Imagine setting up a mobile broadcast studio in less time than it takes to stand in line for a soda and popcorn at the theatre. No doubt! To beat the soda line time all you do with a Datavideo Mobile Studio is open the cover, flip up the monitor, connect the cables and start to work. And you don’t have to be a professional videographer to make this happen: Datavideo’s HS-500 is a case in point!
Andrew Allan, Producer at Alpha Sports Technologies (www.alphasports.tv), told Datavideo that he usually spends a minimum of $2,000 in equipment rentals for each sporting event that his company produces with much of that going toward switcher & monitor rentals. After seeing the light about the long term cost of rentals, Andrew did a bit of Googling and found the Datavideo HS-500 at a MSRP price of only $2,200 for a system that integrates a 4-channel audio/video switcher and five images (a quad-split for Preview plus a single Program out).
Andrew has “zero regrets” with his purchase and shared his Datavideo experience during a recent interview.
Datavideo: Please share with Datavideo the reason(s) you are recommending this product?
Andrew: I recommend the Datavideo HS-500 portable studio unit to mobile video producers because of the fully integrated package, high-end features, simplicity of design and portability of an all-inclusive “mini fly-pack”. It doesn’t hurt that it pays for itself in one event!
Datavideo: Do you travel with the HS-500?
Andrew: While I normally use Fedex to safely ship my equipment from one venue to the next, the HS-500 can be checked in like an ordinary travelling suitcase. The HS-500 weighs only 24 lbs and is an ideal solution for frequent travelers.
Datavideo: How long did it take you to set up the HS-500 out of the box?
Andrew: That’s what amazed me! During the recent ski production in Vail, Colorado, it took about 5-10 minutes from the time I opened the shipping box to having a fully operational mobile studio. Sure, we already had our cameras and support gear ready to go, but for a product I had never set eyes on before, it was quite impressive. What’s cool about the HS-500 is even though it only has four channels, we patch our 10-camera line cut into one input channel (pre-switched upstream), and our CGs through the others, and it acts like a much bigger system, so the HS-500 is ideal for both amateurs and professionals alike.
Datavideo: What is your favorite element of the HS-500 mobile studio?
Andrew: I love the quad-split display output, it saves a ton of desktop space that we’d normally clutter with big monitors, and it’s a great feature that simply doesn’t exist on any other switchers anywhere near this price range.
Here is a picture of a happy Datavideo customer Andrew Allan working in Snowbasin, Salt Lake City, Utah:
To learn more about the HS-500, please visit http://www.datavideo.us/products/mobile-studios/hs-500-hand-carried-studio.html
Datavideo’s HS-2000 is the big brother to the HS-500, featuring 5 inputs and full HD capability. For more information on this HD-SDI switcher please visit http://www.datavideo.us/products/switchers-mixers/hd-switchers/hs-2000-mobile-studio.html