Billerica, Massachusetts –
Broadcast Pixâ„¢ today announced that the Rock Church and World Outreach Center, based in San Bernadino, Calif., is using its new Graniteâ„¢ 5000 integrated live
system to distribute live video of its religious services for a growing Web-based audience, while simultaneously producing an image magnification (I-MAG) video presentation in its sanctuary.
Rock Church upgraded to
in May 2011, replacing a Slateâ„¢ system that was installed in 2010. According to Luke Cobrae, Rock Church’s video director and young adult pastor, the 2 M/E capability of the Granite 5000 was a primary reason for the upgrade. Both Broadcast Pix systems were installed by VMI, Inc., a systems integrator with offices in California and Washington. The Slate replaced an aging Video Toaster, which had been used since the church relocated to its current campus in 2003.
Established in 1988 in one of the most impoverished big cities in the United States, the non-denominational Rock Church has more than 20,000 members and regularly draws up to 7,000 each week for services Wednesday night, Friday night, Saturday morning, Sunday morning, and Sunday evening. “Video has always been a want, but budget is always a challenge,” said Cobrae. “Broadcast Pix completely opened the door for video production at the church. Our quality instantly skyrocketed.”
The church conducts 10 weekly services; two are streamed live and three others can be accessed at
, while a separate I-MAG presentation is produced for the congregation in the sanctuary and distributed across the 25-acre campus, which includes a school, café, and bookstore. The move to Granite also allows Rock Church to send a native HD signal directly to its two Christie LW600 projectors for I-MAG in the church, which significantly cut delay.
“Broadcast Pix went out of their way to make sure we were satisfied and the switcher suited our needs,” Cobrae added. “There’s a big difference between a studio-in-a-box and a Broadcast Pix system.”
Rock Church typically has a six-camera production for its services, including two center cameras, a dedicated camera for the singers and musicians, and a mounted pan/tilt/zoom camera for reaction shots from the congregation. It uses three Sony widescreen digital SD cameras and a combination of other cameras, including Panasonic AG-DVX100 and Sony PMW-EX1 handheld HD cameras. With its integrated frame synchronizers and multi-definition I/O, Granite seamlessly switches between the various sources.
Rock Church also takes advantage of Granite’s built-in Fluentâ„¢ workflow tools, including Fluent-View, which is used in conjunction with an Avitech Rainier multi-viewer. Cobrae has replaced the control room’s black-and-white CRT monitors with LCDs that use Fluent-View to display color images and much more information.
During services, Rock Church uses the integrated Fluent Clip Store extensively to provide sermon illustrations and video announcements – and Fluent Watch-Folders provide an easy way to import announcements or last-minute graphic changes. Plus, Granite’s external keyer is used to display lyrics and other graphics from ProPresenter. Cobrae said the production crew is a combination of volunteers and a small team of full-time and part-time staff.
Eventually, Rock Church plans to replace its analog and digital SD cameras with HD studio cameras. Cobrae also wants to explore video distribution to the other four Rock Church satellite campuses in 2012.
About Broadcast Pix
Broadcast Pix is the leader in integrated live video production systems. Its systems provide the best control surface for combining cameras, clips and graphics to create compelling live video. These surfaces enable total control of the built-in multi-format switcher, clip store, graphics system with a Harris or Chyron CG, and device controls. Its Fluentâ„¢ workflow enables files and data to be easily incorporated from other parts of the studio. Broadcast Pix systems are a fraction of the cost of a conventional control room to buy, staff and operate. System range from small systems controlled by a touch-screen or voice automation to sophisticated 2 M/E control panels. Customers include leading broadcast, corporate, education, religious, government, webcast, entertainment and mobile studios in more than 90 countries. Learn more at
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Broadcast Pix, Fluent, Granite, and Slate are trademarks of Broadcast Pix, Inc. Patented.
