A collaboration between the comedy writers’ association Produções Fictícias and Meo, Canal Q is the first project of its kind in Portugal. Having reached the limits of its production capabilities after three years, André Caldeira of Canal Q felt it was time to invest in HD.
“Having previously used the ATEM 1 M/E Production Switcher and HyperDeck Studio as part of an outdoor live production kit, we were already familiar with how reliable Blackmagic Design was and made the decision that its broadcast infrastructure offered us the best balance of quality and price,” said Caldeira.
Canal Q installed Blackmagic’s Universal Videohub 72, and rack-mounted Videohub Master Control. “Our production workflow is built around three HD-SDI cameras routed via the Blackmagic Videohub to an ATEM 2 M/E Production Switcher, offering up to 16 video inputs and a SuperSource compositing engine. To mix the three feeds, operators are using an ATEM 1 M/E Broadcast Panel and recording the line cut on to three HyperDeckStudio Pro SSD broadcast decks,” commented Caldeira.
The broadcaster’s playout servers have also been upgraded. Caldeira has installed a Blackmagic Compact Videohub and the Videohub Smart Control as a cut-bus control panel. “To monitor what each channel is playing out we use a pair of SmartView Duo’s from Blackmagic.”
“We’ve achieved a lot in a very short space of time. The channel and team has grown to a point where we are now producing up to three new shows every single day, which is impressive. Our new production and broadcast capabilities means that Channel Q can continue to nurture new talent and broadcast original programming,” concluded Caldeira.
