AV Specialist Africa Edition - Volume 93 - (Page 27)

Swazi TV leaps into technical future Swazi TV is on the threshold of a major technology overhaul, putting the 28-year-old national station on par with top international broadcasters in terms of production and post-production systems. t the heart of the change taking place at Swazi TV will be the installation of an integrated Avid Newsroom system supported by Sony’s XDCAM tapeless recording system. The planning for Swazi TV’s new studio project began over a year ago under the direction of Chief Engineer: Vusigama Khumalo. “When we started it seemed a mammoth task for a handful of TV staff set in a third-world country lacking in technology,” he says, “but through ongoing training and the support of our suppliers we’re now close to achieving our vision for a first-world broadcast infrastructure in our small Kingdom.” A Spescom awarded R15 million contract The task of evolving Swazi TV into a state-of-the-art broadcaster has been awarded to Spescom Media IT, who was awarded the R15, 5 million contract in January 2007. “Swazi TV’s new digital newsroom system will take the company from a tape to a tapeless environment, on Swazi TV is currently involved in a major upgrade of their facilities that’ll see them evolve into a tapefree facility that can stand proud alongside any of their counterparts in the region. The key elements within the new facility are a commitment to Sony’s XDCAM format and an integrated news system supplied by Avid Technology. The integration project was awarded to Spescom Media and IT in January 2007. a par with its broadcast neighbours in South Africa," says Sean du Toit, general manager of Spescom Media IT. The decision to go with Avid and Sony came about after a fact-finding mission, headed by Khumalo, visited the NAB conference and exhibition held in Las Vegas in April last year. “We were already using editing systems from Avid and Pinnacle and by sticking with existing suppliers, we felt we’d minimize disruption to our broadcast operations,” said Khumalo. “This upgrade will enable the news department to churn out news at a faster rate since digitizing speed is no longer an issue.” Avid iNews system The core of the newsroom system is built around Avid’s iNews system. “The system allows our editors to compile scripts and edit on location - then send It runs from 27-30 August at the ICC Durban Visit www.wildtalkafrica.com or telephone (021) 422 0023 27 http://www.wildtalkafrica.com http://www.wildtalkafrica.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AV Specialist Africa Edition - Volume 93

Mobile TV: bonanza or banana skin?
Students in mobile TV
Interactive digital signage
CNBC roars in Africa
Swazi TV upgrade to tapeless future

AV Specialist Africa Edition - Volume 93