The University of Massachusetts Lowell was happy with the Hitachi cameras it was already using at its Tsongas Center, home to UMass Lowell NCAA Division 1 hockey and basketball River Hawks. But it was an agreement with ESPN that prompted the school to use more Hitachi Z-HD5000 cameras.
Tsongas Center, which is owned by UMass Lowell and managed by Spectra Venue Management, Comcast Spectacor, seats up to 7,000 visitors and hosts a lot more than just hockey and basketball – concerts, job fairs, graduations, you name it.
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NCAA’s America East Conference reached an agreement with ESPN to bring live basketball games to multi-screen sports network ESPN3, creating the need for the Tsongas Center to upgrade its video equipment roster. Previously using two Hitachi Z-HD5000s alongside other vendors’ cameras for productions shown on the venue’s in-house video boards, the university and Spectra’s on-site team chose to standardize on Hitachi cameras for their ESPN3 broadcasts, in-venue displays, and other distribution outlets, according to a Hitachi press release.
“We were very pleased with the quality and reliability of the existing HITACHI cameras we’d been using to drive our scoreboard productions, so when we looked to increase our production flexibility and ensure visual consistency for our new ESPN3 streams, the Z-HD5000s were ideal for our upgrade,” says Ben Jewart, director of audio visual services at Tsongas Center, in the press release.
“We did our due diligence and evaluated all of the other major camera brands too, but everything led us right back to Hitachi Kokusai.”
More on the Hitachi Z-HD5000 Cameras at Tsongas Center, UMass Lowell
According to the manufacturer, four Hitachi Z-HD5000s are now used for the university’s live hockey and basketball streaming broadcasts. Two of the cameras are stationed in fixed positions, capturing high and tight shots, while the other two Z-HD5000s are operated handheld at ice or court level. While the school’s ESPN3 broadcasts typically use freelance crew members, other event productions often use current and former students as camera operators, making the Z-HD5000’s short learning curve valuable.
“The great usability of the Z-HD5000 makes it an excellent teaching platform,” says Nolan Mercer, AV manager at Tsongas Center, in the press release.
“It is a huge benefit to have cameras that we can quickly show students how to use, and to have the students jump right in and immediately understand their operation. The industry-standard nature of the HITACHI cameras has also been helpful in attracting volunteers, as the students know they are getting practical experience on equipment they may encounter professionally.”
Jewart adds that the Z-HD5000’s “low-noise, 2/3-inch chips and digital signal processing gave us a significant improvement in quality over the other camera models we had used.”
More from the Hitachi press release:
Sports from the Tsongas Center are now streamed live on ESPN3, the America East Conference website (www.AmericaEast.tv)
The video team at the Tsongas Center at the University of Massachusetts Lowell with one of their HITACHI Z-HD5000 cameras. Left-to-right: Nolan Mercer, Ben Jewart and Sebouh Majarian.
or the university’s own GoRiverHawks.tv site. Beyond the streaming broadcasts, the shooting flexibility provided by the HITACHI cameras and accompanying Fujinon lenses has elevated thecenter’s in-venue productions and raised fan involvement.
“Whether shooting all the way across the court or further into the crowd, we’re now able to get great-quality video at angles we couldn’t capture before,” said Jewart.
“This enables us to incorporate more interactivity with the crowd, which has increased fan engagement and excitement,” added Mercer. “Our mission is to create memorable fan experiences, and the HITACHI cameras play a key role in doing that.”
Sebouh Majarian, assistant director of new media at UMass Lowell, echoes the positive impact that the new cameras have had for both the Tsongas Center team and its audiences. “Our experience with HITACHI cameras has been tremendous,” he said.
“They have been easy for our operators to use, and helped shape and advance the quality of both our in-venue and broadcast productions. Our job is to put on a good show for our teams’ fans, and the Z-HD5000s have helped us achieve that.”
