QVC UPGRADES STUDIO AND REMOTE OPERATIONS WITH SONY HD CAMERAS AND MULTI-FORMAT SWITCHERS

LAS VEGAS – Multimedia retailer, QVC®, is upgrading its broadcast operations to high-definition technology with Sony cameras and switchers.

The network will install 40 Sony HDC-1500 HD multi-format studio cameras and three MVS-8000A production switchers in its Studio Park facility, located in West Chester, Pa., in late spring.

The 165,000 square-foot broadcast center includes the permanent QVC Home, stages for jewelry and fashion, and a hard cyc set for special event programming. The facility also includes four green rooms, three control rooms, seven post-production suites, and a 135-seat studio theater, as well as a product preparation area, sets and props and a mill shop for on-site set fabrication.

“QVC broadcasts live 24/7, 364-days-a-year,” said Angie Simmons, senior vice president of broadcast and TV sales for QVC. “Our equipment is our business lifeline, which is why we chose Sony products. In a live environment as unforgiving as ours, we demand, as do our customers, unflinching reliability and quality.”

The Studio Park location, QVC’s worldwide headquarters, will have 24 of the Sony HD studio cameras robotically controlled. An additional 14 cameras will be used as handhelds and jib configurations. QVC broadcasts from 30 different locations throughout the interior and exterior of Studio Park via 30 miles of coax and five miles of fiber optic cables.

According to Simmons, with the addition of the Sony gear, QVC is creating a solid foundation to continue delivering high-quality programming now and in the future to meet consumer demand. While we have no immediate plans to broadcast in HD, we want to be ready when our distributors and customers are ready.

Additionally, QVC Local, Inc. is installing eight HDC-1500 HD multi-format studio cameras, an MVS-8000A production switcher and eight Sony PDW-F350 XDCAM® HD camcorders in its new mobile production vehicle, which will travel to different locations for remote QVC broadcasts when it launches this summer. The XDCAM HD camcorders will be used to add flexibility to live event productions, due to the camcorder’s optical disc format, in-camera editing capabilities and immediate random access to thumbnail views of footage in the field, by using the camcorder’s LCD screen.

“When designing and developing the new remote broadcast vehicle, we knew we needed the same quality and state-of-the-art technology reflected throughout our broadcast facility,” Simmons said. “When you are on-location in a live environment, you only have one chance to get it right. By including the XDCAM HD cameras in remote broadcasts, Sony provides us with a level of confidence and support that allows the production team to focus on the live show, without worrying about whether or not the equipment will perform.”