The Live with Regis and Kelly studio in New York City was due for a display makeover. Their existing consumer plasma panels and tube televisions were worn down, and the production team wanted to integrate plasma panels that could provide the live, interactive and high-quality link between on-screen talent and audience members, both in-studio and watching from home. However, unlike most makeovers in the entertainment industry, this one proved quick and painless.
Quiet on the Set!
Television studios provide a challenging environment for any display equipment. The design team wanted durable units that could hold up to the long hours of production, without the problems sometimes associated with using consumer equipment in a professional studio setting. The team searched for panels that produced razor sharp images that could be clearly seen by audiences and cameras from any angle, even under harsh studio lighting.
Action!
The producers took their requirements and concerns to industry experts and were immediately directed to Pioneer's professional products division. Glenn Polly, president of VideoSonic Systems, visited the show's producers on-set to demonstrate first-hand the various professional functions of Pioneer's CMX line of professional plasma panels. After presenting Pioneer's studio color mode, frame rate control and image manipulation capabilities, the producers' concerns were quickly alleviated.
Pioneer's professional panels have always been built to support the unique and demanding qualities of professional applications, offering multiple color presets for normal and studio white balance, and the ability to be adjusted while on camera as needed. Pioneer professional panels fit perfectly in any television studio or film set. These features, along with Pioneer's legendary reputation for quality operation and on-site service, made for an easy decision by the show's producers.
"When shooting most monitors for television, you have to run signals through color correction equipment," according to Michael Fagin, Live with Regis and Kelly's production designer. "Pioneer's studio setting and white balance control meant we didn't need to use any additional hardware."
Unlike consumer televisions, Pioneer's professional displays were designed from the beginning to be integrated, physically and aesthetically, into different business settings and environments. The show's producers took advantage of this capability by easily attaching silver frames to the displays, thus incorporating them into existing set designs. Together with the adjustments in the display's integrator setup menu, each panel was "camera ready" in minutes. According to Polly, "With Pioneer displays, you simply put them into studio mode and you're good to go. We were able to outfit the entire studio with displays in just half a day."
For more information on Pioneer professional products, visit www.pioneeratwork.com or call (800) 527-3766.
