Client:
Wolzien LLC
Task:
New Facility & Entertainment
Executives:
Thomas Wolzien
First of Its Kind Technical Achievement in collaboration with Positive Flux Eliminates Complexity and Cost of Hosting Live Video Call in Shows from Any Location
April 8, 2015, New York , NY—For the first time, a television host has run a live broadcast-quality video call-in program from her own living room, with editorially screened calls, HD video output, and no control room anywhere in the system. Talk radio hosts have run shows from their homes for years, and now TV hosts can, too, using the advanced technology of The Video Call Center from Wolzien LLC.
On Thursday, March 26, 2015, a live television show was controlled by host Diane Dimond from the convenience of her own living room, without a control room and with a minimal production team. The event was a live airing of the TalkCenterAmerica show Love at First SkypeTM, which challenges contestants to pick a suitable date from interviews with candidates over IP Video calls (http://talkcenteramerica.tv/?portfolio=the-remote-show-ep-6 ). .
Television reporter, author and show host Diane Dimond said, “I’ve never experienced anything like this in my years as a television host. Because of the unique technical approach offered by Video Call Center, I was able to walk to my dining room, sit down, punch a few buttons and be live on the air with my multi-camera, multi-caller TV show. Hosts could do this for radio before, but never for TV.”
This technically ground-breaking show was the result of years of work by Wolzien LLC and over a year of planning and system development by the technology advisory firm, Positive Flux LLC.
Video Call Center creator and Wolzien LLC chairman Tom Wolzien said, “This is a significant ramp-up in video production convenience and efficiency. Now live television program hosts can be almost anywhere in the world, but use the same Video Call Center central operation with the efficiency of shared call screeners, producers, and core technical systems. Show formats, hosts, callers, and output can be changed in seconds, as appropriate for a specific host, show, and distributing network or station. With the Video Call Center and remote host units, broadcast television production costs will hit a new lows.”
What you don’t see on TV
Positive Flux CEO, Larry Thaler, who managed the project explained, “Everyone has seen a television show hosted from a remote location. What they don’t see are all the people, expensive technology, advanced work and investment required at the location to make that possible. That’s why hosted shows typically take place in a studio. The Remote Host drives the patented Video Call Center technology, and eliminates nearly all of the dependencies that handcuff remote shows to expensive studios. Using VCC, a host only needs a standard broadband connection and a small case of equipment to control a sophisticated, multi-camera talk show with on air guests located anywhere in the world.”
The Remote Host unit can also be configured with background screens showing editorially cleared callers or other graphics in a 10′ by 10′ mini-studio setup.
The Technology Behind Video Call Center
Positive Flux guided the Wolzien LLC team in development of the systems and software to enable this technology to work from anywhere. A key breakthrough was simplifying a truckload of technology down to the VCC’s Remote Automation Tool (RAT) and a Verizon FIOS household–level IP connection. The technology permits the Host to appear on camera, to control which guests are on air and to guide the Host Automation tool (HAT) to vary the shot sequences, as well as play videos and graphics, all while maintaining eye contact with the cameras through special “never look down” technology.
About Video Call Center
Video Caller Television is a new genre of live television content being developed by Wolzien LLC for use in co-productions for broadcast and cable television networks and stations. It starts with a logical evolution of caller-based talk radio into the IP video age where viewers can see what callers look like, what they show, and what they do. The patented enabling technology makes the production process work smoothly and very efficiently. Multiple callers connect individually via IP video services, are screened by producers and sent to the show host for final switching to air using assistive automation. Uniquely for TV, the host controls the live air. There is no control room, and therefore staffing is minimal.
Nearly 100 content hours of live television programs have been aired to perfect the technology, production systems, and explore content types. The remotely hosted dating program was one of those shows.
More about the Video Call Center can be learned here: http://thevideocallcenter.com/
More about Talk Center America & Love at First SkypeTM www.talkcenteramerica.com .
