Missed any of our recent product news? Here is TV Tech's weekly wrap-up of new products, services and deployments we published in our newsletter between August 5 to August 9. The stories are listed from the newest on Friday August 2, day by day back to our stories from Monday August 5. 

Telemundo Takes VR Studio Tech from Miami to the Paris Olympics

Telemundo's virtual reality studio in Miami uses Unreal Engine and Chyron to provide a "photo-realistic look" that shows small details of the Paris landscape like the "wind in the trees".

Haivision To Feature Live Video Contribution at IBC 2024 

The company will show the latest developments in its live contribution ecosystem.

Imaginario AI To Demo Video Indexing, Search, Curation At IBC 2024

The company will show its multimodal artificial intelligence solution in the AI Tech Zone.

AI: The Unsung Hero of Olympic Sports

Can AI sustain Olympic revenue during and between Games?

A New Take on Reflectors: Cine Reflect Lighting Systems

The need for better tools has inspired lighting innovation.

Disney+ Launches Nat Geo Immersive Environment for Apple Vision Pro

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.

Wheatstone to Showcase Blade 4 at IBC 2024

The expanded capabilities of the 4th generation AoIP Blade 4 include high speed transport protocol to routable audio codecs, audio processing, scripting, and studio control in 1RU.

Telos Alliance To Feature Next Generation AERO DTV Audio Processors At IBC Show

The AERO.20, AERO.200 and AERO.2400 include new features like AoIP support via AES67.

Finding The ‘Boun-dairies’ For AI In Media

TV channels are using AI-generated presenters to read the news. The question is, will we trust them?

M&E’s Embrace of AI Dampens Potential for Damage Mitigation

Amid the hype, industry struggles to establish guidance and guardrails.

Google TV Streamer Launches at $99.99

The new Google TV Streamer offers an AI-powered, personalized 4K HDR streaming with Dolby Vision Dolby Atmos and a smart home experience.

2024 IBC Show to Focus on AI, Business and Tech Innovation

IBC President Michael Crimp previews the upcoming gathering.

Mediaproxy To Show AI-Powered Captioning, Transcription for LogServer At IBC 2024

LogServer now supports AI-Media Technologies LEXI Recorded and Skyline Communications DataMiner.

Kramer Buys ZeeVee To Expand AVoIP Portfolio

ZeeVee’s expertise in AVoIP will expand Kramer’s product lineup and accelerate growth.

EVS Invests in TinkerList

EVS becomes a shareholder in the broadcast software provider as part of its strategy of offering simplified live production solutions.

XR Extreme Reach, Roku Expand Streaming Ad Partnership

The expanded collaboration allows advertisers to link all ads on the Roku platform to performance outcomes.

Arkona, Manifold Partner To Show EASY-IP At IBC 2024

EASY-IP combines arkona’s BLADE//runner and manifold’s CLOUD routing, processing and multiview tool.

MIAMI & PARIS —As the Paris Olympics games head into their final weekend, much of the tech talk has been about the use of AI technologies in the production of the games. But the games have also seen notable advances in a number of other areas, including virtual reality technologies and remote production solutions that have played an important role Telemundo’s Spanish-language coverage. 

During this year’s coverage, Telemundo’s main studio has been a photorealistic virtual set in Miami that looks like it is in the Trocadero, offering a stunning view of the Eiffel Tower. This technology, which was used successfully in previous events like the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and FIFA World Cups and developed in-house, has seen further improvements for the Paris Games and has allowed Telemundo to cover the Olympics with talent based out of its Studio L in its Miami headquarters. 

"For the Paris 2024 Olympics, we wanted to have the best possible spot in Paris, right in front of the Eiffel Tower,” explained Fabian Albaraccin, director real-time graphics at Telemundo. “We know that securing such a location is nearly impossible, so we recreated `Trocadéro Square’ with a stunning view of the Eiffel Tower and the city. “To accomplish this, we began working four months ago to ensure we could showcase the City of Light in all its splendor. We paid close attention to every detail to present a beautiful set to our audience.”

The virtual set, which was developed in-house by the Set Fabrication and Real-Time Graphics teams, combines green screen studios, physical scenic pieces, advanced camera tracking, and computer-generated graphics. The result, Telemundo executives say, creates an immersive Parisian experience without the high costs and weather concerns of on-location production. Real-time adjustable lighting and weather, along with augmented reality graphics also enhance Telemundo’s storytelling.

For graphics, the setup uses four cameras, the Stype/RedSpy tracking systems, the Blackmagic/Ultimatte chroma keyer, and is powered by Epic Games/Unreal Engine 5.3 and Chyron/Prime VSAR for graphics. 

Manashi Mukherjee, vice president of technical production at Telemundo explained that the set is located in Studio L, which is on the south side of the building where the larger soundstages are located. 

“We normally shoot our series in the studios on that side of the building along with special productions such as our recent `Billboard: Women in Music awards show,'” Mukherjee said. “On a regular production week, Jose Diaz-Balart’s 11am MSNBC show on weekdays and on `Saturdays for Nightly News' on NBC also originate in the virtual studio. During football season, we have Telemundo’s `Sunday Night Football' production as well in Studio L. For the Paris Olympics, we have been using Studio L seven days a week live on-air for Telemundo’s coverage.” 

“Universo, our sister network, is using the regular Sports (“Deportes”) Studio A which is also airing simultaneously from TC,” Mukherjee added. 

Wally Rodriguez, vice president of post-production noted that “we’ve had a dedicated studio for virtual production for almost five years, which makes it easy for both the technical operations team and the sports team because they have been using the set for a while now. Our camera operators, lighting personnel, audio technicians, producers, directors, anchors, and others are all familiar with the equipment and virtual production processes for day-to-day on-air operations. The use of moving lights allows the team to reset and use several various setups without moving any physical instruments.”

While the solution has been relatively easy to use, it did have to be adapted for broadcast. 

“Since Unreal Engine is a gaming software, we need to adapt it for broadcast purposes,” explained Albaraccin. “We are working closely with Chyron to provide a tailor-made solution that ensures Unreal Engine is stable and fully integrated with our state-of-the-art facility. Additionally, we create custom panels to manipulate Unreal Engine while we are on air. Because this is not originally a broadcast solution, we must bridge the gaps and create our own workflows. Using these panels hides the technicalities of creating and triggering the graphics for the shows so that producers can focus on content. Collaboration is key in these types of projects, and while our team handled the technology, we worked with Deportes producers and the Telemundo Scenic design team to ensure that the creative vision was met.”

The result has been an extremely realistic presentation that has greatly enhanced their coverage, Mukherjee said. 

“The virtual set has allowed us to showcase a much larger space than we would have used in Paris,” Mukherjee added. “The technology makes it possible to feel like the talent are there. The team has fine-tuned miniature details to give it a photo-realistic look that hasn’t really been used for broadcast television yet. The use of the Unreal engine makes it so that small details such as wind in the trees, cars in the background and even people walking around in the Eiffel Tower, can be used to make it feel realistic. The crew and the talent almost forget they’re on a green screen set, because they are looking at the composited images. Camera operators are moving the jib in the same way they would if they were in Paris. Advantages are lower costs for labor and materials than a regular set, sustainability, lots of flexibility in framing for example, we can move the set, instead of moving a camera and the ability to create a scene without being limited by the cost of materials or physical studio space.”

The set has also proved to be adaptable for a variety of events, in part, because it is relatively easy to train staff. “It was rather straight-forward to train the teams as most positions continued working the way they are used to as we have been using this space for about five years now,” Mukherjee said. “Camera operators, directors, producers, and talent see the shots with fully rendered backgrounds, so they don’t have to imagine what a shot will look like when they’re just looking at green screens.”

That will also help Telemundo in the runup to the 2024 elections and for other events. 

"We have a special that will be filmed in the studio after the Olympics wraps, and then outside of the normal news and sports production, we will be incorporating this studio into the upcoming election coverage,” Mukherjee said. “We haven’t seen the final graphics plan yet, but there will be a virtual component in play.”

Contrary to what many believe, virtual studio solutions are not new technology. They have just been neglected. 

CBS tried them at the dizzy heights of the dot-com bubble back in 1999, as did many others. But the combination of expense, complexity, and subpar graphics meant they crashed and burned very quickly. 

As one, the industry quietly turned away and pretended it had never happened.  

But in recent years, we have quietly been helping traditional news broadcasters around the world, from the BBC to NBC experiment with new forms of video production and keep up in the creative arms race that modern media has become.  

Many have found that virtual studio technology offers a significant strategic advantage for modern newsrooms — and can be for yours too. 

Media Consumption Habits Are Driving Change  

Media consumption habits have shifted in the last decade, making the industry more competitive than ever before.  

As audiences are bombarded by the volume and variety of news outlets and media forms available, news broadcasters are rapidly expanding and experimenting with creative elements to keep viewers engaged.

A lower technological barrier to entry and shift of advertising capital towards new advertising platforms (such as social media) has resulted in lower news viewership and budgets — and smaller creative and technical teams for many broadcasters.  

Newsroom directors and their teams must do more with less to produce engaging, accurate content to capture audiences — and are increasingly turning to virtual studio to do that.  

Overcoming the Physical Limits of Traditional Studios 

While the traditional news industry has been reluctant to implement (or even talk about) virtual studio, they have become commonplace in sports broadcasting.  

Their adaptability and ease of redesign make virtual studio a powerful tool for news broadcasters — especially those operating under constrained budgets. That flexibility allows newsroom directors to do more with graphics and creative elements, inject more dynamism and visual intrigue into their broadcasts, and turn the studio into a storytelling tool. It also facilitates much faster set up and tear down times, rapid transitions between segments and shows with a fraction of the budget, time, and resources required by physical sets. 

Virtual Studio in Action – Revolutionizing Broadcast Efficiency 

The advantages of a virtual broadcast studio are threefold: easy set-up, more creative, and reduced broadcasting resources. 

For instance, NBC LX built a virtual set into their new studios, allowing them a lot of flexibility and allowing them to use immersive graphics to grab attention and draw people into the story.  

(See how NBC LX uses their virtual set to tell better stories in this video)

Virtual studios can also make live video production more efficient. They allow for faster transitions between sets and environments, meaning producers can quickly repurpose studio spaces for different programs without having to spend the time and resources building multiple hard studios and sets.

Virtual sets and studio elements are programmed using automated workflows, templates and pre-recorded transitions, meaning they can be used and repurposed for multiple different stories with minor editing. These highly automated workflows are particularly useful for smaller production teams, empowering reporters and creatives to deliver more high-quality content with a fraction of the work involved. 

Elevate Your Newsroom with Ross Video Solutions 

Success in the modern newsroom means doing more with less: more content with less budget, more engagement with less staff, and more “bells and whistles” in less time.  

Modern news broadcasters use Ross Video products like XPression, Voyager, and Lucid to automate and streamline immersive virtual studios. Workflow automation tools, like Overdrive and Streamline Pro, stitch these tools together, accelerating the production process and ensuring brand consistency and quality.  

That frees reporters and creatives to deliver more content, creating and embellishing their own stories — sometimes live on air — without adding to their news directors’ long list of worries.  

To learn more about how Ross Video can help your newsrooms stay competitive in the rapidly changing media landscape, reach out to one of our newsroom production experts here.

Keeping Pace in the Election Race

2024 is a big year for newsrooms with a record number of elections taking place around the globe. For advanced insights on how newsrooms can get ahead in addressing their elections needs with cutting-edge graphics, download our guide. 

DUBAI, UAE—Dubai-based PLG, a gaming and esports agency here, has deployed a production studio designed around Blackmagic URSA Broadcast G2 cameras and an ATEM Constellation 8K video production switcher, the Blackmagic Design said this week.

The agency, which works with global consumer brands in fashion, food and retail, was looking for a solution to target youth audiences with branded messaging and a wat to evolve community engagement, it said.

“We’ve seen a huge increase in content creation, with brands turning to us to target the Arabic speaking gaming market in particular through game launches and activations, talk shows and sponsored competitions,” said Arnor Jonsson, product and production director at PLG. “Content for these channels has to be fresh and engaging, so we required an agile solution that could support our growing client roster and their production needs.”

A 108,000-square-foot facility, the new PLG production space is home to a flexible virtual studio with several green-screen and presenter stages, which enable fast turnaround between productions, the company said.

The URSA Broadcast G2s, equipped with a Blackmagic URSA studio viewfinders, capture live video fed via SDI to virtual environments created with Unreal Engine.

“It’s imperative that live and virtual content are stitched together seamlessly in these content packages; both the brands and the gamers watching expect the highest production values,” said Jonsson.

“For a recent competition, we designed a dynamic environment based on the game that players were battling in and placed our presenters and the commentary desk into the heart of the event, all in real time,” he said. “Footage from the studio had to be crisp, with plenty of detail to maintain the authenticity of the presenting team’s segments within the game.”

At the heart of production control is the ATEM Constellation 8K with ATEM 2 M/E advanced panel. The setup provides PLG a means to handle sources in multiple formats and a multi-layered live mix, which incorporates gameplay, statistics, studio content and remote feeds from players across the Middle East and North Africa, Blackmagic said.

The PLG production crew uses the multiple M/Es to reduce latency while the built-in chromakeyer delivers additional blending of studio elements into virtual environments, it said.

“The solution’s modular nature has dramatically simplified how we transition from one production to the next, making it easy to reset studio acquisition for the next show, and then we can quickly upload the graphics and backdrops needed,” said Jonsson. “Major brands already know that the future for their marketing lies in online and gaming platform content, and our facility gives us a huge advantage, not only in terms of speed but also in broadcast grade production values.”

Systems integrator UBMS delivered the studio’s audio, video and graphics solutions as well as provided training, the company said.

More information is available on the Blackmagic Design website.

IZMIR, Turkey—Zero Density has unveiled RealityHub 1.2, a massive update to its production software that lets broadcasters manage everything from real-time graphics to robotic cameras all in one place with a web browser. 

With the upgrade, users can integrate most on-set equipment, automation systems and external data sources to RealityHub straight out of the box, or simply leverage Zero Density’s open-source SDK to develop their own custom integrations, the company said. 

“In a single application, RealityHub grants our users the ability to configure, compile, launch and playout projects, while providing time-saving ways to optimize their workflow,” reported Andrew Maloof, senior graphics system engineer at The Weather Channel. “Centralizing these tools into an intuitive, easily-accessible web interface changes the game for our artists, engineers and graphics operators.”

Whether it’s for interactive touchscreen applications or large video wall productions, RealityHub’s HTML5 interface can now also be used to access Unreal Engine thanks to RealityHub 1.2’s new Unreal Engine Vanilla support, Zero Density announced. 

Combined with Reality Engine’s capabilities for virtual studio and broadcast graphics, the new RealityHub release will make it fast and easy for broadcasters to utilize Unreal Engine directly from the same platform they use to manage everything else in their studio.

“RealityHub was designed to help customers like The Weather Channel, Warner Media and Eurosport by bringing traditional standalone control systems into a web browser,” explained Kuban Altan, co-founder and vice president of R&D at Zero Density. “This lets teams manage entire broadcast setups without having to worry about long installation processes. With RealityHub 1.2’s Unreal Engine Vanilla support, we are now opening up to a future where RealityHub technology is more accessible than ever before, giving Unreal Engine creatives in broadcast, education, live events and any other industry the power to control every element of their production from a single hub.”

Other key benefits, according to Zero Density, include:  

• Stress-Free Teamwork — Promote collaboration with a web-based control interface that everyone can access on their tablet, laptop or desktop.
• Real-Time Data Integration — Keep your audience in the loop by natively connecting to data sources that will automate the display of weather, election, sports or financial information — as well as keep updating in real time.
• Native Integration with Broadcast Ecosystems — Integrate with Newsroom Control Systems such as Octopus with MOS or any proprietary protocol. REST API also allows users to integrate with automations and build third-party integrations.
• Free Community Edition — Supported by Zero Density’s recent MegaGrant from Epic Games, the Community version of RealityHub is feature-complete, but only accessible to one user at a time.

The Community Edition of RealityHub 1.2 will be available to download for free before the end of 2021. For updates on the release, visit www.zerodensity.tv/products/reality-hub.

MUNICH AND BERLIN—ARRI today established the ARRI Solutions Group to expand its market offerings to holistic solutions for the TV and film markets worldwide.

The group will focus on design and engineering of custom production infrastructures for TV studios, mixed-reality environments and other modern solutions, the company said.

“ARRI has long since ceased to be solely a hardware manufacturer,” said Stephan Schenk, general manager Global Sales & Solutions at ARRI. “Whether consulting, configuration or turnkey installation, the experts of the ARRI Solutions Group design precisely the solutions our cine and broadcast clients need. Thereby, coordination and good cooperation with companies offering other products and services are also very important to us.” 

Among the group’s first mixed reality reference projects is Dark Bay Virtual Studio in Babelsberg, Germany, near Berlin. The ARRI Solutions Group was responsible for the overall technical planning and coordination of the installation of all components. 

ARRI’s three business units, Camera Systems, Lighting and Rental, worked together on the project under the management and coordination of the ARRI Solutions Group.

“In spring 2021, we built our high-end LED studio in a record time of three months on the premises Studio Babelsberg AG,” said Dark Bay managing director Philipp Klausing, who also produced “1899,” a new Netflix series.

“The team from the ARRI Solutions Group, one of the few vertically integrated service providers with a spectrum of knowledge that spans LED, light, camera and data technology, was commissioned with the overall planning," Klausing continued.

“The balanced inclusion of the needs from the specialist departments of direction, camera, lighting, and VFX were indispensable for us to guarantee a satisfactory recording result in the studio. The high level of bundling competence that the ARRI Group offers in its entirety was a main factor in guaranteeing the studio be assembled and delivered in this quality,” he concluded. 

More information is available on the company’s website.

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

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

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

BINGEN, Germany—The Telia Esports Series launched in Finland at the end of April and is broadcasted weekly on Finnish national television and internationally through Twitch. The virtual studio utilized for these weekly broadcasts was helped put together with the use of Broadcast Solutions technology.

Virtual studio tools from Broadcast Solutions were applied to pre-existing studio and remote facilities. Telia is using the state-of-the-art remote production hub from Broadcast Solutions that it had previously deployed to cover Finnish ice hockey to assist with the virtual studio. The remote production hub is located 2km from the studio and gaming facility.

For the actual set, Broadcast Solutions brought in technology from virtual reality company Zero Density and applied it to an already existing virtual set. Telia is able to change the virtual set look to its design for its esports program in about 10 seconds. Other productions at the virtual studio are done in 1080i50, whereas the esports production is done in 1080p50; the remote production hub handles the transition for production.

The virtual studio will be the set for an upcoming esports tournament hosted by Telia and the company Assembly.