Northwest Independent School District
KVM Solution for US school broadcaster
The Customer
Based in Fort Worth, Texas, the Northwest Independent School District (NWISD) is one of the largest and fastest growing in the state – operating 27 schools over a 250-square-mile area and serving almost 20,000 students. The NWISD plays host to something quite unique in high school education: a functioning television studio and station, operated completely by students.
Station NHSTV is part of the district’s Creative Media Production (CMP) academy, giving students an immersive experience and complete introduction to the world of professional broadcasting. The CMP academy is one of eight such programs running at four high schools, each one designed to give students a deep dive into disciplines they’re considering for their professional careers. In its 10th year at Northwest High School in suburban Fort Worth, the CMP academy focuses on television broadcast, filmmaking, graphic design and illustration, and commercial photography.
The Challenge
For almost a decade, the NHSTV station had been operating with essentially the same basic technology configuration: a fairly small control room with a couple of monitors, and a single Broadcast Pix switcher for all video sources.
Our operation was head and shoulders above most high school programs, of course, but as a former pro broadcaster myself, I knew we could do better.
– Jeremy Rawe, CMP Program Coordinator
Rawe had a vision for bringing this facility into the 21st century and upgrading the equipment to give students a more realistic work environment; in other words, one that would prepare them to work in a real control room and a real TV studio.
The Solution
Working with technology reseller Digital Resources, the station launched an all-new and thoroughly modern broadcast facility. “We were going for a scaled-down version of a professional news studio, which meant installing pro-level equipment that would be similar, if not the same, to what our students will encounter in real-world careers,” Rawe says. The station installed an all-Ross Video production environment including Ross routing switcher, playout server, graphics engine, and terminal gear. The new NHSTV control room is about four times the size of the original, with up to seven operator workstations and a separate rack room.
A Draco tera KVM switch connects the workstations to the computer systems, allowing students to operate multiple computers from each workstation via one or more keyboard/mouse sets and monitors.
The Benefit
With KVM connectivity, the NHSTV crew has the flexibility to manage all seven production workstations from six different user locations in the studio. This brings new efficiencies to the production environment, enabling the student producers to pop into the KVM system directly from their own computers and make changes or perform tasks without having to get up and walk over to the dedicated workstation.
Fewer people moving around in the control room isn’t just a time saver; it also makes things safer and less chaotic when we’re in the midst of a live production.
– Jeremy Rawe, CMP Program Coordinator
Products from other KVM manufacturers tend to have a delay issue – but that’s not the case with IHSE. We had no hesitation in recommending the Draco tera switch because it ‘just works’ – when a user selects a computer to control, the Draco tera switches it immediately with no delay.
– Tim Davis, Director of Engineering at Digital Resources
The KVM solution allows the students to work completely independently with constant control and intervention by the instructor: Thanks to the KVM system, Rawe can immediately take control of each student‘s workstation right from his own desktop if problems arise. This ensures that the broadcasts are 100% student-run, while still allowing him to provide unobtrusive guidance and support.
With the help of IHSE, NHSTV has fulfilled its vision to create a facility that helps students be work-ready when they graduate. This was also demonstrated during a visit by the students to a local NBC studio: the professional broadcasters were in awe by the students being able to sit down and operate the equipment without much orientation. The students receive tangible, real-world experience that will give them an advantage for internships, acceptance to college programs, and employment in any facility involved in audio and video production.
The IHSE system is the first we’ve seen that really meets the requirements of broadcast television. It’s no wonder that IHSE is an industry standard.
– Tim Davis, Director of Engineering at Digital Resources
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