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The Channel 6 Action News Thread


Jess

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  • 2 weeks later...
They launched a new app' date=' Chopper 6 360, also found online here http://6abc.com/chopper6/. What's the point of this? Also, how does it work?!

I had a link but I lost it to where they got the camera. But I found a similar system used for broadcast or live streaming that was $24,000 used. I wonder how they are back hauling the video back to the station? I'm guessing they are using a bonded cellular. I doubt they would want to waste the precious datalink that's used for the actual helicopter video feed. If you'll notice the video in the piece wasn't that good, so,I doubt they will use it on air, when they could just tell the photographer to move the lens.

 

But this may be cool the first time you try it, but this gimmick will get old fast (like the BigBoard - stations rarely use them to the full potential and all they are used for is to allow the reporter to press play on a piece). If I were the station I would rather the spend the money on something that is really useful.

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I had a link but I lost it to where they got the camera. But I found a similar system used for broadcast or live streaming that was $24,000 used. I wonder how they are back hauling the video back to the station? I'm guessing they are using a bonded cellular. I doubt they would want to waste the precious datalink that's used for the actual helicopter video feed. If you'll notice the video in the piece wasn't that good, so,I doubt they will use it on air, when they could just tell the photographer to move the lens.

 

But this may be cool the first time you try it, but this gimmick will get old fast (like the BigBoard - stations rarely use them to the full potential and all they are used for is to allow the reporter to press play on a piece). If I were the station I would rather the spend the money on something that is really useful.

 

6's latest thing has been to buy shiny new toys, claim they were the first to have them, then barely use them to their potential. What gets me is how they tried snow their viewers over yesterday constantly saying "you control the camera!". Ummm no.

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6's latest thing has been to buy shiny new toys, claim they were the first to have them, then barely use them to their potential. What gets me is how they tried snow their viewers over yesterday constantly saying "you control the camera!". Ummm no.

 

This to me is the biggest indication 6 is on the edge of losing their dominance. So many gimmicks recently with little added value. A far cry from the basic but effective "if it ain't broke" Action News of 5-10 years ago.
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6's latest thing has been to buy shiny new toys, claim they were the first to have them, then barely use them to their potential. What gets me is how they tried snow their viewers over yesterday constantly saying "you control the camera!". Ummm no.

Yeah, there are six cameras on that rig so your not controlling anything. It's not like they are letting you control the $500,000 gimbal camera.

 

 

This to me is the biggest indication 6 is on the edge of losing their dominance. So many gimmicks recently with little added value. A far cry from the basic but effective "if it ain't broke" Action News of 5-10 years ago.

I fooled around with it briefly this afternoon, it's would be useful when the helicopter is hovering over the scene of the accident but most of the time the bird is flying around the DMA.

 

I guess I would call this an act of desperation with all their toys.

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Yeah, there are six cameras on that rig so your not controlling anything. It's not like they are letting you control the $500,000 gimbal camera.

 

 

 

I fooled around with it briefly this afternoon, it's would be useful when the helicopter is hovering over the scene of the accident but most of the time the bird is flying around the DMA.

 

I guess I would call this an act of desperation with all their toys.

 

They pretty much shit their pants when 10 bought Skyforce 10 last year. I can imagine the meeting of how this little brain storm came to be. Something to the effect of "oh no we're not the only one with unique aerials anymore. Quick how do we make Chopper 6 stand out? We can't put a reporter in the chopper. 10 already does that. We can't cover as much ground in the air as 10 does cause their chopper is better. I know let's put a 360 panorama camera on it that the viewers can play with! Brilliant!"

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So, you're not actually "controlling" it - it's just panning around? I don't understand how multiple people could do this at the same time.

 

The various camera images get stitched together, and you get to pan over them. The app or interface gets all the "live" images and you piece it together locally on your device.

 

As for getting worried about losing their edge... Perhaps. It's hard to compare their past "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mantra, as these toys and level of user involvement were not possible, even five years ago... The biggest change I see is, instead of just presenting something and acting like nothing is new, they are developing ad campaigns. and such about it.

 

I remember before 9/11 they actually had two copters, if only briefly.

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So, you're not actually "controlling" it - it's just panning around? I don't understand how multiple people could do this at the same time.

No you are not actually controlling the camera. Most likely it is a one way datalink.

 

Have you ever seen what a Google Streetview Car or even images before? If so it's exactly like that.

 

Here's the camera I think they are using: http://www.ptgrey.com/products/ladybug3/Ladybug3_360_video_camera.asp. It has six cameras which stitch the image together and is sent back to the server as a panoramic image. But the server and software manipulate it in a way that only a certain part of the image is displayed.

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No you are not actually controlling the camera. Most likely it is a one way datalink.

 

Have you ever seen what a Google Streetview Car or even images before? If so it's exactly like that.

 

Here's the camera I think they are using: http://www.ptgrey.com/products/ladybug3/Ladybug3_360_video_camera.asp. It has six cameras which stitch the image together and is sent back to the server as a panoramic image. But the server and software manipulate it in a way that only a certain part of the image is displayed.

 

Gotcha. Don't know why I didn't think of that connection to Streetview
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They pretty much shit their pants when 10 bought Skyforce 10 last year. I can imagine the meeting of how this little brain storm came to be. Something to the effect of "oh no we're not the only one with unique aerials anymore. Quick how do we make Chopper 6 stand out? We can't put a reporter in the chopper. 10 already does that. We can't cover as much ground in the air as 10 does cause their chopper is better. I know let's put a 360 panorama camera on it that the viewers can play with! Brilliant!"

 

I think your giving the power of choppers too much credit. Afterall it's not the 80's anymore, and it was not too long ago every station except 6 was pooling choppers to save money. If 6 really wanted they could get a faster chopper too, and 6 has done the reporter in the chopper before too.

 

What is really happening I suspect is im360 is paying ch6 for all of this. You will notice when you goto download the app, it isn't a ch6 app. It is IM360, which like earthcam is full of 360 cams. Action news anchors are even saying the product description https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/im360/id437314677

 

 

The biggest change I see is, instead of just presenting something and acting like nothing is new, they are developing ad campaigns. and such about it.

 

 

In the 90's when they got a gyrocam they promoted the hell out of that.
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I think your giving the power of choppers too much credit. Afterall it's not the 80's anymore, and it was not too long ago every station except 6 was pooling choppers to save money. If 6 really wanted they could get a faster chopper too, and 6 has done the reporter in the chopper before too.

 

What is really happening I suspect is im360 is paying ch6 for all of this. You will notice when you goto download the app, it isn't a ch6 app. It is IM360, which like earthcam is full of 360 cams. Action news anchors are even saying the product description https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/im360/id437314677

 

 

In the 90's when they got a gyrocam they promoted the hell out of that.

I think the reason why you have to use the IM360 app is because they have to process it before it goes out. Also I think it maybe if they included it in their native app, the app would become to bulky.

 

Also wouldn't they have to state that this was product placement when this is used on air? Because there mentioning of the app would be similar to requiring Java.

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I dunno about mentioning it, but there definitely is some sort of Disney/360 partnership going. ESPN is using 360, other ABC O&O's are using them, and they all seem to use the same tagline about you "controlling" it, which the im360 itself says when describing their product. Here's ABC 7 in NY promoting their 360 http://7online.com/weather/new-360-cam-on-roadcam-7-/199071/

 

In anycase this was clearly not a WPVI newsroom idea or response to another station.

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This is a off topic from the chopper 6 360. But I remember a while back Hulkie/Matthew mentioned that all of WPVI's graphics are done in house except for the rendering of the 6 logo. My question is what was so difficult that required them to use an agency?

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I think it has something to do with them wanting to have full control over their graphics with their fancy Viz system. Went they moved to the new building they took their old graphics package and redrew the CG elements in house instead of going to Giant Octopus and having them redo them. The results were quite amateurish.

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One thing that certainly seems amatuerish is the new Action News Sports Center I've seen on the 10PM news (and at other dayparts). Looks like an idea hatched to give the sports guys somewhere to stand. Four TVs, two of which seem to cycle through a powerpoint of sports team logos, and the other two have a quad-view of... sports.

 

Also, have noticed the monitor background really reflects the lighting rigs. I can certainly agree they are going with flashy over polish...

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One thing that certainly seems amatuerish is the new Action News Sports Center I've seen on the 10PM news (and at other dayparts). Looks like an idea hatched to give the sports guys somewhere to stand. Four TVs, two of which seem to cycle through a powerpoint of sports team logos, and the other two have a quad-view of... sports.

 

Also, have noticed the monitor background really reflects the lighting rigs. I can certainly agree they are going with flashy over polish...

 

Oh God, I hate how that thing looks on air. So cheesy and looks like it was put together in a day with not much room for editing or improvement. Plus the camera angle and lighting looks really tacky. The camera is probably one of those small cameras stations use for reports in their newsrooms so it can fit here, but still.
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One thing that certainly seems amatuerish is the new Action News Sports Center I've seen on the 10PM news (and at other dayparts). Looks like an idea hatched to give the sports guys somewhere to stand. Four TVs, two of which seem to cycle through a powerpoint of sports team logos, and the other two have a quad-view of... sports.

 

Also, have noticed the monitor background really reflects the lighting rigs. I can certainly agree they are going with flashy over polish...

 

Yes. I noticed that too. The video wall behind the anchor desk reflects the studio lights on the ceiling. Kind of distracting and stupid looking
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If you watch the promo for the "Sports Center" they have a few "fly on the wall" shots of it and that's nothing but a corner of the sports department. It's a really crappy setup. Also one head scratcher. If they're gonna call it the Sports Center, how the heck do they not co-brand it with corporate sister ESPN? I'm quite sure a couple phone calls could get the real Sportscenter logo and maybe some music over there and make it look like it wasn't some half baked idea.

 

I'm sure this was conceived partially in reaction to NBC10 and CSN's partnership but it just seems rushed and poorly executed.

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