Kokufucho CATV Uses Blackmagic Design Workflow for Sub Control Room
Studio operations centered around ATEM live production switchers and Videohub routers.
Blackmagic Design today announced that Kokufucho CATV, a cable television station in Tokushima Prefecture, has adopted a Blackmagic Design workflow for its studio’s sub control room. The station utilizes a variety of Blackmagic Design products, including ATEM live production switchers, Videohub routers, HyperDeck Studio broadcast decks, and various converters to support both studio recording and live broadcasting.
Kokufucho CATV provides TV broadcasting and internet services in the Kokufucho area of Tokushima City in Tokushima Prefecture. As a community information channel, it broadcasts useful local information, seasonal events, and administrative and school updates.
The station began expanding its equipment after introducing Blackmagic Design converters and DeckLink and UltraStudio capture and playback cards and devices. It has since installed a total of five ATEMs, including the ATEM Constellation HD series and the ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K, complete with backup units. For control panels, the station uses an ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel and an ATEM 2 M/E Advanced Panel for program recording, live broadcasting, and community channel broadcasts.
The station has also installed three Smart Videohub 12G 40×40 routers, along with an additional Blackmagic Videohub 40×40 12G as a backup. It has also integrated multiple Videohub Smart Control Pro and Videohub Master Control Pro panels for control operations.
For post production, the station uses DaVinci Resolve Studio along with hardware such as the DaVinci Resolve Editor Keyboard, DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel, and Fairlight Desktop Console.
“When we upgraded our studio switchers in 2015, we introduced ATEM switchers. From there, we gradually added equipment like HyperDeck recorders. Three years ago, when we moved to a new building, we decided to unify our entire program distribution system with Blackmagic Design products, including Videohub routers. Of course, the combination of affordability and high quality was appealing, but another major advantage was the availability of the SDK. We control and operate Videohub, MultiView 4, and MultiView 16 through custom programming,” said Atsushi Morioka of the company.
The station produces programs for its community channel using three studio cameras to record a newscaster reading scripts and providing commentary. The switching is handled by an ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K with an ATEM 2 M/E Advanced Panel. For return feeds to the studio, the station uses Blackmagic MultiView 4, with signals sent through a Smart Videohub 12G 40×40.
“The cameras are set up for fixed point shooting, and I edit the news video footage later using DaVinci Resolve. Since the studio recording process is relatively straightforward, I handle the entire operation by myself. I had no prior experience with video equipment before joining the company a year ago, but I learned by using it hands on. Blackmagic Design’s equipment is user friendly, highly functional, and offers great flexibility, even for beginners,” said Tom Sasaki who is in charge of the studio recording.
Additionally, Kokufucho CATV broadcasts a live program once a month from its studio, co produced with 16 other cable television stations in Tokushima Prefecture.
Manabu Nagao, who oversees live broadcasts, said: “For live broadcasts, we use seven cameras and perform switching and graphics overlays with the ATEM switcher. Some parts of the script are predetermined, so we use macros to automate playback from the HyperDeck Studio. For example, we can run a countdown video on HyperDeck Studio Mini and then seamlessly switch to a prerecorded video on HyperDeck Studio 4K Pro using a macro command. Since footage from other stations is delivered via SSDs, we connect them to the Cloud Pod for sharing. I fine tune the color and audio balance of the footage using DaVinci Resolve before broadcasting.”
The station also utilizes the Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 4.6K digital film camera to beautifully capture scenic landscapes and documentary footage. “This camera can reproduce colors that other cameras cannot, making it ideal for preserving important visuals,” Nagao added.
Finally, Nagao shared his thoughts on building the station’s sub control system:
“Compared to other manufacturers, Blackmagic products offer a rich set of features at an affordable price while maintaining high durability. In the rare event of an issue, the technical support has been very helpful. We always have backup systems in place for live broadcasts, but so far, we’ve never experienced a broadcast failure. The system has been consistently stable. Blackmagic’s frequent software updates are another advantage. Bug fixes are quick, and new features are constantly being added, keeping the system evolving. By standardizing our sub system with Blackmagic Design, we’ve achieved seamless integration between devices, creating a highly efficient and user friendly workflow.”
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