“Since they are much lighter in weight, we saved plenty of money on tripods and other accessories, which are not needed, such as zoom and demand focus. Also, no other operators are needed on standby if someone is off sick because the controllers are so easy to use with the presets. It means we don’t have to spend so much time training and there is a smaller margin for error,” says Juraj. “Out of the box experience is very easy and comprehensive and we were surprised with the picture quality. On product, we saved approximately €40,000 per camera chain, while the operational saving is about €200,000 per studio.”
Because of this outstanding cost-saving, TV JOJ was able to maximise its production capabilities by investing in three studios, rather than just one which they had originally planned for. In other words, they are getting a great return on investment. For this reason, they see PTZs as the resource-friendly way forward for static shooting.
“The technical presales and aftersales treatment we received from the product management team was absolutely spot on”
Juraj adds: “The technical presales and aftersales treatment we received from the product management team was absolutely spot on. They send us new firmware within two weeks of us reporting it. We have never received such fast firmware response from any manufacturer.”
In terms of hardware integration, the team seamlessly connects the CR-N500 with the NewTek TriCaster Mini for streaming purposes. “It’s also great that Tally Lights work natively in it, so it’s great for use in small studios, like we have in the podcast setup,” he says.
When time and space was of the essence, the Canon CR-N500 proved to be the perfect solution for the TV station, delivering all the essential technical specifications – without any superfluous, costly features they didn’t need. TV JOJ’s first slogan was “Nuda na Slovensku skončila” – “Boredom in Slovakia has finished.” Twenty years on, and the channel is keeping its audience engaged.