Skype for Broadcast
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Breaking news, Live events, field based Interviews, all of which can now be easily covered by a single journalist equipped with a good quality basic camera, laptop/tablet/Andriod phone, with 3G/4G/WiFi connection and the PlayZone HD PZ series of miniature capture modules using Skype (or other applications).
Keeping the technical aspects simple and the system compact & portable is a key requirement for the lone journalist and the PlayZone HD innovative capture modules are a great help in achieving both aspects.
Two versions of the PlayZone HD capture modules are available, PZ-HDMI provides a HDMI input for use with prosumer type cameras with output resolution up to 1080p/60 and the PZ-HDSDI module provides a SDI broadcast input supporting 720p/1080i/p HD inputs for SD/HD/3G camera outputs.
Both PlayZone HD capture modules are compact devices that fit in the palm of your hand, the aluminium casing ensures robust field use and the low power consumption, typically 350mA won’t drain the power from battery operated devices. The devices latency is around 0.25 seconds which allows for real time video links for broadcast use with minimal delay.
The PZ modules both feature true “plug and play” operation, as these are UVC based devices they can be used with Windows, Linux, Mac OSX and Andriod based devices, the capture modules connect to the laptop/tablet via the USB interface and are seen as HD Web cameras, no additional drivers or software is required to be installed.
Operation is fast and easy with the PlayZone HD modules, connecting the HDMI or HDSDI output from the camera to the PZ capture device and starting Skype is all that is required to start broadcasting a video and audio (2 channel) feed back to the TV studio.
To optimise the video link it is recommended to set the camera output for 720p this will lower the connection data rate for devices connecting Skype via WiFi and will also eliminate interlace artefacts normally encountered with interlace outputs. At the TV studio end the receiving Skype computer output can easily be output in SDI / HD-SDI in a variety of formats such as 1080i/720p.
The PlayZone HD PZ capture modules can also be used with certain models of Andriod mobile phones using a special cable available as an optional extra, use with the mobile phone does require some additional driver to be installed and e-mediavision can provide instructions for mobile phone setup if required. It should be noted that the capture devices cannot be used with iPhones or Ipad tablets from Apple, this is due to Apple’s restriction of not allowing external cameras to be connected to their devices.
The PlayZone HD PZ-HDMI & PZ-HDSDI capture modules allow for easy operation, fast setup and a portable and cost effective solution for broadcast journalists, make life easy for your journalist today and try out the PlayZone HD PZ capture devices for Skype broadcast links.