May 30, 2003
Contact: David Kaufman (509-963-1901/fax 509-963-3684/e-mail: kaufman@cwu.edu)
ELLENSBURG, Wash. - It has been almost 25 years since Central
Washington University’s television studios have seen a major equipment
upgrade. But, just such an upgrade is under way, through a capital
funding project allowing CWU to begin installing state-of-the-art
digital technology in the Bouillon Hall studios.
All of the video switching is now being done in concordance
with Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE)
standards and recommended practices for component digital formats.
Three new broadcast-quality Ikegami “three-chip cameras” have been
placed in Studio A and two broadcast-quality Ikegami camcorder systems
will be placed in Studio B.
All of the video monitoring instruments have also been
replaced or upgraded and a new 32 channel analog audio mixing system
has been installed to support both studios.
“DVC-PRO tape formats were selected for recording purposes
to assure compatibility with the activities of Ellensburg Community
Television’s (ECTV) cable access Channel 2,” Dr. David Kaufman, dean of
library services and director of academic computing, says.
A video server, character generator, still store and DVE
(digital video effects generator), along with an industry-standard
TelePrompTer system will be added in the near future to support the
programming goals of the CWU communication department.
“Students using the studio are very enthusiastic about its
potential,” Kaufman adds.
Some taking CWU communication and theatre arts courses are
already taking advantage of the upgraded equipment.
“The visual quality of the student TV news production (NewsWatch) has
seen a marked increase as a result of the new equipment,” Dr. Michael
Ogden, CWU communication professor, says. “This allows students to
concentrate on news content and good visual storytelling.”
Robert Fordan, CWU communication professor and NewsWatch
advisor, notes: “The students who produce NewsWatch have, over the
years, won student video production and broadcast journalism awards.
But going live will challenge them to perform at an even higher level.”
Ogden adds, “Collaborative efforts between our advanced video
production students and the theatre arts’ acting for film and
television class have also benefited from the new technology.”
Michael J. Smith, theatre arts professor, who teaches the
acting for film and television class, says, “The theatre arts
department is honored to be able to take advantage of the numerous
technological advances recently instituted in the Bouillon television
studio. We look forward to years of growth and a closer collaboration
with our colleagues in the communication department.”
Beginning next fall, programs produced in these studios can
be aired live on either of Central’s two educational cable channels.
“When students see they are working on industry-standard
equipment, their confidence gets a real boost — they feel more
confident in their education,” Ogden says.
