In cities and towns across the country, local governments are tasked with maintaining information and communication services in the face of shrinking budgets. But for City TV, the Channel 18 broadcast facility that is a division of California’s Santa Barbara city government, the task of providing these services has been made more cost efficient and easier with the use of Telemetrics robotic camera control systems.
According to Tony Ruggieri, City TV Production Supervisor, they produce a full slate of programming including all city council meetings as well as those from advisory boards and commissions using the camera control systems from Telemetrics. City TV also provides full service video production services to various municipal departments, the adjacent city of Goleta, California and Santa Barbara City College.
“To achieve the standard of efficiency and quality that has made us an award-winning facility, we rely on our small but talented staff and the reliable, high performance robotics systems from Telemetrics,” said Mr. Ruggeri. “It’s an extremely cost efficient approach to production. The systems are in almost daily use and we are continually impressed with the overall product reliability, the smoothness of the camera moves and the quietness of the pan and tilts.”
The robotic control systems are installed in two separate facilities in Santa Barbara, City Hall and the David Gebhard Public Meeting Room, and also in the council chambers in Goleta’s City Hall. All three venues are wired to accommodate remote control of the cameras, which are mounted on Telemetrics PT-CP-S2 servo pan/tilt heads. The PT-CP-S2 units are complete with power source and camera control, and they are mounted on Telemetrics’ specially designed brackets to help ensure camera stability.
In the control room located in Santa Barbara’s City Hall, staff has control of the pan/tilt/zoom and focus functions of the cameras as well as auxiliary devices using the Telemetrics CP-R-3A robotic camera control panel, transmitting through RS-422 communication. The panel provides a wide selection of programmable remote control functions and features an easily maneuverable three axis, inductive joystick to control pan, tilt and zoom. Separate speed control using mechanical encoders enables the speed of each function to be set independently. Optical encoders provide precise control of focus and iris.
“The system is very easy to operate and the camera control panel gives us a lot of flexibility in production,” adds Mr. Ruggieri. “We can save up to 16 presets, and with the motion control option we can program up to eight movements and recall up to 35 seconds of real time motion for each shot.”
The Telemetrics robotic control system was first installed in 1997 for use by City TV to produce non-commercial, informational programming regarding Santa Barbara government activities and programs. City TV has since added the pan/tilt systems in the nearby David Gebhard Public Meeting Room and in Goleta. Throughout its lifetime, Mr. Ruggieri reports that the robotic control systems have held up well and any issues have been minor.
He says, “Telemetrics has been very responsive in assisting with repairs or repairing quickly and returning it to us for re-installation. They have always been there for us both in terms of system design and technical support.”
For more information on Telemetrics’ camera control systems call 201-848-9818, fax 201-848-9819, or visit www.telemetricsinc.com.
About Telemetrics, Inc.: Telemetrics, Inc. offers a comprehensive line of camera control components and systems for broadcast, industrial, educational, medical and military applications. The company’s highly specialized line includes: camera robotics systems including programmable computer controlled pan/tilt mechanisms, weatherproof camera robotic systems, motorized camera trolley systems, advanced control software, and a wide variety of programmable controllers. Additional products include camera control systems through triax/coax/fiber cable, RF and fiber links and teleconferencing and distance learning systems.
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