TORONTO—Sometimes in sports, as in life, it’s the little things that matter, and that aphorism will be on full display tonight when the Toronto Blue Jays take on the Los Angeles Dodges in Game 1 of the 2025 World Series—at least when it comes to Fox Sports’ production of the game.

“We’re in a place with those smaller, portable cameras where they match exactly with everything else,” sa Brad Cheney, vice president of field operations and engineering at Fox Sports. “They just look like another part of the puzzle of what we're doing.”

(The 2025 World Series begins tonight on Fox. Games will also be streamed on Fox Sports platforms, including Fox One, the Fox Sports app and Fox Deportes. Sportsnet will air the series in Canada. Fox pregame coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET. All games start at 8 p.m. ET.)

Camera Coverage
The camera complement Fox Sports is deploying for the Series is quite familiar for large events. In addition to the 20 operated cameras—including 10 high-speed systems—the network will deploy two RF MOVI units, three point-of-view (POV) cams, a Flycam (at Dodger Stadium), two Phantom high-speed cameras, a drone cam (two in Toronto), DirtCAM and an Ump Cam.

What’s different is the smaller cameras have caught up with the broadcast cameras, not only in terms of the images they produce, which now are native HDR, but also when it comes to control. “As time goes on, we get smaller and smaller, better and better cameras,” he said.

Cheney pointed to new robotic cameras deployed in the batting tunnels in the locker room areas as an example. “We’re talking little, tiny robotic heads the size of your two fists with Proton cameras,” he said. “We’re seeing great images out of them,” he says, adding that because of their placement in the batting cages, the units occasionally get hit by a bat.

Shots from these cameras help Fox tell better stories, Cheney adds. “As we get into these [post-season] games, we’re starting to see things you don’t necessarily see a lot in the regular season, like batters coming in for one at bat,” he explains. “These cameras give us a good view into that.”

Ump Cam, Drones and AR
Augmented reality (AR) enhancements have contributed to the broadcaster’s postseason coverage.

For the World Series, Fox Sports is premiering AR graphics combined with drone shots. “We’ve done a lot of work with Major League Baseball to do AR on top of the drone inside the building,” Cheney said.

During the postseason, MLB permits drone flights inside venues when teams are not on the field. Fox Sports has built a full AR graphics package that will be used occasionally during those times to “do all kinds of different graphics to show what’s going on” as the drone flies above and beyond the scoreboard, he said.

“We spend about half an hour every day tracking the drone around in different spots to make sure that we can visually lock that in, and then we work with MLB and the Bolt6 [optical tracking] team to actually drop those graphics in,” Cheney said.

Another new AR application for postseason coverage has been the Ump Cam with pitch tracking. “We’ve seen some amazing shots from the Ump Cam the entire run—watching the tilt of the umpire’s head following a homerun ball,” he says. “Now, we’re seeing pitch tracking on it that actually gives the viewer another detailed point of view of how difficult it is to hit some of those pitches.”

Relying on the knowledge base of MLB Statcast data and optical tracking, Fox Sports lays its AR graphics with full tubes tracking the ball through the strike zone on shots from Ump Cam. The broadcaster also adds pitch sequencing to the same AR set from behind the plate, he adds.

Base Size
When it comes to audio, it’s all about that base—size, that is. MLB approved a plan to make the bases bigger beginning with the 2023 season. Increasing the size of first, second and third base from 15x15 inches to 18x18 inches has had an unexpected broadcast benefit: better sound.

“When you listen to the World Series, you really do hear players moving around the bases a lot more than we ever have before,” Cheney said. “To a large extent, that’s because the bases are larger. You’re getting more sound quality coming out of them, not because we put bigger mics in them. It’s the same system in there, but because there’s more movement of air and more size to it, we’re getting a better sound of what’s happening.”

The larger size means the bases are not as tightly compacted when players are standing on them, and that extra space makes all the difference when it comes to sound quality, he says.

For the Series, Fox Sports is deploying a total of 53 effects microphones as well as three parabolic mics.

Home and Away
With the Series involving the Blue Jays, Fox Sports travels back to Toronto, “not a place we’ve been in nearly 10 years,” Cheney said. Aside from requiring a little more logistical work to get into Canada, though, “it’s been a really great experience up there,” he said.

Fox Sports is relying on mobile production units from both Game Creek Video and NEP with their full complement of cameras. It is also working with Canadian broadcaster Sportsnet, which will provide shots from its drone outside Rogers Centre as well as shots from its Ronin rig. Both Sportsnet’s Ronin rig and Fox Sports’ two MOVI rigs are outfitted with Sony FX6 4K full-frame sensor cameras.

As it has done in the past, the broadcaster will use additional replay and graphics resources in Los Angeles to augment its on-site coverage of the Series. In total, it will have 142 replay records and 32 playouts at its disposal. For graphics, it will leverage two Vizrt systems and a FoxBox for on-screen score graphics.

As it did for the American League Championship Series, Fox Sports will also integrate its large Los Angeles studio into coverage. “That was phenomenal to see [during the LCS] and led us to collaborate a lot more with the L.A. facility, sending extra feeds and coordinating interviews with the team on-site,” Cheney said.

“So, we’re excited to see the studio join us this time back on the road, and we’ll see them for Game 1 on Friday.”

MELVILLE, N.Y.—At the NAB Show, has announced the upcoming release of PAINT 10 and Virtual Placement (VP) 7.9, two major upgrades engineered to elevate sports broadcasting with smarter data integration, sharper telestration tools, and improved workflow efficiency.

The release is one of a number of upgrades and new products on display at the show, including PRIME VSAR 2.1, a major update to its Unreal-based virtual set and augmented reality engine that is designed to be deployed in fast-paced breaking news environments.

Chyron reported that PAINT 10 and Virtual Placement (VP) 7.9, which are scheduled to be available in May, introduce new levels of precision, automation, and visual storytelling—empowering sports analysts and producers to deliver more dynamic, engaging coverage than ever before.

PAINT 10 introduces major advancements in calibration, tracking, and graphic customization—making live telestration more intuitive and powerful. At the heart of this release is Chyron’s VAULT integration, bringing automation and intelligence to the forefront of live production. VAULT acts as a centralized branding hub, syncing essential team data—including logos and colors. Once a team is selected, PAINT instantly pulls the correct branding elements and applies them across telestration tools, adapting to home or away scenarios.

One notable enhancement is the AI-powered player tracking, which delivers unmatched stability and accuracy even during the most fast-paced, high-intensity plays. This advanced tracking ensures that analysts can follow player movements across changing camera angles, allowing for deeper, more insightful breakdowns.

Another notable upgrade is the new multi-camera sweep calibration feature, powered by enhanced AI pitch tracking. With the ability to auto-calibrate up to three live feeds simultaneously, operators benefit from faster clip creation with consistent pitch accuracy across all angles. Automating this process speeds up setup, minimizes errors, and ensures accurate, reliable analysis across all camera angles.

Chyron also noted that the expanded graphics suite in PAINT 10 delivers more ways to stylize analysis with new, customizable graphic themes. New styles include bold neon presets, sleek glass effects, and clean modern designs, allowing operators to quickly tailor graphics to match the branding of the game or network. The upgraded 3D spotlight tool offers multiple shape options like circles, squares, and cylinders. Analysts can adjust the size and intensity of each spotlight in real-time, making it easier to highlight players, movements, or key zones during gameplay.

“With PAINT 10, we set out to make the telestration process smarter and more efficient,” said Andreas Olsson, Product Manager for PAINT and Virtual Placement at Chyron. “From automated branding to AI-powered tracking, real-time editing, and the new multi-camera sweep calibration, this release gives operators more control, speed, and creative flexibility—so they can focus on delivering compelling, data-driven stories.”

Virtual Placement 7.9

Alongside PAINT 10, Chyron is also launching Virtual Placement 7.9, with updates that strengthen its virtual graphics capabilities across multiple sports. By embedding PRIME 5 directly into the VP platform, broadcasters gain full control over scene creation and customization without relying on external systems. PRIME’s powerful data connections allow users to drive real-time updates for elements like scores, logos, and standings, streamlining operations and reducing hardware and maintenance requirements.

VP 7.9 also delivers enhanced line tracking, offering greater accuracy and stability in American football broadcasts and introducing reliable court tracking for basketball. This expanded support ensures that virtual graphics remain anchored to the field or court, even during fast camera movements and changing lighting conditions.

To complete the upgrade, VP 7.9 features a refreshed user interface with updated load screens and icons that align visually with PAINT, providing a more unified user experience across Chyron’s suite of tools, the company reported.

“VP 7.9 delivers the speed, flexibility, and performance today’s broadcasters need,” said Andreas Olsson, Product Manager for Virtual Placement and PAINT. “With PRIME built in and tracking that works without instrumented cameras, it’s easy to set up and ready to go across multiple sports. We’re offering a premium, all-in-one solution built to simplify production, support multiple sports, and help broadcasters do more with less.”

For more information on PAINT 10, Virtual Placement 7.9, or Chyron’s full suite of sports broadcast

PRIME VSAR Update

During the show, Chyron is showcasing the latest 2.1 release of PRIME VSAR – an Unreal based virtual set and augmented reality engine that is tailored to empower producers to easily leverage exciting virtual elements in their everyday news productions. PRIME VSAR 2.1 offers compatibility with all the latest virtual production technologies – such as Unreal Engine 5.4, nDisplay, NDI streams, and IP-based camera tracking protocols. Additionally, PRIME VSAR delivers exciting new features for hybrid tracked / trackless productions, newsroom automation, and custom control interfaces, Chyron reported.

Alongside compatibility with Unreal Engine© 5.4, PRIME VSAR 2.1 provides integration with Unreal© nDisplay, a tool favored by producers for its ease of use in translating virtual content to ultra-large and non-standard resolution LED displays. By combining PRIME VSAR and nDisplay, producers can easily stitch together outputs from multiple PRIME VSAR engines to create a fluid composite render on an LED video wall. Additionally, PRIME VSAR’s internal Cesium camera tracking software generates a parallax effect on video wall outputs when tracking studio cameras.

“PRIME VSAR 2.1 gives broadcasters new ways to create captivating virtual content—whether it’s blending camera tracking, powering immersive LED video walls, or managing everything from the NRCS,” said Sebastian Berdichevsky, product manager at Chyron.

Visitors to Booth SL-1511 will also get an exclusive first look at PRIME VSAR 2.2, which adds Unreal Engine® 5.5 support and introduces a plugin deployment option—perfect for designers who want to use Chyron’s virtual toolset directly inside Unreal.

OSLO, Norway—Live augmented reality and virtual production specialist Pixotope Technologies has launched Pixotope Reveal, an AI-powered background segmentation tool that transforms how broadcasters integrate real-time graphics into live productions, the company said.

The software enables seamless integration of 2D and 3D graphics without requiring green screens, manual rotoscoping or match-moving work, it said.

“Pixotope Reveal represents a significant leap forward in broadcast technology,” Pixotope CEO Marcus Brodersen said. “By harnessing the power of machine learning, we’re enabling broadcasters to create more engaging content while significantly streamlining their production workflows.

“Given the rapid advancement of AI technology, we anticipate that solutions like Reveal will quickly become the primary choice for broadcasters, eventually replacing traditional methods like chromakeying for virtual studio production,” he continued. “The pace of development in AI and machine learning is extraordinary, and we're positioned at the forefront of this transformation in broadcast technology.”

Pixotope Reveal’s advanced AI can extract on-screen talent from any background, enabling the seamless placement of graphics both in front of and behind presenters. Combined with Pixotope’s talent-tracking solutions, it allows for fully natural integration and interaction between the real and the virtual. This capability eliminates the need for traditional green screens while maintaining broadcast-quality results, the company said.

For news broadcasts, Pixotope Reveal enables dynamic data visualization that adapts to the storytelling and the on-camera personality. It allows anchors to interact naturally with polling data, weather maps and financial charts, the company said.

In sports broadcasting, real-time statistics and analysis can be seamlessly integrated into the live action, with player stats, team analytics and game data appearing to exist within the physical space rather than merely overlaid on screen, it said.

The software can handle multiple talent extractions simultaneously, supporting more than 20 individuals in a single scene while maintaining real-time performance at up to UHD resolution and 60 frames per second, it said.

Sports broadcasters and rights holders can now offer unprecedented sponsorship opportunities with Pixotope Reveal's ability to integrate virtual advertisements naturally into any environment. This capability allows for region-specific sponsor content and enhanced brand integration without disrupting the viewing experience, it said.

Pixotope Reveal is available from Pixotope’s website or its global network of resellers beginning today. As part of the launch, Pixotope is offering a 30% discount to early adopters who purchase before year-end. A free 30-day trial is available for qualified broadcasters and production companies, the company said.

More information is available on the company’s website.

NEEDHAM, Mass.—While augmented reality and virtual reality gear has generally been a disappointing consumer category, the International Data Corporation (IDC) is reporting that as macroeconomic pressures eased and new products launched, the global market for augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) headsets grew 130.4% year over year during the fourth quarter of 2023 (4Q23). 

The new data from the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Augmented and Virtual Reality Headset Tracker predates the launch of Apple Vision Pro, making it a particularly hopeful sign for the future of the category. 

But for the full year of 2023, shipments of AR/VR headsets were down 23.5% from 2022 levels. Macroeconomic uncertainty put downward pressure on demand during the first half of the year and most companies relied on legacy products that had already been available for at least a year, leading to double-digit declines. It was not until key regions began seeing economic recovery and new products were launched that the market started to rebound, but not enough to offset the first half declines, the researchers reported. 

"After losing share to Pico and later Sony a few quarters ago, Meta's share has been on a steady climb thanks to its ongoing subsidization of hardware and the launch of the Quest 3," said Jitesh Ubrani, research manager, Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers at IDC. "While Apple's entrance as well as newer devices from other vendors in this space certainly adds pressure, Meta's lead will likely remain unchallenged during the year as the company's low-cost, high-volume strategy will separate it from the rest of the pack."

This year, for the first time in history, linear tv viewing numbers dropped dramatically while streaming numbers soared. Dwindling viewership numbers, the shift to streaming, and changing consumption habits of the younger generations all present a series of challenges for broadcasters.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom, there are ways to change your content to better increase eyeball count, and incorporating more advanced game-like visuals is a winner. 

What is gamification in broadcast?
Gamification is defined as the process of adding games, or game-like elements to something (such as a task) so as to encourage participation. If we think about this concept in terms of broadcast, it is realistically the use of game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts to drive audience engagement. 

This can include features like incorporating advanced graphics that track players, display real-time analytics as on-screen graphics and player stats, live chat interactions, viewer polls, and other engaging elements to enhance the viewer experience. 

It’s all about making the broadcast more interactive and entertaining for the audience, drawing inspiration from the captivating and immersive world of video games. 

But does gamification in broadcast work? 

I read an article the other day, about the Bachelorette. For Season 20, which had significantly lower audience numbers during its premiere than Season 19, introduced a series of interactive games in the hopes to drive viewer engagement. 

The aim was to encourage the audience to predict outcomes, analyze cast members’ choices, voice opinions, and engage deeper with the content to add excitement and immersivity for those tuning in. 

Interestingly, it achieved a 94.5% first-click engagement rate, showing the appeal and fascination behind these types of interactive ‘gamified’ experiences. Over 45% of the viewers who saw the games participated.  

The results speak for themselves, but the concept of adding game design, game like elements and advanced visuals to broadcasts isn’t new. Which begs the question, why is it reemerging now? 

History of game-design elements in broadcast
Introducing game-design elements in broadcast started years ago. The digital first down line, or the ‘yellow line’ in football was introduced in 1998. This simple, software-driven graphic helped viewer accessibility and supported an enhanced visual experience. The graphic showed viewers clearly that this team needs to get to this line, or they lose possession. 

In 2001, ESPN enhanced the viewer experience for Major League Baseball with the introduction of the ‘K Zone’ box. It was a simple graphic that calculated each batter’s speed, and displayed where the ball crossed the hitter’s strike zone. Other sports like NASCAR followed suit shortly after adding real-time object tracking to moving cars providing information like gear position, rotations per minute, and fuel consumption. 

The 2010s saw the creation of more cutting-edge game-like technology that could achieve advanced real-time analysis, telestration, 3D augmented reality (AR) flights and graphics, and replay.

And in 2014, came RFID (radio frequency identification) tracking, used by the NFL and NBA, to collect more data from players, and officials like speed, location, distance traveled, acceleration, and it’s all being updated in real-time, about 10x per second. 

The use of real-time data driven graphics in broadcast in a gamified style has grown since the early days. Advanced visuals that resemble video game graphics in broadcast, especially within sports, are everywhere. See how many you notice when you’re next watching television. 

One of the reasons for the resurgence is because technology has caught up to the demand and direction that broadcasters have envisioned, a secondary reason is the need to appeal to a new generation of fans. 

Changing viewer habits: Gen Z and millennials
Linear broadcast and viewer numbers are dropping because they are in competition with digital devices and social media consumption. A recent survey about sports viewer habits revealed that 80% of fans between the ages of 18 and 26 typically watch sports from their mobile phones—with 74% getting most of their sports content from social media.

And over half of Gen Z (67%), those born in the late 1990s to early 2000s, soon to be the dominant demographic, prefer consuming sports content on their phones while on the go. Gen Z also stated they are opting for mobile phone viewing as a whopping 37% access all their content via mobile devices due to accessibility (54%), convenience (46%), and the ability to multitask (43%). 

The same survey found that 77% of younger viewers (Gen Z and millennials) consider analysis created with AR graphics, virtual studios, and data as essential to their viewing experience. And approximately 79% of sports fans felt more interested in the content, and more likely to watch a broadcast if graphics and virtual elements like augmented reality graphics, virtual studios, data analysis and replay were used.

More than that, 57% of viewers were more likely to watch content for longer if virtual elements were used, and this increased to 63% for Gen Z respondents. 29% of those surveyed also agree that graphics and virtual elements added to a sports broadcast make them more likely to watch that broadcaster’s coverage in the future.

Broadcasters must adapt to serve and connect with these digital native audiences to not only capture their eyeballs but convert them into loyal viewers and lifelong fans. This is where advanced AI, analysis, data integration, virtual studios, AR, and 3D graphics, and telestration tools come in as game-like elements to engage.

Video game style visuals, what’s next?
For the past few years now, video game style graphics have become incredibly advanced. Just look at the viral video of Carolina Panthers’ giant augmented reality panther which paced the stadium and tore up a New York Jets flag from 2021, or the 49ers opening the Nickelodeon Super Wild Weekend with a giant AR slime monster. 

In 2022, the Brooklyn Nets introduced the "netaverse" with 110 high resolution cameras to generate realistic renderings in seconds so viewers could direct the camera themselves in the virtualized CG court, with the ability to see angles that were never possible before. 

This was real-life 2K playing out for fans that could take the game into their control and connect in a completely new way. Whereas video games used to be dramatically different than the quality of broadcast, the quality of both has risen. The worlds of virtual reality and reality have become increasingly intertwined and nearly indistinguishable from each other. 

I suspect that we will see more experimentation in this space across other broadcasts, and as the technology becomes more democratized, even tier two and three broadcasters and more niche sports will begin trialing these technologies. It may also be that we take the interactivity side of audience engagement one step further with graphics, and viewers watching from home will be able to create and personalize their experiences by controlling the graphics on their phones, or via a second screen. 

AI driven analysis being mapped to graphics is also likely to increase even in the next year or so, with AI functionality increasing rapidly. For example, the NBA is already using a predictive graphic that calculates the percentage of a player’s probability of making the shot at that specific part of the floor, in real-time leveraging AI for its analysis. 

We could see entire alternative feeds driven by AI or predictive plays that determine what will happen next based on retrospective data and footage, taking commentary and analysis, and thus the audience experience to an entirely new level. The use of AI could be used to create more accurate betting predictions and help give advice and deeper insight into betting placement. 

Really, the possibilities of including more "gamified" elements into broadcast are endless—but the limitations aren’t on the imaginations of the creatives, it’s the technology that must catch up. Whereas incorporating game-like graphics started simple, it’s extended beyond a line, or a box graphic. Creative visual storytelling via game-like graphics is about providing additional intimate insights, statistics, visuals, and interactive platforms to deliver and truly connect with viewers. 

The viewers of today, and tomorrow want unique and engaging experiences that capture their attention so completely that the passive act of watching television is transformed into something more interactive, entertaining, and immersive. The game for broadcasters is to capture the eyeballs, and it’s constantly changing and innovating—are you sure you’re performing at the top of yours? 

PORTLAND, Ore.—In a first for NBA broadcasts, the Portland Trail Blazers have been working with disguise to broadcast augmented reality (AR) graphics created by tracking a handheld camera during a basketball game. 

The first use of AR graphics from a handheld camera by an NBA team provides viewers with a more in-depth view of the action with live in-game stats, the companies said. 

“The NBA has provided live game data for a long time, however, we are breaking new ground by taking that data and using it to create an AR experience,” says Trail Blazers graphics producer, John McConnell. “Doing this wasn’t easy. Basketball games are fast-paced, with lots of handheld camera use, and live handheld tracking has never been done before in our sport. We knew we needed a partner to help. disguise has proven to be an industry leader in broadcasting technology and AR, and their team’s incredible passion for basketball made them a perfect fit to make our broadcast graphics next-gen.”

To create the AR graphics, disguise and the Portland Trail Blazers — who are one of only five teams in the league that produce all their live broadcasts in-house — spent six weeks working in close collaboration. 

Together with StYpe, the first step was to install tracking hardware into the Moda Center basketball arena, which used the RedSpy tracking system with an infrared camera pointing to markers on the arena’s ceiling. Next, a disguise px+ media server was installed to enable the Trail Blazers to render real-time Unreal Engine AR graphics with live data feed integration. 

All graphics were controlled through disguise Gateway, which was integrated with Viz Trio, as well as disguise’s Porta solution for native Unreal Engine control. The Creative Services team at disguise provided data visualization and concept development, as well as Unreal Engine graphics implementation and data integration services.

As a result of the work, Trail Blazers fans can see on-air graphics elements that look like they’re in the arena itself, right next to the players. From the pregame show to the fourth quarter, these graphics show live player and game information in a more dynamic, easy-to-read way than lower-thirds graphics alone. There’s even an AR line graph that shows the ups and downs of the team’s shooting percentage throughout the game. Each new field goal attempt can be added to the chart, allowing it to be constantly updated during the game, the companies said. 

For the Trail Blazers broadcast team, this is just the beginning of a more modern analytics approach that will give fans unparalleled access to their favorite club. This will let fans replicate the energy and intensity of being in the stands — without leaving their home, the Blazers said. 

“Since we are the first team in the NBA to use AR handheld graphics, we see this opening up many possibilities for the future,” says McConnell. “For instance, we could add more cameras into the AR world and integrate player tracking into our graphics, which the NBA now provides via Hawk-Eye. That will open the floodgates for more AR elements to work their way into NBA broadcasts. In the future, the NBA might even borrow some popular concepts from NBA2K and the video game world, where stats and info are overlaid on the court for things like player fatigue and other relevant stats.” 

NOVI, Mich.—ENCO has been named exclusive distributor of Qimera in an agreement that adds a suite of real-time compositing tools for virtual production sets and augmented reality graphics to ENCO's range of broadcast and AV solutions.

ENCO will support all sales and marketing operations in North America, effective immediately. The company will consult Qimera on future product development, including features and integrations with ENCO and RUSHWORKS products, ENCO said.

ENCO will demonstrate Qimera’s technology at InfoComm, June 13-15, in Orlando. The company will demo Qimera’s technology, including recording of a green screen. ENCO will process the recordings live and present the output on a display screen. Those visiting the ENCO booth can interact with the technology and manipulate the virtual production elements, the company said.

ENCO will market the technology to broadcasters for in-studio and on-location shoots of news, event and entertainment productions—both live and recorded, it said.

“Qimera offers advanced virtual production technology at a very affordable price point, opening new doors for small-to-mid market TV stations, corporations, universities and visual radio broadcasters that were once priced out of the market,” said Ken Frommert, president of ENCO. “At NAB, we previewed a full Qimera virtual set with a green screen and augmented reality graphics for product demonstrations and live presentations. The response from broadcasters across the spectrum, from PEG stations to national TV and radio networks, was overwhelmingly positive. We foresee strong demand for this technology across our broadcast and AV customer base, and an opportunity to extend the ENCO brand into new areas of live production.”

See ENCO at InfoComm booth 2816.

More information is available on the company’s website.

STOCKHOLM & MUNICH—Accedo, a global provider of interactive video applications, is expanding its XR capabilities with the acquisition of eyecandylab, an Emmy-nominated provider of extended reality (XR) solutions.  

Michael Lantz, CEO, Accedo, commented: “We are thrilled to be joining forces with eyecandylab. Our strategic roadmap and vision of the future of XR solutions in the wider media industry are aligned and we believe that together we will be able to deliver even more value to customers and partners.”

eyecandylab’s flagship patented augmen.tv platform for XR applications as well as its Web3-based loyalty solution “Watch&Earn” will be integrated into Accedo’s software stack and will be offered both to customers doing their own XR development and to those who would like support from Accedo’s global team. 

Robin Sho Moser, CEO and co-founder, eyecandylab, added: “Accedo’s global presence and proven ability to innovate will enable us to accelerate adoption. I’m thrilled that our patented software solutions will form part of a bigger software stack for customers on a global scale. We are seeing that interactivity and immersion is becoming increasingly important for a delightful and engaging viewing experience. With Accedo’s footprint in the media industry, we are in a great position to deliver innovative business cases in a scalable way.”

Joint solutions are immediately available.

NEW YORK—Broadband subscriptions worldwide are expected to hit 1.13 billion by 2023, exceeding the 1.09 billion traditional pay TV subscribers for the first time, according to a report from S&P Global Market Intelligence report.

The newly published "2023 Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) Industry Outlook," part of S&P Global Market Intelligence’s Big Picture 2023 Outlook Report Series, focuses on the market future of the metaverse in gaming and the enterprise, datacenter sustainability amid a worsening energy crisis, and the rise of fintech as a service. The report also explores video streaming competition and broadband transformation as forces of disruption in 2023.

The fact that broadband subscriptions will exceed pay-TV subscriptions has wide implications for the future of media, S&P says, which notes that gaming technology will be the driving force behind the metaverse’s evolution in the near term as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) hardware enables users to engage in virtual worlds in and outside of work. 

AR and VR device adoption will grow steadily over the next five years as big tech companies underline the hardware's potential as a conduit to the metaverse, S&P said. As of the end of 2021, the researcher estimates there were 28.5 million AR/VR headsets installed worldwide across consumer and commercial settings, and forecasts that base to grow to 73.6 million by 2026.

"The foundational shift of the global economy to a digital footing—a shift that has been underway for over a decade and accelerated during the pandemic—continues. This is creating enormous opportunities for new value creation and disruption,” said Eric Hanselman, Chief Research Analyst for TMT at S&P Global Market Intelligence.

For traditional TV, rising inflation and cost of living crises may force some consumers to pare back streaming subscriptions, which in turn could prompt the pack chasing Netflix and Disney to focus on profitability instead of scale, S&P said. By 2030, the researcher predicted that global pay TV penetration will fall to 51.2% of residential households, from 57.7% in 2021.

NEW YORK—NBCUniversal Content Distribution and Verizon have announced a first-of-its-kind augmented reality experience on Verizon set top boxes for NBC’s hit series “La Brea” that will allow viewers to interact with the La Brea sinkhole to reveal classic objects from the television series, including the iconic Wilshire Boulevard Street sign and a baby rhino. 

Fans ultimately will be rewarded with an exclusive deleted scene from the series.

“Innovative experiences and breakthrough technologies like AR are critical to driving deeper fan engagement on partner platforms,” said Matt Schnaars, president, NBCUniversal Content Distribution. “We’re grateful for our partnership with Verizon and our work creating immersive experiences for fans to interact with our premiere entertainment programming.”

Customers can access the "La Brea" experience on their Verizon set top box by tuning into channel 941 using their remote control or via the channel guide. From there, users can scan a QR code from their mobile device to launch the experience.

The "La Brea" experience was brought to life through Trigger XR, an award-winning XR developer studio and creative agency.

NBCUniversal Content Distribution and Verizon previously partnered on Olympic Tentpole Apps for the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Olympic Games. The bespoke content destinations featured Olympic videos on demand, discovery and navigation features, personalization by sport, and up-to-date standings by sport.

"Verizon and NBC are changing the way fans consume entertainment with never-before-seen types of AR experiences," said Erin McPherson, Verizon chief content officer. "We're thrilled to bring next gen storytelling to Fios viewers and excited to push the boundaries for our consumers."

We’ve all heard the hype and excitement around the "Metaverse" and Extended Reality (XR)—but contrary to previous “Next Big Things,” they are actually here to stay in one form or another, bringing major changes to how we work, shop, learn, interact and play online.

First, we need to understand what we mean by Metaverse (or meta-universe). John Riccitiello, CEO of Unity Software, recently gave a good definition: “It is the next generation of the internet, always real time, mostly 3D, mostly interactive, mostly social and mostly persistent.” 

In practice, it is a new type of internet user interface to interact with other parties and access data as a seamless and intuitive augmentation with the actual world in front of us, inspired by the online 3D worlds already familiar to users of multiplayer video games. Think of Tom Cruise in Minority Report using hand gestures to control and manipulate data beamed in front of his face; as of today, he would be wearing an XR headset or glasses, or looking into an auto-stereoscopic head-tracking screen. 

While gamers have been enjoying 3D worlds with 6 Degrees of Freedom (6DoF) for over 20 years, there have been—and remain—some technical barriers to mass adoption of immersive XR for non-gaming applications. Most notably, it has taken headset devices a long time to become fit for purpose in terms of acceptable size and weight, while methods of intuitive control need to be able to vary with different usage—while gesture control is cool, for some use cases, such as e-commerce or productivity tools, a keyboard, tablet or haptic controller are actually preferable. 

These XR elements continue to be refined, and many solutions are already on the market. However, it is becoming clear that one of the last barriers to overcome is the huge volume of data and processing required to enable immersive experiences at high enough quality. 

Building Better Quality Experiences
Quality of experience is non-negotiable: end-users expect visually stunning, realistic, smooth and immersive experiences. This is of little surprise when video gamers now take for granted the exquisite detail of near-film-like images, even in game play. 

While traditional 2D user interfaces may tolerate some imperfections, the point of the Metaverse is precisely the illusion of "presence," which necessitates impeccable audio-visual quality, high-quality 3D objects, realistic lighting, high resolutions, high frame rates and low-latency real time. If users have a bad experience with sketchy graphics and lagging pictures, they are unlikely to come back for more. Unsurprisingly, there is a high correlation between realism of the experience and frequency of use, pushing companies to build better quality experiences to bring users back time and again. 

Lightweight XR devices do not and will not have enough processing power to render sufficiently realistic experiences. The disparities in users’ devices also need to be taken into consideration if the Metaverse is to be available to a mass audience; the display quality and the processing power of a gaming PC vs. a standard laptop are significantly different, yet the quality of experience must be comparable despite the huge volumes of data required.

"Split computing" helps to solve this issue, performing 3D rendering on a separate device, possibly in the cloud, while display is handled on the XR device. However, the resulting rendered graphics frames must be streamed to the device as high-resolution high-framerate ultra-low-latency stereoscopic video—and there are many video coding constraints associated with XR casting, especially when wireless connectivity is involved. Luckily, there is a standard solution that makes it possible within realistic constraints.

The Benefits of Multi-layer Coding
Data compression and manipulation that fits the quality, bandwidth, processing and latency limitations of solid latest-generation network connectivity is imperative, with three main technical challenges to overcome:

• Suitable compression and streaming of volumetric objects to the rendering device, as well as across rendering devices, requiring new coding approaches;
• Ultra-low-latency video encoding at 4K 72 fps and beyond, but also at a bandwidth lower than 30 Mbps to cope with realistic Wi-Fi / 5G sustained rates, and
• Strong network backbone/CDNs/wireless in place between the rendering and XR display device, and sufficient cloud rendering resources available.

Layered encoding, i.e., structuring data in hierarchical layers that can be accessed and/or decoded as required makes sense. After some false starts, the latest attempts at making layered coding work, in the form of the MPEG-5 LCEVC (Low Complexity Enhancement Video Coding) and SMPTE VC-6 standards, enable many of the benefits facilitated by layered coding. 

LCEVC is ISO-MPEG’s new hybrid multi-layer coding enhancement standard. It is codec-agnostic as it combines a lower-resolution base layer encoded with any traditional codec (e.g., h.264, HEVC, VP9, AV1 or VVC) with a layer of residual data that reconstructs the full resolution. The LCEVC coding tools are particularly suitable to efficiently compress details, from both a processing and a compression standpoint, while leveraging a traditional codec at a lower resolution effectively uses the hardware acceleration available for that codec and makes it more efficient.

Enhancing streams with LCEVC enables the delivery of UHD streams at bandwidth typically used for HD video, offering higher quality video with up to 40% bitrate savings and up to 3x faster transcoding. It also enables HDR 10-bit over 8-bit codecs such as h.264 or VP9, and offers a unique reduction of latency jitter thanks to the multi-layer structure inherent in LCEVC. All these benefits can be achieved while keeping average system latency to a minimum. LCEVC’s low-complexity design also enables higher resolutions at sustainable battery consumption, aiding sustainability considerations.

Many of the tech giants including Meta, Google, Microsoft, Apple, Sony and NVIDIA are investing tens of billions of dollars in Metaverse technology, and industry predictions see XR functionality of some kind on most internet destinations and apps within the next 5-10 years. The ability to tackle the data volume challenges will be one of the key factors driving the speed with which the XR meta-universe is brought to fruition; the development and adoption of multi-layer coding standards will materially accelerate the development of high quality and interoperable Metaverse destinations to make it a reality for all.

LAS VEGAS—Over the last 18 months, the boom in virtual production has shaken up the way filmmakers, broadcasters, mobile video designers and more conduct their creative business. Those technologies enabling virtual production include augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), extended reality (XR) and mixed reality (MR).

Football's Biggest Stage
Augmented reality was used on one of the biggest stages in sports when the Super Bowl LVI halftime show created a 360-degree augmented reality experience for fans to view on their mobile devices. For the event the organizers used Insta360 Pro 2 cameras from Insta360. This 360-degree camera with six F2.4 fisheye lenses includes nine-axis gyroscopes and FlowState stabilization that provides stabilization against moving scenes.

The Pro 2 cameras were positioned around the stage and footage was streamed via the Verizon 5G network to a halftime show app. Within the app, fans were able to choose any of the eight different cameras around the field and pivot around the stage and field to get a 360-degree view, as if they were there.

Insta360 also helped pull off the world’s first 8K live-stitched, live broadcast of an NFL game when it covered the NFL Pro Bowl in Miami in February.

Judo Stats in Augmented Reality
Augmented reality was a big part of the 2022 Judo Grand Prix. Held in Almada, Portugal, in February, the International Judo Federation (IJF) and wTVision joined forces to revamp the use of space, data and broadcast design during this three-day annual event. First held in Tokyo in 1956, the event pits more than 300 competitors from 41 countries against one another.

This year, real-time data and broadcast graphics were created via wTVision’s JudoStats CG alongside the R3 Space Engine rendering system. Augmented reality graphics — created by the JudoStats, R3 Space Engine and a tracking system from Stype — incorporated real-time statistics, players’ information and performance data to create an interactive environment.

Virtual Studio at Wimbledon
BBC Sport’s coverage of the annual Wimbledon Championships in 2021 received an upgrade with virtual reality graphics technology from Brainstorm. The BBC, in consultation with the U.K. graphics company MOOV and Brainstorm, created a virtual set studio. The studio used augmented reality graphics using Brainstorm’s InfinitySet XF/AR/VR studio application and integrated with the Epic Games creation system Unreal Engine.

Focused on the goal of telling better stories through improved data and graphics, a green screen was used to create a virtual Wimbledon studio. The technology was also used to provide new and alternative camera angles, infographics and Wimbledon branding. During the event, five cameras were used in the studio, each equipped with a Brainstorm InfinitySet system with Unreal Engine. Advanced compositing features were used to create realistic real-time 3D scenes with elements that look and behave like those in the real world.

“We managed to create a virtual space that allowed for a dynamic coverage of the tournament, which seamlessly combined real and virtual imagery in a way that significantly enhanced the story and audience engagement,” said Nev Appleton, director and co-founder at MOOV.

Green Screen Comes to the Lecture Hall
Virtual reality is also enlivening the lecture hall. The University of the Netherlands worked with Zero Density to create a massive virtual lecture hall using the company’s Reality Engine real-time broadcast compositing system.

Using the virtual space, scientists and professors have access to interactive storytelling techniques and advanced visualization methods — complete with real-time realistic reflections and refractions of physical objects and people inside the green screen. Professors are able to explain complex matters on a large virtual screen or run physical experiments with immersive real-time graphics.

The space employs Grass Valley LDX 86N 4K cameras alongside Mo-Sys camera tracking technology while the green screen lecture space itself runs on two Reality Engines.

London Welcomes Virtual Production
When Garden Studios in London finalized its virtual production stage in 2021, the result was a 4,800-square-foot space that could serve as a cost-effective filming option with unique creative opportunities. The new virtual production studio at Garden Studios allows filmmakers to shoot real-time virtual effects on set by using virtual graphics displayed on an LED volume (an enclosed space where motion capture and compositing can take place) to create photo-realistic backdrops.

Among the technologies in place are the VP Pro XR server and StarTracker camera and lens tracking systems from Mo-Sys Engineering. Features within the VP Pro XR are an Unreal Engine editor interface and feature known as Cinematic XR Focus that allows a filmmaker to pull focus between talent or objects in the physical studio and virtual objects positioned in the LED volume.

According to the company, this means that an LED volume can be used as more than just a backdrop but rather can deliver better interactivity between real and virtual elements. Jillian Sanders, virtual production coordinator for Garden Studios, said the Mo-Sys team came to the studio for a multitude of tests including displaying digital tracking markers on the studio’s LED ceiling.

“We’ve also been able to assist with testing and development of their new VP Pro XR,” she said. “This exciting new tool allows for features such as digital set extensions, the ability to focus past the LED wall into the digital world, and near time rendering.”

©2022 NAB Show Daily

TEL AVIV, Israel—Using data from the analytics tool Buzzsumo, Walkme.com has compiled a list of the most discussed technologies online in 2021, with artificial intelligence topping the list with 175,837 online articles. The closely related topic of machine learning was second, with 103,508 articles posted online between January of 2021 and November of 2021.

The buzz around AI was so high that the 11 month total amounted to about 526 articles a day. 

Technologies offering new realities also ranked high, with virtual reality holding the third spot (64,509 articles) followed by augmented reality (34,632 articles) in fourth place.

“With the pervasiveness of AI, it’s no wonder it’s one of the most discussed technologies today,” said Rafael Sweary, president and co-founder of Walkme.com in a statement. “Take another widely discussed topic, the Great Resignation, and sure enough, there’s an AI use-case tied to it. AI can help understand how humans interact with software and proactively recommend ways to improve the user experience, with actions that can be taken immediately. It’s a win for businesses, who can glean valuable data regarding technology usage and understand where the end-users are having issues. And it’s a win for the employee, who can quickly navigate the company’s tech stack, and not have to struggle with onboarding or training - especially remotely. Everything is done automatically, powered by AI and machine learning to extract data.”

The full Walkme.com top ten list of the most discussed technologies ranked by the number of online articles, is: 

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) (175,837 stories)
2. Machine Learning (103,508)
3. Virtual Reality (VR) (64,509)
4. Augmented Reality (VR) (34,632)
5. Quantum Computing (32,548)
6. Cloud Computing (28,874)
7. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) (27,435)
8. 5G (21,928)
9. Digital Twins (9,486)
10. Edge computing (7,433)

Source: Walkme.com

More information on Walkme.com is available here.  

LOS ANGELES—Audiovisual tech provider Solotech has announced it has acquired XR Studios, a full-service agency specializing in extended reality and augmented reality technology for live broadcast and virtual productions. 

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

Founded over 40 years ago, Solotech is a provider of audiovisual and entertainment technology with 18 locations in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.

The transaction will accelerate plans by Solotech and XR Studios to become the leading provider of extended reality solutions across the globe, the companies said. 

"In addition to Los Angeles, we plan to open new studios in other thriving markets. Solotech already has an extensive footprint in 18 locations in the U.S. Canada, and the U.K. therefore, the new strategically located studios will be supported by strong teams and technology," said Martin Tremblay, president and CEO of Group Solotech. 

XR Studios will continue to operate as a separate entity and brand.

Located in Los Angeles  XR Studios serves high-end clients in such areas as TV, music, Fortune 500 companies, and live events. XR Studios pioneered innovative productions for such performances as Katy Perry's “American Idol” finale and MTV's 2020 Video Music Awards. Other notable clients include Billie Eilish, Leon Bridges, Amazon, Verizon, Twitch, and many more, the companies said. 

"XR Studios helps creatives, agencies, artists, and production teams achieve their goals," says J.T. Rooney, president of XR Studios. "At our core, we are a group of creative teams and producers that see the need for a company that sits in between the technology and the creative to help partners reach the finish line in this exciting new world of extended reality and virtual productions.”

The acquisition of XR Studios also brings key talent and chief technical officer, Scott Millar onboard, Solotech said. Millar has worked on multiple, large scale international AR projects, with a thorough focus in installation, engineering, and general AV technology. He has been instrumental in the founding of the extended reality workflow, collaborating with software teams such as disguise, Notch, Unreal Engine, and Touch Designer, making Millar a vital expert of this technology, the companies said. 

The deal marks an ongoing expansion of Solotech's recently created Media and Entertainment Technology (MET) Division, which has also acquired Waveform.

"The venture with XR Studios will fill the missing piece of the puzzle and be the 3rd pillar of our MET Division, adding complete virtual production and mixed reality solutions to our high-end live streaming and eSports offering," said Tremblay.

The beginning of the pandemic brought empty sports stadiums around the world. Even when the teams began to return to the playing field, the fans weren’t allowed back in the stands — at least not actual fans. Some production companies were able to create virtual fans, though similar technology was already in use before the COVID-19 breakout to enhance what the viewer was seeing at home. With the adoption of 5G wireless technology, smart phone users didn’t have to miss out either.

“We have been leveraging AI — artificial intelligence — to enhance the way we can bring the augmented reality experience to the audience,” said Thibault Baras, general manager of Dreamwall, which has been working with virtual and augmented reality technology for more than 20 years. “This has included different content, from virtual fireworks to virtual zeppelins that can fly overhead in a stadium.”

ENTERTAIN AND INFORM

This technology can entertain, inform and even be used to provide additional advertising opportunities for sports franchises. And with 5G, those in the stands will also be able to experience it as well. 

“Virtual studios are designed to amaze the viewer — even with growing expectations, amazing the viewer is still achievable,” said Gerhard Lang, CTO at Vizrt. “Photorealism is approaching a level where it is almost impossible to distinguish between a real studio and a virtual studio. This means our customers can take their viewers to locations and spaces with a quality previously only achievable by large movie productions in post. The technology exists, and it does not matter whether a game engine or native rendering is used for the production.”

The use of graphical technology has advanced so that augmented reality can blend near seamlessly with the physical, and this has been extremely important as the pandemic forced many to work remotely. If the sportscasters and broadcasters can’t go to an event, the technology can help better immerse them into the environment, which could immerse the viewer in the experience.

“Virtual technology and augmented reality help content creators to improve the viewing experience for the audience, especially when delivering large amounts of data or when creating information graphics. Because, if complex data are displayed in a visually attractive way, the audience can understand them better; and helps retaining audiences and explaining the concepts,” said Miguel Churruca, marketing director for Brainstorm.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has consolidated the virtual technology revolution. Virtual and remote solutions are here to stay and taking advantage of these will only help in satisfying an ever-growing demand for content,” said Churruca. “Viewers are demanding ever-more sophisticated graphics, and the increased demand for content creation, coupled with the contention of production costs and current mobility and distancing limitations, make augmented reality and virtual reality the perfect choice for any broadcaster or production company aiming to create high-end content.”

Game engines are also providing production teams with real-time feedback, and even allowing those teams to make informed creative decisions on set, explained James Uren, technical director at Mo-Sys Engineering.

“The technologies incorporated into our VP Pro and VP Pro XR solutions enable final pixel filming in LED volumes, previsualization for green screen filming and augmented computer graphics in live television broadcast,” Uren said. “These technical tools are giving directors, actors and production teams a tremendous boost and will be helping blur the lines even further between the real and the virtual components in a shoot, creating stunning visuals to engage and delight their audiences.”

CREATING MAGIC

We are at a point where graphics technology can create video magic like never previously seen. AMD is making inroads in those efforts with its third-generation AMD Ryzen Threadripper, which has been used by studios to create the wondrous and terrifying alike. 

“All good content is about the suspension of disbelief — and that is absolutely true whether you are watching a five-minute cartoon or a two-hour feature film,” said James Knight, visual effects and media and entertainment director for AMD. 

“It is about making the characters move accurately so that they seem like they are real,” he said. AMD’s technology helps in the production by making this work less time-consuming, by increasing the power the production teams are afforded.

Technology still is only half of it, said Vizrt’s Lang, who said that the final output still largely depends on the talent and skill of the artists working in the studio.

“This talent is sometimes underappreciated and underfunded in our industry,” said Lang. “In addition to beautiful backdrops, our solutions allow for stories to be told in understandable ways. Content is presented using the most efficient workflows in the industry, or by putting the anchor in the steering seat by enabling interactivity in the studio for them.” © NAB 2021

BERGEN, Norway—Dorna, the commercial and TV rights holder of MotoGP, is using Vizrt’s Viz Arena software to enhance coverage of live broadcasts with virtual and augmented reality graphics, Vizrt said. The VR and AR elements are being added over stadium stands, on the infield of the MotoGP racetrack and beneath players on the field.

Experimentation with Viz Arena began at the end of the 2019 season. Despite delays stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, Dorna rolled out Viz Arena as part of its live MotoGP coverage in July, the company said.

“Our fans crave real-time data during races that help tell the story unfolding on the track. It’s as important as the race itself,” said Sergi Sendra, senior director, Media Content, Technical and Production Departments at Dorna. “Viz Arena helps us deliver that in a visually compelling way that brings even more excitement to our viewing audience.”

Viz Arena employs robust image-based real-time camera tracking and image processing technology. Camera tracking is based on the video feed only, making it possible to apply virtual graphics from the studio, the company said.

No mechanical tracking head is required, thus lowering costs and reducing the footprint of the system at the venue. During the pandemic, the ability to produce content remotely without requiring people or gear to be onsite has proven to be particularly valuable, the company said.

More information is available on the Vizrt website.

CUPPERTINO, Calif.—Apple has plans to integrate augmented reality content to its Apple TV+ shows as early as next year, according to a report by Bloomberg.

With AR technology, characters or objects from the shows could be integrated into viewers’ environments through their phones or tablets as new bonus content, Bloomberg reports. The goal is apparently not only to add value to the Apple TV+ service, but to boost interest in AR tech as Apple works on a headset that could be out in 2022.

An example of possible AR content provided by Bloomberg would be having a virtual lunar rover in your living room while watching the Apple TV+ original “For All Mankind.”

For more information, read the full story from Bloomberg.

BOSTON—Strategy Analytics expects the global virtual reality and augmented reality markets to pick back up in 2021 after a down year in 2020 because of COVID-19.

The projections come from Strategy Analytics’ report, “Short and Long Term Impacts of COVID-19 on the AR and VR Market.”

Among the key findings from the report are that the forecasted combined shipments of VR headsets and AR dedicated headsets is on pace to increase sixfold through 2025. XR hardware (the identification for this combined group) revenues are projected to surpass $28 billion annually in 2025.

Vendors like Samsung and start-up Nreal are also expected to commercialize lightweight, consumer-friendly AR headsets that are tethered to smartphones, which Strategy Analytics says will drive growth in mid and low tier markets. Also in the lower end of the market, 2021-2022 should see a comeback of smartphone-tethered headsets as a result of mobile operators launching 5G.

Though Strategy Analytics has increased its overall forecast for VR headsets, it has decreased its anticipated shipments of console-tethered VR; this is based on Microsoft’s decision not to support VR in the next-generation Xbox.

“We have raised our longer term forecast for XR hardware as a result of new work and life patterns in the ‘new normal,’” said David MacQueen, director of virtual and augmented reality service at Strategy Analytics. “Work at home, training, education and collaboration will all benefit from AR/VR.”

Strategy Analytics’ Vice President David Kerr also says the audience for these devices has expanded beyond gamers and into fields like engineering, automotive and architecture.

A full summary of the report is available on Strategy Analytics’ website. 

LAS VEGAS—The Weather Channel has cut the ribbon on its new Reality Virtual Studio, which is brought to life by the help of advanced immersive virtual studio production tools from Zero Density.

Zero Density technology was added to The Weather Channel technology pipeline to visualize virtual graphics live. Specifically, this includes Zero Density’s Reality Engine.

A native Unreal Engine, node-based compositor, the Reality Engine offers photorealistic 3D virtual studio and augmented reality graphics. This will be used for The Weather Channel’s Immersive Mixed Reality Experiences, according to Michael Potts, vice president of design at The Weather Channel.

The studio officially debuted on June 2.

The Weather Channel has been using immersive, virtual reality technology for the last few years, having previously shown the potential impacts of tornadoes to its studio with graphics by The Future Group.

Below is a video of how The Weather Channel is using Zero Density technology in its new studio.

STOCKHOLM—By 2030, simply watching something on TV, or any screen-based platform, could be so 10 years ago; instead, consumers may be able to enjoy content that engages all of their senses: sight, sound, taste, smell and touch.

This is according to the ninth edition of the Ericsson ConsumerLab Hot Consumer Trends report, which takes a close look at the developments and potential uses of the Internet of Senses, and how consumers believe it will be put to use.

According to Ericsson, the Internet of Senses will be enabled by things like AI, VR, AR, 5G and automation. With these capabilities, consumers predict that by 2030 the Internet of Senses’ multisensory experiences will be a strong competitor to screen-based experiences, with the expected immersive entertainment offerings predicted to be “almost inseparable from reality.”

“We’re talking about a shift from current smartphone-based internet connectivity to immersive experiences resulting from our senses being connected,” said Dr. Pernilla Jonsson, head of Ericsson Consumer & IndustryLab and co-author of the report.

The report specifically details 10 consumer trends for 2030 based on Internet of Senses:

• 59% of consumers believe that VR glasses will be able to present a map just by thinking of a destination;
• 67% believe they will be able to mimic anyone’s voice by using a microphone;
• 45% predict a device that can digitally enhance what you eat and how it tastes;
• About six in 10 respondents thought they will be able to digitally visit forests or other environments and experience their natural smells;
• More than six in 10 think that smartphone screens will convey the shape and texture of digital icons and buttons they are pressing;
• Virtual reality games will be indistinguishable from the real world, according to seven of 10 respondents;
• Half of respondents think news reporting services will have extensive fact checking features to eliminate “fake news;”
• Half expect privacy issues to be fully resolved;
• Six in 10 believe that Internet of Senses will make society more environmentally sustainable; and
• 45% of consumers anticipate digital malls that can utilize all five senses while shopping

Read the full 10 Hot Consumer Trends 2030 report via Ericsson.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.—Augmented and virtual reality are expected to get a shot in the arm in 2020 to the tune of $18.8 billion in global spending.

That forecast comes from a report by International Data Corporation and its “Worldwide Augmented and Virtual Reality Spending Guide.” If the $18.8 billion figure comes true, it would represent a 78.5% growth over the $10.5 billion IDC projects as the final figure for 2019. This would be the start of what IDC sees as growing spending habits until 2023, as the organization is projecting a five-year compound annual growth rate of 77%.

A key for the growth of the AR/VR market, per IDC, is the declining cost of entry. Commercial industries are expected to use the technology primarily for training (projected $2.6 billion in spending) and industrial maintenance ($914 million). On the consumer side, it will be VR gaming ($3.3 billion) and VR feature viewing ($1.4 billion). Public fields are also expected to see significant growth in spending, especially in post-secondary and K-12 education and onsite assembly and safety.

“Across enterprise industries, we are seeing a strong outlook for standalone viewers play out in use case adoption,” said Marcus Torchia, research director, Customer Insights & Analysis. “Enterprises will drive much of these high-end headset adoption trends. In the consumer segment, more affordable viewer models for gaming and entertainment purposes will see the broadest industry adoption.”

In terms of what these companies will be buying, hardware is expected to account for nearly two-thirds of AR/VR spending over the five-year period, followed by software and services. Services will include systems integration, consulting services and custom application development.

U.S. projected spending ($5.1 billion) in 2020 is expected to trail only China ($5.8 billion). The U.S. and Western Europe are the two regions expected to see the fastest growth—104.2% CAGR for the Western Europe and 96.1% for the U.S.

More information on the report can be found on IDC’s website.

IZMIR, Turkey—With the goal of creating exciting virtual/augmented reality projects, Zero Density has announced a new partnership with U.S.-based Sequin AR.

As part of the partnership, Zero Density will provide its Reality Engine technology to Sequin AR’s creative team to assist with the creation of augmented reality, virtual sets and immersive experiences for broadcast and live events via the creation of the Augmented Reality TV and Film Division with ICM.

Zero Density’s Reality Engine is a real-time node-based compositor with keying technology that offers photorealistic 3D virtual studio and augmented reality images.

MONTREAL, Quebec — September 13, 2019 — Matrox® Video today announces that Vizrt, the innovator of software-defined visual storytelling (#SDVS) platforms, has selected the Matrox X.mio5 Q25 SMPTE ST 2110 network interface controller (NIC) card to power its Viz Engine 4 render engine. The next generation of Vizrt’s core graphics engine and video compositing platform, Viz Engine 4 leverages the Matrox X.mio5 Q25 25 GbE NIC card to enable unrivaled multi-channel 4K video I/O over 25 GbE for state-of-the-art virtual studio set and augmented reality productions.

Attendees of IBC 2019 will be able to see the platform drive photo-real, augmented reality graphics at The Big AR Sports Show, daily on the Vizrt booth in Hall 7-7.B01.  

Reinventing virtual studio sets, augmented reality graphics 

Viz Engine 4 revolutionizes how virtual studio sets and augmented reality graphics are designed, rendered, and combined with live video. The programmable graphics pipeline features physical-based rendering and global illumination to help build the foundation, with options like reflection and depth of field providing extra realism. The new Fusion Keyer control meanwhile, allows users to perfectly immerse presenters into a virtual environment, giving a clean, unobtrusive key for ultra-realistic results. 

Exceptional graphics engine for IP-based workflows  

Designed to future proof the Viz Engine 4 ecosystem, the latest render engine features Matrox X.mio5 Q25—a cutting-edge NIC card with multi-channel IP video I/O support from HD to 4K, on-board multi-channel HDR conversions, along with motion adaptive de-interlacing, pristine scaling, and powerful compositing engines for high-density 4K video processing. Architected as a video-aware COTS SMPTE ST 2110 NIC, Matrox X.mio5 Q25 delivers 24/7 reliability and interoperability required of broadcast equipment, while offering the flexibility and scalability expected of IP infrastructures including standard network stack functionality.  

“Vizrt is extremely pleased with the seamless and successful implementation of the Matrox X.mio5 Q25 NIC card into the Viz Engine 4 technology,” said Gerhard Lang, Chief Technology Officer at Vizrt. “X.mio5 Q25’s ground-breaking board design boosts the platform’s compositing capabilities, enables flexible multi-channel high-resolution and HDR output functionality, and provides advanced SMPTE ST 2110 support, making Viz Engine 4 the most future-ready platform on the market.”  

“The evolution of Vizrt’s graphics engine continues, and we are happy to see Matrox SMPTE ST 2110 cards play an integral role in this development,” said Alberto Cieri, senior director of sales and marketing, Matrox Video. “Backed by Matrox X.mio5 Q25’s industry-leading SMPTE ST 2110, IP, UHD, and HDR support and expertise, Viz Engine 4 empowers broadcasters, content producers, and journalists to explore unique and innovative designs to maximize their storytelling potential.” 

Matrox X.mio5 Q25 and the complete range of Matrox SMPTE ST 2110 NIC cards can be seen in action at IBC 2019 from September 13-17, stand 7.B15. 

###

About Vizrt 

Vizrt is the world’s leading provider of software-defined visual storytelling tools for media content creators in the broadcast, sports, digital and esports industries. Vizrt offers market-defining software-based solutions for real-time 3D graphics, video playout, studio automation, sports analysis, media asset management, and journalist story tools. More than three billion people watch stories told by Vizrt customers everyday including from media companies such as CNN, CBS, NBC, Fox, BBC, BSkyB, Sky Sports, Al Jazeera, NDR, ZDF, Star TV, Network 18, Tencent, and many more. Vizrt is a global and diverse company with over 700 employees, operating in 30 offices worldwide with 52 nationalities, and recently has acquired IP-based, software-driven live video solution company, NewTek. Vizrt is a privately-owned company by Nordic Capital Fund VIII. Vizrt is mores stores, better told. www.vizrt.com 

About Matrox Video

Matrox Video is a technology and market leader in the field of 4K, HD, and SD digital video hardware and software for accelerated H.264 encoding, realtime editing, audio/video input/output, streaming, A/V signal conversion, capture/playout servers, channel-in-a-box systems, and CGs. Matrox's Emmy award-winning technology powers a full range of multi-screen content creation and delivery platforms used by broadcasters, telcos, cable operators, post-production facilities, live event producers, videographers, and A/V professionals worldwide. Founded in 1976, Matrox is a privately held company headquartered in Montreal, Canada. For more information, visit www.matrox.com/video. 

Matrox Media Contact: 

Email: pr@mtrox.com

Tel: +1 (514) 822-6000

Website: www.matrox.com

SWITZERLAND—The 2019 Rugby World Cup is expected to be one of the biggest editions in the tournament’s history, and the World Rugby federation is teaming up with International Games Broadcast Services to bring a new level of broadcast standards to live up to that expectation.

The broadcasts for the 2019 RWC will be delivered to the largest group of viewers in the tournaments history, and the content being offered to them will include 4K/UHD broadcasts—8K in Japan—augmented reality graphics, the use of more cameras to cover game action and streaming options.

While taking place in Japan, the 2019 RWC will be broadcast to more than 800 million households in 217 territories. And for those areas that do not have access to broadcast television, a streaming option is being provided.

What those viewers will see is a level of production new for the RWC. Coverage will be offered in multiple feeds in multiple formats, including the ability to transmit tournament coverage in 4K/UHD. Through Japan’s NHK, Japan markets will be able to view content in 8K.

AR graphics will also be incorporated into the coverage of 34 of the tournament’s 48 matches. The graphics will include elements like team line-ups, player comparisons, statistics and tables.

Additional features will include an increase to 34 cameras for the semi-finals and finals (up from 23-28 camera range for other matches); infographics for social and digital platforms; Hawk-Eye Smart Replay technology; behind-the-scenes and daily digital and social media packages; and geo-targeting through the RWC app to notify fans when and where to tune in for matches.

The 2019 Rugby World Cup will take place from Sept. 20-Nov. 2.

Fremont, CA – August 13, 2019 - Blackmagic Design today announced that Ultimatte, its real time compositing processor, was used by wTVision for augmented reality (AR) production and complete graphics conception during the broadcasts for Panama’s 2019 primaries, parliament and presidential elections on TVN. Blackmagic Design’s ATEM Television Studio HD live production switcher and more were also used to create a reliable workflow that kept the country informed, showing real time results, projections and the final outcome of the elections in an interactive way.

TVN, a television network based in Panama, partnered with wTVision, a leader in real time graphics, AR and playout automation, for the elections because of wTVision’s extensive experience in the field. With multiple offices around the world, wTVision’s Colombia based team was selected for the project and needed to transport its Blackmagic Design workflow from its office in Colombia to the studios in Panama where the elections were broadcast.

“Because we were using TVN’s studio, we had to work with their existing cameras and lighting," said Jorge Kossowski, commercial manager for Colombia at wTVision. “We didn’t have control over them, so we leveraged Ultimatte’s chroma key, which allowed us to correct any shadows and lighting irregularities. We shot the presenter in front of a green screen with different cameras on set, so each camera captured the green screen from a different perspective and with a slightly different look. With Ultimatte, we were able to adjust the foreground and background colorizers to make the image quality consistent across the broadcasts.”

As votes were counted for candidates running for seats in parliament, wTVision illustrated the wins in real time by creating a “white seats” graphic representing various seats in the legislature. As each seat’s winner was determined, the graphic changed to the specific color associated with the winning party.

“We wanted to create something that was fresh and easy for viewers to understand. Sometimes just looking at numbers is overwhelming and confusing, so by illustrating the results with the seats, we were able to show something more interactive. With Ultimatte, we were able to layer the seats on the virtual set without having the visuals blend in and disappear or overlap,” Kossowski explained.

Similarly, for the presidential elections, wTVision created a white map of Panama, and as each town tallied the votes for the candidates, the icon on the map representing the town changed to reflect the specific color associated with the winning candidate’s political party.

“As results came in, we had to make sure that we were ‘painting’ the town with the correct color. Since the set was 50 percent real and 50 percent virtual, we put markers on the floor so the presenter would not compromise any map graphics being displayed. To the side of the map, we had additional graphics with the candidates’ faces and the number of votes they won. It was a huge responsibility to get this right, especially when you’re live and cannot make corrections in post. Ultimatte let the presenter seamlessly stand behind transparent objects and walk around them without issue.”

Also powering the broadcasts was the ATEM Television Studio HD. wTVision used it to monitor different camera angles and switch smoothly between shots without missing a beat. “Elections are very dynamic, so our broadcast workflow had to reflect that as well. The easy to use, yet compact ATEM Television Studio HD proved to be exactly what we needed and more. With the integrated multi view, it was easy for us to see our custom graphics, the green screen, and all other elements in one place,” Kossowski added.

Rounding out wTVision’s workflow were four Decklink Quad 2 capture and playback cards that were used for on air graphics and AR. Two UltraStudio HD Mini capture and playback devices were also used for input and output to delay camera frames in order to sync with the graphics, and two more were used for all graphic overlays. Multiple Micro Converters BiDirectional SDI/HDMI were used to monitor all signals and keep track of videos, while a Teranex Mini SDI Distribution 12G was used for distributing the program feed for monitoring.

“This has certainly been one of the most exciting projects I’ve worked on, and definitely one of huge responsibility,” Kossowski concluded. “With elections, you need to provide updates in a timely manner while being accurate as there is no time for error. I needed gear that I could trust knowing it wouldn’t fail me at any point during the broadcasts, and I knew that we would be successful with Blackmagic Design supporting our workflow.”

Press Photography

Product photos of Ultimatte, ATEM Television Studio HD, DeckLink Quad 2, Micro Converter BiDirectional SDI/HDMI, UltraStudio HD Mini, Teranex Mini SDI Distribution 12G and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images.

About wTVision

wTVision creates integrated broadcasting solutions based on software development, branding and design, live operations and specialized human resources outsourcing. The company became one of the main real time graphics and playout automation providers due to its flexible solutions and comprehensive knowledge across different fields within the industry. From small one time broadcasts to some of the most important competitions on the planet, wTVision takes part in thousands of broadcasts every year and has experience in more than 60 countries. wTVision’s solutions for sports, election coverage, entertainment shows and newscasts are, together with its master control systems, the preferred choice of major TVs and producers all over the world.

About Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com. 

LONDON—BBC’s coverage of Wimbledon this year is providing viewers something they have not seen before, a series of in-studio augmented reality displays courtesy of sport and event graphics company MOOV.

Based around a three-camera setup (two pedestals and one jib), MOOV is using RT Software’s AR technology and StarTracker camera tracking technology from Mo-Sys to produce the AR graphics. The Mo-Sys system is an optical tracking system that enables studio cameras to be moved when overlaying augmented graphics.

The AR technology provides enhanced graphics not possible in a traditional studio, including virtual life-size cutouts of players on glass plinths and a virtual “Magic Window” that looks onto a 3D render of a tennis court to show results and match data laid out on the court surface.

Each camera feed is passed through RT’s render engine, which drives both the player cutouts and the Magic Window in real time.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.—PGA Tour AR is adding a new feature to its augmented reality app that presents live augmented reality and 360-degree tournament coverage of the No. 1 and 18 holes on the Pebble Beach Golf Links at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the PGA Tour announced this week.

“360-degree Tee Box presented by AT&T” is available to fans in the United States on their Apple device. Once launched, fans are asked to scan the floor and tap to start the 360-degree experience. An AR green with the Pebble Beach flag appears and directs fans to walk toward the green.

When on the green, a 360-degree video from the No. 1 or No. 18 hole tee box appears. Fans can move their phones around to view the video. The “360-degree Tee Box presented by AT&T” will go live one hour before the first tee time Feb. 7-10.

“The AT&T 360° Tee Box in the PGA Tour AR app offers fans a unique and exclusive view of Pebble Beach Golf Links,” said Devon Fox, PGA Tour director, Digital Platform Innovation. “Fans will be able to see holes No. 1 and 18 in an entirely new way, getting them closer to the action than ever before. Collaborating with AT&T to bring fans this exclusive experience represents a new way for the Tour to add value for sponsors and partners in the future.”

The PGA Tour first rolled out its augmented reality app in 2018. It allows fans to interact with 3D featured holes and live 3D shot trails on any flat surface in front of them. At featured holes throughout the season, they can choose a player on the course, compare shot trails from each round and different players. The 360-degree tee box is only available the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Live AR coverage with the app will be available during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am from holes 1, 7 and 18 beginning with the opening round on Feb. 7.

Possible Mobile, part of the Possible creative agency, collaborated on the developed of the app and relied on data from ShotLink powered by CDW, the tour’s scoring system. That system captures and reports vital information on every shot in real time during tournaments.

The PGA Tour AR app is available for free in the App Store.

A growing number of broadcasters, independent filmmakers, educators and AV integrators are using virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) in innovative ways, such as for behind-the-scenes tours, storytelling for stand-alone segments or for improving learning in educational settings.

Yes, technology is powering this new entity. But keep in mind that the real engine propelling it all remains storytelling. These free sessions will tell you more.

You can get a glimpse of the power of immersive storytelling during the session “Story First: A Toolkit for Every Platform” on Wednesday from 11:20 a.m.–12 p.m. The head of the production firm ModernEpic will showcase the educational and health features it has created such as the vignette “The Boy Inside,” a profile of a young man with Tourette’s Syndrome, as well the use of virtual reality for creating music and experiencing extreme sporting events. The recipe that ModernEpic CEO Aaron Lewis will discuss combines modern storytelling insights with interdisciplinary production tools like animation and VR.

[Read: Tom Foreman: Tech Must Always Serve Storytelling]

Hold up — first of all, do you know the actual difference between virtual and augmented reality? In the session “Augmented Reality: The Basics, Case Studies and How the Market is Expanding” on Wednesday at 3 p.m., the CEO of custom AR development company BundlAR CEO and co-founder John Martin will take a deep dive into the mechanics of the growing augmented reality market and learn how video is being used to enhance user experiences.

Martin will talk about the ways that AR is already being used for real estate, for advertising, on trade show floors and for tours. He will also touch on real-world examples for industries like education, which can use AR for everything from campus tours to in-class educational enhancements.

The message on Thursday will be all about the messaging.

On Thursday, Nov. 29, a creator of digital interactive experiences explores how VR and AR are revolutionizing the ways in which consumers absorb information.

In the session “How Virtual and Augmented Reality Are Quickly Becoming the Most Effective Mediums of Communication” on Thursday at 1:40, the CEO of the technology company Brightline Interactive will look at the ways in which virtual and augmented reality are being used to effectively communicate and increase brand awareness with consumers. Erik Muendel, CEO and CCO of Brightline, will discuss the key differences between virtual and augmented reality and how government entities are taking advantage of these new tools.

[Read: Low-Cost VR/360 Headsets Are a Game-Changer, Director Says]

Immediately following Muendel’s keynote, a need-to know session titled “Welcome to the World of VR/360!” on Thursday at 2:20 will give GV Expo attendees an overview of the latest developments in VR. As director and VFX supervisor for the technology firm VArtisans, Mark Lambert has created 360 video and VR experiences on endangered species and for tourism sites by filming in a mix of monoscopic and stereo 360 video.

One of the firm’s more compelling projects is the VR Bus, a 360 video production that takes viewers on locations as diverse as a rickshaw ride in Asia to the base of the coliseum in Rome to the streets of Washington, D.C., to create a series of family-friend VR experiences. Riders hop on a modified tour bus, sit in specialized rumbling seats, and place on a VR headset to take a guided VR tour of famous cities and sites.

Lambert will also discuss the VR Zoo, a virtual exhibit that tells the stories of African elephants, cheetahs, sea lions and more at the Dubai Aquarium. Visitors enter custom pods, select animals on a touch screen and then watch a three-minute VR experience for each animal. Directed by Lambert, the project filmed 360 video on land and underwater in Uganda, Tanzania, Egypt, South Africa, Maldives and Australia.

The complete schedule for the 2018 GV Expo can be found here.

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Fox Sports will debut a new high-tech set as the home of its NASCAR coverage in February 2019 that leverages the latest advancements in virtual set and augmented reality technology to create an element of on-screen sizzle fans won’t soon forget while bringing a high degree of flexibility to its productions.

At the heart of the tech setup behind this sizzle and flexibility is the Epic Games Unreal Engine 4, along with Zero Density studio software, which provides advanced keying for the virtual set, and custom software to enable all of the data needed for the set to be edited in a live broadcast environment.

CUSTOMIZE QUICKLY

A key advantage of basing the new 3,600-square-foot studio on virtual set and augmented reality (AR) technology is the ability to customize studio spaces quickly and affordably for different shows. However, in the view of Zac Fields, senior vice president of Graphic Technology and Integration for Fox Sports, that was not a realistic alternative until recently.

“A lot of networks would institute some green screen space to have some more flexibility of a virtual set,” says Fields. “The problem was they didn’t look nearly as good as what you can do now with the current tools that are out there.”

Having overcome that obstacle, the technology allows Fox Sports to react quickly in a virtual setting to what happens on the racetrack from week to week and show to show without the time or expense of doing something similar with hard set elements or entirely foregoing illustrating an important fact or concept to viewers because of the sheer impossibility of doing so in the real world.

For instance, bringing the Daytona 500 track up from the floor of the virtual set to explain the banking and surface of the track is something that could only be done in a virtual environment, says Mike Dolan, vice president of Design at Fox Sports.

Depending on what’s needed to analyze a race, the system can instantly bring into the set 3D racecars, engines, wheel assemblies and any other element needed to better inform NASCAR fans, he adds.

The core 3D rendering technology along with other essential gear needed for the set gives the designers at Fox Sports an unprecedented level of creative freedom, he adds.

“With these tools, it’s not so much what’s possible,” says Dolan. “It’s what do you want to do? Whatever you can imagine is now possible, and it will look as real as you want.”

Viewers will see the set early next year when it debuts as the home of “NASCAR Race Hub,” “NASCAR RaceDay,” and other NASCAR programming, according to Fox Sports.

WORLD CUP EXPERIENCE

Beyond the core gaming engine and software that powers real-time rendering and a photorealistic look, the studio relies on five Stype Red Spy encoded cameras, including a Steadicam and a jib camera; Blacktrax 3D tracking technology to trigger events on set automatically; a 50-by-47-foot green screen area; and real-time AR combining real set elements and 3D graphics.

Check out this sizzle reel:

While Fox Sports had been tracking the progress of virtual sets and AR technology for a few years, it was the preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia that confirmed to the broadcaster that the technology was fully baked. Fox Sports built a mock-up set simply to show internally what was being planned for coverage of the international soccer championship, including where in Red Square the network wished to locate its set, explains Dolan.

“After we built it, it opened eyes about what is really possible with this platform,” he says.

Video game renderers like the Unreal Engine 4 have increased the level of photorealism that can be achieved in a virtual set environment, he adds. “That is where the video game renderers have really come into play with the level of 3D and photorealism you can achieve, but still run that in real time.”

When paired with the Blacktrax technology, the setup allows on-screen talent and race analysts to manipulate 3D objects in the virtual set to better explain something to viewers, adds Fields.

While both Dolan and Fields declined to reveal how much the new studio cost Fox Sports, Fields describes the expenditure as “a heavy investment.”

The technology may one day have a role in the coverage of other sports by the broadcaster, but no plans have been announced.

“There’s no reason this would continue to be only a NASCAR thing. There are so many advantages,” says Fields. “It only helps productions tell their stories and make them more interesting.”

ATLANTA—On June 20, 2018 The Weather Channel blew away its viewers by apparently bringing a tornado into its studio. With the help of 3D augmented reality graphics rendered by The Future Group’s Frontier graphics creation system (processed and played out by Ross Video’s UX control system) and Mo-Sys’ camera tracking system, TWC meteorologist Jim Cantore appeared to experience the real-time ravages of a tornado in-studio as it progressed from an EF0 (Enhanced Fujita scale; winds 65-85 mph) to an EF5 (winds over 200 mph).

As the twister intensified, TWC viewers saw Cantore jump back from a falling electrical pole pulsing with electricity inside the studio. He was subsequently menaced by a flying 2x4 wooden beam that blasted through a studio TV monitor, and narrowly missed by a mangled red sedan that crashed through the studio ceiling; the left front headlight still flashing and clicking as Cantore soldiered on with his commentary. (A hyper-realistic outdoor camera view was interspersed with the studio shots; allowing Cantore to explain the tornado’s evolution from EF0 to EF5 throughout the broadcast.)

Eventually the lights flickered as the TWC studio began to fall apart under the storm’s ferocity. Jim Cantore took refuge in a “safe room” before the signal was apparently “lost” as TWC went to commercial. After the commercial break, Cantore was seen standing outside in the apocalyptic chaos left by the EF5 tornado; until the TWC’s studio outline appeared around him in grid form, and then rematerialized to its original undamaged appearance. (For the record, Cantore’s introduction and after-commercial conclusion were done live; the rest was prerecorded.)

As convincing as the tornado vignette was to watch—the SFX was worthy of a Hollywood disaster movie—none of the mayhem was real. Which was precisely the point: TWC is adopting the wow factor of augmented and virtual reality graphics to make its TV content incredibly compelling. 

“This is our bold first step into immersive weather presentation,” said Michael Potts, vice president of design for the Weather Group. Referring to the channel’s approach as “immersive mixed reality,” Potts said “we’re dropping the boundaries between what is real and what isn’t real, so we can take our talent and put them into the weather, or bring the weather into our studio. The goal for doing so is to create a much more meaningful viewing experience for the audience.”

'EXPLAINER VIDEO'

Creating this complex “explainer video” (as Potts calls it) of TWC’s in-studio tornado was a massive effort, requiring “lots of brainstorming sessions between The Weather Channel and The Future Group,” said Lawrence Jones; head of North America Operations for The Future Group.

“After we had all these brainstorming sessions together, TWC sent us a script that we used to create movie-style storyboards of the tornado video,” Jones said. “Once we agreed upon those boards, we created concept art to depict what these graphics would look like; including the flying 2x4 and the photo-realistic car. For this to work, every graphic element and overlay had to be planned out perfectly, so that it could be done within the limits of the technology.”

It took two months for The Future Group’s teams in Bulgaria, Norway, and the United States to create the AR graphics for the video. The graphics included the virtual TWC studio that rematerialized around Cantore after the commercial break. Once reconstructed in full onscreen, the virtual studio was indistinguishable from the real studio.

These graphics were designed to run on The Future Group’s Frontier graphics engine, which is based on the Unreal Engine gaming graphics system created by Epic Games. Ross began partnering with The Future Group in 2015 when it announced a seven-figure investment in the company, followed by a technology partnership a year later.

“The original Unreal Engine wasn’t designed for broadcast,” said Gideon Ferber, director of product management and business development for Ross Video’s Virtual Solution division. “So The Future Group built their own version of the Unreal Engine that included broadcast features such as genlock, frame buffers, and Fill/Key output. Ross then added the tracking integration, control interface, and everything else you need to operate Frontier on-air in a broadcast setting.”

[Read: NAB Show: Epic Games Integrates Unreal Engine With Strategic Partners]

With The Future Group’s equipment in place at TWC’s Atlanta production center, the crew held rehearsals to iron out the bugs and ready the segment for broadcast. These rehearsals included an enthusiastic Cantore, who memorized theatrical-style blocking (knowing where he physically had to be at what time) and learning his lines, alongside his regular broadcast duties.

Cantore’s hard work resulted in a realistic, apparently spontaneous on-air performance as he endured (and educationally exploited) the tornado’s wrath.

“Jim brought an amazing amount of life to this,” said Potts. “Yes, the graphics are amazing, and the technology underneath it makes it possible. But our talent drives this thing. With a wonderful narrative to work with, Jim was the hero of this project.”

MORE CHAOS TO COME?

TWC’s success in blending real video and AR graphics in Cantore’s tornado segment has won the network lots of positive attention and justified its push into AR/VR-enhanced content. Right now, TWC hopes to produce 80 percent of its programming using AR/VR by 2020.

TWC will air its second AR-enhanced explainer video on July 31.

“We’re going to look at the power of lightning,” said Potts. This time Cantore can relax. Rather than TWC zapping him just weeks after dropping a car close to his head, “we’re going to spread the love and bring some other talent into this,” Potts said.

When Pokémon Go’s characters hopped, swam and leapt out of people’s pockets into their palms two years ago, speculation about augmented reality going mainstream erupted. Then, we waited.

Other than a few utility apps for measuring rooms and superimposing new furniture and fabric configurations into home décor, not many new applications caught on. In the spring of 2018, however, consumer use of AR appears to be at an inflection point. This increased traction is the result of a reduction of the barrier to entry for development, design and delivery of AR content.

In terms of development, the familiarity with Apple’s ARKit and Google’s ARCore platforms has generated an increase in professionally developed AR games and educational applications. Similarly, the advent of easier AR design tools and 3D scanning options has put the ability to create relevant apps in the hands of those without the deep pockets needed for professional engineering resources. Also, Apple’s App Store recently put prominent marketing behind new augmented reality experiences, including a week in which the store highlighted some of the best apps in a promotion called “AR Rising.”

These factors are combining to improve awareness of the technology’s ability to engage and entertain.

COMING ALIVE

The App Store promotion launched around the same time that several magazines, newspapers and television networks also brought augmented reality content to the front of their digital offerings. ABC News published augmented reality that let consumers open 3D images of the horse carriage and palace guards associated with the Royal Wedding, adding their work to AR that the New York Times offered on figure skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics; and Time magazine’s partnership with Bill Gates earlier this year to produce a segment on global development for a special issue dedicated to optimism and hope. In that feature, the pages of the magazine came alive with video of a five-year-old boy in a developing country who — by turning that age — had reached a critical milestone indicating a longer life expectancy due to improved nutrition and health care.

Sports Illustrated, of course, provided an AR component to its perennial swimsuit issue, as well as offering an experience to complement coverage of Mt. Everest.

The most significant aspect of the App Store’s push around AR front may be that it is a further indication of the commitment by Apple CEO Tim Cook to see that AR moves into the mainstream. It came during the same month that Google was reported to be preparing to release an AR headset to compete with Microsoft’s HoloLens, and designs for standalone augmented reality glasses began to circulate on tech sites and in social media feeds. Qualcomm announced that it is working with HTC VIVE to embed its latest chip technology in their VR headsets, and there was speculation recently that Qualcomm will be providing a chipset to power a HoloLens 2 Microsoft is planning to release in 2019.

ARTS & EDUCATION

The content for the evolving hardware will be critical to the technology’s adoption. The items that the App Store featured included “Boulevard AR,” which allows the user to place a full-size classic painting on their wall and then dive deeply into the detail; Waypoint EDU, where students search in geolocated areas to discover pieces of history in a premade or exploratory hunt to collect the items; and, “Civilizations AR,” the tie-in to the BBC series that allows immersive 3D looks into artifacts including a mummy and the Rosetta Stone that you can peel back layers on to explore great detail in each object.

[Read: Telemundo Deportes Partners With Panini For World Cup AR Experience]

In another set of highlighted content, the store promoted apps that add depth and dimension to math and science learning: a biology app that gives students the x-ray vision to see skeletons and major organs of a frog, for example, and allows them to use of a virtual scalpel to dissect the amphibious creatures; the World Wildlife Fund’s app on building dams, fording rivers, going inside a rainstorm; and, GeoGebra AR that turns 3D graphs of “equations that you can walk around and see through.” Hollywood studios also jumped into the stream with augmented reality components being used in the marketing of Pixar’s “Incredibles 2.”

Allowing educators, small businesses and nonprofit organizations to easily create augmented reality stories through the use of drag and drop tools is another promising advent in the production pipeline. Described as “an AR and VR technology innovator,” Verizon’s research and development group, envrmnt, is on the leading edge of this effort. envrmnt creates tools and best practices to support the simple production and distribution of AR techniques that allows anyone with a browser and a library of 360-degree video or 3D images “to overlay … branded content on the real world.” Other commercial tools, including Blippar and Zappar, offer build-it-yourself options, as well.

The envrmnt group is part of a larger Verizon effort to experiment with high-bandwidth products that will be activated by a 5G world. Verizon expects 5G to be transformational for mobile communication, commerce and entertainment, leading to the instantaneous streaming of video, augmented and virtual reality directly from the cloud, and making the social aspect of these emerging technologies part of our everyday lives.

envrmnt also has a tool in beta geared to using AR for commerce. The tool enables businesses to establish ways for customers to browse products in augmented reality and quickly send to a shopping cart to purchase. It is planned for broader release later this year, according to envrmnt. The group says that is looking to create more tools to support rapid, simple and scalable development of these experiences without heavy engineering expertise. envrmnt states that its “mission is to create technology that delivers instant access to augmented and virtual worlds around the globe.”

With the tools that Verizon is making available and the increased ease of building on the platforms from Apple and Google, the breakout days for augmented reality content appear to be approaching quickly.

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MIAMI—Telemundo Deportes, the exclusive Spanish-language broadcaster of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, is teaming up with sports and entertainment collectables company Panini America to provide Telemundo’s first-ever augmented reality experience for the World Cup. The collaboration launched with the new 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Sticker Collection by Panini, available in stores and online, and now, the AR content will live in the Telemundo Deportes En Vivo app, featuring new posts on a weekly basis.

Fans can access all of Telemundo Deportes’ exclusive Panini content in the AR menu within the Telemundo Deportes En Vivo app. The AR experience is activated via Facebook’s Camera Effects Platform, which also allows users to engage with the AR content and create sharable, filter-type content, such as their own Panini sticker available exclusively through the Telemundo Deportes and Panini collaboration.

The AR experience will include 10-second videos highlighting Telemundo Deportes talent, historic moments and most memorable goals in World Cup history as well as features on this year’s host cities and stadiums. The content will be available now and through the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, June 14-July 15. The Telemundo Deportes’ Panini AR experience, created in collaboration with VR Americas, a provider of immersive technologies, is a finalist for “Best Campaign” at the 9th Annual Augmented World Expo 2018 Auggie Awards.

In addition to the AR content, the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Sticker Collection by Panini features a page dedicated to the Telemundo Deportes commentary team. The partnership also includes traditional and digital advertisements, marketing and grassroots initiatives as well as Panini integrations on Telemundo platforms in advance of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia.

The Telemundo Deportes En Vivo app, is available via app stores for iOS and Android. 

LAS VEGAS—At the 2018 NAB Show, Accedo will demonstrate how its Accedo One augmented reality platform can deliver a birds-eye view of long-distance sporting events—complete with real-time updates and interactive video experiences—to the viewers’ tablets, smart phones and other portable devices.

This technology is particularly well suited to long-distance sporting events, such as marathons and bike races, augmented by real-time updates. Broadcasters can use this AR platform to complement their live sports broadcasts by sending additional information or interactive experiences as a second screen experience.

Accedo One enables video service providers, brands and broadcasters to overcome the technical challenges of delivering scalable AR video experiences, such as fragmentation of the AR device market and the synchronization of live video with AR interaction and information elements. Accedo will demo AR, virtual reality and other products and services with its key partners, Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services, Comcast and Brightcove.

The 2018 NAB Show takes place in Las Vegas, April 9-12. Accedo will be in booth SU9401CM. For more information, visit www.nabshow.com.

Read up on all of TVT's NAB Show Sneak Peeks and other 2018 NAB Show news here.

LAS VEGAS—Does this year’s NAB seem to be an amalgamation of better ways to tell stories? If it seems that way to you too, you’re not alone.

Storytelling at the upcoming 2018 NAB Show is in the spotlight with innovative storytelling technologies like augmented reality, in the form of next-gen ATSC 3.0 options, in new processing leaps thanks to new IP standards and in new methods of storytelling through cinematic virtual reality.

“Effectively using technology is critical to creating quality content,” said Chris Brown, NAB executive vice president of conventions and business operations. “NAB Show offers inspiration, training and the very latest tools and technologies to help storytellers step up their game and advance their tradecraft.”

This year, more than 100,000 visitors are expected to descend on Las Vegas, April 7-12 to see an expanded range of educational sessions (more than 760 in total) and more than 1,800 exhibitors who are telling the story of where the industry stands as it transitions to IP, virtual reality, OTT, 5G, ATSC 3.0 and beyond. After trekking bravely across the nearly one-million-square-feet of space at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the goal is to get a clearer glimpse of where the industry is headed over the next 12 months.

One thing that is not expected to change: the way in which media and entertainment companies must create and deliver video content to a growing number of platforms, networks and devices.

SHOWCASING NEXT GEN TV

The options springing from the recently adopted ATSC standard are designed to push that boundary further. This marks the first NAB Show since the formal adoption of the new ATSC 3.0 next-generation broadcast standard. Officially authorized by the FCC in November 2017, the advanced standard is designed to “open the door to substantially improved, free over-the-air broadcast television service and fiercer competition in the video marketplace,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai when the decision was announced.

[2018 NAB Show's IP Showcase to Map Path to IP]

The industry has been mulling over the opportunities available from ATSC 3.0 for some time as a way for television broadcasters to better compete in today’s digital media environment.

Now that ATSC 3.0 is cleared for takeoff, ATSC President Mark Richer expects this year’s NAB Show to offer a broad assortment of solutions for broadcasters making plans to deploy next-generation TV.

“We expect products from a variety of companies for various aspects and applications of the ATSC 3.0 ecosystem,” he said, pointing to an area in the Grand Central Lobby where the ATSC organization will show off early deployment options. The organization will also demonstrate other ATSC-enabled options such as advanced emergency alerting and interactivity capabilities of the new standard, which will be hosted in the Futures Park, a pavilion area in the North Hall. Other ATSC 3.0 demos, integrations and proof of concepts will also be found in the ATSC 3.0 Demo Pavilion, Future of Home TV Services and NextGen TV Hub areas.

OTT FRONT AND CENTER

What attendees can also see more of this year: innovations in OTT/streaming technologies. This year’s NAB convention is also dedicating more space to the streaming ecosystem, first with sessions and keynotes; secondly with a new one-day Streaming Summit.

"The media industry is in the midst of a great transformation so it's no surprise that streaming will be a big topic at this year's show,” said Christy Tanner, senior vice president and general manager of CBS News Digital.

At the show, Tanner will keynote the Online Video Program where she will offer insight on how CBS is leveraging its own news assets to develop expanded digital services. Tanner will also discuss the progress CBS News has made with its internal streaming video news service, CBSN, which was launched in 2014.

“With the convergence of traditional and new media, OTT strategy will be front and center in the discussion around the future of television, along with how connected home devices and voice technology will evolve the consumer experience,” she said.

Those strategies will be discussed in sessions held during the Streaming Summit, which will look at the technology behind the streaming media business, from transcoding to streamlining distribution or tinkering with new business models.

“This is where the content industry is headed,” said Rick Ducey, managing director of the research firm BIA/Kelsey. “Content needs to find its audience and revenue bases across multiple platforms and formats. Anything short of this is almost a failure of fiduciary responsibility for companies in the content business.”

Even referring to those long-lost “traditional broadcast roots” really begs the question of how best to define what it means to “broadcast” these days, he said.

“All of the major broadcast groups and networks are fully engaged in digital, mobile, interactive services and innovative ventures,” he said. “That’s today’s mainstream.”

And even though most ad spend and consumption remains in linear media, “the clear growth lines are in digital and interactive formats,” Ducey said. “This is a must have.”

IP NETWORKING AND DATA ANALYTICS

The industry is simultaneously moving in another direction: the ongoing adoption of IP facility networking.

The show will focus on this steadily growing area in a series of sessions and real-world solutions as part of the “IP Showcase,” which will include IP educational sessions, demonstrations of new applications and interoperability developments. Last fall the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers took the first step in standardizing video transport over IP with the adoption of the first standards within the SMPTE ST 2110 standards suite. This particular standards approval will help enable intrafacility traffic to be all-IP so that organizations can begin to rely on a single common data-center infrastructure.

[Sprockit's First Round of Startups Revealed for 2018 NAB Show]

Another major trend attendees can expect to see: discussions and deliberations that revolve around ways to embrace the revenue side of the business. “[It’s positive to see the show’s] new focus on the revenue side of the business and its various components,” Ducey said. “[It’s being] viewed in more of an ecosystem profile rather than isolated parts distributed around the floor and conference sessions.”

The NAB Show has been ramping up the content, exhibitions and networking in this area, he said. “As we’ve seen the explosion of adtech and martech companies in the media and marketing space, the collisions between business strategy and revenue on the one hand, and the “tech stack” enabling —or frustrating—these business models are critical to understand, debate and evolve.”

That inevitably involves understanding the power of big data. Sessions on targeted advertising and intelligent data management will try and explore just how thoroughly the content business is being increasingly impacted by the analytics and insights built on that data.

“Audience data, advertising data, content metadata, marketing data—all tied to developing smarter product roadmaps, smarter business models, and smarter execution—will be tied to future success,” Ducey said. His advice: ask how data fits from a tech solution or a company offering will fit into your business model. “If there’s not a good answer, move on to the next booth or conference session,” he said.

Education about tomorrow’s next big thing will also be a big focus at the show this year. The new Destination NXT Theater will be an on-the-show-floor education program that talks about new methods of distribution, delivery and commerce. Other sessions, like “Converging New Technologies,” will look at the options for UHD, immersive audio, virtual reality and augmented reality for live sports programming.

Yet others will look at the ways in which technologies like 5G, and its promise of massive bandwidth capability, will boost new interactive virtual reality opportunities. The session “I Want My Mobile TV,” for example, will show how some are already implementing options you may have thought were still many years off: like selecting your preferred multiple camera angle during a live football game or watching 360-degree-video of a basketball game that looks as though you’re sitting courtside.

Other major trends at this year’s show will include discussions about podcasting, esports and sports broadcasting, and artificial intelligence and machine learning. New co-sponsorships this year include the awarding of the annual Technical and Engineering Emmy Awards in combination with the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

In addition, a slew of big names from the television space are expected at the show, including Wheel of Fortune pair Pat Sajak and Vanna White, Jeopardy king Alex Trebek, Good Morning America host Robin Roberts, and, in case you can’t let it go, the TV/film actress Kristen Bell.

For more information, visit www.nabshow.com.

NEW YORK—TV is no longer a one screen experience. A recent study from Facebook shows that viewers are divided between their TV and—more often than not—their smartphone. Even so, the two screens are essentially separate experiences, with concentration typically on one more than the other. That’s one area where the new app “We Are TV” tries to be different—it uses augmented reality to offer users an interactive and sharable TV viewing experience.

While Twitter and Facebook have been two key sources for TV discussion in recent years, Martin Rogard, founder of “We Are TV” who was an executive at Dailymotion and has a background in video games, felt that they weren’t doing enough. “There is a lack of tools, there is a lack of possibilities,” with the popular social media sites he said in an interview with TV Technology. For Twitter, the conversation can be unorganized, featuring multiple hashtags for a single show. With Faecbook, Rogard found the conversation to be more post-show interactions rather than in the moment. He wanted his new app to help drive the TV conversation.

VIEW BY REACTION

Developing this new platform during a boom in augmented reality development led to one of the key parts of “We Are TV.” Using AR technology, the app allows its users to play a game where they catch computer-animated characters that relate to live programming; for instance, if someone is watching Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black,” the AR characters will appear in orange prison jumpsuits. Users also have the ability to react to what they are watching by throwing AR tomatoes, hearts or bombs when something happens and soon, according to Rogard, share those reactions on Twitter and Facebook.

“We realized that augmented reality was bringing something very strong to the party and to the possibility to create enough to drive conversation around TV,” said Rogard. “The fact that with augmented reality you are watching the show, you are about to do something with the show in the background, which is something you cannot do if you’re just using a classic old second screen application.”

The choice of playing either the game or simply reacting to things happening on screen with tomatoes, hearts, etc., is up to the users. To launch the game, there is a trigger button that pops up when using the app. Once played, the trigger won’t pop up again for 10 minutes.

TWEAKING ALGORITHMS

A slate of new features are currently in development, including the ability to record what happens in the app and share it on social media, which Rogard says should be available in the coming weeks. Also, the app currently can send alerts to users notifying them when a show they have previously watched will be playing live, but there’s work to develop the ability to take what users have watched in the past and recommend new shows based on their interests through the app.

Beyond just the app’s basic functions, Rogard wants to create more direct relationships with programming and networks to further customize the types of games that “We Are TV” offers, “depending on the sport you’re watching, on the specific kind of show you’re watching,” said Rogard. Though the app has AR characters that are based on shows like “Orange is the New Black,” “Game of Thrones” and “The Walking Dead,” there is no current relationship between the app and any U.S.-based show and Rogard said the characters are designed to be reminscient, but different enough to avoid licensing issues.

“We Are TV” runs on iOS (iOS 9 and above) and Android devices.

“We Are TV” launched in France on Oct. 7. Rogard says that it has a partnership with a French television show (“Anything Goes”), which was part of the reason to focus its initial push there. The app is available in the U.S., but “We Are TV” is not currently devoting much marketing to it growing its U.S. base. Rogard puts the current number of “We Are TV” users at more than 120,000, with 85 percent of those users in France. A more strategic push in the U.S. is expected in 2018 and beyond. “We want to launch in additional countries pretty fast,” said Rogard. “The plan long term is to be everywhere.”

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES—Al Arabiya’s production team went all out for their coverage of the 2016 U.S. election results. With the help of 150 people from the news network, Vizrt and SpiderCam, the creation of a 9290 square meter augmented reality set was pulled off, which consisted of 3D models showing viewers live data and results.

“During the past elections, we made use of immersive graphics with live data, but for the 2016 U.S. Elections, we thought bigger,” says Al Arabiya’s Head of Graphics, Fadi Radi.

The Middle East Broadcast Channel group’s building in Dubai was used as the backdrop and the Dubai Media City’s lake served as a platform on which to place various graphics, maps and models. MBC’s team of designers used Vizrt’s Viz Artist to design the election graphics. SpiderCam’s staff, who are used to rigging their cameras in stadiums where existing support structures are in place, utilized a temporary crane on one side of the lake and trusses mounted to the MBC building for anchor points.

Thanks to no issues with the weather and the SpiderCam system’s stability gyros, the produced shots were steady and smooth. The SpiderCam also provided live tracking data that was processed with Vizrt’s Tracking Hub, so technicians could control the graphics during the live reports.

Vizrt claims this particular augmented reality set was the largest one ever produced in the world for a news production.

WASHINGTON—William Anthony, director of television and motion pictures for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, cited a Nobel winning poet of his generation during the “How Augmented & Virtual Reality Expand Your Reach” panel on Thursday during the Government Video Expo and National Drone Show to emphasize why his agency is eager to get in on the technology. “Your old world is rapidly aging; get out of the new one if you can’t lend a hand, because the times they are a changing.”

Early on in the panel Anthony stressed that Customs and Border Protection is eager to be a group that lends a hand, saying that they want to the first government agency to have a virtually reality show. “As virtual reality becomes bigger and bigger, we want to be part of it,” Anthony stated. “We want to be part of every technology.”

But as session moderator Brian Savoie, director of technology education and outreach at NAB, said in his introduction of the session, “it’s not simply about one technology.”

There are a number of technologies that fit into the spectrum of what is called “immersive.” Virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, gestural interfaces, and haptic interfaces all help create immersive elements for users. “So as a creator and as someone that is building a piece of media to communication with someone else, you just have a huge number of new things in your tool kit,” explained Caitlin Burns, vice chair of the Producer’s Guild of America’s New Media Council.

The real question though is how people in the industry will use these new tools beyond some of the more general entertainment elements that we’ve seen from developers like PlayStation and Oculus, Burns emphasized.

Anthony’s desire to have a VR show for his agency is one such example, and something that he and his colleagues have described as “edutainment.” Other areas that the panelists used as examples including training and data analysis; the panelists also brought up being able to organizing and better understanding taxes as a potential use.

“If you have a really good concept that fits the technology, there’s a moment right now where you could be first to market, or your organization will be the one leading the charge,” said Burns. “And that’s very exciting.”

Moving forward, the industry expects these technologies to go nowhere but up. “2015 was the year of experimentation. This year is the year of introduction. And what we are doing is setting up 2017 to really be, I think, a key inflection point,” said Steve Koenig, senior director of market research at the CTA. “Not only in consumer adoption, but in development of content.”

“This is a technology that delivers a sense of presence like we’ve never had before,” Koenig claimed. “No matter what the application is.… it’s amazing and it’s going to change our society, mark my words.”

LONDON—Holographic technology has long been one of the main fixtures of what the future will look like, but now the BBC is testing just how far away we may be to realizing that idea. The British broadcaster recently experimented with emerging broadcast technologies, including augmented reality, in the creating of a holographic TV device.

“Our experiment was fairly simplistic, but the new technologies on the horizon have the potential to completely change the way that audiences experience media content in the future” said Cyrus Saihan, BBC’s head of digital partnerships.

Read the full article on TVT’s sister publication TVB Europe.

STOCKHOLM—Ericsson and BT Media are teaming up for a pair of projects involving augmented reality and a HEVC 4K broadcast.

First, BT Sport is Ericsson’s first client for its PIERO Augmented Reality software system per its press release. The PIERO AR system launched in April and is designed to enable broadcasters to overlay 3D graphics in real-time during live studio productions and games. The graphics can be created by either a system operator or presenter using a tablet device. The graphics are then projected onto the studio floor in 3D. BT Sport has also signed up to use PIERO sports graphics software, another part of the PIERO product suite, for rugby broadcasts.

Also, Ericsson, with BT Media and BT Sports is demonstrating a live example of a high efficiency video coding (HEVC) contribution link used in the delivery of 4K UHDTV during IBC2016. BT Sport will use the technology to broadcast live rugby matches through BT news link trucks. Ericsson is contributing its encoding/decoding technology that supports HEVC and removes the need for AVC quadrant based HDTV contribution. The signal from BT M&B will be sent to Ericsson’s Playout Center in the Netherlands, and then broadcast live to both Ericsson and BT’s booths at IBC2016.

NEW YORK—Co-located with the 141st AES Convention in Los Angeles, the Audio Engineering Society is hosting its inaugural International Conference on Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality. The Society has announced the full schedule for the conference, including technical papers, workshops and tutorials.

Program content is slated to focus on the AR/VR creative process, applications workflow and product development. This will include a total of 27 technical papers that will be offered, including “Object-based 3D Audio Production for Virtual Reality Using the Audio Definition Model” from BBC Research & Development’s Chris Pike, Richard Taylor, Tom Parnell and Frank Melchior.

A series of workshops will also be provided by Fraunhofer, Sennheiser, Dolby, Sound Practices and Technicolor. Topics will cover “Audio Production, Mixing and Delivery for VR Audio,” “Immersive Sound Capture for Cinematic Virtual Reality,” “Object-based Audio Mixing for AR/VR Applications,” “Immersive Sound Design with Particle Systems,” and “3D Audio Post-Production Workflows for VR.”

There will also be a manufacturer’s expo of research institutions, developers and vendors that are providing immersive spatial audio for virtual reality and augmented reality media.

The two-day conference will take place from Sept. 30-Oct. 1. AES members can get either a one day or two day pass for $195/$295; non-members $280/$435. Registrants will also be able to attend AES 141. For more information, click here.

HAMILTON, N.J.—No longer cartoonish or fake looking, virtual sets now display remarkably realistic HD and 4K environments that surround on-air presenters or give the illusion of an immense scene extending beyond the studio walls.

Recently, a new live virtual graphics technology has taken center stage—augmented reality (AR)—where 3D objects appear to leap out of a video wall, rise up from the floor, or animate into the scene in visually appealing ways.

Virtual sets and augmented reality are becoming increasingly popular—both among networks and local stations—because they offer creative new options for spicing up the look of live shows quickly and cost-effectively.

AUGMENTED VIRTUAL SETS

“By having virtual elements magically appear in the middle of the set, broadcasters can present very trendy, eye-catching studio looks and tell better stories to viewers,” said Ofir Benovici, senior director of broadcast products for Avid. “With sufficient processing power, augmented reality can now generate realistic virtual objects, such as virtual video walls that rival their physical counterparts. And, while physical video walls and touchscreens are expensive and complex to maintain, virtual video walls are easier to implement, with lower costs over time.”

Avid’s ProSet virtual set system can be implemented as a full turnkey solution or flexibly configured with third-party components.

One factor driving demand, according to Benovici, is that processing engines are more capable of highly complex, yet credible, live virtual sets and effects. Another factor Benovici cites is, “precise camera tracking, which is also essential to having virtual elements correspond properly with physical elements in a holistic way for a unified visual effect.”

Avid’s ProSet virtual set system can be implemented as a full turnkey solution or flexibly configured with third-party components, such as camera tracking technology. Benovici added that virtual sets could maximize physical studios by allowing multiple shows to be produced in the same space quickly and cost-effectively, each with their own distinctive, aesthetic broadcast look.

VIRTUAL SET WORKFLOWS

Broadcasters are blending physical and virtual elements for a more dynamic look. For example, instead of having large monitors and video walls on a physical set, augmented reality displays, like virtual monitors or data-driven graphics, can rise up from the floor and be waved away when no longer needed.

“When on-air presenters are talking about something displayed on a greenscreen backdrop, they tend to have their backs to the audience, which is not visually engaging,” said Dave Larson, general manager for virtual solutions at Ross Video. “But with augmented reality, a meteorologist can tell viewers about an impending tornado while a virtual tornado is spinning right in front of him for a real wow factor.”

Ross offers the entry-level Ross Trackless Studio or complete turnkey system. The Ross virtual studio workflow typically includes a Ross Xpression real-time motion graphics system, Furio and CamBot robotic systems, Solid Track for camera tracking, UX for virtual systems operation, OverDrive automated production control, Carbonite production switchers, Ultrachrome HR keyers, and the new Acid camera, which was designed specifically for greenscreens.

According to Larson, augmented reality implementations are accelerating since the technology can be adopted quickly and cost efficiently, without making changes to an existing studio. “While virtual sets require upfront hardware costs,” Larson said, “in most cases they could be designed and built for one-tenth the cost of physical sets, which can often off-set the incremental hardware costs.” He adds that by swapping out virtual sets, back-to-back shows could be produced from the same studio, which reduces production costs.

IP-DRIVEN WORKFLOW

With the introduction of its TriCaster Advanced Edition software last year, NewTek added the ability to integrate 3D augmented reality graphics, objects and text within the virtual studio. With sophisticated control of layered keying, these virtual objects can appear to be floating in the midst of practical fixtures in the physical studio.

“What we’re witnessing is an evolution, possibly a revolution, in the way that broadcasters blend virtual, graphical and physical elements together to produce fresh, novel, imaginative studio looks,” said Will Waters, director of product marketing for NewTek.

“Using dynamic, graphically intense virtual sets will help broadcasters compete for viewers, especially those in the coveted younger demo who tend to be visually and graphically oriented,” Waters said. While the NewTek TriCaster has its own integrated virtual studio, and library of hundreds of 3D virtual set options, it also interfaces with major third-party virtual set systems by Brainstorm, Vizrt and others.

With the new Network Device Interface (NDI)—an IP-based workflow that NewTek developed and provides to other manufacturers for free—NewTek is expanding live video productions with TriCaster and these benefits impact both virtual studios and augmented reality.

With NDI, TriCasters can send hi-res video over a standard Gigabit Ethernet IP network to virtual studio systems like Brainstorm and Vizrt for processing and the resulting virtual/augment reality effect becomes a TriCaster source, with no additional latency. “We’re continually expanding our live branding and studio toolkit to empower our customers to be as creative as their budgets and ambitions allow,” said Waters.

RAZZLE DAZZLE

David Jorba, president of Vizrt Americas, cites many factors that are driving the growing augmented reality trend, including advances in technology, such as video boards and graphics, and GPUs capable of HD and 4K, Specific to the Vizrt Viz Virtual Studio, he cites Vizrt’s new Viz Tracking Hub for easier set-up, and Viz Engine for faster processing and rendering of HD and 4K virtual sets.

At the NAB Show, Vizrt demonstrated augmented reality in conjunction with its Viz Virtual Studio on a 7.2-meter video wall.

“Broadcasters can now create engaging virtual studios, graphical looks and effects easier and at a price-point that wasn’t possible just a few years ago,” he said. “With augmented reality, on-air presenters can appear to toss 3D objects off the video wall behind them—such as popular sports figures or NASCAR cars—and create a seamless transition to bring the objects in front of the anchor desk for a more exciting live effect. These 3D objects can also be driven by real-time data, such as sports stats or elections results so the anchor can analyze the news while directing the augmented reality object.”

At the NAB Show, Vizrt demonstrated augmented reality in conjunction with its Viz Virtual Studio on a 7.2-meter video wall. Camera tracking systems, including Motion Analysis IR and Ncam handheld tracking, tracked and measured the physical cameras’ movement in relation to the staging area so that the virtual studio’s camera perspective would always change accordingly for a credible effect.

The demo showed how greater photorealism can be achieved by using software plug-ins, such as RTT Shaders, Allegorithmic Substance, and Enlighten Global Illumination, which add 3D lighting, textures, shading, reflections, and other finishing touches that change in relation to camera movement in real-time. The virtual sets for Viz Virtual Studio can be created using any major 3D software package, such as Cinema 4D and Softimage.

CAMERA SUPPORT IS KEY

In the early days of virtual sets, the physical camera used to have to remain in a fixed position and camera moves were limited to pan, tilt and zooms due to the complexity of lens calibration and tracking. But, “people eventually wanted to move the camera around the physical studio on a pedestal while tracking its position,” said James Eddershaw, sales director for Shotoku UK. “We’ve been doing this for years with our VR pedestals, which use high-performance encoders and processors to measure the camera’s exact position.” Shotoku’s VR pedestals’ tracking systems can output data to any leading virtual studio system.

“People today want to use dramatic camera moves, like the big sweeping motion of a jib or crane, with their virtual studios,” Eddershaw added. Shotoku’s VR robotic camera systems, specialized cranes and jibs can track these dynamic camera moves.

“They even want to move the physical camera freely around the studio—using Steadicam, shoulder-mount or handheld shooting styles—all with the same highly accurate camera tracking for a more immersive, interactive experience,” Eddershaw said.

When placed on the physical camera, Shotoku’s Free-D2 absolute tracking device frees cameras to move anywhere up to 360 degrees within the physical studio. It looks upwards at the lighting grid, and locates distinguishing markers that it can use to continually pinpoint the camera’s position, and outputs the data to any leading virtual studio system.

PRICE-CONSCIOUS MARKETS

At Broadcast Pix, Product Manager Tony Mastantuono finds that their customers in the small to mid-tier markets are moving away from full virtual sets, especially if they have tight budgets.

“The higher-end markets have the budgets to make their virtual sets look really good, with high-end tracking of multiple cameras for greater realism,” Mastantuono said. “But many price-conscious customers are moving away from virtual sets because, at their budget levels, the sets tend to look fake and they run into technical roadblocks. They’re opting instead for physical sets with virtual imagery keyed into the green or blue background.”

For those that need affordable solutions, Broadcast Pix Flint and Mica Series integrated production switchers offer virtual studios and backgrounds for up to eight cameras. They also offer a trackless virtual camera that can move within the virtual set, while the real camera remains stationary.

Mastantuono explained that the use of virtual sets largely depends on the customer’s unique needs and budget. While education and webcasting are two budget-conscious markets that are inclined to use virtual sets, the house of worship and corporate sectors generally do not. And mid-size stations may use virtual sets, but moreso in Studio B, to make the limited space appear larger.

DANIA BEACH, FLA.—Magic Leap is previewing its version of holographic technology in the form of interactive, virtual 3D “screens” that appear and dissolve on command, and in this case, morph into virtual bubbles that turn into bubblegum pink jellyfish.

The company said its YouTube demo was, “Shot directly through Magic Leap technology on April 8, 2016 without use of special effects or compositing,“ and nothing more about the technology employed.

Magic Leap, described as the “world’s most secretive startup” by Wired, earned a place as one of the top 10 breakthrough technologies of 2015 from MIT Technology Review. Senior Editor of Mobile Rachel Metz tried out the technology. She said the company did not reveal details about it, but rather, “it’s safe to say Magic Leap has a tiny projector that shines light onto a transparent lens, which deflects the light onto the retina. That pattern of light blends in so well with the light you’re receiving from the real world that to your visual cortex, artificial objects are nearly indistinguishable from actual objects.”

Metz also dug out the company’s Jan. 15, 2015, patent for a “planar waveguide apparatus with diffraction element(s) and system employing same,” with an illustration of eyewear that resembles Google Glass much more than the head-wrapping goggles most commonly employed for viewing virtual reality content.

What Magic Leap is showing isn’t actually virtual reality content, where the subject is immersed in an entirely different setting, but an augmented reality more in line with what the team of Microsoft researchers put together with “holoportation.” (See “Microsoft Builds a Holodeck,” March 29, 2016.)

LOS ANGELES—New media platforms demand new production methods and none, since the introduction of the pixel, have needed a rework more than virtual reality.

First job of any media content is to engage the audience. Whether it consists of a teenage boy cloistered away with his VR headset, the urban hipster with the latest flavor of augmented-reality glass, or a family at the local theme park’s 360 panorama; if you don’t hook them with something compelling they’ll move on to something that will.

What flavor are you selling?
VR: Contrary to what you’ve probably read or heard, VR is a very finite format and not something that has anything to do with physical cameras. To quote the ubiquitous Wikipedia, “Virtual reality… replicates an environment that simulates physical presence in places in the real world or imagined worlds and lets the user interact in that world. Virtual reality artificially creates sensory experiences, which can include sight, hearing, touch, and smell.”

AR: Augmented reality superimposes a computer-generated image over the live view of the physical, real-world environment. The image remains in alignment to the real-world or a pre-defined target as the viewer moves.

PANORAMIC VIDEO: 360 and panoramas surround the viewer with an environment intended to create a sense of presence. They can be “stitched” together from several conventional video streams or by using a fisheye or purpose-build lens. Although 360 has been with us since well before the pixel showed up, the recent media frenzy over VR, combined with low-tech design and fabrication needs, have created a glut of acquisition systems spewing from garages and home workshops all across country. Even though 360 is not VR, it does share a number of the same issues with respect to narrative production.

Why this iteration of VR is different:
Thanks to your tax dollars and the military industrial complex’s need for more accurate real-time targeting, Inertial Measurement Unit, or IMU, technology took a major leap forward. Poised on a tiny chip that sits inside nearly everything from the Predator drone’s AGM-114 Hellfire missiles to your smartphone, the IMUtracker uses a gyroscope, accelerometer, GPS and magnetometer to figure out where it is, where it is looking and where it is going: And this is precisely why VR will work this time.

The Oculus Rift head-mounted display isn’t the about virtual reality—that’s been around since Jaron Lanier coined the phrase back in the early ’80s—or simply figured out how to make the IMU faster. Facebook stepped in and bought Oculus because they understand where this is all going. Motion-to-photons lag is the delay between inputting a command and seeing the effects of that command. For Oculus, that magic number is somewhere under20 milliseconds and even though you can’t perceive it, for the very first time, VR doesn’t make you puke.

THE MECHANICS OF VR CONTENT:
The fact that VR gear will play both true virtual environments and panoramas does not mean that 360 video is VR. Your ability to make real VR content is limited by your grasp of CGI and game engines. Good engines are relatively easy to create with and come with an extensive catalog of ready-made sets and props that will get you started without writing a single line of code. There are even fully rendered scenes with controllable characters that you can reverse engineer and modify.

To create a “reality” that lives up to the name, a rather significant number of computer scientists, artists and engineers have been working for more than 20 years to make synthetic characters that are driven by predictive analytics and voiced by prosodically guided phonetic engines that queue emotionally appropriate posture, gesture and empathy scripts.

This is not a pursuit for the faint of heart, but if you’ve got an XBox Kinect, you already have the rudimentary tools to start creating real VR content. Download a demo copy of the Unity or Unreal game engine and get started.

THE MECHANICS OF AR CONTENT:
The actual manufacturing process for Augmented Reality content is essentially the same as for VR with the exception that your entire environment is now replaced by and registered to the real world. The true importance of VR is that it is driving the R&D on AR. AR is so important because it is the de facto interface for the Internet of Things. Everything within your field of view will have an AR tag. Think of it as visible Bluetooth gone wild: And those synthetic characters, they will be your semiautonomous, very smart, personalized digital assistants.
THE MECHANICS OF 360 PANORAMA CONTENT:
Buy a 20-year-old QuickTimeVR camera on eBay or one of the hundred or so 360 systems out there on the market. Good entry style systems are the Sony Bloggie and the VSN v360. For a cinematic quality image I recommend the time-tested Pont Gray, Lady Bug5 that Google has been using for Street View for the past ten years or the Immersive Media, Dodeca, a proven performer for both civilian and military use.

The craft of virtual content:
A very large part of linear narrative is wrapped up in the art of framing. The director, cinematographer, actor and editor all conspire to convey the emotional arc of the actor as they drive their vector along the central theme of the narrative. The problem with VR is that there is no framing. The viewer is free to look around and will most likely be looking the other way at all the major plot points: you’ve lost the narrative. This holds true for VR, AR and Panorama. The narrative must be reimagined.

HOLLYWOOD—Virtual and augmented reality technology was showcased at the 2015 SMPTE Technical Conference, which wrapped up Oct. 29. TV Technology was able to check out a couple of demos, including a VR short from the movie, “Wild,” starring Reese Witherspoon, and a couple of apps from designers in the Department of Film & Digital Media at Baylor.

Fox brought the “Wild,” demo to a corner of the VR/AR exhibit room, where random SMPTE-goers sat wrapped in VR goggles and looking around the room at a forest that the goggle-free could not see. The clip was low action and so not so conducive to cybersickness—a common complaint with VR. In the “Wild,” clip, the viewer is sitting in the middle of a quiet forest on a sunny day. The colors were vibrant, but the resolution low, as is also typical of VR. The scene seams were relatively easy to detect, but not distracting.

Several seconds into the clip, Witherspoon comes walking up in character, wearing a backpack and hiking up a nearby trail. She pulls off her pack and sits near the viewer on a rock, seeming to look right at the viewer, though within a few more seconds, it's clear she's looking at something behind the viewer, which turns out to be Laura Dern, who played Witherspoon’s character’s deceased mother. So essentially, the viewer is sitting between Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern. Dern then disappears when the veiwer looks away, Witherspoon takes up her pack and trudges down the trail. A small fox runs through the scene. Cut. (“Wild VR Experience” images courtesy of 20th Century Fox.)

The Baylor team, incuding Professor Corey P. Carbonara, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Daniel M. Shafer and grad student Blake Copeland, demonstrated augmented reality apps that created 3D animations from the two-dimensional pages of books. (Depicted in accompanying videos below.)

Team Baylor also brought a VR modeler based on an “open source Scanner sample app in the Structure SDK,” according to Copeland. The app worked with an iPad affixed with a $110 LIDAR-equipped camera no larger than a typical portable phone charger. The camera device is pointed at the subject while the operator moves slowly around it, capturing data from all angles and producing an .obj file (which we cannot display here, but the two still images were captured from the process.) Copeland used it to create the author’s avatar in a matter of moments, while onlookers tried to make her crack up.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIF.—Shortly before the start of the SMPTE 2015 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition, Digital Video spoke with Program Committee Chair Aaron Thibault and Session Chair Corey Carbonara, for the SMPTE 2015 Symposium on Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.

TV Technology: Is one of these (either VR or AR) gaining more traction in the marketplace than the other and why?

 Aaron ThibaultAaron Thibault: There have been early entries in both VR and AR, but there's much more entertainment content in the works for VR. From a marketplace perspective, it's premature to make a call given that we don't know what the sell-in volume of sets across both technologies will be across the spectrum of product lines, and there haven't been many announcements yet about product launch timings and pricing.

TVT: Does the current research suggest that "cyber-sickness" is a technical glitch that is likely fixable or something inherent in this type of presentation? How does "cyber-sickness" affect men and women differently?

Corey Carbonara: According to the research, cyber-sickness is not just a technical "glitch" because it is a phenomenon where we just do not have all of the answers because we do not know all of the factors that affect it. This is because we still do not know exactly how all of the senses in the human body work together. We tend to focus on visual and vestibular factors, but it turns out it is much more than that. So, it is not merely a timeline where we might reach a technology threshold, for even if we had a display that was absolutely perfect, we still would just be addressing the visual factors not all of the senses combined.

The research out there indicates there is a difference between the number of cases of cyber-sickness and gender and our research at Baylor supports that. It appears that women do get cyber-sick more than men. Factors the research discusses that could account for this result is based on differences in the way that men and women process information in the brain, but more research is still needed to understand this more fully.

 Corey CarbonaraTVT: Assuming storytellers need to think differently, do all the other people involved, particularly those doing animation and visual effects need to totally change their thinking, too or can a solid animator, compositor or VFX artist expect to transition seamlessly into the world of AR and VR and leave concerns about new paradigms to the storytellers?

Thibault: I think that we are still learning as an industry what impact VR and AR will have on our art, pipeline and tools. We've been crafting interactive content with virtual cameras, composited scenes and mixed media for a long time in both games and canned stories, so people in the trade are already savvy about what impact the viewer's distance, focal lengths, lenses and lighting have for how story moments will be perceived. A lot will translate to VR and AR, but as always happens when formats emerge there will be new lessons learned about techniques and strategies for supporting storytelling.

TVT: The requirement of glasses certainly proved to be an impediment to the widespread acceptance of 3D stereoscopic displays. Does it seem that consumers are more, less, or equally bothered by wearing headsets for VR or AR content.

Thibault: I would love to see any market research findings that can answer this. I'm not aware that any definitive findings have been presented about user affinity for headsets.

TVT: Is there any research or anecdotal evidence that people who embrace VR or AR content prefer "realistic" looking content or imagery that is of a more fantastical nature?

Thibault: I'm not aware of any research indicating a preference. Anecdotal evidence provides many examples of both realistic and highly stylized content as enjoyable experiences. FOX's Wild VR project, New Deal's Kaiju Fury, and the Interstellar VR experience all are memorable and offer real, in-camera material. There are many fantastical, animated productions that are also being enjoyed and discussed; the "Henry" short from Oculus, Land's End by London game studio ustwo, and the new Batman: The Animated Series VR demo are all quite compelling.

TVT: Do successful VR and/or AR presentations generally require all graphics to be rendered on the fly or can a significant number of effects still be pre-built?

Thibault: I think this is a question about levels of interactivity and degrees of freedom, but the short answer is that there's no prescription or formula today for what makes a successful VR or AR presentation (other than keeping camera motion reasonable); as always, it's about the skill of the creative mind to express itself and craft an enjoyable experience with the tools available. If the experience is about affecting the world you are immersed in then calculations about the effect you have on virtual objects need to be consistent with your expectations in that real-time environment. In a passive sequence, it's up to the creator to decide whether content should be baked or dynamic.

Thibault is Vice President of Product Development at Gearbox Software and Executive Producer of Borderlands Games. Thibault created the centralized game-based training program "Digital Warrior" for the U.S. Army's Digital Transformation plan to support Operation Iraqi Freedom while at The IC2 Institute and The Institute for Advanced Technology in Austin, and built a skunkworks team to push Artificial Intelligence as a learning tool which resulted in breakthroughs like Real Time Neural Network Augmentation (RT NEAT). Thibault teaches in both the Computer Science and Film & Digital Media programs at Baylor University.

Corey Carbonara is a Professor of Film and Digital Media in the Communication Studies Department at Baylor University and serves as the Director of the Digital Communication Technologies Project at Baylor. Professor Carbonara currently serves in a variety of capacities on numerous state, national and international engineering committees, working groups, subcommittees and panels for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU-R). He also serves as a U.S. Delegate appointed by the U.S. Department of State and the White House to the ITU-R on topics ranging from high-definition television to digital cinema.

RCS augmented reality graphics appeared during NBC Golf’s live coverage of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
BURBANK, CALIF.—Reality Check Systems is a broadcast technology provider that opened its doors in 1997. From our Los Angeles headquarters and London office, our products and services power some of the world’s most-watched live sporting and entertainment events. Earlier this year, NBC Golf asked us to incorporate augmented reality (AR) graphics into its live coverage of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which took place at the Bay Hill Golf Course in Orlando, Fla. in March and was broadcast on both Golf Channel and NBC.

A U.S. FIRST

Even though the use of AR graphics in sports broadcasts is becoming more common, this was the first U.S. golf broadcast to air AR graphics. The golf course scenery offered a unique environment for AR graphics that you wouldn’t find in other sporting venues. This allowed us to come up with creative ideas for graphics that would merge data from PGA’s ShotLink statistics system with course elements, like the undulations of the green, the lake or even trees.

Our team worked closely with Golf Channel’s creative services department to design a comprehensive 3D graphics package. We developed a leaderboard, promos, course description, tournament ID, popup scores, hole results and more, which would appear embedded in the golf course to viewers through AR. We also wrote a custom script to interface with ShotLink and populate our leaderboard graphic with real-time tournament stats.

To help Golf Channel and NBC get the graphics to air, we built a custom system that they positioned on the 17th hole; it included a Viz Engine for rendering, Viz Trio for graphics control and an Ncam system attached to Golf Channel’s cameras to track graphics in real-time. By locking the graphics to real-time camera movements, the network was able to deliver dynamic AR content for tournament coverage across Golf Channel and NBC.

ON THE FLY

Working with AR comes with its own unique set of challenges, so we remained on-site throughout the entire event to make subtle changes, build custom graphics for the client and ensure everything stayed on track. The Ncam and Vizrt tools made the entire process smooth and efficient. Ncam integrated perfectly with the Golf Channel’s cameras and, with our Vizrt gear in place, we were able to take existing graphics scenes we had previously created and rebuild them on the fly in the AR environment.

With tools like these, the possibilities for AR are endless, and we’ve only begun to scratch the surface. We’ll continue testing the limits of technology to bring sports leagues and networks AR solutions that help them tell better stories and engage audiences.

Steven Heimbold is Principal and CTO at Reality Check Systems. He may be contacted atinfo@realitychecksystems.com.

For more information, contact RCS at 323-465-3900 or visitwww.realitychecksystems.com.

LONDON – Viewers can get a better look into the eye of a storm when they tune into The Weather Channel now as it has begun using live augmented reality presentations for weather presentations. Assisting in the presentation is the Ncam Live, a low latency real-time camera tracking system that allows the presenter and camera to have complete freedom of movement.

Integrating with the existing graphics programs for The Weather Channel, which includes Vizrt and The Weather Channel’s own professional division, WSI, the Ncam tracking system provides a stream of positional information without the need for special markers in the studio. As a result, the Ncam system keeps the graphics on a fixed location, allowing both the camera and presenter to have free range of movement.

The Weather Channel will use the Ncam system during “America’s Morning Headquarters,” which runs weekdays from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Ncam Technologies develops virtual production technology for film, television and broadcast industries and is based in London.

Check out a video of The Weather Channel's graphics program and Ncam in action below.