Hi everyone,
I'm hoping to get some advice on whether our current workflow is the best approach, or if we're overlooking a simpler or more efficient way of accomplishing what our producers are asking for.
We're a university broadcast facility using:
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Ross OverDrive
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Two Ross Carbonite switchers
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Ross XPression (currently 3 channels)
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NovaStar MX2000 Pro
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Large LED wall (8640 × 1890)
Our control room is configured like this:
On the second Carbonite, we're using Canvas Mode. MiniMEs 2, 3, and 4 feed three SDI inputs on the NovaStar MX2000 Pro, which stitches those outputs together to create the full LED wall. The NovaStar remains in a fixed configuration during productions and is not operated by our production staff.
Our typical workflow is to use a full-wall background or still image from the Carbonite MediaStore, then use Keyer 1 and Keyer 2 configured as DVE keyers to place live video or graphics over that background.
Our producers naturally think of the LED wall as one large storytelling canvas, which is exactly what we'd like them to do. A common production request might look something like this:
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Begin with one or two anchors standing in one area of the LED wall with a live shot or graphic in a PiP beside them.
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Cut away from that wall shot to a full-screen package, live shot, or full-screen graphic so the LED wall is no longer visible on camera.
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Return later to another anchor or reporter positioned elsewhere on the wall with a different live shot or graphic beside them.
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Return again to the original anchor position, but now with yet another live shot or graphic in the PiP.
We can absolutely accomplish these requests today, but they typically require multiple custom controls, shots, DVE/keyer management, and careful resource allocation. With only four MiniMEs available on the wall switcher, the workflow can become fairly complex, especially for new student directors who are learning the system.
My question is really about workflow philosophy.
Given this architecture, is this what you would expect when using Carbonite Canvas Mode, or are we missing a more elegant way to build these types of dynamic wall layouts?
More specifically:
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Is this a fairly typical Canvas Mode workflow?
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Are there Carbonite features (Custom Controls, Memories, Canvas techniques, etc.) that we should be leveraging more effectively?
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If you were designing this workflow today for a university newsroom, would you approach it differently?
Our goal is to build a workflow that's flexible for producers while remaining simple enough for new student directors to execute reliably during a live show.
I'd really appreciate hearing how others with similar Carbonite/LED wall workflows are approaching this.
Thanks!
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Bobby
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