JVC announced that Yahoo! Broadcast Services relies on JVC DV-500 camcorders for the daily acquisition of remote and studio footage used for delivering video webcasts.

Field or Studio Shooting
Using three 1/2 inch CCDs, the DV-500 delivers the equivalent of 750 lines of resolution and performs well in difficult lighting situations, delivering sensitivity of F11 at 2000 lux and minimum illumination of 0.75 lux in the LoLux mode. The ruggedly constructed DV-500 has a rigid diecast magnesium housing providing the durability professionals crave.

With the help of JVC's DV-500 camcorders, Yahoo! Broadcast Services is delivering state-of-the-moment news on sports, business and entertainment via captivating video streams that can be played back in real time or at the viewer's convenience via archives. In March 2001 alone, Yahoo! Broadcast Services delivered over 17 million hours of audio and video programming for Fortune 500 corporations, sports leagues, media and entertainment companies, television and radio stations, advertisers and merchants.

Juan Martinez, National Product Manager for Cameras at JVC, called the DV-500 a good investment for a wide range of customers, including web streamers, ENG shooters and traditional studio shooters who are attempting to bridge the HDTV gap seamlessly. "JVC's DV-500 cameras offer high-resolution output in an economical package that is ideal for mass digital video production as well as traditional videography applications. The DV-500 delivers a price and quality combination that will be invaluable to broadcasters as they move through the lower bandwidths and into broadband."

Ric Choate, Yahoo! Broadcast Services' Studio Engineer/Manager applauded JVC's DV-500 camcorders for their ability to meet and exceed the demanding qualifications needed for field and in-studio digital production. Choate remarked, "We researched a number of cameras before making a choice. We needed competitive equipment, so we looked at features and performance. We had a good working knowledge of everything out there and JVC provided us with everything we liked. It is so light and portable, when my guys go out to do ENG assignments they say, 'Hey, that wasn't work -- we aren't lugging around huge beta cameras and batteries -- this is nice and light.'"

Key features on the DV-500 are its 1/2-inch chips, Genlock for multi-camera shoots, low light capability, professional audio connectors and of course, the integration of a IEEE 1394 Firewire solution. The professional design, including PC connectability via the RS-232 port, ensures greater control and makes the DV-500 ideal not only for shooting but also as a feeder in an editing system.

Choate continued, "With all of our streaming media we take feed and put graphics around it, do cuts, go back and forth to Q&A sections, edit pieces and do all we can to put it up so people can watch it on-demand 24/7. That's what makes this type of technology unique; we can deliver media that's not on a scheduled timeframe in different formats that is all very close to TV."

JVC's Pro DV500's lighting performance and functions were also features which appealed to Yahoo!. Functions such as the Automatic Video Level Control (ALC), Extended Electronic Iris (EEI) and Full Auto White enable variable control of gain and shutter speed, so the videographer can shoot continuously from a dark area to a bright area without changing Gain, Iris or ND filter. This is useful in situations like live concerts, with rapidly shifting lighting and background conditions.

Ric Choate comments on the lighting, "We really liked what the DV500 does with lighting because we are always working with ever-changing lighting conditions like at concerts. Just like something we just did with SmashMouth; we would've undoubtedly struggled without the JVC."

Here's a review of the DV-500 by authors from DV Format.com.