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Home My WebLink About7B - Cable Television Report AGENDA#: PREPARED BY: SUBJECT: DATE: BACKGROUND: DISCUSSION: STAFF AGENDA REPORT ~.,~ FRANK BOYLES, CITY MANAGER CONSIDER APPROVAL OF CABLE TELEVISION REPORT JUNE 16,1997 The City Council directed that the staff prepare a report on Cable televising City Council meetings. At the April 21 meeting, the Council considered a report. The Council concurred that Alternate 2: Acquisition of cable equipment for permanent installation in the City Council chambers is the approach they desire. The staff was directed to identify the costs for improving the visibility of graphics for the City Council and meet with the School District Cable Access Coordinator and Triax Cablevision in finalizing Cable T.V. recommendations. This agenda item is intended to be responsive to this direction. I met with representatives of A VW Group (the equipment supplier), Triax Cablevision and School District Cable Television Channel at the Fire Station. We discussed the following issues: Most appropriate number and configuration of cameras. Hardware needed for live and videotaped rebroadcast. Video equipment needed for Council viewing of graphics. Audio problems experienced in the Chambers. Based upon the observations made by the representatives present, a number of revisions were made to the sketch of equipment for installation and equipment list (attached). I have made modifications to the equipment list so that all equipment is shown in one place. Because the 35" monitor was installed closer to the Council to enhance the audience's ability to see it, the video cameras were relocated. Camera one (c1) is now to be ceiling mounted near the end of the Council table. This camera can cover the Council close-ups, presenter and audience or group shots. Camera (C2) is to be located in the audience area and is used for audience close-ups, presenter profiles and Council long or group shots. 16200 Eagle Creek Ave. S.E., Prior Lake, Minnesota 55372-1714 / Ph. (612) 447-4230 / Fax (612) 447-4245 AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER ISSUES: ALTERNATIVES: 92977A.DOC The Elmo document camera located next to the lectern will be the source for all graphics except video tape. Video tapes can be played using the VCR in the back of the room. The video tapes are shown on all monitors and can be the source for outgoing live transmission. To improve the Council's view of graphics, A VW has proposed the installation of three 7" monitors on a rolling triangular bracket to be located approximately at the rectangle marked V3 on the graphic. A VW believes that this option is more cost effective than the five 9" monitors and better for Council viewing than the installation of one or two additional ceiling mount 35" monitors. I have confirmed with Triax that $6,000 is an appropriate budget to allow for live videocasts. In addition to a modulator, we will add equipment that allows us to remotely activate and deactivate the School Districts' modulator during live broadcasts so that only one signal is fed to the government access channel. A VW has also added equipment to address the audio problems we have experienced. They recommend a trade in of the old manual microphone mixer and replacement with an automatic audio mixer. This mixer improves audio clarity by automatically shutting down microphones until they are spoken into. They are also adding two speakers to the separator wall marked (S 1 and S2) to direct sound to the audience rather than down from the ceiling. Both actions are intended to improve the audio system for in person and television audiences. The Council should determine if it is comfortable with the proposed equipment and configuration to Cable telecast meetings. If not, direction should be provided to the staff to prepare additional information for Council considera tion. If the Council believes the equipment as proposed will serve City needs, it would be appropriate to authorize acquisition and installation by adoption of the attached resolution. The Council has the following alternatives: 1. Direct acquisition and installation of equipment as proposed for cable televising of City Council meetings at a cost not to exceed $32,379. A resolution is attached for this purpose. 2. Direct the preparation of additional information for Council consideration. RECOMMENDATION: As the Council determines. A representative from A VW Group will be present to answer Council questions Monday night. Jim Schindler is also reviewing this report and I will convey his comments to the Council on Monday night. The Council should be comfortable with the equipment proposed before directing its acquisition and installation. FINANCIAL IMPACT: The funding required for this acquisition would be drawn from the contingency account since it was not incorporated in the 1997 budget. The balance of the contingency account is presently $48,389. ACTION REQUIRED: Motion and second to adopt the attached resolution or direction to the staff to supply additional information to the Council. att. 92977 A.DOC '" ,'I'- IlVNESo A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AN EXPENDITURE FROM THE CONTINGENCY ACCOUNT TO CABLE TELEVISE CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS RESOLUTION 97-XX MOTION BY: SECOND BY: WHEREAS, The City Council is desirous of cable televising its proceedings and has directed the preparation of plans therefore, and WHEREAS, An estimate for the necessary equipment to cable televise Council meetings has been presented to and considered by the City Council, and WHEREAS, The City Council has approved such plans. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE CITY COUNCIL OF PRIOR LAKE does hereby authorize the acquisition and installation of cable television equipment as set forth in the staff report dated April 21, 1997 as modified by the June 16, 1997 report in an amount not to exceed $32,379 and FURTHER, the funding source for such acquisition IS the 1997 General Fund Contingency Account. Passed and adopted this 2nd day of June, 1997. YES NO Andren Andren Greenfield Greenfield Kedrowski Kedrowski Mader Mader Schenck Schenck {Seal} City Manager City of Prior Lake 16200 E~'[7&.1DO€ S.E.. Prior Lake. Minnesota 55372-1714 / Ph. (612) 447-4230 / Fax (612) 447-4245 AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER 1="..... ~... 'Q =-,..... . t1:.....~ ~Pl..s '=""'=....:.~, (u....'IIIC ,...re-(lI r1B 'I II (~:t · .,' _/QlIS '== ~r---"7-------:--l0 _~' I I ' , . 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L.o~~\U"- S ~ '":. ,~v...~ \ 0 L~L~ \ . \J :;.. ~...~.Q.O \ 0 u.-\~ \ pc..:.. ~r"~-...'"'~~......, PRIOR LAKE Quantity DescrlDtion VldQ.2 1 Mltsubishi HSU 520 4 head hi.fi stereo VCR Color Cameras 2 Panasonic WVCS604 digital color camera Monitors 3 Philips PA5027C 27" video monitors for council member viewing Lucasey monitor security locking plates Custom monitor floor stands on casters medium cherry laminate 3 3 Audio UDorade 2 2 1 1 2 Tannoy ArenaIW white room speakers Tannoy AWB mounting bracket TOA A906MK2 60 watt amplifier TOA MB 258 rack ears Shure SCMB10 auto mIcrophone mixer ProductIon Head End Rack 1 Middle Atlantic equipment rack w/casters, locking front door, sliding shelves, vented top & blank panels Panasonlc WVCU151 camera controller Panasonic WVBM900 preview monitor Panasonic WVQ28 rack mount ~...o...w-. e...... \I \ S"'- 4~4 V>f"4a~~",5\W'\~~er Subtotal 2 2 2 , Misc. cables, connectoB, and hardware Lift Rental labor & TraininQ D> ~ ~ Eo ~,~~\- (f\o4......\"-~gr ~""Q ,,~-.; ~ , Project Total .". _1 Sell PrlQ. 429.00 3349.00 690.00 65.00 1195.00 90.00 27.00 425.00 25.00 1600.00 995.00 1050.00 459.00 139.00 11,.00 {,/'o/ 'i 7 Extens'or'l 429.00 6,698.00 2,070.00 195.00 3,585.00 180.00 54.00 425.00 25.00 3,200.00 995.00 2,100.00 918.00 278.00 ii7"o" 21, ~'9.00 750.00 200.00 3,500.00 , Coe,dD 3 i.,31~ .00 AGENDA #: PREPARED BY: SUBJECT: DATE: BACKGROUND: DISCUSSION: STAFF AGENDA REPORT 7B FRANK BOYLES, CITY MANAGER CABLE TELEVISING OF PRIOR LAKE CITY COUNCIL MEETING. APRIL 21, 1997 The City Council directed that a report be prepared which provided cost estimates for Cable Televising City Council meetings. This report outlines a number of different methods which could be used to provide for the Cable broadcasting or re-broadcasting of City Council meetings. There are a number of options available to the City to Cable Broadcast or Rebroadcast Council Meetings. They include: 1) Borrow existing equipment. 2) Acquire Cable equipment for permanent installation in the City Council Chambers. 3) Subcontract Cable Televising of Council meetings to a third party. This report attempts to address each of these approaches. Option 1) Borrow Existing Equipment: The fastest way to initiate cable-casting IS to use existing equipment. The City presently owns its own camcorder, which is not VHS format. The tapes from the camcorder can be converted to VHS (the format used by the public access studio) by using Police Department equipment. The use of this camcorder will certainly be the least expensive and most expeditious option. There are problems with this option: 1) Audio quality would be marginal at best, since a camcorder cannot be tied into the Audio Video system of the Council chambers. 2) The quality of the video broadcast is likely to be 16200 Eagle Creek Ave. S.E., Prior Lake, Minnesota 55372-1714 / Ph. (612) 447-4230 / Fax (612) 447-4245 AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER marginal because of the use of non-commercial recording equipment, tape and transfer of format from 8mm to VHS. 3) Meetings can not be cablecast "live" since this option does not include equipment necessary to do so. To simplify the production, the camera could be placed on a tripod with a broad enough picture so that all five Councilmembers can be seen. While this option accomplishes the objective promptly, it will also result in the most complaints from those who are really interested in watching and hearing the Council on Cable Television. Option 2) Acquire Commercial Grade Equipment for Permanent Installation in the City Council Chambers: A quotation has been obtained for installing two remote control cameras in the City Council Chambers together with a control center which would both operate the cameras, integrate the new Elmo camera with the videotaping and integrate the audio with the video. This system would provide a 3 camera system. One (the Elmo camera) is dedicated to graphics. The other two can be used to focus upon meeting participants. The cost for this system has been quoted at $22,496.00 (see attached quote). The advantages and disadvantages are: 1) Better quality video transmission. 2) Better quality audio transmission. 3) Capacity to send out "live cable". 4)The cost would be more than option #1. 5) Permanently mounting the equipment would maximize its useful life. 6)Facilitates cable casting other City meetings in the future. This equipment will accomplish that without the necessity of worrying about whether someone else's equipment is available to be borrowed. 7)This three camera system will require only one person to operate it because of the remote control production cart. The City can hire a camera operator/video producer for $12 per hour. 8) In an emergency, this system would be available for directly linking our Emergency command team with the public. 9) Other departments, including Fire and Police, could utilize CATV. DOC this equipment and the Council chambers to videotape training materials either for departmental use or for airing on the Public Access Channel. Option 3) Subcontract Videotaping of Council Meetings to a Third Party: I have contacted a private vendor to inquire whether they would be willing to Cablecast Prior Lake City Council meetings for a fee. They have indicated that this would be possible. Assuming a three camera format, the cost would be $130 per hour. The total estimated cost per year would be $9,360 assuming four hours per meeting and eighteen meetings for the remainder of 1997. At this rate, the cost for the equipment purchased under option 2 would be recovered in two years. Costs are included for setup and tear down, and the subcontractor would be responsible for supplying Cable access studio with one master tape for each Council meeting, no later than 24 hours after the conclusion of the Council meeting. The advantages and disadvantages of this option include: 1) Audio and Video quality should be equivalent or better to option 2. 2) The City incurs no equipment acquisition, replacement, or maintenance costs. It simply pays for services rendered. 3) The City pays only for what it receives. In other words, if the City later wants to cablecast the Planning Commission, Special Meetings, or Public Hearings not regularly scheduled, or if departments wish to videotape training, they may do so at a cost, because the City will be at the mercy of the Subcontractors for price and scheduling. 4)Live telecast would still require an additional investment in equipment. ISSUES: The key issue is whether the Council intends to maximize utilization of the public access channel to convey local government information to the public. If so, Option #2 is the best long term solution from the staffs perspective. If immediacy is of top priority, then option #1 or #3 could be used until option #2 is implemented. CATV.DOC ALTERNATIVES: The Council has the following alternatives: 1. Option 1 - Borrow Equipment 2. Option 2 - Purchase Equipment for mounting in the Fire Station Council Chambers. 3. Option 3 - Purchase the service of videotaping the Council meeting rather than buying equipment. 4. Option 4 - Some combination of the above or a different alternative altogether. RECOMMENDATION: Option 2. The acquisition and installation of City Council Videotaping equipment is the best long term option since it gives the City control of its meeting times and dates while minimizing personnel costs for production. This equipment can be used by all city departments to continue and enhance our public information efforts. Delivery is expected in six weeks. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: The City receives about $50,000 per year under the Cable Franchise Agreement. These funds are presently placed in our General Fund budget. Cable television equipment will be $22,496 under option 2. Assuming that 18 meetings are left at four hours per meeting at $12 per hour, an additional $900 will be required for a cable producer. The total cost of $23,400 should be drawn from the city contingency account. To date, $7,690 has been expended from this $150,000 account. I expect that the account will be needed to complete the reroofing at city hall and backpay costs associated with the labor agreements. I estimate that if these four expenditures were charged to contingency, the remaining balance would be about $50,000. CA TV. DOC ACTION REQUIRED: Motion and second to direct the staff to implement option 2 at a cost not to exceed $23,400 for calendar year 1997 from funds drawn from the contingency account. Att. CATV. DOC Quote for Cable Television Equipment (Source: AVW Group) Production Area 1 only Production Cabinet (est.) $ 1,500.00 2 each Panasonic WV-CU151 Camera Controller ($1050) $ 2,100.00 2 each Panasonic WV-BM900 Preview Monitor ($459) $ 918.00 2 each Panasonic WV-Q28 Rack Mount for Monitor ($139) $ 278.00 .---;> 1 only Kramer V15-4 x 4 Switcher ($777) $ 777.00 1 only Mitsubishi HSU-510 VCR ($375) $ 375.00 $ 5,948.00 Camera Equipment 2 Each Panasonic WVCS - 604 Digital Color Cameras ($3,349) $ 6,698.00 Labor and Misc. Hardware Scissor Lift Rental $ 200.00 Cable, Hardware, etc. (est.) $ 650.00 Labor and Training $ 3,000.00 Modulator (est.) $ 6,000.00 Total Cost Including Installation $ 22,496.00 Estimated Delivery Date = 4 to 6 Weeks