The National Assembly has a brand new 60 thousand dollar video switching and streaming system - which will radically change the way the media covers house and senate meetings - and how you see it on TV, the internet and the news. Channel 7 has been covering these meetings since 1994, and it's been pretty much the same: a whole bunch of cameras jammed up on the balcony, all jostling to get the same shot. But this new system - which went into effect on Friday - changes all that. Now, remotely controlled cameras - which need no camera operator - capture it all - and the signal is streamed to you on facebook and tv, and also sent to the media.
But, it started out on Friday with more than a few glitches so a meeting was held with the media and the technical team today to iron out the differences. Press office Director Dorian Pakeman told us more:
Dorian Pakeman- Director, Belize Press Office
"It was very timely. As with Covid, we have to social-distance and a part of the initiative was to declutter, so to speak, the media gallery and the National Assembly and bring it up to standards. It's a very old building, out of date. So, we wanted to modernize if we can't actually fix up the interior but we can put in place systems to modernize it and the media will have access to all the proceedings. Now you will be able to access, there is no need for the media to attend if they don't want to but you can stream and capture remotely without even being in physical attendance at the National Assembly."
Jules Vasquez- Reporter
"There have been some transition tremors and growing pains, insofar as, you know, you are trying to integrate two processes which is a live streaming process, which has its own exigencies and rules and then another process which is a news gathering process where everything has to be small portable and fast. Explain to me, today's meeting was to some extent about trying to bridge those two priorities."
Dorian Pakeman
"Well, there were some technical difficulties, admittedly. And technology, you run into problems at times and it was the first go round. You know, the first trial, and we were able to trouble shoot at that moment. So, we have been able to sort those problems out. Tomorrow for the Senate you'll see a completely revamped feed where it will look a lot cleaner. But that is part of the reason why we had this sensitization meeting today so that the media will now be able to understand how it works."
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