLW-TV, WBME-CD and WYTU-LD are part of Weigel Broadcasting Co., a family-owned media company based in Chicago. The company owns and operates national television networks, as well as local broadcast stations throughout the country. Weigel is a leader in the media industry with “MeTV,” Memorable Entertainment Television, the number-one rated classic television network, as well as the “Movies!” Network in cooperation with the Fox Television Stations, the “DECADES” Network, the “H&I” Network and the “Start TV” Network in association with the CBS Television Stations. Weigel’s local stations include CBS, ABC, The CW, MyNet and Telemundo network affiliates. Weigel and its affiliate companies broadcast network and independent television stations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, Houston, Phoenix, Seattle, Denver, St. Louis, Nashville, Salt Lake City, Hartford, Milwaukee, South Bend and Rockford. Weigel is also the creator of the nationally syndicated music format “MeTV FM.” For more information on Weigel, visit: https://www.weigelbroadcasting.com/