LiveU Technology added to Kent State University

What happens when Journalism students are ready to produce live reports, but the technology is holding them back?

The Kent State School of Journalism & Mass Communication program showcases a state-of-the-art studio, home to 17 student-run shows and classroom curriculum. Students that participate in the program gain first-hand experience in all aspects of live multi-camera production and
single camera - including shooting, audio recording, editing, writing, directing and producing live television. But live remotes proved to be a bit complex – the solution was a bit clunky and didn’t allow for the flexibility to go live beyond this campus.

The live system featured Skype and a capture card. The students would Skype back to the control room and use a scan converter to get the signal into the studio’s infrastructure.

“It was too difficult to pull off live video outside the studio. Providing a quick news hit was virtually impossible,” noted Daniel LeBeau, Broadcast Engineer, Kent State University.

“We wanted to give our students a more realistic experience. Reporters needed to master the skills to report live and producers needed to learn how to coordinate live shots,” he added.

The tipping point was when the department’s live reports from a Hillary Clinton campus stop during the 2016 Election were basically unable for us due to audio delays and image pixilation. Click here for the full article.