When the Modesto Irrigation District (MID) set out to modernize its Public Meeting Chambers, the goal wasn’t just upgrading equipment—it was about creating a lasting communications platform for the future. MID, which provides irrigation, drinking water, and electricity throughout Stanislaus County, CA, recognized that in today’s world, transparency and accessibility are vital public responsibilities.

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The commitment had already been demonstrated years earlier during a high-stakes water rights battle. Instead of relying on news coverage, MID commissioned an independent, full-length documentary led by Sam Kneiss of Final Cut Media. It was an unprecedented move for a regional agency. The documentary gained recognition at film festivals, influenced public opinion, and won California’s highest award for public advocacy media, an honor typically reserved for high-profile coastal organizations.

That success story laid the groundwork for what came next: a complete reimagining of MID’s Meeting Chambers. Under California’s rigorous open meeting laws and rising demand for hybrid participation, MID required a system that could seamlessly integrate with Zoom, stream and record meetings with professional quality, provide robust security appropriate for a public utility, scale and adapt to future needs without major overhauls, and remain user-friendly for non-technical staff.

"This felt more like a federal-level integration than a local government job," Kneiss recalled. "Security, flexibility, and ease of use were non-negotiable."

To tackle the project, Final Cut Media partnered with Carl Pride of Pride Haus, an expert at building customized media systems often under tight budgets and high expectations. "The mentality was never maybe it's possible," said Pride. "It was everything is possible. We just had to figure out how."

Instead of presenting MID with a catalog of products, Final Cut Media and Pride Haus began by assembling the right team. They brought in networking specialist Michael Hernandez, who has spent more than 15 years delivering IP communications. A crucial discovery phase followed. Rather than replicating a standard RFP from another city, Pride asked MID’s leadership key questions to pinpoint their actual needs and eliminate unnecessary features.

For example, the previous system included a $25,000 control interface solely to turn two TVs on and off remotely. Pride proposed removing it in favor of simple remotes and reallocating the funds to improve video quality and system reliability. That practical approach paid off. The project expanded from four to 10 PTZ cameras, delivering full visual coverage of the chamber.

A Broadcast Pix GX Hybrid production switcher is at the heart of the system, paired with 10 RoboPix 4K PTZ cameras. Entirely IP-based and scalable, the setup is already future-ready for 4K without requiring a full system overhaul.

Pride evaluated multiple production systems, but ultimately chose Broadcast Pix for several key reasons. First, it offered expandability and programmability, which was ideal for a growing public agency. It also offered real human technical support and delivered professional-grade features at a government-friendly price. Having worked with Broadcast Pix since the early 2000s, Pride was confident the system would deliver high-end results with minimal operational complexity.

Its custom Commander interface allows MID staff to manage cameras, audio, and streams with minimal training, bringing professional polish to every meeting without increasing the staffing burden. The GX Hybrid system also features IP-based audio via Dante, integrated Zoom and Granicus streaming, Shure Microflex microphone management for intelligent speaker tracking, real-time captioning via Broadcast Pix VoCaption, and automated recording.

“The built-in recording feature is a huge win,” Pride added. “The OpTechs love it because the files are clean, easy to transfer, and consistently high-quality.”

[AV for Broadcast]

Pride also proposed a thoughtful enhancement: on-air lights inside and outside the room, automatically triggered by the Broadcast Pix system to indicate live recording or broadcasting. “It’s a familiar feature in professional studios,” Pride noted, “but integrating it seamlessly into a government meeting system was unique.”

Today, MID’s meetings aren’t just legally compliant—they’re a model for professional, ADA-accessible, and transparent government communication. The system is secure, scalable, and easy enough for non-technical staff to operate every day. “This project wasn’t just about installing new gear,” said Kneiss. “It was about building a better way for public agencies to connect with their communities. Broadcast Pix made that possible, and MID embraced the opportunity.”

With the integrated production switcher market experiencing significant growth, new technology offerings are being tailored to meet the needs of various markets, especially nontraditional broadcast environments including municipalities, schools, houses of worship, and corporations. Many of these installations are looking to simplify workflows and improve production management in control rooms as well as remote production vehicles.

"It's largely being used by people who may not have done video storytelling before and are just getting into it," said Christopher McLendon, senior product manager with Vizrt. "They find that an all-in-one integrated production system is a more accessible way to get into video production."

For integrated production switchers, the biggest selling point has always been the ability to control all system components. Key features include video switching, graphics creation, and clip playout. As interest in the technology has grown, these capabilities have expanded to include multiview monitoring, camera control, streaming, recording, and audio mixing. "Luckily, with today's technology, users don't need to sacrifice features even when using more compact gear," said Bob Caniglia, director of sales operations for Blackmagic Design, Americas.

The cost and convenience of an integrated production switcher can also be attractive to those operating within a limited budget but want professional-level production. "Instead of needing a variety of solutions from multiple vendors, users can select a single device that can easily handle their requirements for video production from a single control surface," explained Mike Garza, RUSHWORKS support engineer, system designer, and installer with ENCO Systems.

To that end, a well-designed control panel can ensure that anyone can operate the system, which is critical for those working with ever-changing volunteer staff. "Having everything integrated into one user interface simplifies the workflow significantly. PTZ control, audio mixing, and other built-in features allow for a streamlined operation, making it easier for operators to manage complex productions," said McLendon.

Hard or Soft?

There is also growing interest in software-based integrated production switchers, which are receiving top consideration from many venues. Vizrt TriCaster and vMix, for example, offer multiple NDI and SDI inputs as well as a wide range of production tools, including virtual sets, instant replay, and social media support. Small integrated switchers may be the preferred option for city councils or houses of worship, while more elaborate tools like vMix and TriCaster are more widely used in sports, schools, concert venues, and broadcast studios.

"We often see two types of production switcher customers: those interested in low cost and simplicity of operation, and others who plan to take full advantage of sophisticated production tools—animated graphics, video replay, scoreboards, etc.," said Edgar Shane, general manager of engineering and product development with JVC Professional Video.

[Extra Lives for Esports?]

As venues rely more on PTZ cameras, integrated production switchers with built-in PTZ control provides directors (especially those with a limited staff) the power to deliver multicamera productions with fewer camera operators. “The ability to recall camera preset positions and have full motion control of a PTZ camera offers significant flexibility without needing extra equipment or support,” noted Tony Mastantuono, product manager for Broadcast Pix.

Thinking about your needs and use cases come into play when deciding how many network inputs are needed, which could impact which switcher you choose. Networked resources could reduce the need for additional hardware and lower costs. "For instance, in a courtroom with six cameras, an integrated switcher might only need six inputs because it handles additional functions internally, such as video playback and graphics, which would otherwise require additional external inputs in a traditional system," McLendon offered.

If you need many inputs, a software-based solution could be your best choice, with many hardware-based switchers supporting up to 12 inputs. "The software-based solutions support many more since each input can be assigned to a live camera, pre-recorded content, graphics, virtual set, and other assets," said Shane. "For example, vMix software supports up to 1,000 inputs."

On The Network

Network inputs can expand content sources to include computer-generated content, IP cameras, and other NDI or IP-based sources. "These systems' primary advantage is their flexibility and scalability, allowing video sources to be easily distributed and accessed across different locations within the same network infrastructure, simplifying cable management and enhancing workflow integration," said Mastantuono.

[Cloud Power: The Evolution of Virtualized Production]
NDI offers significant flexibility for systems, helping to handle video sources easily through existing data networks. This simplifies system setup and management, making it easier for those with limited technical knowledge.

"The growth in the IPS market comes from NDI because it allows users to leverage their knowledge of data networking to create video networks—they can just set up a network, put in a couple of switches, and they're doing video," said McLendon. "This impacts all kinds of markets because all companies have IT people, but not all have video people. With NDI, IT people become your video people, and creating video becomes better."

With switcher technology rapidly evolving, AI will likely be leveraged to simplify workflows and enhance the quality of integrated elements like audio and graphics. "With new and improved technologies always on the horizon, users have a unique opportunity to make their content look better now than ever before, while at the same time simplifying their workflows and making them more efficient," said Caniglia.

[SCN Hybrid World Review: Logitech Going Beyond Good Enough]

There will also be an eventual shift toward 4K resolution; many are already beginning to adopt it, even though it isn't required in many industries, to ensure their systems are ready when the time comes. "As market demands evolve, they will drive changes in integrated production switchers," said Mastantuono.

Earlier this year, Nutmeg TV, the primary local public television channel based in Farmington, CT, embarked on a collaboration with Broadcast Pix to overhaul its studio capabilities. The objective was clear: Enhance the quality of productions and deliver an outstanding experience for community members, all while navigating the challenges of a smaller team and limited budget.

The need to upgrade studio equipment became evident in 2023 as Nutmeg TV sought to streamline its production processes. With a lean staff, Chris Bennett, Nutmeg TV’s director of technology and production services, set out to find a solution that would eliminate reliance on third-party applications like Zoom and Skype for remote interviews while maintaining high production standards.

[Every Day Is Game Day]

"We needed an all-in-one live production system," said Bennett. "I reached out to Broadcast Pix to explore if the GX Hybrid could create a virtual space for our shows to bring in remote guests. Fortunately, they had the perfect solution: GuestPix.”

Diversified, which has offices in North Haven, CT, played a crucial role in installing the new Broadcast Pix system with GuestPix, which enables Nutmeg TV to seamlessly incorporate remote guests into shows without additional subscriptions or external devices. In January, Nutmeg TV hosted the channel's inaugural GuestPix production, featuring an interview with Connecticut Speaker of the House Matthew Ritter. "The show and the response from the viewers have been wonderful," said Joanie Wedler, executive director and CEO of Nutmeg TV. 

In addition to the GX Hybrid, Nutmeg TV integrated seven Canon PTZ cameras, further enhancing its production capabilities. The strategic move provided comprehensive camera control and scalability for various productions.

"The studio upgrade has vastly improved Nutmeg TV's production capabilities, enabling them to produce high-quality content with unparalleled ease and efficiency," Bennett added. "The reliability of the Broadcast Pix system ensures uninterrupted operation, offering peace of mind to the production team."

Bennett commended the system's reliability and user-friendly interface, highlighting its ability to streamline production workflows and elevate the overall quality of their shows. The inclusion of the NewBlue animated graphics engine further raised the bar for productions, enabling dynamic content creation directly within the Broadcast Pix system.

Public, education, and government (PEG) channels and community media centers like Nutmeg TV play a pivotal role in fostering community engagement and communication. By harnessing advanced production technologies from Broadcast Pix, Nutmeg TV is empowering community members to share their stories and enrich the public television experience for all. As a result, Nutmeg TV is reaping the rewards of its investment with higher engagement numbers.

[Cloud-Based Production: Opportunity or Threat for Integrators?]

"We don't receive viewership numbers from cable companies, but we do track online metrics," Bennett said. "Recently, I discovered that we've reached 1 million YouTube impressions over the past year—quite an achievement for a PEG access facility in Connecticut. This demonstrates our outreach and the support from our viewers and users. Managing 500 shows a year with a production team of only three is no small feat. Despite the challenges, we handle it exceptionally well here at Nutmeg TV. Our producers are comfortable with our setup, and we have a fantastic team.”

Navigating the realm of PEG channels poses challenges in delivering vital local programming to communities. Adequate funding is crucial for these channels and community media centers to flourish, serving as hubs for communication training, higher production standards, cable distribution, and community connectivity. Nutmeg TV stands as a testament to the transformative power of strategic decisions and innovative broadcasting solutions.

"It's about having a long-term vision that you can gradually realize over time, ensuring you can evolve alongside advancements in technology," Bennett said. "This way, as technology advances, you can adapt and expand your setup while staying within your budget. It's amazing what type of outreach you can do when you have really good cameras and a really good switcher system.”

Lighting in confined spaces presents a unique challenge, but as demonstrated by the new video production studio at the Collier County Sheriff’s Office in Naples, FL, flexibility is essential. Thanks to the color-changing capability and compact size of Brightline fixtures, lighting is broadcast-quality for each interview and stand-up shot.

Encore Broadcast Solutions, with headquarters in Tampa, FL, served as the systems integration firm on the project, which was completed in November and included set design, control room with a Broadcast Pix GX Hybrid integrated production system, three Panasonic AW-UE160 4K PTZ cameras, and Brightline lighting. Brightline L1.2 studio lights, color changing Lupo fresnels, and Minnow profile spotlights were selected for the new studio, all calibrated for daylight color temperature.

[SCN Installation Showcase 2023] 

"Lighting is often thought of last in set design,” said Tampa-based lighting director Earl Thomas. “Once the set is there, you have to work with what you got. With this project, the set was pushed back close to the walls. Thankfully, the Minnows are so small, you can rotate them. And with the color-changing capability, they provide gorgeous accent lighting. The compact size of the Minnows with the power of an LED gives off a whole lot of light in a small space. We could light every area we needed to without any limitations.”

The studio is roughly 25x28 feet. The room itself has 11-foot-high ceilings, and a lighting grid was installed 10 feet off the floor. Thomas said the ability to daisy chain the power and DMX controls of the Brightline fixtures made it even easier to place the lights where he wanted. “That really helped us in such a tight space,” he added.

More government organizations are building their own studios for internal productions and broadcasts, according to Doug Taylor of Encore Broadcast Solutions, and they typically want something they can operate with their own staff. “They want to be able to do everything themselves, from adjusting the lighting to operating the switcher. Thanks to technology like Brightline offers we can easily incorporate the ‘set it and forget it’ ethos into our design,” he added. “One set uses a Planar 165-inch diagonal video wall. Lighting that set was a challenge, but Brightline and Earl handled it like a champ.”

[Let There Be Light(ing)]

“This was a great team effort for the Collier County Sheriff’s department,” said Kathy Katz, Brightline managing partner. “We’re thrilled the design of our fixtures enabled exactly the look and operation they wanted. We foresee many more projects of this type next year and beyond."

Little Falls Church has invested in a ChurchPix from Broadcast Pix. The live production and streaming system is opening its doors to other churches to learn how to share their messages online.

Based in Arlington, VA, Little Falls Presbyterian Church is driven by its mission of worship, discipleship, fellowship, and outreach. To support its vision, the church invested in a ChurchPix system to help improve the production value of its streaming content for both the local community, as well as trying to reach larger audiences. The COVID pandemic prevented many in-person services, forcing services online and onto streaming platforms. Although most of Little Fall’s productions are weekly services, ChurchPix has the power to be used for more elaborate and theatrical productions around Easter, Christmas, and other celebrations.

 [12 Inspiring House of Worship Pro AV Stories]

ChurchPix is a live production system specifically designed for churches that includes all the hardware and software required to create professional-looking live streaming content: cameras, computer hardware, IP switch, audio interfaces, an internal mixer, IP and NDI connectivity, plus a dedicated user interface. The system is preconfigured so setup is quick and easy, includes pre-loaded worship focused royalty-free clips, stills and graphics, templates, and control interfaces so the user can be streaming and recording in minutes.

“We work with a mostly volunteer production team,” commented Todd Robinson, director of worship at Little Falls Church. “The ChurchPix toolset is efficient and easy to use, so it has enabled our volunteer operators to focus on the production itself rather than trying to learn new technology. I simply create a run sheet for our weekly service, preset all the camera angles, shots, and zooms, upload any new macros, content, or images we’ve created, then our volunteers and the system automation do the rest.”

[SCN Installation Showcase 2022]

Proving to be such a successful case study in church live production and streaming, Little Falls welcomes other Houses of Worship in the area to take a test run on its system. These hands-on demonstrations provide other churches with insight into an affordable and intuitive solution for them to easily produce and share their worship message online.

SCN:  How is Broadcast Pix celebrating its 20th anniversary?

GS: We are still pretty much working remote as a company, so internal celebrations were somewhat subdued. However, it was a huge year for us as we transformed our complete product line to be software only, running on consumer-off-the-shelf (COTS) technology. This also enabled us to create focused versions for market verticals, such as RadioPix, ChurchPix, MeetingPix, and StreamingPix.

SCN:  What are the advantages of an integrated production system?

GS: Obviously, a big advantage is that everything you need is "in the box"—but having an integrated toolset brings huge operational advantages, primarily around ease of use and control. The tools are fully integrated into a single, easy-to-operate user interface, which can then be fully automated. These levels of control and automation cannot be achieved with individual production components.

[Executive Q&A: All the World's a Stage]

SCN:  With so much touchscreen functionality in today's production workflows, is there still a demand for traditional control panels?

GS: I would say yes—a touchscreen is fine for setup, but operators still love a tactile surface or control panel when they are producing a live show or event. Part of our success historically was our 'hybrid' control surface, where we combined visual menus with buttons, so watch this space as we work on our next-generation control surfaces. 

SCN:  There are a lot of built-in features in your systems, but what's the one that customers tell you they love the most?

GS: I would say ease of use and configurability. We have 20 years' worth of feature development, so everything you can think of, but making those features easy to find and intuitive to use is our real advantage and customers love it! 

[Executive Q&A: No Name Change for Covid, Inc.]

SCN:  How has cloud technology impacted your systems?

GS: We probably facilitated one of the earliest remote productions about 12 years ago, when we worked with Swedish Television to remotely produce their soccer league. In that case, the production systems were in a data center and the cameras were remote. Today, our systems are software-based, have an abstracted network architecture, and can easily run in the cloud.

So, it's not a technical issue, it's more of a financial one. The cloud can work out to be very expensive for constant and intensive CPU usage—and high-bandwidth streaming of the result. It is much more cost effective to run the software on a dedicated server or in a private data center.

We have been running a PoC for some time at a cathedral in Maine, where the software is hosted in a data center, the cameras remotely network in via the internet, and the producer switches the show from the congregation using an iPad—connected again to the public internet. I truly believe this is the future. 

SCN:  Is visual radio (finally) gaining more traction in the United States, and how can Broadcast Pix help integrators deliver a solution?

GS: Yes, I think visual radio is finally getting traction. Our goal with RadioPix is to make it easy to buy, install, configure, and operate. It comes with everything in the box, preconfigured and ready to go. We have tried to make it as plug-and-play as possible. In terms of operation, we include a behavioral intelligence module where cameras can be controlled by a set of rules based on microphone activity. I like to describe the "boredom" macro—if someone talks for longer than a couple of minutes, the camera is triggered to pull back, switch to the second camera, zoom in, and throw up a graphic to keep the content dynamic and interesting. 

SCN:  People know you for your integrated production systems, but what are some of the other products Broadcast Pix offers?

GS: We focus on IPS, that's in our blood. Of course, we provide cameras and now we have a range of appliances for specific markets, but our DNA is integrated production systems—total focus. 

[Executive Q&A: All About Interoperability]

SCN:  What new initiatives are we likely to see from your company?

GS: We have a very deep toolset which we have been developing for 20 years, so now our focus is improving ease of use with next-generation control and more automation. 

SCN:  Where do you see the Pro AV industry heading?

GS: We see AV rapidly merging with broadcast. COTS and networks have become powerful and fast enough to process high definition, high-quality video, so we can have the best of both worlds at a competitive price—the quality and standards of broadcast and the networking expertise of AV.

The Museum of Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean has built its reputation by combining historical exhibits with social commentary to tell the story of this rich basin of civilization. The Museum recently enhanced its storytelling capabilities with the addition of a Broadcast Pix MX Hybrid Integrated Production Solution.

The French national museum, located in Marseille and known as MUCEM, presents permanent exhibitions based on different scientific fields: anthropology, archaeology, history, art history and contemporary art. The MUCEM also offers temporary exhibitions often linked to current artistic or social events.

Most of the museum’s equipment is dedicated to its auditorium, which hosts more than 200 events annually – including exhibits, conferences and concerts – with many of them recorded for archiving and on-demand viewing purposes. The museum had relied on a Broadcast Pix Mica system since its inaugural opening in 2013, but the team realized it needed an upgraded solution as its production needs expanded.

[Broadcast Pix Introduces New 4K Hybrid Model]

The Broadcast Pix system was selected for its flexibility and performance, according to Eric Moncho, Auditorium and Events Manager at MUCEM. “This new system allows us to capture events in the auditorium in SDI and NDI for the highest level of production and distribution flexibility,” Moncho said. “Now we have a system capable of controlling our NDI cameras in all our rooms from the same studio.”

The Auditorium configuration is based on six cameras: three older SDI models and three newer NDI models, the specification for delivering and receiving high-definition uncompressed video at the lowest latency among other NDI-compliant networked devices.

[Monomoy High School Produces Daily Morning Show with Broadcast Pix]

MUCEM has several rooms including eight main areas with capacities between 300 to 1300 people, which are generally recorded with a single camera. The museum’s recording schedule was accelerated by the pandemic when attendance was either prohibited or limited to online viewing. Using the new MX Hybrid allows the museum to reinforce the single camera system with the three additional NDI cameras.

The sale and installation were managed remotely by Broadcast Pix dealer partner SAV, a provider of audio-visual solutions for the corporate and TV/radio broadcast markets. SAV worked closely with Broadcast Pix to ensure MUCEM had the right solutions for its current needs and future exhibits. 

“This hybrid production and streaming solution is a perfect fit for the museum’s exhibition and content plans,” said Carlo Bolognesi, EMEA sales manager for Broadcast Pix, “It gives them infinite flexibility to record events, stream them seamlessly and present their mission in the highest quality—and it can grow with them as their plans evolve.”

Prior to the pandemic, many houses of worship did not consider live streaming a priority. Whether or not it was necessary to incorporate it into a church’s larger ministry strategy depended on a number of variables, including the specific organization’s budget, its access to technical expertise, and its overall approach to outreach.

“Some churches, before COVID, understood that not everyone was comfortable setting foot into a church, and so streaming was a way for people to check the church out outline in a very safe, one-way communication so they could find out: What is this church about? Is this something that I would be interested in being a part of?” explained Luke Jordan, PMP, CTS-I, vice president and co-steward at Electro Acoustics, an AV design and integration firm based in Fort Worth, TX. “I think those churches were way ahead of the game and had already put themselves out there, had captured a lot of online viewers, and had enough people watching online that they could continue to invest in their technology and improve the production value of their live stream.”

Strategies and Spending

Of course, COVID-19 had late adopters—especially during the early months of the pandemic—scrambling to catch up. While many have stepped up to the challenge, some churches continue to lag behind.

How Electro-Voice EVA Systems Can Optimize Acoustics for Houses of Worship

The Electro Acoustics team spends a lot of time helping churches shape their live streaming strategies. Not only does it help them to narrow down the best tech options for their clients’ applications, it also helps houses of worship practice good financial stewardship. For example, if a church is currently logging only three online viewers per week in spite of the pandemic, spending tens of thousands of dollars on a live streaming system is, arguably, not a wise investment.

Jordan emphasized the need to assess specific goals related to outreach. Does church leadership see streaming simply as a convenience, or is live streaming part of a serious effort to attract new worshippers in the community and beyond? “The technology budget is different depending on the answers to those questions,” he said. “And if their strategy isn’t firm, then the hardware and technology solution they use to get there is not going to be any better.”

It’s also necessary to consider the house of worship’s technical resources. Some churches want to stream to multiple platforms, for example, but this can complicate matters for volunteer production crews who may or may not have a high level of technical training. “With Facebook, you can typically push one button and you’re live, [while] YouTube is more like a five-step process,” Jordan said. “We help them understand … this is going to be something that you’re doing multiple times a week, and you’ve got volunteers running it. You might want to find a platform that requires fewer steps to get up and going.’”

[Historic House of Worship AV Upgrade Includes EAW Audio System]

The discussion on using multiple platforms also extends to analytics; the more platforms a church uses, the more diluted the analytics can get. “You want to know how many people are watching, how long they watch for, [and if] they tune out when the sermon starts,” explained Jordan. “If you have to go to five different places to get your metrics for all of that, it’s just going to be harder to really understand the impact that your online presence is having.”

While some churches opt to use a third-party CDN (content delivery network), it’s not mandatory. According to Bryce Button, director of product marketing at AJA Video Systems, a video and broadcast technology developer headquartered in Grass Valley, CA, most solutions offer the ability to easily interface with platforms such as Facebook and YouTube. “There are a plethora of social media sites and platforms that they can use to deliver live and on-demand content to their audiences,” he noted.

For encoding, Button said many churches will be fine with a single encoder and switched output for their live streaming activities; however, more elaborate setups may require a solution that will encode content into multiple formats and deliver it to multiple destinations simultaneously. The best option, of course, depends on the specific church and its streaming audience. “It’s important to think about the range of compression levels the church will need depending on its audience’s bandwidth needs and preferred viewing platforms before making an investment,” Button explained.

Bandwidth Burdens

Bandwidth, unfortunately, continues to be an issue for some churches. While they may try to get away with a single internet line that is feeding the entire facility, churches should have a dedicated internet line for live streaming, Jordan advised. “People need to understand that the hardware is important,” he said, “but the pipeline that they actually push their content out on is just as important—and does not need to lag behind the technology that they’re investing in inside the building.”

Codecs and compression can help to address the bandwidth issue. At the same time, Button acknowledged that some trial-and-error may be required to strike the right balance between image quality and available bandwidth.

“For some houses of worship, H.264 is appropriate, as it remains one of the widely used codecs,” he said. “However, others might prefer HEVC, which has proven highly efficient at image quality preservation, even in low-bandwidth settings.”

Minimizing camera movement can also help when bandwidth is at a premium. “Too much camera movement can strain the encoding process and lead to breakup,” Button noted, “whereas harnessing multiple setups and still camera positions will result in a cleaner stream with [fewer] compression bottlenecks.”

Volunteer-Friendly Solutions

Sometimes, AV integrators can over-engineer live streaming solutions, according to Graham Sharp, CEO at Broadcast Pix, a broadcast and streaming technology developer in Tyngsboro, MA. In churches with limited technical resources, this is problematic because the people operating the systems don’t have the expertise to take full advantage of the technology.

While Broadcast Pix sells high-end streaming solutions, its ChurchPix solution—an out-of-the-box live streaming system specifically for churches—is designed for facilities where ease of use is a top priority. “Most churches are volunteer-run and volunteer-operated, and those that have [overly sophisticated technology] have ended up with a system that they just don’t know how to operate,” Sharp said. “They end up only using five percent of the functionality of the system, and they find it really hard to use.”

Cameras are another important consideration. Jordan said some churches will invest in a high-quality 4K camera but outfit it with a small lens, only to discover that close-up shots are dark and grainy. One workaround is to put less expensive cameras closer to the stage, with higher-end models—equipped with higher quality lenses and better optics—positioned further away. “That allows us to then balance out our different cameras and shots, and make sure that no matter what we’re using, we’ve got a good, clean image,” he said.

Carolyn Heinze is a freelance writer/editor.

How To Create a VOD Library (Without Breaking the Bank)

AJA’s Bryce Button noted that creating a video-on-demand library has gotten easier and less expensive for churches over the last several years. He points to the availability of tools that can stream, encode, and record content simultaneously––such as his company’s AJA HELO solution. “Post-service or event, it then becomes much simpler to upload the file recording to a library,” he said.

Current solutions also support different compression levels for streaming and recording. “[This ensures] that live stream viewers with low bandwidth still receive a great experience via a compressed stream,” Button added, “while a less compressed stream can be recorded for integration into the VOD library.”

Broadcast Pix announced the FX Hybrid, bringing the new Hybrid architecture to the AV market with the most powerful performance for the price in its class.

The latest in the hybrid range, the FX Hybrid integrated production switcher delivers incredible flexibility, from HDMI to SDI to network inputs at 4K resolution at an affordable price point and replaces the legacy FX series with a single more powerful and flexible model.

[Monomoy High School Produces Daily Morning Show with Broadcast Pix]

The FX Hybrid also includes Commander, the totally configurable browser-based remote user interface, media aware macros, and the recently released GuestPix as standard providing industry leading control, automation, and connectivity.

The FX Hybrid features

• Six (6) Network + four (4) HDMI/SDI + one (1) HDMI/SDI/Analog inputs
• One (1) NDI + one (1) HD/SDI + one (1) SD/SDI + one (1) HDMI + one (1) analog output
• Built-in 3D motion CG graphics system for the easy creation of dazzling graphics
• Eight (8) channels of clips and graphics with 60 hours of storage
• Three (3) keyers each with DVEs and Virtual Studios with ClearKey chromakeyer
• 1080p/60 and 4K ready hardware server
• GuestPix remote guest integration
• Media aware macro automation
• Program recording and integrated streaming to Facebook Live and other CDNs
• Internal audio mixing
• Integrated PTZ camera control of leading robotic cameras
• Remote “browser-based” and “easy-to-operate” user interfaces with Commander
• Full motion BPview customizable multi-view monitoring

[New Broadcast Pix System Helps Cupertino with Video Outreach during Pandemic]

“Designed for today’s hybrid production environments, the FX Hybrid is great for churches, schools, government agencies, businesses, and broadcasters, who need to utilize their existing gear while integrating IP cameras, computer-generated content and other NDI sources,” said Graham Sharp, CEO, Broadcast Pix. “This easy-to-use and future-proof solution supports the live production needs of our users today and into the future, at an affordable price.”

One of the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and its associated lockdown orders has been an acceleration of many of the technologies that assisted remote communications and remote workflows. For the City Manager’s Office in Cupertino, CA, this has seen them both produce more content as the city ramped up its outreach program to ensure its citizens remained informed of local issues and meetings, and produce it in a different, more distributed, and COVID-secure way.

Luckily, the department had the ideal equipment for the task in the shape of a Broadcast Pix BPswitch GX integrated production system that arrived in March 2020, just before the pandemic took hold. The new system was an upgrade to the existing Broadcast Pix Granite that had been in place since the city moved to HD at the start of 2014.

[Monomoy High School Produces Daily Morning Show with Broadcast Pix]

“The upgrade was a natural process,” explained Peter Coglianese, multimedia communications specialist in the City Manager’s Office. “We had just done a system-wide update from Windows 7 to Windows 10, so it just felt like it was the right time.”

If it was the right time, it was also a fortuitous one, as some of the new features that the BPswitch GX introduced to Coglianese and the six-strong team were very useful over the coming months.

“A lot of the features that we have used in the pandemic, such as remote access into the system, soft panels, and being able to extend the Broadcast Pix network into other areas of our WAN were enhanced greatly with the BPswitch GX—and those have been specifically helpful for our control room crews,” he said.

Cupertino has demonstrated a real commitment to video outreach and transparency, and two or three of its live meetings a week are variously streamed and broadcast via the BPswitch console. “We use it for everything,” said Coglianese. “Whether we’re streaming it or it’s being shown on local cable channels, it goes through the same system. If we’re doing a live Zoom event and it involves elements of the control room then all of the signal routing will go through it. 

[Broadcast Pix Introduces New Streaming Solution for Churches]

"We have two Zoom rooms linked to our control room, those go through scan converters directly into the Broadcast Pix, and then we manage all the video mixing at that location. Even at virtual events we can still do picture-in-picture and advanced graphics layouts independent of what you’re seeing in the Zoom meeting itself.”

The ability to extend the system to different locations via soft panels has been extremely useful as well.

“We have had to physically separate into teams, as we didn’t want to have the entire team to have to quarantine for 14 days in case somebody got sick,” Coglianese explained. “As a result, we’ve done some productions where we’ve extended the system to different facilities across our city network, and team members connected by Clear-Com links have been able to work on the same live production in different areas.”

[Flexibility Key for Routing Switchers]

Coglianese admitted that because of the pandemic, the team has not been able to drive the unit as hard as they would like, and there is still some functionality they have yet to access. That said, they have still been able to put on some complex shows, such as an election program called Pizza & Politics, which is aimed at an adolescent audience.

“We had three people just running the Broadcast Pix system,” he recalled. “We had somebody on a soft panel that was managing the triggering of all the clips that were going into the Zoom environment, there was somebody else who was managing the auxiliary feeds related to the TV and YouTube screens, we had CG elements, and more. There was a lot going on.”

Coglianese is also a huge fan of the customization available with the unit. “We use it all the time,” he said. “All of that programmable element is probably the number one selling point of the console because it’s so well designed. You’re not pigeonholed into a very rigid fit—all the elements are very flexible and adaptable to different types of projects, whatever you’re doing. Somebody can be doing something on one bus, and the other buses are going out to TV or to streaming. The flexibility of the system is definitely five star.”

Monomoy High School is a key educational establishment in Harwich, MA, nestled on the southern coast of Cape Cod overlooking Nantucket Sound. Home of the Monomoy Sharks, it is also home of a digital media/TV production program that enables students to produce their own daily morning show. Students get the full benefit of a recently refurbished production studio outfitted with a new Broadcast Pix BPswitch GX system and BPfusion Graphics software, which replaced their Broadcast Pix Mica system.

Instructor Stephen Cass has been using Broadcast Pix equipment since 2009, but Monomoy only began using it for remote production for its 2020 graduation ceremonies. “Just as I was getting things ready, my portable switcher died on me,” Cass explained, “so I reached out to Broadcast Pix and they were able to lend us a system. That meant I could cover graduation, and then we were able to buy the system soon afterward.”

Three Sony HXC-FD80 HD studio cameras complete the setup, putting the new studio at the forefront of TV production education in the region. ‘Few schools in the region provide the same level of equipment students would see at a television station,” Cass added. “So, it gives them a huge career advantage.”

With Cass taking a “very hands-off” approach, the students produce a five-minute show with announcements, news, weather, and sports. They also produce school committee meetings using the Broadcast Pix switcher and PTZ cameras.

[Broadcast Pix Introduces New Streaming Solution for Churches]

“The morning show is recorded live-to-tape and uses clips, virtual backgrounds, graphics, over the shoulder boxes,” Cass noted. “Coupled with broadcast-style transitions to the weather, the result is very professional looking. The students have only been doing this for a few months and have had a few hiccups, but they’re leaning from what doesn’t work and are doing a pretty nice job.”

Cass values the flexibility of the Broadcast Pix system. “Because we’re in an educational setting, ideally, I want to have as many students involved as possible,” he explained, “but at other times when I am short of people, a single operator can run them. They just have great flexibility to scale from a single person operation to a multi-person collaboration.”

[High School Students Prepare for Broadcast Careers with Clear-Com Gear]

The school recently added an additional Broadcast Pix FX8, purchased through the Ockers Company in Brockton, MA, to cover the many sporting events that they produce. “The students run everything—they are the commentators, camera people, create graphics, they do the switching, and mix the audio,” Cass added.

Cass and the school have big plans. “Eventually, I'd like to run fiber to all the different areas in the school, like the football field, gymnasium, to the theatre, all tied back into our control rooms,” he said. “That would give our students remote production experience in a familiar setting, which is great preparation for the real world beyond the school walls.”

A BPswitch GX11 system from Broadcast Pix has been installed in the 150-year-old city hall building in Chicopee, MA, as part of a multi-million dollar project to restore and rejuvenate the historic venue.

Located in the center of Chicopee at Market Square, the iconic 1871 structure was modeled after the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy, and features a 147-foot tower and a rose window of stained glass. Deteriorating structural issues forced city hall to close in 2003; the restoration project began in 2014.

“The city hall council chambers and the school district’s school committee central office were previously used to host meetings, but both of these spaces were too small to accommodate large gatherings,” explained Andrew Vernon, chief information officer for the city of Chicopee, its school system, and ChicopeeTV. “The city hall auditorium renovation provides a larger, physically accommodating and technologically prepared space for municipal meetings and gatherings to happen.”

A state-of-the-art system would also open up the possibility of broadcasting concerts, theater productions, and other events from the 200-capacity auditorium. The city of Chicopee worked with NV5 to manage ongoing renovations to city hall, including the auditorium, and Broadcast Pix partner Wassmann Audio Video was brought in as the integrator.

[ Broadcast Pix Debuts StreamingPix Solution ] 

“Quality and ease of use were the primary factors in deciding on a broadcast solution, and the BPswitch GX11 system offered these and much more,” said Vernon.

“We have found the ability to control cameras from the Broadcast Pix console to be extremely useful and very easy,” added Vernon. “Our municipal meetings can have up to 15 participants in the auditorium space, and having granular control over seven PTZ cameras gives us the ability to bring each participant on air quickly. We have also integrated the use of the NewBlueNTX title tool and the PixPad, and being able to quickly and accurately add lower-thirds to identify each member enhances our broadcasts.”

[ Broadcast Pix Introduces Streaming Solution for Churches ]

“The beauty of the BPswitch system is in its flexibility and ease of use, enabling each system to be easily tailored to the operator and their production environment,” said Broadcast Pix CEO Graham Sharp. “The Chicopee TV installation achieves a highly professional look for its broadcasts and livestreams, within a system that is easy to install, operate, and control.”

The What: Broadcast Pix has launched ChurchPix, a complete live production and streaming solution for the house of worship market. Designed for easy setup and use by volunteer operators, ChurchPix provides an affordable turnkey solution for churches looking to stream its worship services online.

[The Integration Guide to Houses of Worship]

The What Else: Ready to go, right out of the box, the ChurchPix systems come complete with:

• Two RoboPix PTZ IP cameras with 20x optical zoom, integrated remote control, and mounting brackets
• PC hardware and IP switch
• Royalty-free library of suitable clips, stills, and graphic templates
• Instant streaming and recording
• Audio inputs that support any Windows Audio Device including NDI, Dante, and external USB convertors from the house sound system
• Easy to use software control interface that automates many common production tasks

ChurchPix’s intuitive user interface has been designed to make live production and streaming easy and logical for users of any ability and experience from a touchscreen or web browser. The user interface features macro buttons that automate common production tasks, such as moving a camera or adding a graphic. Users can start creating productions using the default design and create customized buttons and macros as they become familiar with the system, including full control of the RoboPix cameras including pan, tilt, zoom, focus, etc.

The Bottom Line: Installation is design to be easy—integrators can connect the included server to the switch and then to the cameras using a single Ethernet cable. The cameras and server support NDI, which self discovers on connection. Audio can be brought in from a house P.A., either via a Digital Network or through a USB interface. ChurchPix systems can stream to up to five online destinations and record internally or on external USB simultaneously and then go on to archive the content in the cloud or on a website.

Now available to order for $7,995 U.S. MSRP, ChurchPix systems will begin shipping in late April 2021.

The What: Broadcast Pix is launching StreamingPix, a complete live production and streaming solution designed for easy setup and use, with powerful features for the creation of compelling professional content.

The What Else: StreamingPix features a RoboPix PTZ camera with integrated remote control; high-quality audio capture using a LAV microphone; SDI, HDMI, IP, and NDI inputs for the ability to input PowerPoint and social media; "ready-to-use" clips and graphics library; media-aware macros to make content visually interesting; one-to-many streaming to popular streaming services, such as Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Vimeo, and more; virtual meetings, including Zoom, Skype, Go to Meeting, and more; and control from a configurable software interface.

The Bottom Line: StreamingPix is suited for a wide range of applications including aquariums, zoos, churches, corporations, events, schools, universities, and all users who want to take streaming to the next level.

StreamingPix leverages many of the same tried and tested acquisition, production, automation, and streaming tools as Broadcast Pix's professional products, but with easy-to-use control interfaces and a library of clips and graphics.

To read more InfoComm Connected stories, visit avnetwork.com/tag/infocomm.

The What: Broadcast Pix introduced RCC, its new IP camera control panel, at the 2019 NAB Show in booth SL4210. With its software-defined open architecture, RCC can be customized to control different types of cameras and support gear—including PTZ and broadcast cameras and robotic heads—and mix IP protocols within the same production.

The What Else: The compact RCC has a durable, machined aluminum chassis. Its three-axis joystick with adjustable zoom speed and one-touch auto focus allows smooth, precise control for shots. The RCC also adjusts focus, iris, white balance, and more. An integrated 7-inch touchscreen provides intuitive menu navigation to cameras, shot presets, camera settings, and system setup. Users can also customize the number of cameras and camera presets as needed, as well as camera and preset shot names for easy recall.

"As IP-based PTZ cameras continue to get more and more use in live productions and government meetings, some organizations want the flexibility of a separate camera control unit,” said Tony Mastantuono, product manager. “The interface for our RCC is very intuitive, so even non-technical personnel can easily set up shots and access presets, and the joystick lets you perform smooth on-air moves and adjustments.”

The Bottom Line: Designed for remote productions, RCC can be used as a dedicated camera controller with any BPswitch integrated production switcher, Broadcast Pix Commander touchscreen control platform, or production switcher from another manufacturer. RCC features a high-quality precision encoder, and includes native IP support for Panasonic and Sony PTZ cameras. Support for other cameras and robotic heads is available as a separate software option. RCC will be available in Q3 2019.

The What: Broadcast Pix will demonstrate a number of product upgrades and its new BPswitch RX portable integrated production switcher at IBC2018 (Hall 7, Stand C06), which runs September 14-18 at RAI Amsterdam.

The What Else: BPswitch RX users can customize the BPview multiview on the 17-inch integrated touchscreen display, or use the optional Broadcast Pix Commander customizable touchscreen interface for simplified control. The system also offers secure, browser-based control, including full-motion video and access to all sources and workflow tools, through Broadcast Pix’s BPNet IP ecosystem, which is powered through the ioGates cloud-based media management platform.

“IBC is always an exciting show for Broadcast Pix. This year, we’re making it easier to create high-end productions on location with BPswitch RX,” said Tony Mastantuono, product manager. “We’re also introducing the ability to use our Commander control software through a web browser, adding more functionality to our BPswitch and legacy systems through software upgrades, and showcasing our new ioGates Desktop App.”

The Bottom Line: Well suited for sports, concerts, and corporate events, BPswitch RX is ready for the road. Built on a Windows 10 64-bit OS and housed in a durable aluminum alloy chassis, the self-contained system includes four multi-definition video inputs, plus two IP inputs that support RTSP and NDI protocol. Built-in production tools include an audio mixer, three keyers with DVEs, program recording and live streaming to Facebook Live and other CDNs, clip and graphic stores, and NewBlueNTX multi-layer 3D motion graphics CG.