Mediacom Buys FOR-A digiWarp-EX II Virtual Studio System

Mediacom Communications Corporation, the eighth largest cable TV operator in the country has purchased a complete FOR-A digiWarp-EX II virtual studio system for its largest production facility in Des Moines, Iowa. The first Medicom show taking advantage of the new FOR-A virtual studio is a national, monthly series called "Digital Connection." It debuts this month. The half-hour program, hosted by Anne Rezek, spotlights the variety of digital cable services offered by Medicom and is available to all Mediacom cable TV subscribers on their local Mediacom channel Wednesday nights at 6:30.



The digiWarp-EX II virtual studio system is currently installed in a 35 x 40-foot sound stage within Mediacom's three-story facility in Des Moines. Capable of delivering an unlimited variety of production designs, the FOR-A digiWarp-EX II system provides Mediacom with a quick return on their investment by avoiding building expensive "hard" sets that have to be changed with each new production.



For the production Mediacom uses three Ikegami standard-definition digital cameras with the FOR-A virtual set in Des Moines, although any manufacturer's cameras will work with the system.



digiWarp-EX II, is the newly enhanced version of the digiWarp EX, FOR-A's 2D virtual set system based on open architecture, off-the-shelf components. The heart of the EX II is a software-based graphics engine that works on the Microsoft Windows NT platform.