About CentralVision
Getting Involved with CentralVision
- Can I advertise on CentralVision?
- Can I get a video made by CentralVision?
- Can I hire equipment or studio time?
- Can I get my film shown on CentralVision?
- Can I get my event promoted through CentralVision?
- Can I visit the CentralVision studio?
- Can I get work experience with CentralVision?
- Can I join the CentralVision team?
Using the CentralVision Website
- Do I need to register to watch CentralVision?
- Do I have to pay to watch CentralVision?
- What equipment and software do I need to watch CentralVision?
- What is CVTV Today?
- What is CVTV On-Demand?
- How do I search the CentralVision website?
- How do I watch a video?
- Who owns the copyright of material on CentralVision?
- How do I report inappropriate content?
About CentralVision
What is CentralVision?
CentralVision is an online television service for Coventry, Warwickshire and the West Midlands that will broadcast a full range of locally produced programmes.
It will transmit through its own website www.centralvision.tv opening it up to anyone with a broadband connection. It will run 24 hours a day 365 days a year and can be viewed by anyone, anywhere in the world.
CentralVision broadcasts from a new studio in Coventry and shows content from across the West Midlands - providing news and information right from the very heart of local communities.
Viewers will find news, local events, business information, community, voluntary and education programmes, features on the environment, the economy and local personalities.
What is CentralVision's aim?
That one day CentralVision will provide a platform for everyone in our region to make a contribution for a more prosperous West Midlands.
Who is behind CentralVision?
CentralVision is hosted by CSWP Ltd with support from key partner Sony UK Ltd. CSWP is itself a partnership of local organisations dedicated to economic regeneration and investment in people and communities. CSWP partners include:
- All the local authorities in Coventry, Warwickshire and Solihull
- The Learning and Skills Council (Coventry and Warwickshire)
- The universities of Warwick and Coventry
- Advantage West Midlands
- University Hospitals NHS Trust
- The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link
- Local industrialists
- Voluntary and community organisations
How is CentralVision funded?
CentralVision grew out of a project part-funded by the by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to encourage small and medium sized companies to explore the value of digital broadcasting. Investment from partners Sony UK Ltd and from CSWP Ltd itself enabled CentralVision to evolve from the project. It is now a self-financing commercial enterprise.
What is available at CentralVision's studio?
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Television studio & control room
A four camera High Definition television studio with full broadcast quality HD cameras, formats ranging from HDCAM to DVCAM and production capabilities using a Sony production switcher, provides a state-of-the art HD production facility with workflows typical of a modern broadcast facility.
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Video edit suites
Apple Final Cut Pro edit suites with a variety of vtr formats. Each suite can be used as a viewing room as well as an edit suite.
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Green room facility
The green room and make up area has viewing facilities and wall box feeds to/from the edit suites for voiceover recording.
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Production server system
Sony's HDXchange system is the central server storage for material. HDXchange provides an end-to-end solution for collaborative editing. Applications are provided for ingesting from iLink sources, importing and exporting material from/to firewire decks, searching for and managing material, creating storyboards which can be exported to third party non-linear editors and exporting material to playout servers or archive systems.
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Video playout
A Playbox Airbox provides automated content playout, handling HDV format material.
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Field kits
Three types of field shooting kits cover high end, basic and entry level acquisition. Anycast Station Live Content Producer is used to support media production and live events with Anycast Station portable editing for live mix of cameras, graphics and titles for output to screens or to be saved for later use.
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In-house facilities
A range of videoconferencing, display and presentation equipment including the Ziris Digital Signage platform developed in the UK by Sony. This provides a full content management, image design, scheduling, distribution, playout and management platform.
How does CentralVision help local community groups?
The activities of community groups are central to the programming content of CentralVision. A Partnership Development Co-ordinator works with local groups to identify funding and maximise the potential of local television to promote their activities and increase influence in the region.
How does CentralVision help local businesses?
The needs of local businesses are specifically catered for through CentralFinder (see What is CentralFinder? In these FAQs). In addition, general programming that showcases the business, community and tourist attractions of the region all combine to generate a positive image and speak out to promote the advantages of doing business in this area.
What is CentralFinder?
CentralFinder is an interactive directory promoting local businesses and organisations through the medium of video. It is an ideal way to showcase products and services to potential customers and clients. Contact us to find out about getting a video made for your business or organisation for inclusion within the CentralFinder directory.
Getting Involved with CentralVision
Can I advertise on CentralVision?
Yes you can. Get in contact with us and we'll arrange for a member of the team to provide you with all the information you need to understand how advertising with CentralVision could benefit your organisation or business.
Can I get a video made by CentralVision?
Yes you can. Just get in touch to find out more, as we offer a full script to screen production facility to meet all your video production needs.
Can I hire equipment or studio time?
Yes. All our production equipment and facilities are hireable subject to terms and conditions. Contact us and we'll send you a rate card and other details.
Can I get my film shown on CentralVision?
We love to show films from various contributors but they must meet certain standards, be interesting and of course be suitable for our audience. We have contributor's guidelines which are available from our acquisitions team. Just contact us for details.
Can I get my event promoted through CentralVision?
We get lots of requests to cover events and unfortunately we cannot cover them all. However, we do still want to hear about your event so do let us know. You never know, we just might be able to cover it - but no promises!
Can I visit the CentralVision studio?
It is a busy working studio so just popping in to have look is not really an option. We do occasionally arrange tours and these will be advertised in advance through the website. Please check the website regularly.
Can I get work experience with CentralVision?
Yes - but places will be very limited. Please write to us with full details about yourself and why you would like a placement with CentralVision.
Can I join the CentralVision team?
We do occasionally advertise jobs. You need to keep an eye open for them in the local press and on our website in the 'Join Us' section.
Using the CentralVision Website
Do I need to register to watch CentralVision?
There is no need to register to watch any of the content on the CentralVision website. However, before using the website you should read and agree with the website 'Terms and Conditions' and 'Privacy Policy'. These can be viewed from the footer navigation at the bottom of every page in the website.
Do I have to pay to watch CentralVision?
There is no charge for using the CentralVision website. All we ask is that you comply with the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy and that you respect the copyright ownership of content that you access through the website.
What equipment and software do I need to watch CentralVision?
The CentralVision website is designed to meet current web standards. To use the website as intended you will need a recent PC or Mac connected to the Internet. The website is designed to be compatible with recent operating systems such as Windows XP, Windows Vista and Mac OSX. Your internet connection speed will need to be sufficient to allow the video content to play properly. We recommend a minimum connection speed of 2 Mbps.
The website should run properly through any recent web browser - for example Internet Explorer 6.0+, Mozilla Firefox 1.5+, Opera 9.0+ and Safari 2.0+ should all work properly. We recommend that you upgrade your web browser if it is an earlier version.
Video within CentralVision is delivered through the Flash Player. Your computer will need to have a recent version of Flash Player installed - at least version 9.0.124.0. If your computer does not have a suitable version of Flash Player installed a dialogue box will pop-up to alert you. You will then be able to download the latest version of the Flash Player from the Adobe website. Installation of the Flash Player is at your own risk.
What is CVTV Today?
'CVTV Today' is just like normal TV - but delivered over the Internet. You can watch programmes that play in the order as outlined in the CVTV Programme Guide. If you want to find out what is on 'CVTV Today' just look in the Guide and 'switch on' at the right time. Don't worry if you miss a programme as many are repeated later in the week.
What is CVTV On-Demand?
'CVTV On-Demand' allows you to catch up with programmes you may have missed or would like to watch again. The On-Demand programmes are categorised into special channels which you can search to find the programmes you want. Not all programmes that are shown in 'CVTV Today' will also appear within a channel in 'CVTV On-Demand' - but many will.
How do I search the CentralVision website?
A 'Search CentralVision' text box is available in the top-right of every web page. Simply enter a word or phrase and click the 'Go' button. This will return a list of all relevant pages with the highest ranking result at the top of the list.
How do I watch a video?
If the video does not start automatically, simply click the 'play' button. You can control the playing of a video using the 'play/pause' buttons or by dragging the slider on the 'player-bar' to the left or right. The current position and total duration of the video is shown along side the 'player-bar'. To control the volume of the audio click the 'volume control' to set the volume you want. If you click the 'volume control' a second time the audio will be muted. Click again to un-mute the audio. The 'full screen' button allows you to watch the videos using the full screen size of your monitor. To exit full screen mode simply press the ESCape key on your keyboard (usually in the top left hand corner). Alternatively click the 'full screen' button again.
Who owns the copyright of material on CentralVision?
All content within CentralVision is protected by copyright law. The copyright may be owned by CentralVision itself or may be retained by a content provider who has granted CentralVision a licence to broadcast their material. All visitors to the CentralVision website have a responsibility to respect copyright. This means that you should not reproduce any of the content without first obtaining permission to do so.
How do I report inappropriate content?
CentralVision sets high standards for the content that it broadcasts. If you feel that we have failed to meet this aim please let us know. Details of how to contact us are given in the 'Contact Us' page which can be viewed from the footer navigation at the bottom of every page in the website. Please give us as much detail as possible about the content for which you have concerns (including, if appropriate, the date and time that the content was broadcast). We will investigate your concerns and take any action we feel is appropriate.
