Rogers TV is broadcasting live coverage of The City of Mississauga Judicial Inquiry.
From its start in May 2010, the Inquiry has been carried live on Rogers TV, Cable 10 Mississauga and streamed by Rogers on the web. Rogers TV is also providing the pool feed for other media outlets covering the proceedings.
To accomplish this video coverage, the hearing room had to be discreetly turned into a television production studio.
Rogers TV asked Videoscope to do the job.
The Photo (right) shows the Inquiry Room with a 5o-inch Evidence Display in the foreground and Rogers TV Operator, Kyle Wentzel at the Controls.
To get the room ready, Sales Representative, Larry Au and Engineering Manager, Lee Burke worked with Rogers TV’s Engineering team to select the right equipment, design and install the system and have it a running smoothly on time.
The Videoscope Engineering Team installed six cameras in the hearing room at 950 Burnhamthorpe Road West in Mississauga. Four hang from the ceiling. The other two are mounted on either side of the bench. They cover the commissioner, the Honourable J. Douglas Cunningham, witnesses, legal representatives and the audience.
These Sony BRC 300 Digital SDI cameras are very small and unobtrusive. They incorporate three advanced HAD™ CCD sensors with a total of 1,070,000 pixels for remarkably good image quality.
The Control Area allows one operator to handle all the cameras, audio and titles. The cameras are controlled remotely by a Vaddio ProductionVIEW Precision Camera Controller, (on the right side of the table in the photo below).
It boasts a broadcast-quality joystick designed for smooth and accurate pan, tilt and zoom control.
The Inquiry makes excellent use of the new ForA HVS-300HS video switcher (in the middle of the table).This switcher synchronizes the video signals, for smooth changes, eliminating the need for gen lock.
It also features a 16-channel multiviewer that allows the operator to monitor the six court room cameras, the computer and a hard drive player, along with preview and program - all on a single 37” Marshall monitor, (centre, top of picture).
The audio comes in from the court room audio system to the mixer (table, left), which provides a program feed.
When the hearing is in progress, television viewers in Mississauga can tune to Rogers’ community channel, Rogers TV on cable channel 10.
The coverage can also be seen online at: www.rogerstv.com/judicialinquiry, where the schedule is posted and past sessions are available as well.
Presenting Evidence and Evidence Management
Print evidence at the Inquiry is presented digitally. Potter Farrelly and Associates specializes in information management for the legal and justice sector. The company was contracted to provide an electronic inquiry solution, including the design of the courtroom and evidence preparation and presentation. Potter Farrelly contracted Videoscope to provide additional equipment to integrate into the Rogers solution.
The result: Videoscope Rental and Staging Division provided three fifty-inch plasma displays on special movable stands, with specialized installation. One of the large monitors is located near the witness for the Counsel, Judge and Witness. Two face the public gallery in the courtroom to ensure the Public Inquiry is providing visibility of the evidence to any member of the public. Counsel for each participant has the ability to view the evidence via laptops and monitors provided by the Inquiry. Evidence can be seen clearly by all who are present and is also viewed by the legal participants and their clients at offices outside the courtroom, through the electronic court book.
Media Feeds
Videoscope Rental and Staging is also involved in providing audio and video feeds to the press.
The Media Room is in an adjacent courtroom.
Here, Videoscope provided distribution amplifiers with digital and analog feeds that news organizations can simply plug into. Another 50” plasma screen is set up to show the video feed.The Inquiry, presided over by the Honourable J. Douglas Cunningham, Commissioner, is investigating “issues in connection with the acquisition by the City of Mississauga of approximately 8.5 acres of land in the city centre and issues in connection with the December 2000 Enersource Shareholders Agreement to which the City was a party.”
(From the inquiry website www.mississaugainquiry.ca)
For information about Rogers TV’s coverage of the Inquiry,
contact Mississauga Station Manager Jake Dheer at 905.897.3928
For Production Equipment Purchase and Installation, Rental and Staging,
Videoscope can be your One-Stop Shop. 416.449.3030
