ROCKY HILL ??
Local programming on Rocky Hill Community TV is taking on a markedly different look.
The staid, humdrum set of years past is gone. In its place, viewers now see a variety of eye-catching backdrops and desk pods. On-air hosts, if they choose, can share the screen with local landmarks like the Rocky Hill ferry or the Dinosaur State Park dome without ever leaving the Main Street studio.
Such is the magic of the virtual production studio that RHCTV producers now have at their disposal.
"It has exceeded all of our expectations,'' RHCTV board Vice President Andrew Brescia said. "We're probably the first [access group] in Connecticut that can do what we can do.''
This past summer, RHCTV officials learned that their application for a grant to purchase a "studio in a box,'' state-of-the art digitalized, computer production equipment, was approved by the state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority.
In addition to the NewTek TriCaster live production system, the $72,031.75 covered new lighting, a critical backdrop curtain and costs for installation and training. Four RHCTV volunteers repainted the studio and one of them, Brescia, did the necessary rewiring. Installation was completed in late September. The system has been in use for about a month now and is currently used to produce several shows, longtime RHCTV President Algot Hagglund said.
Both still photographs and animation can be combined in creating set designs. "The system allows us to Photo Shop images, layering them,'' Hagglund said. The green backdrop and cool, energy-efficient fluorescent lighting provide sharper, clearer imaging. The station's old static set, basically unchanged for 20 years, was a thing of the past.
"We felt things had gotten kind of stale,'' Brescia said. The new technology will allow content to be video-streamed and hopefully will appeal to younger producers, he said. The station which has been reliant on a handful of veteran volunteers would like to get younger, video-savvy viewers interested in production. A single host and trained producer is needed for each show.
The virtual studio project is the second upgrade at the station in two years using Public Educational and Governmental Programming and Education Technology Investment Account (PEGPETIA) grants. In 2009, a $31,153 grant enabled the station to convert it signal capability from analog to digital and acquire new cameras with high-definition capability.
In time, Brescia said he hopes that with help from Cox Communications, RHCTV will one day be able to take its next big step. "We want to broadcast in HD,'' he said.
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