Every once in a while a new product comes out with the combination of features, usability, and price point, that the industry has been craving.  There is a great chance that Panasonic’s new AW-HS50N is one of those products.

For years, churches have been asking for a small video mixer with digital inputs, an auxiliary bus, a keyer, and an affordable price. The HS50N has got all of this covered plus some extras that make it an especially desirable little piece of tech.

To start, there are 5 fully digital inputs. 4 are HDSDI and one is DVI so the unit can handle a computer graphics input without any external processing. For those not familiar with it, SDI/HDSDI is a professional video signal that has been utilized in broadcast and high end production facilities for years. It is a reliable way to distribute a pristine digital video signal over long distances.

Another powerful feature of the HS50N is the MultiViewer. This feature allows one output to an HD monitor to display up to 10 images simultaneously. You can have Preview, Program, and all input sources viewable at the same time on one centrally located display. This eliminates the need for a bank of high definition production monitors and significantly reduces the costs associated with deploying an HD video system.

The Auxiliary, or Aux, bus, allows one particular input to be sent to a separate output regardless of what is being shown on the program out. For instance, let’s say you have one camera that always shows a wide shot of the whole front of the sanctuary and you want to send that shot only to the nursery. Just call up that camera on the Aux bus and its done. It’s truly a set it and forget it option.

Panasonic has really packed the features into this little switcher and when you throw in a lower list price than their last generation standard definition small format production mixer, you have the makings of a product that could be a game changer in the market.

Fowler went to Infocomm last week, and the show floor was pretty exciting this year. I saw quite a few very innovative products. Here’s a quick recap of what we did and saw, and a few of the more exciting new products:

After a few less than exciting stops, we made our way to the Volante booth. They feature the DiVAS Controller, which streams several channels of HD video through a gigabit network to any number of displays. They also have a DVR unit which allows you to time-shift your broadcast. Very cool stuff. Several booths later we found ourselves in the Elite Screens booth. They make a very wide variety of video screens. The one we found most interesting was the EZ Cinema, which is a “portable” manual ascender type screen. I say “portable” because they come in sizes up to 12’ wide.

At Panasonic’s dealer meeting room, we saw some really nice professional LCD displays, the new 20 series plasmas, and some great new projectors. After that, we somehow found an integration company that was dressed up like the Pirates of the Caribbean. Weird…

We wrapped up the day with Elmo, who introduced a new cool writing tablet with software, that will also control their document cameras.

We started our second day with an appointment with Mitsubishi. They are rolling out a brand new series of dual lamp DLP projectors. The WD8200U has 6500 lumens and the XD8100U has 7000 lumens, and they have a new extra long-throw lens as well. Their booth also featured a new 65” LCD (MDT651S) at a great price point. I am also very excited by a product from Magenta Research called the Voyager VG-RX. They are doing amazing things with signal extenders. The Voyager VG-RX is a high performance receiver for short or long haul transmission of uncompressed hi-definition video and audio signals. It also carries USB, IR and RS-232 control signals, and it does it all over fiber optic cabling. Additionally, they have found a way to capture and store HDCP protocol. This will make it possible to display sources that have HDCP imbedded without a limitation on the number of displays. (For more on HDCP, check out our podcast.)

At the Panasonic booth, I finally got to put my hands on the new AG-H100 and AW-H550 video mixers; both little brothers to the AV-HS450N. The AG-H100 is a fantastic small format HD video mixer with the highly sought-after multiview. It is housed in the same chassis as the old AG-MX70, which means that it carries and switches audio in addition to the video signals. This unit will be a perfect fit for the budget-conscious church that  wants to get into more advanced video mixing and IMAG. There was no way we could get out of the booth without seeing the new 152” plasma monitor (TH-152UX1). I’m already drawing up blueprints to remove a wall in my living room and replace it with this plasma.

There was quite a bit more live sound and stage equipment this year than in the past. Soundcraft had a truck there as well as Yamaha. Martin Lighting has a brand new truck featuring all of their new luminaires.

I stopped by Shure to check out their new SE-115M earbuds (yeah, I missed them last year), and the rep actually put them in my ears. Although the experience was a little creepy, the fantastic sound was worth the very uncomfortable 30 seconds of close proximity to a complete stranger. I checked out both the SE115M and the SE425, and both were superb.

In summary, this was the best Infocomm in 3 years. We saw a lot of things that made our trip worthwhile. Manufacturers in the industry continue to put out products that put the most advanced media ideas within reach of most churches. Make sure you ask your Fowler Church Consultant about how these products will help you accomplish your mission. And when we come to visit, we promise we won’t be in pirate costumes.

Come check out our new application shots from Crosspoint Church. They can be found in the Contemporary Churchs in the gallery, or you can click here and it will send you on the path you need. If you would like to send us some pictures of your church so we can put it on our website then send them our way. You can email you representative or email areid@fowlerinc.com.

Is your video ministry growing faster than you can keep up? Power and flexibility is the name of the game and the For•A HVS300HS has it in spades. Do you have a list of standard definition equipment you’re still working with but a need to replace gear as it dies? Be proactive and start the transition to HD now so as you spend money replacing gear you know it will carry you long into the future. The hub to any video ministry is the video mixer. That one piece of gear can be both an enabler or a bottleneck that holds you back. The For•A HVS300 features up to 12 SDI inputs but can accommodate analog, VGA, or DVI inputs in a variety of resolutions. This allows you to use your existing SD cameras and DVD players while giving you the ability to gradually replace cameras with HD models as time and budget allow. In fact, with four independently switchable outputs you can run your entire room from this one mixer. Use the program bus to send a mixed camera feed to the recorders while using auxiliary bus one to send cameras and computer graphics to the IMAG screen at the front of the auditorium. Then you can use aux bus two to send just the computer graphics to the confidence screen at the back of the room and the third aux bus to send a dedicated camera feed to an overflow room or digital signage displays throughout your facility. All of this can be switched from the one control surface or additional aux panels can be added that gives someone else the ability to control individual feeds without interrupting the video director while they’re switching cameras on the main controller. Flexibility…

Another feature that makes this mixer such a valuable proposition is that all of your monitoring can be done on a single display. All of your sources, the preview bus, and the program bus are displayed on a single output allowing you to use an inexpensive HD LCD or plasma monitor to view all your sources. Not having expensive broadcast monitors for every source dramatically cuts down on the initial cost of switching over to HD.

Many options are available when configuring the HVS300 so give us a call to see how the HVS300 can take your video ministry into the future.

Click here to download the .pdf brochure.

Trinity Church International is a family church with a world vision. With active support efforts for over 100 mission works around the world, Trinity’s blessings are far reaching. Located on 40 acres in Palm Beach County, Florida, and home to a full K-12 Christian school, there is always something going on at the trinity campus. Featuring a 1700 seat main sanctuary providing multiple services every week, multi-media systems play a vital role in reaching a diverse audience relevant to today’s technologically savvy society.

In 2007, Director of Media Brock Tibbs, contacted Fowler with a desire to upgrade their existing media systems to take things to the next level. Already on television, the sanctuary lighting systems were inadequate for proper acquisition of a good quality recording. Limitations on camera shots and projection capabilities added to the needs of a media overhaul. Enter Zane Hedger and the Fowler design team.

The Fowler team made the trip to Florida to check out the facility and the existing systems and to meet with Trinity’s crew to discuss the church’s vision and long-term worship goals. This round-table discussion quickly uncovered the need for upgraded camera systems to provide more flexible shots with a major improvement in image quality. Going hand-in-hand with the camera upgrades was the need for a new lighting system capable of supporting the type of image demanded for television and internet distribution, while also providing enhanced atmosphere for the live praise and production events. Finally, the congregation filling the 1700 seats needed to be emotionally reached using clear, vibrant video images capable of showing everything from speaker facial expressions to song lyrics and sermon and scripture notes.

After multiple discussions and plenty of engineering work, the designs were brought to fruition via the Fowler installation team. The overhaul had brought the church the capability to accommodate the regular worship schedules along with concerts, and just about any type of event that needed to be held. Brock quickly received more and more requests to put the new equipment to various uses. The sanctuary is now a full high-definition facility. A mixture of manned and robotic cameras provides enough flexibility for everyday worship or the ability to discretely accommodate weddings. High-definition DLP projectors and plasma monitors are strategically placed to reach every seat in the house. The automated lighting systems allow the “eye-candy” desired for a concert environment, with the simple recall back to the standard worship settings. Maintenance for the projection and lighting systems are a dream come true for Brock. Motorized trussing lowers the fixtures to the floor for easy adjustment or maintenance.

It has been nothing but positive feedback for Brock and the staff at Trinity Church International. Fowler continues to work with the church by providing lifetime technical support on the systems that has always given churches the piece of mind knowing they can get help when they actually need it.

FowlerInc Podcast

iTunes: This post has a podcast video that goes with it, feel free to check it out!

Fowler Productions is pleased to provide you with a FREE Expo Plus-Pass to WFX Spring 2009 in Long Beach, CA May 13-15 (Expo: May 14-15)

Presented by Church Production Magazine and Worship Facilities, WFX is an annual event designed to educate church teams with the knowledge and cutting-edge information they need to reach their growth goals- no matter the size, or budget. WFX has the largest expo floor for the church market filled with thousands of products and services, and a special events program that offers something for every member of your team. Whether you are planning a facility expansion, renovation or new construction project, looking to enhance your church audio/video and lighting, optimize your IT infrastructure or better manage your facility, WFX is the place to be!

To receive your FREE Expo pass please email us at info@fowlerinc.com with your first name, last name and email address and your pass will be on its way to you. Join the thousands that have already experienced this one-of-a-kind event, and be a part of the #1 event for church facilities and technology teams, be a part of WFX California!

WFX is the #1 event for church facilities and technology teams. Your free ‘Expo-Plus Pass’ includes:

Expo floor with 400+ companies; Visit our Fowler at Booth # 523
Thousands of products and services for growing churches
FREE Exhibitor Offered Training Sessions
Keynote addresses from prominent figures in the church market, carrying on the WFX Keynote tradition of excellence
Registration is free, we look forward to seeing you in Long Beach!

If you are unable to attend, visit Fowler online at www.fowlerinc.com .

High definition cameras continue to improve while becoming more and more affordable. HD video mixers have in the past been large, complicated, and outrageously expensive, but Panasonic has come to the rescue with their fantastic AV-HS400A video mixer. Supporting up to eight inputs and up to eight outputs, the AV-HS400A mixer is an extremely versatile tool whether your final output is for IMAG, television or high definition video podcasting. Check out the HS400 Video to watch an overview featuring a simple explanation of some of the headlining features of this exciting new mixer.

Craig Yanagi from JVC reviews the GY-HD250 and GY-HD200 cameras using Fujinon’s box lens, JVC’s MR HD200 Hard Disk recorder and Vintens System 8 Tripod.