Dallas-based video production company CRM Studios is using HRS Control's AJA Gang Control features for its popular Universal Device Controller Software (UDC) to gain efficiency working with AJA Ki Pro Rack recorders on Glenn Beck's TheBlaze broadcast network, and CRM Studios other broadcast projects.
CRM Studios is located in the historic Las Colinas Studios, once a vacant soundstage where in the past many movies and TV shows were shot. The Studios have been rebranded and reinvigorated to Mercury Studios, home of The Glenn Beck Radio Show, The Glenn Beck Show, Pat N Stu Show, and The Dana Show. The Studios are now home to a bustling and intimate portfolio of media entities currently requiring 10+ hours of multiple camera shoots across 3+ stages. CRM Studios is a radio and TV broadcast partner to Beck's giant news, information and opinion media organization. Other productions CRM Studios create include Your Health, GameStopTV, Dillards and many others.
"Because of the tremendous workflow and turnaround time we have always used AJA Ki-Pro recorders," says Michael Murray, director of IT and Broadcast Engineering at CRM Studios. "As we've grown we've been adding record decks, new cameras and feeds - there are lots of new sources. Traditionally, we would have upgraded to a media asset management system. But we were looking for a temporary alternative to shorten the workflow from shooting to editing to play-out. The process needed to be sped up quite a bit."
Murray explains that the Ki-Pro hard drives used to be removed and walked to the edit bays where the media would be transferred so everyone in post would have access to it. "Media can be transferred over a network, too, but that requires a lot of steps and is much more time consuming," he notes.
Enter AJA Gang Control for UDC Software, which allows users to take control of the full family of AJA products from the UDC Software and any tablet-, touch- or web-enabled device. AJA introduced Murray to UDC when it showcased UDC in their booth at NAB last year.
Cost-effective UDC AJA Gang Control provides AJA product users with the features that have made UDC Software so popular across the board: Macros, Web Server, Scheduling, Variables and Logic. Five custom controller interfaces are available for software or web server control; downloadable Apple iPad and Windows tablet apps are free of charge and the software works on Android through the web browser.
USB button panel controllers can be added to the software, and rack mount button panels are also available as well as desktop and wall mount touch controllers.
Several features are tailored specifically to the AJA Ki Pro family. Start/stop records on multiple Ki Pros can be triggered with a press of a button or automated by time of day. Customers can get clip lists and playlist information from multiple Ki Pros and load clips and play multiple Ki Pros.
UDC Ki Pro File Management permits simultaneous file transfers over the network on multiple files across multiple Ki Pros. File transfers for archiving to local or network drives can be activated by a press of the button or via time of day with UDC scheduling.
UDC AJA Gang Control now permits CRM Studio to "schedule and automate the media offload" for TheBlaze. "It's significantly faster than doing it over FireWire, and there's less chance of damaging media in transit," says Murray. "UDC automates all the steps to offload with just the hit of a button. With UDC software we can send the media files info right from the Ki Pro Recorder hard drive directly to near line editing storage. UDC automates what would have taken an operator multiple steps to do."
Consequently, the product is proving to be "a huge time saver" for CRM Studios, Murray says. "It not only schedules and records but also manages the assets we own - and it is less expensive than other solutions."
Murray gives kudos to HRS Control, which "has been great - they're more than helpful with demos and customer support," he says. "HRS went out of the way to address all of our questions. I'd recommend UDC AJA Gang Control to everyone!"
About HRS Control
High Resolution Systems known as HRS Control is a company with a strong systems engineering and applications background. Its founders have decades of experience in the audio visual rental and staging industry, broadcast applications, A/V installations and system design. This combined experience allows them to provide the highest possible quality solutions to its customers in the most efficient manner. For more information, visit www.hrscontrol.com.