Northern California Cable Firm Selects JVC's DIGITAL-S.

WAYNE, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 6, 1998--

4:2:2 Format Chosen For High Picture Quality, Robustness

TCI Media Services of the Monterey Bay, a member of the TCI Pacific West Division, has selected JVC's 4:2:2 component DIGITAL-S as its in-house editing format.

The advertising arm of the business, TCI Media Services uses DIGITAL-S to create in-house advertisements and local programming broadcast to 135,000 cable households in scenic Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. "Where we live is one of the most scenic places in the country, so we definitely have a lot of material to work with to create great advertising and local programming," said TCI Chief Engineer Robert Baker.

Before migrating to digital, TCI Media Services was using Beta SP analog but found itself at a crossroads. There was money in the budget to buy more Beta decks, but rather than continue with analog, Baker said it was time for TCI Media Services to make the digital transition.

"One of the considerations in going digital was archiving raw footage economically. With DIGITAL-S we can edit our raw footage without losing a generation, save time and money and still preserve the integrity of the archived footage."

Baker said JVC's DIGITAL-S was selected as the digital format of choice because it was more economical than other high-end digital competition, and because DIGITAL-S has a reputation for being robust.

"DIGITAL-S is, by far, the strongest mid-term product out there," Baker said. "The format's 4:2:2 processing, mild 3.3:1 compression and the 50 Mbps data rate were the main reasons why we chose it. We also know that JVC's transport system is a strong one, and of course, DIGITAL-S is a more robust format than the DV Series. DIGITAL-S' 4:2:2 1/2-inch tape performs extremely well and holds up in post production, while the DV formats with smaller tape size don't cut it."

TCI Media Services bought a DIGITAL-S BR-D85 Recorder with Pre-Read; two DIGITAL-S BR-D750 Editors and a DIGITAL-S BR-D40 Recorder that docks to an Ikekami HL-45 Camera for field use. The economy of DIGITAL-S enabled Baker to get a complete acquisition package, outfit and create a digital room with pre-read and integrate another DIGITAL-S unit into an analog Beta suite all for under $50,000.

Baker said the BR-D85 is run through a Pinnacle 601 Aladdin to create effects. "We've done commercials on it. From an image quality standpoint, we can dub from Beta to DIGITAL-S and the picture is kept pretty and crisp. Plus, with the BR-D85's many features, we are getting more bang for our buck. Our Senior Editor Shawn Clark remarked that because of the BR-D85's Pre-Read feature, he's going to spend a lot less time in the Avid room. That saves us production dollars!"

TCI Media Services has five edit suites. They are using one BR-D750 as a source and a recorder for dubs in the same DIGITAL-S suite where the BR-D85 is integrated. The second BR-D750 is being integrated in a suite where TCI Media Services edits its local long-form programming.

"Our next step is to migrate the remaining Beta rooms to DIGITAL-S, that way both our advertising and long-form magazine shows will be done in DIGITAL-S," Baker said. "I think everyone is migrating to digital sooner rather than later, and DIGITAL-S is the best cost-effective mid-term solution that's currently available. Physically, it's an incredibly strong format, which really helped our decision. Plus, I like that JVC already is thinking about and preparing for the future with its DIGITAL-S 100 Mbps data rate technology demonstrated at NAB '98."

JVC PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS COMPANY, headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey, distributes a complete line of broadcast and professional equipment including cameras, recorders and editing products. For more information regarding DIGITAL-S, contact David Walton at 1-800-JVC-5825, or visit the DIGITAL-S web site at www.DIGITAL-S.com or the JVC web site at www.jvcpro.com.