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.

Global shipments of virtual reality and mixed reality headsets are expected to reach approximately 9.6 million units in 2024, representing a year-over-year increase of 8.8% according to a new report from TrendForce.

Three key industry trends are shaping the global VR and MR ecosystem, according to the researcher: The dominance of low-cost devices, the shift from entertainment accessories to productivity tools and OLEDs on Silicon (OLEDoS) emerging as the preferred display technology for high-end near-eye devices. These three trends are expected to continue influencing the global VR and MR market over the next several years, TrendForce said.

Meta retains its position as the global leader in VR and MR device shipments with a 73% market share in 2024. The primary growth driver is the affordable Quest 3S—priced at just $299—contributing to an 11% year-over-year increase in shipments.

TrendForce said the limited availability of new applications for VR and MR has prompted Meta to adopt a strategy that prioritizes affordable pricing to capture consumer interest. To this end, Meta has opted to release the Quest 3S early while also suspending plans for the high-end Quest Pro 2, signaling a shift in focus toward budget-friendly devices, the researcher said.

Sony’s PS VR2 secured the second-largest market share at 9% for 2024. “Despite Sony’s efforts to integrate the PS VR2 with PC platforms using adapters to broaden the content ecosystem, limited functionality and application support have hindered its performance,” TrendForce said. “Consequently, annual shipments declined by 25% YoY.”

The Apple Vision Pro, which debuted in 2024, quickly captured a 5% share, making it the third-largest player in the VR/MR market. Sales figures fell short of previous Apple product launches, though, largely due to its high price and limited application resources, according to the researcher.

“Vision Pro’s entry, along with Meta’s decision to accelerate the launch of its budget-friendly model and suspend its high-end model, demonstrates that affordable pricing remains the key factor driving consumer adoption,” Trendforce said. “Price sensitivity among consumers has solidified LCD technology as the dominant display technology for VR/MR devices, with a market share exceeding 80%.”

The launch of the Apple Vision Pro has shifted VR and MR devices beyond their traditional focus on consumer-oriented entertainment toward a broader role as multifunctional productivity tools, TrendForce said.

“Vision Pro is redefining the capabilities and use cases of VR/MR devices—from document editing and virtual meetings to advanced applications in healthcare and education,” it said. “This paradigm shift is expected to encourage other brands to reevaluate the functional attributes of their own VR/MR devices, expanding their role in both consumer and enterprise markets.”

Despite the Vision Pro’s underwhelming sales performance, it has succeeded in establishing a new standard for user expectations of VR/MR. It is also the first device in the industry to feature OLEDoS display technology, setting a new benchmark for product specifications and visual quality in the sector, TrendForce said.

“Apple’s extensive experience in hardware design and its existing expertise in smartphones, tablets, and laptops positions the company as a key driver of the adoption and diversification of VR and MR applications,” it said. “Looking ahead, Apple is expected to launch its next generation of VR/MR devices as early as 2026, with a strategy to introduce two distinct models targeting both high-end and mainstream segments.”

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Disney+ has announced that subscribers to the streaming service can now experience a new immersive environment from National Geographic with the Disney+ app on Apple Vision Pro. The experience transports users to the breathtaking natural beauty of Iceland’s Thingvellir National Park and is National Geographic’s first-ever immersive project for Apple Vision Pro.

Disney+ is also making four additional 3D films from Marvel Studios available to subscribers today: “Avengers,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Ant-Man”* and “Ant-Man and the Wasp.”

National Geographic worked with Disney Studio Technology to lead the creative development and production of the immersive environment from high-resolution 3D models captured on-site using photogrammetry and gigapixel panoramas. The teams worked in collaboration with Disney Entertainment and ESPN Technology to bring this new experience to Disney+.

The streaming service reported that the new National Geographic environment will take Disney+ subscribers on Apple Vision Pro to the unique rocky terrain of Thingvellir National Park on a snowy winter day, allowing them to explore their surroundings via interactive elements and sounds that make the space come to life. This UNESCO world heritage site, captured by a team of National Geographic photographers, serves as the backdrop for viewers watching Disney+ content beneath a spectacular nighttime aurora.

“Since its inception, National Geographic has been at the forefront of photography and has led the way in using groundbreaking technology to tell stories that inspire a deeper connection to the natural world,” said David Miller, executive vice president National Geographic. “Creating this immersive environment was a natural next step for us to take to build on that legacy and to continue enabling audiences to experience the beauty of our natural world and see places they may never go to otherwise.”

For more information on Disney+ on Apple Vision Pro, visit disneyplus.com/applevisionpro. 

Virtual reality and its close relatives, such as extended reality, have been completely accepted into the workflow of high-end productions. Stepping into an LED volume, you can be transported anywhere from Antarctica to a planet embroiled in an imagined science fiction war. All it takes is a lot of pixels and a good imagination.

[Editor’s note: Here are a few of the examples of virtual reality technologies and case studies that were on display during the 2024 NAB Show. This article first appeared in the NAB Daily.]

MO-SYS VFX SOLUTION FOR DR. WHO ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL:

Mo-Sys Engineering recently announced that NearTime, its automated re-rendering service for on-set virtual production, was used to deliver VFX scenes for the “Dr. Who” 60th Anniversary Specials. In 2022, award-winning boutique studio Painting Practice, with CGI, animation and VFX specialists RealTime, approached Mo-Sys to develop a cost-efficient workflow for an episode of “Dr. Who” that required more than 250 VFX shots and was expected to be heavily VFX-dependent. Traditional VFX approaches would have been cost-prohibitive for this episode.

RealTime and Mo-Sys had previously collaborated on a Netflix production called “Dance Monsters,” which involved combining six cameras and eight monster characters in real time using the Unreal Engine and Mo-Sys VP Pro to create a live light-entertainment show. As part of this project, Mo-Sys and RealTime developed a pipeline for transferring precision camera and lens tracking data from Mo-Sys StarTracker through to post production to help automate and dramatically speed up the VFX workload.

By putting pre-visualization, on-set camera tracking, real-time pre-viz, NearTime rendering and automated VFX pipelines together, this VFX-heavy episode of “Dr. Who” was completed with stunning visuals at a fraction of the cost of traditional VFX.

XR STUDIOS “DANCING WITH THE STARS”: 

XR Studios, a Los Angeles-based facility with two LED volume studios, put together the season premiere opening for the Disney+ reality series “Dancing With the Stars” using a science fiction theme. Studio A has a 71-foot wide LED volume that is 20-foot tall and curved to provide a depth of 35 feet. Studio A also has an LED floor and a large movable LED panel that can be used to provide special lighting/background effects.

The overhead lighting grid uses many Kino Flo MIMIK light panels that can provide an LED ceiling. The MIMIK lights can also be put on stands to create lighting effects as needed in the production. For “Dancing With the Stars,” the LED volume was used to create an entirely fictional world, complete with spacecraft and hulking planets. The season premiere opening featured the two hosts of the show traveling in space through disco-themed planets. 

“They really wanted to get people looking as if they’re traveling through hyperspace, so we put two Kino Flo lights on lowboy stands right beneath them tilted up at their faces,” said J. T. Rooney, virtual production supervisor at XR Studios.

“The lights had hyperspace content that the talent could see and react to.” A little bit of realism in an unrealistic environment.

BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE INTEL EXTREME MASTERS — COLOGNE 2023:

In August 2023, the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) was held in Cologne, Germany. Extreme sports fans filled LANXESS Arena for the final three days of the competition, dubbed “The Cathedral of Counter-Strike.” This event drew a sizable live audience and more than 700,000 fans online to watch the world’s top Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) teams go head-to-head.

IEM entrusted Rocket Surgery Virtual Productions to enhance the video with augmented reality (AR) graphics, immersing the audience and fans at home deeper into the action. Rocket Surgery used a range Ross Video’s augmented-reality technology, including the Voyager Render Platform based on the Unreal Engine, Ultrix hyperconverged routers, a Carbonite Ultra production switcher and an OpenGear frame equipped with a range of signal processing cards. Complementing this array of production room technology was the use of the Spidercam cable-based camera system to provide unique visuals and feed the tracking data required to power the AR images.

To address the challenges presented by the rapid pace of online gameplay, Ross developed a tailored solution combining DashBoard and Datalinq to integrate all their video game APIs and devices directly into the production workflow. Rocket Surgery then programmed a custom DashBoard control panel using the RossTalk protocol, that allowed operators to automatically merge inputs and data with AR graphics in real time.

RESOLUTION STUDIOS IS VIRTUAL THE CENTER OF CHICAGO: 

Resolution Studios is an 86,000-square-foot production complex used for a variety of projects including TV commercials, TV episodes and feature films, located in Chicago’s Near West Side. Planar recently added 400 Planar Venue Pro VX Series indoor LED video wall displays with a 1.9mm pixel pitch that, when fully assembled, form a curved, 80-foot-wide by 14-foot-high LED volume.

Designed for the demands of temporary LED video wall setups, the Planar Venue Pro VX features magnetically attachable cabinets and a quick-lock system for securing cabinets together. The full 80-foot by 14-foot volume can be reasonably reconfigured into an LED video wall that is 60-foot wide and 20-foot tall, or even broken up into multiple formations.

“We definitely have common configurations that we use over and over, but certain shoots require specific layouts,” said Todd Freese, senior vice president and chief technology officer with Resolution Productions Group. “For instance, the way we will set up an LED video wall for a car process shot is completely different than what we would do for a narrative. I don’t ever want to have the conversation of trying to convince a director to shoehorn their creative into a permanent installation that may not be right.”

WHISTLING WOODS EXPLORES INDIA’S CULTURE WITH VIRTUAL REALITY:

Whistling Woods International, a film and creative arts institute nestled in the heart of Bollywood/Mumbai Filmcity in India, is working on projects that combine the country’s rich cultural heritage with immersive storytelling. The Kumbh Mela, occurring every 12 years, is the world’s largest gathering of humanity, where more than 220 million people make their way to a specially constructed city on the banks of the Ganges River. The last Kumbh happened in 2019 and the Whistling Woods crew was there to shoot it.

“Kumbh Mela 2019” will surround viewers in a kaleidoscope of colors, culture and spiritual fervor, as millions of devotees converge for this extraordinary pilgrimage. Through the use of 360 video and virtual reality, this project promises to offer a unique perspective on the Kumbh Mela, highlighting its significance as a symbol of spiritual enlightenment and collective harmony.

With more than 100 hours of content banked, the outlines for what will go on to become the most comprehensive and immersive showcase of the Kumbh are ready and so is a 7-minute trailer. The entire comprehensive docuseries should be completed later this year.

Copyright NAB 2024. 

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."

MONTRÉAL—In a development that could have important implications for tech collaboration and even TV news, Bell Canada, Verizon, Vodafone and Matsuko announced that they successfully conducted the first live transatlantic holographic collaborative meeting. The meeting connected multiple holographic people in Canada, the US and the UK using 5G and multi-access edge computing (MEC) technology.

The participants said that interacting with holograms of humans rather than avatars can provide a more personal experience for many applications such as remote healthcare, collaborative working, and education but the technology could also be applied to television news, tech collaborations or even live events streamed to users of virtual technologies. 

The call was enabled by the speed of 5G combined with the quick response times of MEC, which moves the necessary computing closer to the edge of the network. This ensures a more reliable and consistent hologram by removing delays resulting from multiple hops between different locations and across the internet.

Holograms of employees located in three different countries were connected from Toronto, Canada, using Bell's 5G network; New York in the US using Verizon's 5G network; and from London, UK, using Vodafone's 5G network. They were created using Matsuko's real-time software and just a single camera and were then streamed thanks to spatial computing, an immersive technology which combines virtual and augmented reality. Matsuko's patented technology uses its presence app on a smartphone coupled with a XR (Extended Reality) headset to stream holograms instantly, creating the feeling that people are in the same room as you.

"Through its active participation in the 5GFF, Bell continues to support the developer community to access 5G MEC technologies and to ensure their solutions take full advantage of Bell's 5G network in Canada, and to interoperate globally," said Bell's Costa Pantazopoulos, vice president of product. "This holographic video meeting demo illustrates how Bell - with partners Verizon and Vodafone - is making it easier for developers to leverage 5G capabilities to innovate and achieve their application goals."

"This demonstration shows how Verizon via the 5GFF continues to drive Open API industry momentum with real-life use cases while also accelerating ease of use for developers," added John Nitti, senior vice president of strategy, new business and partner development for Verizon.

The smooth and natural movement of these holograms will become more prevalent with the growing availability of 5G and edge computing technology,” predicted Giorgio Migliarina, Vodafone group director of business products and services. 

Bell Canada, Verizon and Vodafone came together under the auspices of industry body, the 5G Future Forum (5GFF) for this first-of-its-kind demonstration. They are showing the transatlantic conference meeting and the technology behind it at the Mobile World Congress exhibition in Las Vegas (Booth #1533, located in GSMAs Open Gateway Zone).

Matsuko was able to connect to the fast 5G networks of Bell Canada, Verizon, and Vodafone by using 5GFF's Application Programmable Interface (API) – called 5GFF's Edge Discovery API – which allows developers and ISVs like Matsuko to discover the nearest edge to their end users, so their applications perform optimally with a consistent service across mobile networks. Network APIs are a set of interfaces based on industry-wide open standards that allow developers to plug into and use the low-latency benefits, speed, and scale of 5G and MEC.

5GFF also said that it is inviting independent software vendors (ISVs) globally, who either currently use 5G MEC or have it on their development roadmap, to apply to join the organization's acceleration program and work closely with some of the world's leading telecommunications companies to shape the API development process. The program is designed to expand and interconnect the global MEC ecosystem by partnering and engaging with developers.

In addition, the 5GFF works closely with GSMA's Open Gateway initiative, which launched earlier this year and now has over 30 signatories. Open Gateway is a framework of common network APIs designed to provide universal access to operator networks for developers and works closely with Linux Foundation's CAMARA which develops API specifications.

For more information, visit https://www.5gff.org/5g-mec-acceleration-program/.  

LAS VEGAS—Visualization technology provider Planar and sister company OptiTrack, a developer of advanced 3D tracking systems, have outlined a diverse portfolio of new and improved advanced broadcast technologies that they will be featuring at the 2023 NAB Show.

“Planar and OptiTrack are continuously bringing the most innovative and cutting-edge display and mocap technologies to NAB and this year is no different,” said Planar executive vice president Adam Schmidt. “This year, we have an array of new and improved products designed specifically for on-camera and in-camera environments - the most advanced offering for the market to date, backed by decades of on-camera broadcast industry leadership.” 

At NAB 2023, Planar will be showcasing the Planar CarbonLight CLI VX Series, featuring an improved scan ratio, eliminating display-to-camera artifacts from being captured during a camera panning motion. Planar will also present the NAB debut of the Planar Venue Pro VX Series, as well as the award-winning and longstanding choice of broadcasters Planar TVF Series and the premium fine pitch MicroLED Planar DirectLight Ultra Series.

OptiTrack will demonstrate their extensive line of motion capture cameras, optical motion tracking software and object tracking capabilities at NAB 2023, including CinePuck, a tracking tool designed specifically for virtual production, mixed reality and broadcast studios. 

Featured products include: 

• Planar CarbonLight CLI VX Series: Cutting-edge LED displays that feature unrivaled image quality and versatility to revolutionize the production of realistic on-camera and in-camera content. Featuring an improved scan ratio, the series provides greater flexibility in how video walls adapt to different cameras and effects. The lightweight LED display is available in 1.9 and 2.6 millimeter pixel pitches and includes models with Brompton and Colorlight controllers. The series supports hanging, wall-mounted, free-standing and curved installations to beautifully integrate with broadcast, VP and XR studios. It features improved thermal management and uniformity, precise yet flexible color management and a wide color gamut for greater color compatibility. With an LED refresh rate of 3840 Hz and frame rates ranging from 24 – 144 Hz, customers benefit from smooth motion and compatibility with a variety of camera settings. 
• Planar CarbonLight CLF VX Series: LED flooring with a 2.6 millimeter pixel pitch that can be used to create a high resolution, continuous canvas, virtually expanding physical environments. The square (500x500 millimeters), thin LED flooring displays feature carbon fiber frames with layered wear-proof masking to support up to 1,102 pounds per display, facilitating heavy loads.
• Planar Venue Pro VX Series: Indoor fine pixel pitch LED video wall displays that deliver exceptional in-camera visual performance for VP and XR studios, as well as on-camera visual performance for broadcasters. The series combines high-performing scan and refresh rates with high brightness and narrow pixel pitches, making it well-suited for LED volumes in markets as diverse as film and video production, corporate, broadcast, rental and staging, as well as live events. Designed to support hanging, stacked or wall-mounted installations, support for HDR-ready content, a wide color gamut, including up to DCI-P3 color space and compatibility with a wide range of cameras, the series delivers the unmatched visual performance and deployment versatility needed to develop lifelike recorded, streamed or broadcast video content. 
• Planar TVF Series: An award-winning family of fine pitch LED video wall displays delivering superior on-camera performance with a wide range of refresh rates to ensure that it can be used with a variety of broadcast needs. The series offers models with fine pixel pitches from 0.9 - 2.5 millimeters and features a front service, cableless, stackable design that gives new meaning to multi-functionality and reduces the complexity of installation and vertical alignment, making it a longstanding favorite for broadcast customers. 
• Planar DirectLight Ultra Series: Premium fine pitch MicroLED video wall displays presenting several display technology advancements that, in combination, deliver big performance. Available in 0.6, 0.7, 0.9 and 1.2 millimeter pixel pitches, the series features models with MicroLEDs, off-board power supply, proprietary alignment technology and built-in processing to deliver always-on, high resolution display experiences for unmatched visual performance for close viewing distances and the most refined applications. The Planar EverCare Lifetime Limited Warranty is also included, offering customers complete confidence in their LED video wall purchase while reducing lifetime cost-of-ownership.
• OptiTrack Motion Capture: Chosen for its precision, accuracy, ease of use, reliability and polished integration with on-set tools, OptiTrack’s high speed and wide field-of-view motion tracking cameras, active tracking components, passive tracking markers and advanced motion capture software remain the choice for the world’s premier volumes.
• CinePuck: The purpose-built, active marker tracking tool for studios, CinePuck mounts directly to cinema or broadcast cameras, enabling studios to know the camera’s movement and continuous field of view with leading-edge tracking accuracy and precision. CinePuck data integrates with the on-screen environment to adjust virtual background imagery from the perspective of the cinema or broadcast camera, minimizing parallax error. It can be seamlessly integrated into any production workflows, including crowed rigging configurations.

Planar and OptiTrack’s extensive selection of LED display and camera tracking solutions designed to support today’s diverse production needs will be on display at Booth #W2633.  For more information, visit www.planar.com or www.optitrack.com.

 MENLO PARK, Calif.—Meta has announced that it is expanding its partnership with the NBA and WNBA to launch more than 50 live NBA games in virtual reality (VR) on Meta Quest, including five in immersive, 180-degree VR. Those five games will feature celebrity broadcasters Meta said. 

As part of expanded partnership, Meta also announced that users will be able to watch NBA, WNBA, G League and 2K League content on both XTADIUM and Meta Horizon Worlds and that it is partnering with the NBA to offer licensed team apparel in the Meta Avatars Store. 

The upcoming games in VR will also include the ability to host watch parties with friends. 

In Meta Horizon Worlds, users will be able to access game highlights, recaps and archival content.

Users can visit XTADIUM beginning on Jan. 23 to access the dedicated NBA Arena where they can watch games and compete in interactive mini-games.

The January schedule, subject to geo-location blackouts includes: 

• Milwaukee Bucks vs. Detroit Pistons: January 23 at 4:00 pm PT
• Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Pelicans: January 24 at 5:00 pm PT
• Denver Nuggets vs. Milwaukee Bucks: January 25 at 5:00 pm PT
• Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: January 27 at 5:00 pm PT
• Los Angeles Clippers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: January 29 at 4:00 pm PT
• Miami Heat vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: January 31 at 4:00 pm PT

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.

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.

AMSTERDAM—IBC has announced that journalist, filmmaker and Virtual & Augmented Reality (VR/AR) pioneer Nonny de la Peña, Founder of Emblematic Group, will deliver a keynote at IBC2022 at the RAI Amsterdam on Sept. 10.  De la Peña will give a talk entitled "What’s Next: How immersive tech will create new narratives and transform entertainment." The session is free and open to all show attendees.

De la Peña is regarded as a leading innovator in immersive technologies and journalism. Currently the Founding Director for Narrative and Emerging Media at Arizona State University, she is a 2022 Peabody Field Builder Award winner for her work in immersive journalism. 

A former correspondent for Newsweek, she has also been named a Wall Street Journal Technology Innovator of the Year, A Wired #MakeTechHuman Agent of Change, and has been called “The Godmother of Virtual Reality” by Engadget and The Guardian. Fast Company named her “One of the People Who Made the World More Creative” and she was one of CNET’s 20 Most Influential Latinos in Tech for her pioneering work in immersive storytelling.

De la Peña is speaking at 12.15 p.m. on Saturday Sept. 10 in the Forum at the RAI Amsterdam, on the second day of the four-day Show. Visitors can expect to hear de la Peña give her vision of what content experiences will look like in 2030 and beyond. Following her talk, de la Peña will give an onstage interview and take questions from the audience.

The 2022 IBC Show takes place Sept. 9-13.

NEW YORK & MIAMI—The NFL and StatusPRO have announced that they will be launching a NFL-licensed virtual reality (VR) simulation gaming title to fans globally. 

The companies have not announced a release date or pricing. The first NFL-licensed VR game will be available on Meta Quest and PlayStation VR. 

“Virtual reality gaming is rapidly expanding and our partnership with StatusPRO allows us to explore a new immersive version of NFL gaming with support of the two largest VR platforms within this emerging space,” said Joe Ruggiero, senior vice president, consumer products at the NFL. “We are seeing a growing number of fans engaging with VR and we’re excited to launch the first-ever VR gaming title that complements our existing offerings in the market today.”

The NFL and StatusPRO will leverage StatusPRO’s athlete-led technology and work alongside their experienced team of developers to create a game that provides fans with a first-person experience similar to their favorite football players, the companies said. 

“Today marks an important milestone for StatusPRO and the VR industry,”  said Troy Jones, co-founder and CEO of StatusPRO. “By partnering with the NFL, we will offer a new form of engagement between athletes and fans unlike anything in the marketplace. NFL football fans and gamers alike will be able to connect with the world of sports through authentic, immersive gaming products that democratize the experience of the professional athlete,”

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.  

MIAMI—As part of its extensive Olympics coverage, Telemundo Deportes has unveiled its first multi-camera virtual reality set and a fully revamped sports studio.   

“We are proud of the work our production and operations teams have done to embrace technology with the new VR set,” said Eli Velazquez, executive vice president of sports content for Telemundo Deportes. “We continue to leverage Telemundo Center’s resources in our coverage of big live events like the Olympics to complement the onsite production, delivering audiences the highest quality viewing experience.”  

The Tokyo Olympics VR studio was fully developed in-house by Telemundo’s virtual production services (VPS) team.

It features three cameras, augmented reality capabilities, live graphics and custom interfaces to help the production team to go on air. 

The set also offers a unique innovation in the way the directors and cameras work on the virtual sets. Instead of moving the cameras, the technology allows the team to rotate the virtual set. This allows them to be more efficient with the green screen and to get all the same angles they would be able to use if it was a regular studio set.  

In addition, Telemundo Deportes’ main set has been fully revamped with Tokyo Olympics themed elements including lighting, graphics, and the augmented reality capabilities. The AR graphics will be shown as a Parallax effect into the big LED wall. All this new technology has been integrated with the regular Sports Graphics workflow. 

In Tokyo, Telemundo Deportes’ live coverage originates from a standing position featuring views of Tokyo’s iconic Olympic stadium that will serve as the home of the opening and closing ceremonies. In addition, select soccer matches are being called from stadiums across Japan for both the men and women’s soccer tournaments. 

Close to 250 Telemundo personnel from production, technical and operations teams are working in Tokyo and Telemundo Center to provide coverage of the games.   

Ana Jurka and Miguel Gurwitz are anchoring coverage from Tokyo. Also from Japan, Andres Cantor and Manuel Sol are calling select soccer matches from Japan, joined by a crew reporting live from the venues. There are also three additional production crews across the host city. 

In addition, more than 25 on-air talent, experts and Olympians will be covering all angles of the Tokyo Olympics live from Telemundo Center. The team will be led by Telemundo Deportes’ host of “Boxeo Telemundo” and “TYM,” Karim Mendiburu and Jessica Carrillo from “Al Rojo Vivo” who will anchor Telemundo’s recap show.  

Universo’s live coverage will be anchored by journalist Diana Rincon while the soccer competitions will be led by the commentary and analysis of Telemundo Deportes’ legendary Mexican goal scorer Carlos Hermosillo and commentators Copan Alvarez, Sammy Sadovnik and Eduardo Biscayart. 

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.

LOS ANGELES—Virtual Reality (VR) comes once again to the boxing ring Saturday (Nov. 14) with Fox Sports’ production of the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) fight pitting Amilcar Vidal against Edward Ortiz.

Facebook Watch will present the VR fight via its Venues app to users of the Oculus Quest VR headset. Quest wearers tuning in for the fight will experience the match as if they were onsite witnessing the sights and sounds for themselves.  

The fight, the first of three VR events Fox Sports will produce for Facebook, will be shot with 4K cameras dedicated to the VR production. Oculus Quest users will be able to interact with one another in the VR environment and watch replays in virtual windows in their environment. 

“You as a virtual reality viewer become an avatar in this virtual environment,” says Michael Davies, senior vice president, Technical and Field Operations, at Fox Sports. “You are watching the fight from a kind of virtual amphitheater that you can move around in.”

“Just in front of you is this great big screen, essentially, that is the virtual reality programming. So, it is a mixture of VR and interactive elements,” he says. 

Boxing is particularly well-suited to good VR production because “the playing field is so small,” says Davies. 

“Years ago [in 2016], we did a boxing event and right at the beginning of our package we used NextVR,” he says. “We learned some things about shooting boxing in VR like the best camera placement.”

For Saturday’s fight, four 4K cameras will be used—one in a neutral corner, another ringside next to one of the judges and a third as a “wild cam” that can be moved around for shots of the boxers walking to the ring and other interesting viewpoints. The fourth, as of this writing, has not been assigned a location, says Davies.

The four cameras will feed a special VR production workflow that is separate from the linear show that will air on FS1 (Fox Sports 1) at 8 p.m. ET. Switching the VR production is similar to a standard video production with one important distinction: speed. “We do it a little bit slower as not to cause too much vertigo [for the VR viewer],” says Davies.  

“What works better with VR is to allow the scene play out in front of you versus trying to follow the action too much. It just takes your senses a little bit of time to acclimate to each shot,” he says. “So, we’d like to find a good shot and stay on it for a while and only switch when absolutely necessary.”

Graphics are added to the VR production as are replays from the linear production. The VR show director views a typical multiviewer with video that’s “like a very stretched picture” to call the shots for the show. Another production crew member is in the VR experience to ensure not only the quality of the production but also that it looks good in the Venues amphitheater, he says.

Audio for VR productions is particularly important. “We learned, and I think everybody learned when we were doing VR for the first time a few years ago, that there still very much is a need for storytelling in VR,” says Davies.

The sound mix, including audio from the VR camera mics, natural sound from the linear show and announcer audio, will help keep VR viewers grounded in the environment and move the story of the fight along. However, unlike the linear show, the production will have no commercials.

To keep VR viewers engaged during commercial breaks, Fox Sports announcers will engage with Oculus Quest wearers to answer questions and talk over the fight.

Fox Sports then will hand off the VR production to Facebook to place into the Venues environment, says Davies.

Producing a separate VR show is a rather low-profile endeavor and poses no threat of interfering with the linear show, notes Davies, who adds that the evolution of virtual reality has been impressive. 

“We’ve probably gotten about 15 or 20 VR shows under our belt over the years,” he says. “So, it’s satisfying to see that VR is marching along and improving with every manifestation. Boxing is a good place to showcase it once again and see what everybody thinks.”

(Editor’s note: Fox Sports and Facebook will also present two more PBC matches, to be determined, on Nov. 21 and Dec. 16.) 

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.

LAS VEGAS—Are VR headsets soon to be a thing of the past? Panasonic has announced that it has developed HDR capable UHD virtual reality eyeglasses, a first according to the company, and is showcasing them at its booth (12908, Centrla Hall) during CES 2020.

The expected launch of commercial 5G services are likely to benefit new VR experiences, like sports viewing and virtual travel experiences. But instead of the often large VR headsets currently needed for such viewing, Panasonic says its new design offers a comfortable fit akin to wearing eyeglasses.

The high-performances display device was developed in cooperation with Kopin Corporation, a manufacturer of display devices for VR glasses. Panasonic’s audio and visual technologies have been incorporated into the VR eyeglasses, including signal processing technologies, acoustic technologies of Technics audio products and optical tech use in Lumix digital cameras.

The main features of the new VR eyeglasses are the UHD high-quality images that are capable of displaying HDR thanks to a micro OLED panel and high-quality sound can be reproduced over a range of frequencies from ultra-low to high.

Panasonic is expected to continue developing the VR glasses so they can be used in a variety of applications.

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.

AMSTERDAM—While hot topics around OTT, AI and the growing dominance of Silicon Valley were in abundance, the biggest innovations at IBC this year were arguably to be found in the Auditorium. This year’s Big Screen strand ran throughout the entire conference and the sessions offered delegates a glimpse into future production techniques and workflows that will set the bar for years to come.

Employing a live-action film crew that can work virtually to set up and execute shots in an animated world is one example; a technique employed on Disney’s all-digital, astoundingly photorealistic “The Lion King” remake. In one keynote session the film’s cinematographer Caleb Deschanel and its VFX supervisor Rob Legato demonstrated how they used VR headsets to plan out their shots.

“VR allows you to walk around the CG world like you would on a real set and put the camera where you want,” Deschanel said. “You know where the light goes, you know where the camera goes, you know where the actors are. We were able to get some obscure points of view and tell a different story about the characters—and VR gave us that opportunity.”

According to Legato, the film’s budget could have been much larger had the production gone to Africa to shoot and then composited CG characters into the shots. As a result he predicted that VR previsualisation would change how movies were made and scheduled, while Deschanel argued that it would democratize the film-making process for a new generation of filmmakers.

“A 25-year-old aspiring director will be able to practice a shoot at home virtually before sharing their vision with the world,” Deschanel predicted. “This is where the next generation of talent will come from.

VISION FOR 2030

In another Big Screen session, Hollywood studios’ tech bosses gathered to discuss a new whitepaper that is set to transform production workflows in an industry where massive increases in content production across multiple platforms is proving a real challenge.

Michael Wise, CTO of Universal Pictures, argued that “faster production cycles and more rapid iterations” were needed.

MovieLabs—an independent body founded by five prominent studios to explore new technologies and workflows—believes the answer lies in the cloud.

The body’s 10-year vision is for all studio assets to be created and ingested straight into the cloud, and furthermore, any tools used on content assets in this new workflow must come to the cloud, rather than the other way around, (for more insight, read “SMPTE 2019: MovieLabs CTO Lays Out Vision For Media Creation In 2030,” in this month’s Broadcast Engineering Extra).

For this to happen, Arjun Ramamurthy, senior vice president of technology for Disney, acknowledged that the studios would need the support from “everyone in the production ecosystem.”

“We want the best of breed tools, but they need to be interchangeable and interoperable,” he said. “I would say that this is the key message here for manufacturers at IBC.”

BBC’S NHU PUSHES ENVELOPE

Another production trailblazer—and a big influence on “The Lion King,” according to its cinematographer—is the BBC’s Natural History Unit. Big Screen delegates were wowed by UHD HDR versions of the NHU’s recent hits including “Planet Earth II,” “Dynasties” and its latest production, “Seven Worlds, One Planet.”

Colin Jackson, senior innovation producer at BBC Studios, revealed that most of its productions are now filmed in 7.5K and 8K and the unit was “committed to driving innovation.” According to Jackson, this includes the use of drones in ways that would have been unthinkable only a couple of years ago; at night, over water, in caves and circling around the Russian Arctic.

Rachel Butler, a producer at the unit, added that new technology was literally taking its crews to new depths: “Using air rebreathers, for example, means our underwater teams can now stay down for 3-6 hours at a time.”

FRIENDLY FAANGS

Those other California players 350 miles north of Hollywood—the socalled FAANGs (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google)—were also out in force at this year’s IBC, hungry for partnerships and insisting that they were friends, not foes.

In her conference opener, Cecile FrotCoutaz, head of content for YouTube, urged pay-TV companies to harness the platform to reach new audiences. The former Fremantle chief executive said that YouTube’s partners in the pay-TV space were increasingly viewing the platform as an essential part of their content offering.

Traditional European free-to-airs are also embracing VoD on social, with examples provided of how ProSiebenSat.1 and France Télévisions are harnessing Facebook’s Watch video on demand service to drive audiences to their TV programming, with previews and exclusive content. Erin Connolly, social video product manager for Facebook, added that, on average, audiences are currently spending 26 minutes in Watch.

“We have a long way to go, but are excited about the progress we have seen,” she said, adding that the platform was looking for “long-term sustainable and mutually beneficial partnerships.”

Facebook was also an exhibitor this year and during the conference announced updates that it has made to two Facebook Live features, Watch Party and Creators Studio.

Also delivering keynotes at the conference were Shalini Govil-Pai, head of Android TV (Google), and Alexa’s Max Amordeluso (Amazon), who both espoused the benefits of voice control technology.

“We find that the user has to be trained to use Google Assistant, but when they get it, it’s a magical experience,” said Govil-Pai.

However, not everybody believes the way that the FAANGS are operating is magical. During Friday’s keynote, Noel Curran, director general of the EBU, warned that any partnerships between broadcasters and social media companies would remain “unbalanced” while platforms coveted broadcasters’ audience data.

“We need to have access to the data social media platforms hold on our output and we need to get to a position where we get due prominence on those platforms,” Curran insisted. Regulation, Curran continued, was the answer, as he called for governments to get tougher on Silicon Valley.

“Why is there no regulation in terms of data? Right now we have an unregulated social media sector, dominated by four or five big players that have an unprecedented amount of control.”

AI BUSTS FAKE NEWS

Another strand running through IBC this year was Tech Talks, which sees the show’s Conference committee anonymously select whitepapers on the basis of their merits, and then invites the authors to give their presentations to IBC delegates.

This included a session on AI, which saw Grant Totten, head of media and emerging platforms for Al Jazeera, present a proof-of-concept AI aimed at busting fake news.

Totten explained that the work involved combining enriched metadata with contextual video analysis to perform a number of compliance-related tasks on its news-based content. These ranged from ensuring political candidates get equal speaking time to validating maps of disputed territories.

The most challenging level of the research, he added, was the detection of deep fakes— AI-generated synthetic videos of events and actions that haven’t occurred. “Detecting deep fakes is the most advanced level of our research because it takes a visual orientated approach to fake news and is also textual as well as visual,” Totten said. “We’re pushing contextual video analysis to its limits.”

SANTA CLARA, Calif.—Intel has announced plans for a 5G-based VR, 3D and 360-degree platform for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 and the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

In collaboration with SoReal, Intel Core and Intel Xeon processors will bring immersive experiences to the Olympics, including 5G-based VR/AR solutions, experiences and training assistance, as well as esports events and even a theme park.

Rick Echevarria, Intel sales and marketing group vice president and general manager of Intel’s Olympics program, said: “Intel is committed to help bring technologies including AI, 5G platforms and VR into the Olympic Games to provide innovative experiences for athletes, participants, spectators and stadium operators, as well as demonstrating how technology promotes successful business transformation.

“Working with an organization with deep expertise in VR/AR-related technology development as well as VR/AR content production, combined with Intel’s VR/AR expertise and 5G technology, we are confident in helping to bring more immersive experiences to participants.”

TOKYO—Intel hopes to offer fans a gold medal viewing experience for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo with its technological offerings, building off what it provided on-site and to fans around the world at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.

One of the new technologies that Intel will deploy during the games is 3D Athlete Tracking, a computer vision system that uses artificial intelligence to provide viewers real-time insight and overlay visualizations during events. 3DAT, in partnership with Olympic Broadcast Services, uses four pan-tilt mounted cameras to capture the form and motion of athletes, then apply pose estimation algorithms to analyze the biomechanics of athletes’ movements. The data will then be transformed into broadcast overlay visualizations available during replays. Intel and the OBS plan to use this technology during the 100M and other sprinting events.

Virtual reality will also continue to be a part of Intel’s Olympics plan following its debut at the 2018 PyeongChang games. Intel’s True VR technology will be used to create immersive experiences for a number of sports and venues during the games, including the opening and closing ceremonies, track & field, gymnastics, boxing and beach volleyball. The content will be distributed by rights-holding broadcasters.

In addition, the Intel World Open esports tournament will be hosted and powered by Intel prior to the games in Tokyo. Intel will provide live coverage of the tournament, which will be powered by Intel Core i7 gaming processors.

Intel’s technology plan expands beyond providing the above experiences for fans, but to also help with training and other services needed during the games. This will include VR training for the organizing committee to practice situations at competition venues; NeoFace facial recognition technology powered by Intel to help with security; and assisting Cisco with providing network technology to connect competition venues, the athlete’s village, broadcasting setups and more.

“We’re excited to be partnering with Intel to make Tokyo 2020 the most innovative Olympics in history,” said Masaaki Komiya, vice director general of the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games. “Working together with Olympic partners like Intel will be how the Olympic Games is ushered into the new age of technology and innovation.”

MENLO PARK, Calif.—Amazon Prime viewers can now watch their favorite content in their own private, virtual reality screening room, as Oculus has announced that it is now able to provide its users access to Prime Video VR.

Prime members in the U.S. and U.K. that own a Oculus Quest, Oculus Go and Gear VR set can watch Amazon original programming like “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” “Cold War” and the entire Prime Video programming catelogue through the Prime Video VR app. In addition, 10 360-degree videos have been selected and are available immediately, with new VR content expected to be added on a regular basis.

The Prime Video VR app can be downloaded through the Oculus store on any of the compatible Oculus devices. When downloaded, users can sign into their Prime Video accounts and searching for titles by using their voice.

Non Prime members can access the Prime Video VR app through their Oculus devices, but they are not able to access specific VR content.

More information is available at amazon.com/PrimeVideoVR.

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.

Fremont, CA — August 29, 2018 - Blackmagic Design announced today that Micro Studio Camera 4K and Video Assist were used for 4K VR live streaming of a Jazztronik concert at Billboard Live Tokyo. The concert was streamed on YouTube and viewers could feel as though they were inside the concert venue by wearing a head mounted display.

The 4K VR live stream was organized by Kadinche, a developer of VR and AR solutions technologies, software development and web design.

Jazztronik, the music group who performed for the concert, is part of the Japanese company Styrism. Takayuki Morinaka, CEO of Styrism, said, “It was the first time for us to hold a live streaming concert. Of course it is best to have fans come to our concert and let them enjoy live performances, but we decided to give it a shot at making use of the cutting edge VR live streaming technology for our artists, having noticed that the technologies of live streaming and VR have been rapidly growing over the years.”

Two Micro Studio Camera 4Ks, with Entaniya 250° lenses, were placed at the concert venue, one for live streaming and the other for archive recording. Video Assist was used for monitoring and recording purposes.

“The Jazztronik concert was scheduled to last for one and half hours. We sought reliable cameras that could shoot for long hours and concluded that Micro Studio Camera 4K was the best option. The camera’s small size was especially helpful for this event as we had limited space to put a camera in. In contrast with the size of the camera body, the sensor inside the camera is surprisingly huge, giving you great picture quality in 4K. The 250° lenses and Micro Studio Camera 4K were the best combination because both of them support micro four thirds mount. Micro Studio Camera 4K satisfied every condition this project required.”

“We reduced the frame rate on our software to 4K 20fp to achieve stable live streaming. As affordable as it is, Micro Studio Camera 4K is a wonderful camera with great 4K image quality. Combined with Video Assist, you can even see the video captured by a fisheye lens, which is not possible with common VR devices,” said Dai Akiyama, chief strategy officer of Kadinche.

“I think that VR streaming is best for concerts and events. You can let as many people as you want experience the performance without inviting them to actual venues. Concert halls have limited seats, but with VR streaming anyone can enjoy and see artists at the front row. We are hoping to continue using Blackmagic products for projects of VR and stereoscopic video streaming,” he concluded.

Press Photography

Product photos of Micro Studio Camera 4K, Video Assist and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images.

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.

Fremont, CA - June 14, 2018 - Blackmagic Design today announced that Sky News UK has integrated a series of Ultimatte 12 compositing processors and an Ultimatte Smart Remote 4 to produce dynamic virtual studio segments for its award winning 24 hour rolling news cycle, in particular for its ‘Sunrise’ breakfast programming.

The installation forms part of a major relocation project, which saw the news broadcaster move to new, state of the art studio facilities within Sky Campus in West London. “Our key aim was not only to retain the extremely high quality production values that Sky News is renown for, but also to ensure that we were able to create depth, scale and variety when presenting news output,” explains Ben Wickham, head of studio output, Sky News.

The three walled greenscreen takes up around half of the studio, and is predominantly used for Sky News’ virtual news studio, built within a highly realistic 3D VR environment. Within the virtual set, a video wall can be deployed for welcome sequences, lead item discussions, correspondent reports, sports bulletins and weather forecasts.

Ben explains that this is where the cleanness of Ultimatte’s keying and spill suppression come into their own: “As well as a range of different presenters’ hair colors, skin tones and clothing, it has to deal with changes in camera angle, and greenspill from the three walls on presenters’ heads and shoes. The Ultimatte’s real time edge handling and color separation means that we can always be confident of the results on screen, no matter how many different VR studio slots we have in the running order.”

News programming in the studio is captured by five cameras, including two dedicated VR units; one on a jib and a pedestal unit operated remotely from the gallery. “Our VR elements have to be as flexible as possible, so we can cut between our VR camera signals and also transition between the virtual set and the presenters’ desk in the other half of the studio,” continues Ben. “The integration between studio set and VR cameras has to be seamless.”

Sky News is already expanding its use of VR with Ultimatte 12 with enhancements to its editorial news elements, for example, creating a series of real life locations to recreate timelines of key news events. “Often we simply can’t film in these locations live, as they may still be an active crime scene, however by constructing a virtual recreation, we can have a presenter walk through the scene, giving the story an added dimension,” explains Ben.

“We chose Ultimatte 12 primarily because its precision, wide color space and real time image processing would match Sky News’ rigorous demands for production excellence at all times,” Ben concludes. “It’s critical that any VR elements we introduce into our studio productions retain as much authenticity as possible. Ultimatte’s flexibility, combined with high quality VR builds ensures that viewers will continue to turn to the channel as a reliable and information news source.”

Press Photography

Product photos of Ultimatte 12, Ultimatte Smart Remote 4 and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images.

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.

Press Contact

Nick Govoni
Zazil Media Group
(e) nick@zazilmediagroup.com
(p) +1 (978) 866 7354

LONDON — The BBC has announced that it will cover the 2018 World Cup in Ultra HD and virtual reality as BCC Sports puts the new technology to the test.

All 33 matches covered by BBC will be available at no charge to viewers on the BBC Sport VR 2018 World Cup app. Those with VR headsets can immerse themselves into a stadium experience in which they feel as if they are seated in a hospitality box, BBC said.

[Read: FIFA to Provide Teams With In-Match Video During World Cup]

BBC also plans to present 29 matches on BBC One in Ultra HD to those with a high-speed internet connection. The UHD coverage will be made available on a first-come, first-served basis, it said. Tens of thousands of fans also will be able to access an HD stream via the BBC iPlayer home screen as soon as coverage begins.

Matthew Postgate, BBC chief technology and product officer, said the UHD and VR trials will give viewers a taste of what is to come in television.

More information is available on the BBC website.

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NEW YORK –NBCUniversal has teamed up with Google to produce virtual reality (VR) versions of select NBCUniversal shows. The VR projects include original content from “Saturday Night Live,” Bravo Media’s “Vanderpump Rules” and SYFY WIRE, with more NBCUniversal networks, channels and shows to follow in the coming months, including projects from E!, NBC, NBC News, NBC Sports, SYFY, Telemundo and USA Network. They’ll be made available on YouTube, and can be viewed on the web or using any mobile phone. For the most immersive experience, viewers can watch in VR using Google Cardboard or Daydream View.

NBCUniversal and Google will collaborate on at least 10 multi-episode VR productions that will place fans inside scenes via 360-degree views. The experiences are being produced using Jump, Google’s platform for VR video capture that combines high-quality VR cameras and automated stitching. Future select VR experiences will also be available in VR180, a new VR format providing 4K, three-dimensional video.

[Read: NBC Olympics To Deliver 50 Hours Of Winter Olympics VR Coverage]

“We are constantly looking for opportunities to bring consumers new ways to experience content from across the NBCUniversal portfolio,” said Ron Lamprecht, Executive Vice President, NBCUniversal Digital Enterprises. “This partnership combines the creative expertise of NBCUniversal with Google’s VR capabilities to create these engaging experiences. We look forward to working with Google and YouTube on more collaborations like this in the future.”

"NBCUniversal’s networks and shows have a proven track record of high-quality storytelling that audiences can’t get enough of. Bringing them to VR lets fans connect with that content in a whole new way,” said Amit Singh, VP of Business & Operations for VR & AR at Google. “NBCU's teams were able to easily capture engaging VR content using the latest VR Jump cameras. And with YouTube, audiences can experience it on any device, bringing them closer to their favorite series.”

As part of this partnership, Bravo and Google have launched two 360 VR experiences featuring Lisa Vanderpump and the cast of “Vanderpump Rules,” with more to launch in the coming weeks. They include:

·Vanderpump Dogs

· Bonus clip from season finale of Vanderpump Rules

To date, projects have included virtual reality, 360-degree videos featuring “Saturday Night Live” guest hosts Kevin Hart, Will Ferrell and Natalie Portman. 

SyFy Wire created 360 and 180 videos for Emerald City Comic Con, including interactive games such as Sidekick Search, Hide and Go Geek, and Three Questions. 

The existing SNL and SyFy Wire videos, and future content from other shows and networks, are available on YouTube and best viewed using a VR headset, like Google Cardboard or Daydream    

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA—For those that have felt there’s nothing good to watch in virtual reality, Samsung Electronics America, Inc. has launched “Pilot Season,” a new initiative aimed at generating fresh, exclusive VR-rich content via its Samsung VR Video service.

Through the program, Samsung awarded a grant to a select indie filmmakers to fund their creation of original VR episodes for six VR pilot series. In addition to exclusive distribution via a dedicated channel on the Samsung VR Video service, the filmmakers were given the opportunity to shoot with Samsung’s 360 Round 360-degree 3D-camera, which features 17 lenses in a stereoscopic 8-pair configuration, plus one on the top, to capture an immersive 360-degree image with no blind spots.

[Read: Samsung Gear Rolls Out $229 360-Degree 4K Camera]

Pilot episodes were produced for the following six VR series:

· “Bro Bots:” a sci-fi VR comedy series set in a New York City of the future, featuring Otis and Roberto, two British robots with big, quirky personalities that join the NYPD.

· “The Interpretation of Dreams:” a narrative fiction series that tells Freud’s original case studies as haunting, psychologically complex VR dreamscapes.

· “Lightcatcher:” a sci-fi adventure featuring the challenges and triumphs of Earth’s people in the year 2150.

· “Sam’s Surreal Gems:” a story-driven VR experience that challenges viewers to find Easter eggs hidden in various VR scenes.

· “&Design:” a global journey looking at artifacts and inventions to explore the relationship between design, technology, anthropology and science.

To watch the Pilot Season episodes, viewers need Samsung Gear VR with a Controller, powered by Oculus, coupled with a compatible Galaxy device, such as the Galaxy S9 or S9+. Once on the platform, viewers can navigate to the Oculus store, and find the content in the “Featured” section of the Samsung VR Video service.

INDIANAPOLIS—Fans will once again be able to put themselves in the center of March Madness as the NCAA has partnered with Turner Sports and CBS to live stream 21 tournament games in virtual reality. VR streams will be available on Gear VR and Google Daydream devices through the March Madness Live VR app. Games from Dallas and Charlotte, N.C., will be available for the first and second round; from Los Angeles and Boston during the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight; and all games from the Final Four in San Antonio.

For instructions on how to access the games through VR devices, visit NCAA.com.

STAMFORD, CONN.—Break out the VR headsets and fire up the virtual reality app. The Winter Olympics are right around the corner and NBC Olympics plans more than 50 hours of live virtual reality coverage.

Powered by Intel True VR, the live coverage of the XXIII Olympic Winter Games from PyeongChang, South Korea, will be available to authenticated viewers with Windows Mixed Reality headsets, Samsung Gear VR and Google Daydream with compatible iOS and Android devices, NBC Olympics announced Tuesday.

Intel True VR technology relies on pods at each event to create interactive 360-degree VR environments. Authenticated VR viewers can access that content via the NBC Sports VR app. Once in the VR environment, they can change their vantage points, listen to natural sound captured at each camera location, look at real-time stats and leaderboards, and view post-event results. They also can fly through the VR Olympic world, tour Winter Games venues and visit different parts of the Korean peninsula, NBC Olympics said.

According to the network, this year’s games mark the first time VR has ever been available for Winter Olympic coverage. Olympic Broadcasting Services will supply NBC Olympics with the live VR programming.

Live VR coverage will include the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, alpine skiing, curling, snowboarding, skeleton, figure skating, short track, ski jumping, ice hockey and big air.

Besides the live VR coverage, NBC Olympics will provide VR replays of all previously live-streamed events, a daily 360-degree video of a sport not available in VR the previous day and packaged daily highlights from the day before. VR viewers will also have access to content prior to the beginning of the Winter Olympics.

Programming will be available every day of the Winter Olympics (Feb. 9-25), except for Feb. 18.

NBC Sports first used VR for coverage of the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2016. 

NEW YORK—While lots of attention has been paid to support for 4K, HDR, robust mobile TV and personalized, immersive audio as part of ATSC 3.0, little if anything has been talked about regarding the next-generation standard’s ability to support augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and live 360-degree video. That is, until today.

VR Video and WheresMyMedia VR, winners of NAB’s Pilot Innovation Award, said today they are collaborating on a project to bring AR, VR and live 360 video to broadcast. Their targeted release is the 2018 NAB Show in Las Vegas, April 9-12.

Dubbed the LiveWorks broadcasting platform, the system will leverage ATSC 3.0 to deliver broadcast- quality immersive video content “seamlessly and simultaneously” via over the air and over the top to the web and mobile.

Immersive content will be distributed alongside traditional broadcast content, a LiveWorks press release said. The press release quotes William Steele, CEO of WheresMyMedia VR as saying the immersive experience has the potential to make consuming advertising “a fun dynamic experience for the viewer.”

Calls have been placed to WheresMyMedia VR, VR Video and LiveWorks for additional information, but no one was immediately available. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

For a comprehensive list of TV Technology’s ATSC 3.0 coverage, see our ATSC3 silo.

MADRID—As the countdown to the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang continues, the Olympic Channel wants to offer its viewers a special look into what it takes to compete as an athlete during the games through a new original virtual reality series. “Trending Gold” is a seven-episode, multi-part series that will premiere Thursday, Jan. 4.

“Trending Gold” is filmed entirely in 360 VR and was produced exclusively for the Olympic Channel by Jaunt. The series gives fan a first-hand look at the life of an athlete who prepares for the Winter Olympics. Additional immersive content will include 360-degree video, behind-the-scenes episodes and other short-form videos, all of which will be available on the global platform. Full episodes can be viewed on major VR headset systems, as well as the Jaunt mobile app.

The show features nine athletes and Olympic hopefuls representing six countries who will participate in snowboard big air, alpine skiing, short track speed skating and bobsled. The athletes include Jamie Anderson (USA) and Max Parrot (Canada), who will compete in snowboarding; the first ever Continental African bobsled team from Nigeria—Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere and Akuoma Omeoga; alpine skiers Luca Aerni (Switzerland) and Ilka Stuhec (Slovenia); and speed skaters Ye Jin Kim and Dae Heon Hwang (South Korea).

Two episodes will be devoted to the Nigerian bobsled team, the snowboarders and alpine skiers, with the final episode following the Korean speed skaters.

All episodes will be available on olympicchannel.com and on its mobile apps.

The 2018 Winter Olympics will take place from Feb. 9-Feb. 25.

WASHINGTON—When the Wright brothers’ launched their first successful flight they began the aviation era, which allowed people to travel to new places faster than ever. Today, people can learn about the brothers’ historic flight without having to travel anywhere at all with a new virtual reality app developed by the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

The VR Hangar is a free, virtual reality mobile app that combines real 3D scans of some of its most iconic items and puts them into a virtual, immersive environment for users to explore. The app is designed to be used with Google Carboard or similar devices and is available on iOS and Android devices.

The app features vignettes on three of its most popular air and spacecraft exhibits: the 1903 Wright Flyer; the Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis, which became the first plane to break the sound barrier; and the Apollo 11 command module Columbia. Each vignette is two to four minutes long—depending on how much of the content users want to explore—and features scenes on the development of these aircrafts, as well as their most historic moments.

The VR Hangar app can be used to further enrich an in-person experience at the National Air and Space Museum, according to Sarah Banks, the museum’s digital engagement coordinator, “but we hope people who have never been to the museum enjoy it as well (and may be inspired to visit).”

This is a first-of-its-kind experience for the Air and Space Museum, which hopes to gather insights from its users.

“The VR Hangar was designed to explore what kinds of experiences our guests might enjoy beyond the walls of the museum,” Banks explained. “Are users drawn to object-based or more narrative experiences? Do they enjoy learning facts about the aircrafts in a VR environment, or is the real potential for this format to illustrate the dramatic moments that made history? We built the VR Hangar to find out.”

While the museum views the VR Hangar as a learning experience, Banks says that the app will remain available as long guests are enjoying it. If people respond positively to the experience, “we can begin to explore more mobile projects to bring our collection to users beyond our walls, and consider more immersive experiences for our future exhibits,” said Banks.

FREMONT, CALIF.—The Virtual Reality Industry Forum (VRIF) announced the general availability of its first set of VR industry guidelines. It will present them during CES 2018 next month as part of a two-hour masterclass.

Topics included in the guidelines include VR content production, distribution, security and consumption, with a focus on the delivery ecosystem of 360-degree video with three degrees of freedom (3DOF). They also incorporate:

• Documentation of cross-industry interoperability points, based on ISO MPEG's Omnidirectional Media Format (OMAF); 
• Best industry practices for production of VR360 content, with an emphasis on human factors such as motion sickness; and
• Security considerations for VR360 streaming, including user privacy and content protection.

Other topics to be addressed in 2018 by VRIF include six degrees of freedom (6DOF), live VR services and support for high dynamic range (HDR). The group will outline its 2018 roadmap and showcase VR demonstrations from Fraunhofer and Qualcomm during its CES event, with speakers from Ericsson, Intel, Irdeto, Sky, TNO, Greenlight Insights and others.

“As virtual and augmented reality continue to evolve, the VRIF guidelines serve two main purposes: first, to support end-to-end interoperability across the virtual-reality ecosystem, from production to consumption, and second, to ensure a high-quality user experience,” said Rob Koenen, VRIF. “As the industry moves towards standardized VR solutions, we are also cooperating closely with other industry organizations including MPEG, 3GPP, DVB, VR Society and ITU to facilitate technology integration for VRIF member companies and other related partners.”

The masterclass will be held Jan. 8 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Embassy Suites by Hilton at the Convention Center. Registration is now open. Member companies are encouraged to bring topics and suggestions to the various working groups for consideration.

VRIF launched at CES 2017 to further the availability of high-quality VR experiences for the benefit of consumers. It currently includes over 40 member organizations. 

This story originally appeared on TVT's sister publication TWICE. 

WASHINGTON—Virtual reality has been around for a while, but between its association with video games and how goofy people can look wearing a headset and reacting to something only they can see, people pegged it as a niche technology. However, as the panelists on the “From Research to (Virtual) Reality” panel explained during the 2017 Government Video Expo, that stereotype is being broken down bit by bit.

(L to R) Session moderator Cristina Clapp, Barrinton Baynes, Dr. Jackie Huband, Dr. Denise Krch, and Harrison Linowes

The last few years have seen significant progress in the capabilities of virtual and augmented reality applications, but the medium is still a relatively new. However, a number of institutions have begun using VR headsets and programs for practical uses. Barrinton Baynes, a multimedia project manager for the Gelardin New Media Center at Georgetown University, has helped students and teachers develop programs that serve as education tools that provide immersive experience students may not otherwise receive.

The medical profession has also begun to accept the technology, as Dr. Jackie Huband, a computational research consultant for the Virtual Reality Lab at the University of Virginia, and Dr. Denise Krch, a research scientist for the Kessler Foundation, explained. VR has proven to be an effective treatment for burn victims and those going through physical therapy. Dr. Krch has used the technology to develop VR programs that help people with cognitive difficulties train to handle multitasking and other work requirements.

But just because there are compelling and effective methods out there, doesn’t mean the stigma surrounding VR will immediately go away. Often, people will still need help with taking that first step.

“We’re going to have to figure out what is the easiest way that we can develop these applications so people can easily interact,” said Harrison Linowes, a University of Maryland computer sciences major and president of the school’s VR club. “The easier it is for these applications to have people interact with them, the more adoption we’re going to see.”

How to do that can vary on the institution, or the audience. For Dr. Huband, stressing that these programs are simulations rather than games and to find programs that are less cartoonish has opened up the possibilities for how people she works with see VR. Dr. Krch, however, thinks that the game like mentality of some of these programs is very helpful, especially with patients and removing some of the repetitiveness of treatment.

“The idea of doing something gamified is more fun and motivating,” said Dr. Krch. “Because people find it fun they want to play it and they want to get better at it.”

Dr. Krch also feels that as more institutions begin utilizing the technology, it will open the door for greater collaboration between those who may not traditionally work together. “The opportunities are going to be pretty great just by virtue of the fact that all these people who maybe wouldn’t have used this before are going to be looking at it as a way to do research.”

The development of the technology might also help with eliminating some of the technological barriers that currently exist with the necessity of headsets. “In the next few years, your phone will definitely be able to be as powerful as the computers we’re using now,” said Baynes.

And for the younger generation who will be entering the workforce and have the chance to implement VR technology, like Linowes, in the next few years, their familiarity with it will also help accelerate its overall adoption. “I hope that in my industry, and across the board, everyone has a headset next to them at their desk,” said Linowes.

“We’re just at the very beginning of looking at how virtual reality and augmented reality can enhance our day to day existence,” said Huband. “And we’re really excited about that, and we’re looking forward to what we can do in the future with all of this.”

LONDON—The BBC has launched its own virtual reality studio.

BBC VR Hub will spearhead the BBC's VR production and explore how it can create real audience impact. 

According to a blog post by Zillah Watson, head of content commissioning, VR Hub, it will "act as a hub internally, working closely with our programme makers and digital experts."

Watson continued, "Our research shows that for as long as the quantity of high-quality content remains low, and the experience remains cumbersome, mainstream audiences won’t use VR. That’s why we’re focussing on a small number of high impact pieces that have broad, mainstream appeal."

"We want to excite audiences by creating the most enthralling experiences imaginable using the power of VR. We believe the BBC can bring a unique perspective to VR. We can bring all of this to bear in the creation of VR. Having cracked every new content delivery mechanism since radio in 1922, we are excited about the potential of VR and the ways in which it could enrich the lives of our audiences."

To coincide with the announcement, the BBC has released its VR experience Home - A A VR Spacewalk for the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift. It marks the first time the Corporation has launched a VR experience for the HTC Vive.

Tom Burton, head of interactive and virtual reality for BBC Studios and director of Home - A VR Spacewalk, said: “Home represents the very best of the BBC, bringing brilliant creative together with cutting edge technologies to create an experience you wouldn’t get anywhere else. Making this experience available to those who have the devices will give people a taste of what it must be like to visit the International Space Station and walk in space for real.” 

This story first appeared on TVT's sister publication TVB Europe. 

In life, we are surrounded by cues that make us aware of how we fit in a 3D space. Many of our senses and our reactions to that input are based on survival instincts—the ability to hear someone walk up behind us, to see movement in our peripheral vision, to sense our orientation when we move our bodies or swivel our heads. Our senses produce an awesome amount of data that we seamlessly interpret as we go through the day, getting our morning coffee, driving, walking through crowds, diving into swimming pools and everything that goes along with being a human in the world.

As the technologies and methods used in motion picture storytelling have evolved over more than a century of work, we've learned a new language, a new way to interpret the world around us based on a window into another world: the screen. On that screen, we've become accustomed to jumps in location, perspective, time and space. The screen is sometimes supplemented with surround sound, but usually we're left to our imagination to weave the data we get into human stories.

Close-ups, wide shots, panning, zooming, forced perspective, cutting and many other techniques are established parts of the storyteller's toolkit. Then along comes virtual reality and 360-degree, and suddenly we have a tendency to fall over reaching for things that aren't there. We lose perspective and we are lost.

While there are differences between VR and 360-degree content, both mediums deliver immersive experiences that, like "reality," are able to show events taking place all around the viewer. Because VR/360-degree imagery more closely represents the way humans experience the world—because their immersivity is further removed from techniques of traditional filmmaking—motion picture producers struggle with how to harness them in the service of telling stories.

LET'S GET PHYSICAL
There are several disconnects for us as viewers of virtual reality experiences. A primary one is that we do not physically navigate our way through the world in the VR viewer; we can spin around and look up or down, but we don't have all of the normal cues leading up to our appearance in the environment. We didn't walk into the scene, so we have to look around to get our bearings as if we just teleported in.

Primestream's Xchange Suite now includes support for equirectangular VR/360-degree asset management, enabling media playback and review, with "spatial/360" visual marker annotations to highlight areas of interest in a 360-degree space. Pictured is the Xchange Extension Panel for Adobe Premiere Pro Creative Cloud.

The next obstacle: we can't really move around in 3D space. We are restricted to turning our head to see what's in the 180-degree plane or 360-degree sphere of space directly around us. VR may give viewers some agency to navigate an environment, but it's generally not in the typical manner of walking over to something you see. So we're a little lost. As a result, it takes us time to orient ourselves in what is essentially a static scene with action taking place somewhere that we have to find.

VR is an evolving storytelling medium. The techniques directors have used for more than a century to guide viewers of 2D films are generally not applicable to storytelling in a VR experience. Directors can no longer rely on the fast cuts, zooming and pacing that have worked so well for so long. As a result, too much emphasis is sometimes placed on the novelty of the VR event and too little on inventing new techniques to tell stories in a changing world.

There is a lot of experimentation going on today, and much of it is on the capture side, figuring out how to collect better, more immersive images and stitch them together. We at Primestream are dedicated to managing those files. At its most basic, our tools enable a process where images are captured, descriptive metadata is added to those images, and then a workflow is organized around them.

This puts us right in the middle of efforts to understand how to better tell stories with these new assets, and discussions about the creative process. As creative tools like Adobe Premiere Pro evolve to meet the needs of editors using them, we are evolving methods to manage the data and metadata that adds value to those captured images.

360-DEGREE MAM 
Media asset management (MAM) providers and NLE manufacturers have been chasing ever-changing formats for the past few years, so our workflows have evolved to include format independence, but there is always a limit to the assumptions manufacturers have made about the files they are processing.

A first step to handling 360-degree material is understanding how to deal with equirectangular files (360-degree spherical panoramas). A second step is understanding where there might be VR- or 360-degree-specific information that has been added to a standard format like MPEG. Finally, in order to facilitate an end-to-end workflow, it is important to forge partnerships and develop standards that will be supported in both capture and finishing toolsets.

One of the challenges we face is that capture and delivery formats are in flux, as are standards for how those streams are delivered. Gone are the days when a SMPTE standard for SDI controlled your network infrastructure. Newly built or modernized facilities are embracing file-based workflows and IP-based delivery.

With updates announced at this month's IBC conference, project-centric workflows enable Primestream users and teams to intuitively create, share and collaborate on projects inside Xchange Suite, or via the Xchange extension panel within Adobe Premiere Pro CC. Users can now organize raw footage or easily switch between proxy and high-res source material for effective remote/off-site editing.

In one sense, getting started is simple because manufacturers are leveraging existing formats like MPEG-4 or H.264, but in order to create content that's more immersive, cameras are pushing the limits of what they can capture. If you were happy with 4K before, now you need that resolution in 360 degrees. Each lens, each "eye" on the camera, is capturing 4K that needs to be stitched into a seamless sphere into which the viewer can be inserted. Can 8K per lens be far behind? You also want 3D spatial sound to create an even more connected and immersive experience. Accomplishing all of this requires spatial data and other markers.

We can't force the market in a specific direction, but will need to be there to support users when they arrive. We can participate in partnerships that seem to show directional leadership, like when a camera manufacturer and a codec supplier team up to create an end-to-end workflow, but ultimately we need to be reactive to changes in the marketplace that can come from anywhere. Will there be a shift from equirectangular format to cube maps, to pyramid maps, to something else? We will need to be there if and when it does.

We are no longer engaged in tracking content segments simply with time-based markers; rather, content needs to be marked up in both time and space with directional data—not only when but also where the interesting content is.

We fully expect the requirements for VR/360-degree asset management to continue to evolve as people figure out how to use it to perfect their storytelling techniques over time, and we know that the creative tools will need to move quickly to keep up with that innovative re-imagining of how we tell stories. We are not there yet, but you can already see the early signs that we are creating an exciting new creative narrative.

David Schleifer is chief operating officer at Primestream.

This story first appeared on TVT's sister publication Creative Planet Network. 

BALTIMORE—The first thing Josh Earl says when asked about the evolution of the NBA League Pass Virtual Reality (VR) schedule is that most of the people working on the broadcasts come “from the traditional 2-D world.”

New this season is the“NextVR Screening Room” which allows NBA League Pass subscribers to get their headsets on and watch any NBA League Pass game on a virtual movie theater-sized screen.

Given that case, the progress made by Earl, head of sports production, and his colleagues at Newport Beach, Calif.-based Next VR—NBA League Pass’s official partner on the broadcasts—is impressive. 

“Last season, we were just trying to get basics down, like cross roll video, skipping replays and trying to figure out how to adjust when play was stopped, because we don’t have commercial breaks” said Earl, noting that the revenue for this season’s schedule of 27 live games to be broadcast in VR is generated via NBA League Pass subscriptions, which are also available on Google Daydream, Samsurg Gear VR, Microsoft Windows and PlayStation VR.

SETTING UP

New this season is the “NextVR Screening Room,” which allows NBA League Pass subscribers to get their headsets on and watch any NBA League Pass game on a virtual movie theater-sized screen. It allows fans to immerse themselves in a 360-degree VR environment, with the opportunity to select up to 13 NBA games to livestream on a massive virtual screen; in addition, International NBA League Pass subscribers will have access to every NBA game during the 2017-18 season, in addition to the 27 immersive VR productions.

What happened after Next VR’s first season is that the basic broadcast has evolved to what Earl described as “full dynamic traffic, with great graphics that were enhanced during the year and on some occasions, even during the game.” He pointed to new product features, like live volumetric telestration, live infographics and dynamic stats, as among the reasons for the leagues progress in VR.

“This isn’t just about what we [prepare] before the broadcast, but to tell the story of the game on the fly”―such as when on-air talent uses telestration in the 3-D experience by drawing right on the court.

Since launching VR coverage of its games last season, the telecasts have grown to encompass heightened specifications. “We are lens-to-lens, taking the action from the court to within the VR headset, with our cameras custom-built, in-house,” said Earl. While how that’s accomplished is mostly proprietary, he acknowledged that the company is already using third-generation cameras that have gotten “much smaller.

“They’re about half the size of the cameras we used last year,” he said. Next VR is using approximately nine cameras during each game this season: behind and above each basket, two at the scorer’s table, one up high in the first level of seats, and in the tunnels to the dressing rooms. There is also a talent camera that breaks down during the action.

“We’re somewhat at the mercy of the arenas, as far as set-up goes,” said Earl, adding that Next VR has to work around the several regular cameras that are employed during any NBA broadcast.

NEW ANGLES

The progress is also obvious from what’s going on outside the arena. “We now have two of our own custom-built trucks,” Earl said. “Everything we have is custom built.”

So far, “all of it is going well” with the partnership with the NBA, he said. “The new camera angles are big, a game changer. People are loving the shot from behind the glass and the telestration. But, first and foremost, viewers are noting the evolution of the production, perhaps most obviously the new camera that’s mounted behind the backboard (behind the box, above the rim).

Next VR is using approximately nine cameras during each game this season.

Jeff Marsilio, vice president, global media distribution for the NBA, said that the league has been “extremely pleased with the progress we’ve made delivering games in virtual reality to our fans. By committing to a schedule throughout the season, we were able to execute, solicit feedback and implement enhancements on a weekly basis.

“The fan response to date has been very positive,” Marsilio added, “and we look forward to making similar leaps in year two as the technology advances and we gain more experience.”

ON THE HORIZON

The games are only part of what is offered in this VR domain. “Full game replays and highlight packages are complimentary after downloading the free apps,” said Lisa Beachy, director of public relations for Next VR, who added that the company is also involved in ventures with the NFL, Live Nation, NBC’s World of Dance and others.

With every game, Earl and company are envisioning what other accents Next VR can add to the broadcasts. “As we push forward, we’re looking to add more and unique angles to give viewers an experience they can’t get anywhere else,” he said. “That’s part of what makes our job fun. There are frustrations when something doesn’t work as planned but, all told, it’s great getting an opportunity to build something from the ground up.”

Editor's Note:

On Nov. 7, Turner Sports and Intel announced a multiyear partnership that will provide live NBA game action in virtual reality by using the Intel True VR technology. Intel will serve as the exclusive provider of virtual reality for the NBA on TNT and begin broadcasting games starting with the NBA All-Star Game in February. Using Intel freeD technology, Intel can also integrate 360-degree volumetric video into the VR experience.

Every virtual reality game experience will be available through the upcoming NBA on TNT VR app on Samsung GearVR and Google Daydream headsets.

Click on the Image to Enlarge

LYON, FRANCE—The adage “don’t knock it until you try it” seems pretty apt for virtual reality based on the findings of a new survey from ReportLinker Insight.

In a follow-up to a report released in January of this year, ReportLinker found that 76 percent of Americans surveyed had a positive attitude toward VR; that number is actually down from 83 percent in the January report. However, the report also shows that among those who have already experienced a VR headset, 84 percent are positive.

There was an increase of how many respondents said they have had VR experiences in the latest report. In January that number was 25 percent, but the new report saw an uptick to 30 percent. People are also becoming more capable of understanding the technology, as 36 percent they are familiar enough with the technology to explain to a friend (up 14 percent).

Additional findings showed that Samsung remains the primary brand people think of when it comes to VR, though its numbers were down from a year ago, with 35 percent choosing it in the most recent survey, compared to 44 percent in 2016. Sony and Oculus made up the difference, with Sony as the second most recognized brand going from 14 percent to 20 percent, and Oculus coming in third with a growth from 13 percent to 16 percent.

See the full study on ReportLinker Insight’s website.

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF.—NBA League Pass subscribers will get court side seats from the comfort of their own home this season with the announcement that NBA Digital and NextVR will produce 27 live games in virtual reality for the 2017-2018 season and the introduction of its new Screening Room product. The VR schedule will feature all 30 teams and start off with a free preview for a game between the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets.

The full story is available on TVT’s sister publication B&C.

LONDON—The growing medium of virtual reality requires a rethink of how to view storage. VFX houses are paving the way, says Dave Frederick, senior director of media & entertainment at Quantum.

Virtual reality 360-degree video is creating new film, television and gaming experiences that enable audiences to control where their attention is focused. The ability to interact with the content environment is arguably the most significant change in the audience viewing experience since the advent of cinema itself.

Changing a 100-year-old paradigm is not without technical challenges, however. Among the first responders to answer the call are visual effects artists. With a strong skill set in compositing, an understanding of 2D and 3D space, and a flare for the dynamic, VFX artists operate on the front lines of VR post production. The challenges inherent to VR—including camera stitching, rig removal and panoramic image manipulation—require many of the same skills.

Because VR 360-degree is a new medium, production budgets often are limited. It’s not unusual for VFX artists to be called upon to create compelling visuals to fill the void. Skilled artists can create a posse of 20 cowboys in a scene when a live production budget might support only three. A realistic ocean backdrop can be added to ship-board scenes without requiring a drop of water.

HIGH DEMANDS

To create images that surround the audience, images from multiple cameras are stitched together into a large panoramic image—the equivalent of 6K or 8K resolution. For content targeting high-end head-mounted displays with 3D stereoscopic playback, finishing resolutions can be even higher.

High-performance scale-out storage is therefore an essential element of the VR post-production workflow. It’s critical that storage be fast enough to support large file sizes and also meet the performance requirements of editing and color grading VR 360-degree, which often differ from the demands of VFX and animation. Editing and grading require storage arrays that provide unblinking sequential playback of ordered frames on disk. Visual effects and animation can require both sequential and random performance.

Fibre Channel storage area networks (SANs) are favored for sequential playback of large frames and files because they deliver deterministic, guaranteed bandwidth to each connected workstation.

For animation work, file reads and writes are smaller but occur randomly, and come from a greater number of connected workstations. Random storage performance is most economical using an IP-based network attached storage (NAS) system. The “best effort” nature of IP protocols matches well with the iterative nature of animation, which does not typically require sequential playback of large files.

UNFIFIED APPROACH

In practice, maintaining two different storage systems can be expensive and lead to costly duplication of large files. This is why some post facilities are turning to unified storage that combines technology from both SAN and NAS. By supporting both IP and fibre channel connections to the same shared storage infrastructure, a unified SAN-NAS approach allows post facilities to avoid the time-consuming network-based transfer of files between workflow stages. It both minimizes down time and gives artists more time to create.

The random performance required for animation work can be further enhanced by solid state drives (SSDs), which use flash memory instead of spinning disk. Elimination of the time needed for drive heads to find file bits means that SSDs can perform anywhere from 10 to 100 faster than hard disk drives (HDDs).

All-flash arrays offer exceptional performance, but they can be expensive. A more affordable option is a hybrid array: a combination of SSDs and HDDs. Intelligence in the array controllers monitor the most readily used files and keep them in the flash storage portion of the array. If files are not used in a given time period, they are demoted to the more economical HDDs in the array.

BRIDGING THE EDITORIAL DIVIDE

The efficiency gains from a unified SAN-NAS storage solution provide a big boost to VR 360-degree post workflows. Artists are happier and more productive because the creative software they use responds fast. They are better able to create engaging content on time and on budget. Facilities that take advantage of this creative approach can start with a small unified storage configuration and then increase performance and capacity as needed. With such a flexible, powerful storage solution, VR content production companies can fulfill their viewers’ wildest visual dreams today—and are prepared to take viewers even further in the future.

This story first appeared on TVT's sister publication TV Tech Global.

LOS ANGELES—Football is a communal experience with tens of thousands of fans gathering in stadiums across the country every weekend to take in the spectacle, whether it’s college or NFL games.

Ditto for thousands of sports bars, living rooms and dens scattered across the country.

Now Fox Sports is hoping to capitalize on the communal nature of watching sports by leveraging virtual reality and the social media experience.

This Saturday night when the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame take on the Michigan State Spartans in Lansing, Mich., users of the Fox Sports VR app will be able to experience the game with friend and family members—whether they are in the next room or thousands of miles away—in a virtual VIP suite in cyberspace.

“This is something we care deeply about,” says Miheer Walavalkar, co-founder and chief business officer of live VR specialist LiveLike.

“More and more people are watching games on their phones, and we want to give them the communal experience of watching games like they had in the past.”

Jeb Terry, Fox Sports VP Partner & Program Management and a former San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman, echoes Walavalkar’s thoughts.

“Sports and fandom are inherently social,” he says. “You talk about them at the watercooler at work. You go to games with friends. You go to watch parties and you interact. That’s part of the fun of sports.”

Fox Sports is hoping its social VR coverage will enable that element of fan comradery, he says.

Once inside the Fox Sports VR app, users can invite friends and family members to watch the game via Facebook, access game data and replays, create avatars—complete with fan accoutrements—watch 2-D coverage of the game on a virtual Jumbotron and experience the game in a way that’s not even possible for those in attendance.

VR fans can choose the perspective of several on-field cameras, such as a camera at the line of scrimmage or one in the end zone, for up-close views.

The social VR experience Fox Sports is deploying this weekend is a follow-on to its debut of the experience for coverage of the Gold Cup in July. But for the Notre Dame-Michigan State game there’s a new addition: the sports network’s c360 Skycam streaming coverage that will capture a 360-degree game view.

“You’ve seen linear broadcasts integrate Skycam into production,” says Terry.

“Full, all-game coverage from Skycam hasn’t really been provided in the past—especially in 360 where you can tilt, pan, zoom and really explore that angle.”

However, if VR users choose to watch only the c360 Skycam during the entire game, they can, says Terry, adding that individual users have the ability to control the camera as they wish.

The 360-degree Skycam view of live game action will only be available to users of the Fox Sports VR app. The camera also will be used selectively throughout the broadcast.

A c360 Skycam view of pre-game, team warmups, halftime band performances and post-game celebrations will also be available via the app as well as at @CFBonFOX on Twitter, Fox College Football (CFBonFOX) on Facebook and the Fox Sports YouTube channel.

While The Notre Dame-Michigan State game is expected to be a great game between two storied teams, the reason Fox Sports is deploying social VR and c360 Skycam for the game has more to do with its continuous effort of improve game coverage, says Terry.

“This is a continued iteration of our product offering,” says Terry.

“We don’t want to be static. We want to learn from the past, add features and continue to bring the fans the best coverage we can provide. This is the next step in doing that.”

MINNEAPOLIS—Throughout its more than two decades in existence, ESPN’s X Games has proven to be a fertile ground for technological innovation and creativity. This summer’s games from Minneapolis, which were took place July 13–16 from the new U.S. Bank Stadium, proved no exception, marking the first time the network presented the telecast with an added option: a collaboration with Samsung Electronics and Los Angeles-based visual effects company Digital Domain that included immersive virtual reality streams of three X Games disciplines. Namely, the Skateboard Vert, BMX Street and Skateboard Street Amateurs were aired, live and exclusively, to 48 countries on Samsung Gear VR via the Samsung VR app.

X Games Minneapolis will go down as a notable event on the ESPN timeline for its inclusion of live VR. The screen pictured was inside the B-unit that was employed by Digital Domain.

This year’s X Games were also presented as a traditional TV production on ESPN, with support from Studio City, Calif.- based Echo Entertainment, with those two entities joined by Samsung and Digital Domain for the VR broadcast; Digital Domain handled VR production’s staffing and equipment, and used Echo’s B unit.

TRIO OF EVENTS
Digital Domain captured the VR content via six 360-degree cameras for the live production, according to Sam Reisner, staff software engineer with the ESPN Advanced Technology Group. “There has been very little live VR coverage,” he said, “and that live coverage is where the interest in this project lies.”

The three live VR events were exclusive to the Samsung VR headset that operates via the app, and were fully-produced shows “that included various fixed and roving cameras with specialty angles, such as a spider-view shot and telescoping tower at ground level,” said Reisner.

The six cameras used for the VR broadcast are a proprietary technology created by Digital Domain.

Graphics and replays were added within that 3D environment, “which gave us a fully-immersive, produced experience for the three live events,” he said, as well as replays on the app that were shot by ENG crews and edited in VR, then distributed on demand via the platform.

When Digital Domain captured the feeds from all six cameras—all of which were built in-house—“they were worked into a standard UHD 4K switcher, allowing their engineers to switch the cameras and cut and/or dissolve the angles, as well as key in graphics and position 2D graphics in the sphere,” Reisner said. “Then, the top bar across screen with timing, scoring and standings were created in house.”

Digital Domain then took all of the feeds and stitched them together, live, and switched them to a 4K HD signal that represented the whole 360-degree view that mapped out into a rectangle. “That made the producer able to present the video like any new HD video, in terms of transport, recording, streaming and switching,” Reisner said. “A few years ago, that was something that you couldn’t do live; but now they can, and it provided a key element of the broadcast.”

The B-unit housed an EVS switcher, Digital Domain’s 360 proprietary video processing system, as well as a Vizrt graphics system that was also used on the standard 2D broadcast.

A camera tower that was kept at about head height was employed by Digital Domain during the live VR broadcast.

FLEXIBILITY WAS KEY
Speaking of 2D, the Digital Domain VR system was also used to take in a 2D video feed and place it on a Jumbotron billboard.

“During the actual runs, we took the video from Echo’s production truck and showed it on the virtual Jumbotron, beside the action,” Reisner said. “Even though we had some amazing camera locations, we wanted to be sure that we showed alternate shots and replays within the Jumbotron.”

There was also an audio console taking a MADI feed from Echo from the traditional TV broadcast, with Digital Domain creating its own mix. And ESPN had the talent mic-ed, with additional audio feeds to mix in to the broadcast.

Distribution was handled by Digital Domain via a standard IP circuit at the stadium that transported the content to the Samsung Cloud in multiple bit rates (depending on available bandwidth), then distributed it through Samsung’s Live VR and its app.

Reisner said that ESPN has considerable expertise in distributing content that it gains via its streaming platforms, “and we leverage it in broadcasts like the X Games.”

He added that it was a “treat” to work in the new stadium. “One of the great things about the X Games is that we basically get to build the courses and layout them out how and where we want to,” he said. “It was fantastic to have such a flexible setup and it contributed to the success of the broadcasts.”

UPPDER SADDLE RIVER, N.J.—Manfrotto is adding to its stock of support products with a new range of 360-degree virtual reality based products. Among the type of products being offered for VR support are bases, accessories and extension booms.

VR Aluminum Base

The Manfrotto equipment is designed to allow videographers to capture entire scenes around the camera. The VR bases provide stable support and are compact as to not show in 360-degree shot; Manfrotto offers the bases in a variety of sizes and materials.

The company’s VR boom extensions maximize camera height when required. They can be connected to all the bases in the Manfrotto VR range. In addition, the accessories for the VR range are compatible with all products in the range, including the 360Rize VR rig.

The full VR range consists of the VR Super Clamp, VR Mini Tripod Kit, VR Aluminum Base, VR Pump Cup W/Spigot Adapter, VR Carbon Fiber Boom Small, VR Adjustable Dolly, VR Carbon Fiber Boom Medium, VR Aluminum Base With Half Ball, VR Panoramic Head, VR Carbon Fiber Boom Large, and VR Carbon Tripod. 

OTTAWA—Televised professional golf is quickly adapting the latest graphic enhancements to give fans the ultimate in immersive and information-rich experiences.

At this month’s U.S. Open Championship, Fox Sports deployed a 75-foot Strada Camera Crane to enable augmented reality graphic elements to be displayed on course, as well as a studio jib for analysis in a studio setting. To increase its shot-tracing efforts, Fox Sports equipped all 18 holes with tracing ability with either live video or through a graphic representation of the hole. Nine tee boxes used Toptracer technology, allowing for live ball trace over video. The remaining tee boxes were equipped with Trackman radar for a combination of ball tracing and enhanced data.

Augmented reality was used to enhance Fox Sports’ coverage of the U.S. Open earlier this month.

A total of 216 microphones were deployed to capture audio and—like last year—three holes were shown in 4K on DirecTV.

VIRTUALLY THERE
The AI technology used at golf’s most recent Major is the latest example of how graphics and video technology are revolutionizing televised coverage of the sport.

With the aid of live virtual reality and live 360 video, PGA Tour fans got to literally immerse themselves into the 17th hole action of The Players Championship last month.

Using three different live VR camera feeds from the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., the PGA Tour virtually beamed wearers of Samsung Gear VR headsets (connected to Samsung Galaxy smartphones) onto the 17th green, giving 180-degree-horizontal/60-degree-vertical views as play progressed. (To see the Live VR stream of #17 from The Players, viewers had to download the PGA Tour VR Live App from the Oculus Store and install it on their Galaxy smartphone.)

Additionally, and for the first time in sports, viewers without a VR headset were able to experience the same live content, via live 360 video offered via the PGA Tour’s Twitter and Periscope accounts.

The view through the Samsung Gear VR goggles at The Players 17th hole.

“The experience on the VR headset was very feature-rich,” said Chris Wandell, senior director of media business development for the PGA Tour. “In addition to the virtual reality video, the Live VR app had a live Leaderboard graphic that could be toggled in and out of view. It also had an Active Tracker that told you which players were currently playing the hole.”

The Gear VR and Twitter/Periscope feeds also included an additional live “Picture In Picture” video feed at the top of the viewing window, which was perfectly synced to the VR action and included highlights and updates from the tournament. Both the Gear VR and 360-video feeds were available worldwide.

Virtual reality is just one of the 2017 golf season’s big tech stories. The sport—which has been a perennial favorite on network broadcast television—is also increasing its online presence to enhance the broadcasts.

This year’s VR coverage is a culmination of two years of preparation, according to Wandell. “We did our first VR test of non-live content back in 2015, and we’ve been experimenting very regularly,” he said. Still, this year’s live VR stream from The Players represents another big step in the PGA Tour’s efforts to offer more than conventional coverage.

A case in point: For the first time ever, the PGA Tour placed three of Intel’s True VR stereoscopic cameras at TPC’s 17th hole: one located on the tee, a second on the walkway from the tee box to the green, and the third in the water, less than 15 feet off of the “island” green. This meant that VR viewers could literally “beam” from one camera position to another as the live play evolved around them.

“If VR viewers didn’t want to switch cameras themselves, they could leave it to us and watch the VRCast on their Gear VR headsets, with Intel’s mobile unit handling the switching between the three cameras,” said Wandell.

Reaction was very positive. “Everybody was pretty floored by what they saw, based on the comments we’ve received,” Wandell said. “We also know that our numbers were up significantly from what we expected, so we are exploring additional Live VR events in the future.”

STREAMING FINDS ITS BALANCE
The PGA Tour certainly wowed viewers with VR at The Players, but streaming PGA video is also big news; specifically in the way that U.S. broadcasters are employing streaming to enhance, not undercut, their primary on-air product.

One of Fox Sport’s streaming channels electronically tracks the motion of the ball.
Photo Credit: Fox Sports

“We are simulcasting our golf coverage across multiple platforms, but TV is the undisputed star,” said Clark Pierce, senior vice president, TVE & special projects, product development for Fox Sports. “Streaming is certainly being used to provide extra content to our audiences, but streaming doesn’t cut into our broadcast viewership because TV is where the biggest picture is—and our viewers prefer to watch the biggest picture whenever they can.”

“Our goal is to provide the best coverage to golf viewers, regardless of whatever device they are watching us on,” said Will McIntosh; senior vice president of business and strategy for Golf Channel (part of the NBC Sports Group, and producer of golf coverage for both Golf Channel and NBC Sports). “But since viewers still prefer to watch us on the big screen, that’s where our focus is.”

(Note: For live tournament coverage airing on both Golf Channel and NBC, a single on-site crew oversees production for both Golf Channel—Thursday and Friday and early in the day on the weekends—as well as coverage airing on NBC on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.)

The fact that streaming is a supporting player does not make it unimportant to either Fox Sports or Golf Channel. But streaming’s supporting role does limit the kind of content both broadcasters are paying to put online: You don’t spend the same kind of money on a supporting actor as you do on a star.

This is why Fox Sports and Golf Channel fill their streaming channels with video provided by their existing broadcast production units, rather than new standalone content. Specifically, both are streaming live camera feeds that are not necessarily part of the primary broadcast program; in addition to simulcasting the primary broadcast program online.

At Golf Channel, “our streaming channels are providing coverage of a featured group throughout an entire round, plus ongoing camera views of specific holes,” said McIntosh. Fox Sports features two streaming channels that cover two selected groups, and another that covers a specific hole or holes, according to Pierce. “We are also working on a fourth stream that includes a wealth of graphical features such as ‘tracer’ shots, which illustrate how the balls travelled on the course.”

PARIS—Tennis fans had access to the courts of Roland Garros through a virtual reality viewing experience through ATEME and its Titan Live software. The live video system provided 180- and 360-degree VR viewing experiences during the entire two weeks of the 2017 French Open.

The virtual reality experience for the French Open was created by LiveLike, which used the Titan Live to encode UHD signals at various bitrates to offer the VR experience on tablets and smartphones. The experience was available for free on iOS and Android devices.

Titan Live is a software compression system designed for cable, DTH, OTT live delivery of SD, HD and UHD content. The pure CPU platform is hardware agnostic and runs on OS, Linux, Windows and Virtual Machine. It is based on ATEME’s fifth generation Stream compression engine.