TV News Studio Optimizes Space With Panasonic Video Wall Solution And Cameras

Gail Chiasson, North American Editor

WFMZ-TV, a television station located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, recently needed a video wall solution to serve as a backdrop for its anchors.

Panasonic in-studio

The video wall from Panasonic was only one of the things that solved a problem at its new downtown Allentown Studio located at the street-level entrance to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms’ new PPL Center arena, part of a $1 billion redevelopment in downtown Allentown.

The TV station also rolled out five mounted remote control Panasonic AWHE130 pan/tilt/zoom cameras in its new Studio and another four used at its main studio for newsroom standups, weather and boardwalk shots. The cameras are controlled remotely by producers in the station’s main studio in nearby Salisbury Township.

The TV team required a video wall with not only a small footprint and thin bezel, but also one that included integrated content management. The station selected a Panasonic 55” LCD video wall professional displays, installed in a 4×4 configuration. These direct LED backlit professional displays are ideal for installations in bright locations.

The displays offer exceptional brightness, and a high level of contrast for superior color reproduction. The professional displays are built for 24-hour, seven days a week operation and include a built-in cooling fan which prevents overheating in the upper screens of a multi-screen installation. The displays include a super narrow 5.3-mm bezel so borders can barely be seen, making nearly seamless images vibrant, natural and eye-catching.

Panasonic outside PPL Center at nt

The displays also include integrated software to easily manage content on each screen, in virtually any configuration, eliminating the need for additional equipment.

“When you find a location like this, you don’t necessarily get all the space you want,” says Barry Fisher, WFMZ-TV general manager. “We needed to get creative with the design and equipment, including cameras and a video wall, that would provide not only exceptional video quality, but also fit in our limited space. The new studio is home to the 69News at Noon newscast. The daily use of this studio enables us to be a daily part of the community.”

Panasonic Corporation of North America relocated its headquarters to a new facility, built to meet LEED certification standards, adjacent to Newark Penn Station in Newark, NJ..


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