KJLA-TV outfits production studios with Hitachi 4K studio cameras

KJLA-TV, the home here of the American Spanish-language TV network Azteca America, has purchased four Hitachi Kokusai Electric America SK-UHD4000 cameras for use in its production studios, the company announced today.

The broadcaster is using the cameras on its two green-screen stages and at its production studios on the westside of Los Angeles where they are helping to meet increased demand from the facility’s rental clients for 1080p full-HD and 4K production.

“We considered upgrading to 1080p cameras, but looking forward, that would only buy us a couple of years before we would need to go all the way to 4K,” said KJLA-TV chief engineer Tony Solano. “People were already starting to ask for 4K, so we decided to upgrade all the way.”

The station rents the studios to premium media and entertainment clients. Their projects range from network TV shows and motion pictures to music videos and corporate video productions.

KJLA also produces original content for its sister company, LATV Networks, in the studios.

Prior to the purchase, KJLA relied on Hitachi 1080i HD cameras and being satisfied with their performance was motivated to turn to the company once again for the new cameras, he said.

“Hitachi Kokusai has always offered very good products, and the customer service has always been great,” he said.

In particular, Solano found the durability and reliability of its earlier generation Hitachi Z-HD6000 1080i cameras appealing.

“Since we are renting out these cameras with the studio, a lot of different hands have been on them over the years, but we’ve never had a camera break down,” he said.

The station took delivery of the new cameras in February and immediately began using them. Three are deployed on Cartoni pedestals, and the fourth is mounted on a Jimmy Jib Triangle.

The new cameras are lightweight and “not too bulky,” he said. That makes them easy to transport between two studio spaces.

The new cameras offer enhanced image quality when compared to the station’s previous cameras, said Solano, who added he highly values the “depth of picture controls” available on the controller and via the camera’s integration with the Ross Video Dashboard software.

The cameras have proven to be easy to use, something that is particularly beneficial to rental clients who frequently bring in their own production crews for shoots, he said.

The cameras’ sensitivity has also been welcomed. “The stage manager for our LATV Networks productions noted that they don’t need to do as much lighting as they previously did,” he said. Biquad Broadcast