Mississippi State University (MSU) is extending its nearly two-decade relationship with KOKUSAI DENKI camera technology as its University Television Center modernizes live production workflows both in the studio and in the field.
Since 2024, the center has purchased four SK-UHD7000-S2 cameras and plans to add two more as funding allows, bringing the total to six cameras split evenly between the studio and its portable electronic field production systems.
The new cameras join two KOKUSAI DENKI SK-HD1000 studio cameras that remain fully operational 17 years after their installation in 2009. The University Television Center is gradually replacing these systems as production technology advances, although the transition also reflects corporate continuity: KOKUSAI DENKI’s camera business retains the technology, engineering expertise and customer support infrastructure associated with its previous corporate identity.
The University Television Center manages MSU’s non-athletic broadcast television assets as part of the Division of Strategic Communications. Its 10-person professional staff produces live commencements and academic ceremonies, multi-camera outdoor concerts, parades, university events, interview programs and corporate-style meeting productions. Content is distributed through MSTV, a non-commercial cable channel available in more than 20 Mississippi cities, and through a free 24-hour MSTV streaming app for mobile devices, Roku, Apple TV and other connected platforms.
Our production requirements can vary considerably from one project to the next. We may move from a concert or Christmas parade to a graduation, brand launch or annual meeting. The SK-UHD7000-S2 cameras give us 1080p acquisition for streaming and video board productions, along with a software-upgradeable path to 4K as our infrastructure evolves, explains David Garraway, Director of the University Television Center and Associate Director of the Office of Public Affairs at Mississippi State University.
MSU purchased its first two SK-UHD7000-S2 cameras in the summer of 2024, followed by a third in spring 2025 and a fourth in spring 2026. Three are assigned to a portable flypack, while one is currently installed in the studio alongside the SK-HD1000 cameras. The center operates its field cameras in 1080p and recently purchased a 4K license for the studio SK-UHD7000-S2 to test UHD workflows, identify infrastructure gaps and plan future upgrades before making a broader transition.
This phased strategy allows MSU to modernize its production without having to make an immediate facility-wide investment in 4K. The SK-UHD7000-S2 is designed as a full-featured 1080p production camera and can be field-upgraded to native 4K/UHD operation through a software license. Its imaging architecture also facilitates the visual integration of the new camera with MSU’s existing systems, allowing operators to match cameras in mixed-generation productions while benefiting from the additional image detail offered by the current platform.
The University Television Center is also using the SK-UHD7000-S2’s SDI and Ethernet trunking capabilities to simplify field deployments. In a recent production, the team positioned a compact box camera next to an SK-UHD7000-S2 for a locked-off wide shot. By combining SDI and Ethernet trunking with accessory power supplied by the SK-UHD7000-S2, MSU was able to return the video signal, power the secondary camera and maintain remote control through a single SMPTE fiber camera chain.
"This configuration gave us two camera positions controlled from the remote control panel while requiring only one primary fiber run", explains Garraway. "It is a practical example of how we use the available camera functions to reduce the amount of infrastructure we need to deploy in the field".
Electronic field production model
MSU’s field production model supports both self-contained and distributed workflows. The flypack houses its production switcher and camera control units in portable rolling racks that can operate either in a ballroom support space or inside a Ford Transit production vehicle.
For larger campus events, MSU uses its extensive single-mode fiber network to position camera heads and control units at the venue while production personnel work from the Television Center control room up to 2.5 miles, approximately 4 kilometers, away. Ethernet connectivity between KOKUSAI DENKI remote control panels and camera control units enables centralized shading and control, while SDI signals travel back to the studio.
The ability to control the cameras over Ethernet has become an important part of our venue-to-control-room workflow. We can place the cameras and CCUs where the event is taking place, use the university’s fiber network for signal transport and operate from our established control room across campus, says Garraway.
The continued operation of MSU’s SK-HD1000 cameras provides a long-term benchmark for the center’s capital planning.
The cameras have maintained consistent studio performance since their installation, and similar models used by MSU Athletics remain active in field production. For a public university responsible for careful stewardship of taxpayer funding, that service life is an important factor when evaluating technology investments and establishing equipment replacement schedules.
"Seventeen years later, the SK-HD1000 cameras are still part of our daily studio operation", says Garraway. "Our migration plan is based on the progress of production technology and our future workflow requirements. As funding permits, we will add two more SK-UHD7000-S2 cameras and ultimately operate three in the studio and three in our field production systems".
