LOS ANGELES—Global broadcast design agency Girraphic selected Vizrt graphics for mixed martial arts promotion MVP’s premiere event, streamed on Netflix May 16.

Broadcast live from the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., the 18,000-seat arena’s graphics lit up the venue, creating an immersive experience for fans at the event and bringing Netflix viewers closer to the action.

The venue’s Halo Board LED displays, augmented reality (AR) graphics, and every visual element were designed and operated by longtime Vizrt partner Girraphic. The agency specializes in virtual production and augmented graphical integrations.

“In live sports, you never know what’s going to happen,“ Girraphic CEO, North and South America Nathan Marsh said. “That anticipation brings fans to the edge of their seats, and visual elements on every screen should meet the magic of the moment. By counting on Vizrt technology, our teams were able to bring our collective vision to life, engaging the Netflix MMA fans in the venue and at home.”

A unified graphics workflow ensured the production team had the flexibility needed to deliver for both Netflix viewers and fans in the arena—all controlled from a single interface. Broadcasters, rightsholders, streamers and leagues are shifting strategy to handle more productions for more audiences in less time and with fewer added resources.

Essential to the workflow was the Viz Engine 5 real-time 3D graphics rendering and compositing engine, Vizrt said. Combined with Vizrt’s Viz Multiplay video wall and multiscreen control platform, the Viz Engine 5 enabled the team to create an original experience for every live event. Viz Multiplay enables the control of every display from a single interface, with playout available in any aspect ratio.

The solution blends prerendered animation, live video feeds and real-time broadcast graphics into a unified production workflow, Vizrt said. making the management of giant LED displays in venues of all sizes simple and solid. At the heart of both solutions is the reliability to not only support but also uplift productions, the company said.

More information is available on the Vizrt website.

LONDON—Vizrt has been named an official technical supplier of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest (May 12-16), in partnership with host broadcaster ORF, supporting one of the world’s most complex and widely watched live television productions.

Broadcast live from the Wiener Stadthalle arena in Vienna to millions of fans across Europe and beyond, Eurovision’s 70th edition will employ Vizrt technology to create immersive visual elements.

“The hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest in its 70th edition presents the ORF as the host broadcaster, with an extraordinary technical dimension—both in terms of scale and redundancy and creative ambition,” said Claudio Bortoli, technical supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. “With Vizrt, we are relying on a partner that allows us to operate highly complex live workflows stably while simultaneously setting new visual standards. Especially under the enormous time pressure and international visibility, it is crucial to employ technologies that combine precision, flexibility and absolute reliability.”

ORF, Austria’s national public broadcaster, is using a range of Vizrt solutions, including versatile real-time 3D graphics rendering and compositing with Viz Engine and virtual environments and augmented reality (AR) graphics with Viz Virtual Studio. The Viz Engine will also render all on-screen graphics and the data-driven graphics that display each country’s scores throughout the competition.

As host broadcaster, ORF is responsible for coordinating the live Eurovision broadcasts, complex graphics and live production across multiple shows and days. Vizrt’s technology will enable production teams to deliver compelling visual storytelling while maintaining the speed, reliability and flexibility required for live, large-scale events, the company said.

“Eurovision represents the pinnacle of live production. It’s high-octane, high-energy and high stakes; everything that Vizrt technology is trusted for,” said Chris Black, chief marketing officer at Vizrt. “We’re delighted to be providing technology that enables the boldest creative expression, as well as the dependability needed for broadcasts of this magnitude.”

More information is available on the Vizrt website.

LONDON—Vizrt will showcase its newly launched AI Keyer, which expands the possibilities and accessibility of virtual and extended reality (XR) scenarios, during the 2026 NAB Show, April 18-22, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The Vizrt AI Keyer enables background switching and augmented reality (AR) graphics insertion in every space, whether indoors or outdoors. The secure, proprietary solution is trained extensively on real-world footage across environments and lighting conditions to recognize human shapes as foregrounds and to separate backgrounds seamlessly so talent can move around while being locked into the virtual scene.

“Creating XR environments typically demands large infrastructure investments and requires specialized skills for daily operations. The Vizrt AI Keyer removes all these constraints so high-quality virtual scenes and AR graphics become a reality for live productions of every size,” said Edouard Griveaud, Senior Product Manager at Vizrt.

The Vizrt AI Keyer brings AR into any environment, whether it’s inserting remote speakers into a global town hall environment, switching the visual location of a presenter in a news segment or creating a completely virtual ad wall behind a player in a post-match interview.

Without needing green screens, complex lighting setups and time-consuming chromakeying, production teams can find new ways of engaging audiences and maximizing sponsorship value from anywhere.

“AI is transforming the world, and the creative industries are no exception. At Vizrt, we have been on this journey for years, embedding intelligence into our solutions, empowering storytellers, and delivering real, measurable impact for our customers,” said Rohit Nagarajan, CEO of Vizrt. “That is not a vision for tomorrow. That is happening today. The Vizrt AI Keyer is the latest proof point of our relentless commitment to innovation. Putting breakthrough technology in the hands of every creative, at every level, everywhere in the world.”

See Vizrt at 2026 NAB Show booth N2161.

More information is available on the company’s website.

NEW YORK—Vizrt today has launched four Campus Stadium Production Bundles designed to equip high schools and colleges in the United States with broadcast-quality sports solutions.

Using the same live production tools used by sports broadcasters and professional media organizations, the bundles deliver a complete, integrated workflow for live switching, replays, and graphics, including ready-to-play big screen graphics templates.

With the TriCaster all-in-one production switcher at its core, the technologies assembled are optimized for student-led productions.

“The scale and energy of school sports in the United States is unique,” said Andrew O’Neil, senior vice president of sports at Vizrt. “To match the enthusiasm of fans, schools must elevate their in-venue coverage, while also growing their brand and creating new revenue opportunities. Students gain hands-on experience with the same systems powering broadcast coverage, preparing them for careers in media, journalism, and live production.”

Each package includes access to Viz University, Vizrt’s on-demand training platform, which supports students and staff in building real-world production skills. The bundles are available in four configurations to suit schools of different sizes and ambitions.

With the Campus Stadium Production Bundles, high school and colleges across the United States can join the growing community of schools creating stunning sports coverage and streaming it live on digital platforms.

While designed for sports, Vizrt’s Campus Stadium Production Bundles reflect a broader shift in the media landscape. As content creation becomes more accessible, Vizrt is making production-grade technology available to more people.

The four different Campus Sports Production Bundles are available now in the United States from Vizrt’s authorized channel partners.

More information is available on the company’s website.

LONDON—Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset management (MAM) system, Viz One 8.1.

The new capabilities are designed to help broadcasters and content owners facing mounting pressure to deliver more content, faster and across more platforms, the company said. Media firms are finding that the ever-growing volume of raw footage and the limits of manual shot logging and archive research means traditional workflows are no longer sustainable, Vizrt said.

To address these common challenges, Viz One 8.1 integrates with Aiconix’s DeepVA sovereign AI platform, automating key stages of media management and moving teams from time-consuming manual processes to managing media with speed and accuracy.

“Content creators need AI that works for their specific needs, not a one-size-fits-all solution,” Aiconix Chief Marketing Officer Esther Arroyo said. “DeepVA’s ability to train custom models and generate structured, machine-readable metadata ensures Viz One customers can optimize their workflows and deliver more relevant, localized content to their audiences.”

With the integration, the AI-powered visual recognition in Viz One 8.1 allows users to surface the right content in seconds. It adds visual understanding to archives and workflows, automatically identifying and tagging faces, objects and scenes within video material, including through trainable custom models, Vizrt said.

AI automated metadata generation replaces manual logging. Teams can review metadata logged by AI, train custom models for unknown entities and perform optional quality assurance reviews, the company said. The strength in reliability is significant: up to a 50% increase in logging accuracy, 10 times the speed in logging workflows, and five times quicker search and discovery, Vizrt reported.

With the increased time efficiency, surfacing the best clips, scenes, and themes dramatically expands the possibilities for reuse, compliance and even content monetization, Vizrt said. Faster research and clip discovery also means fewer bottlenecks and greater creative flexibility for broadcasters and content creators working across news, sports and entertainment on any platform, the company said.

Viz One 8.1 builds on the system’s containerized architecture designed to scale seamlessly across on-premises, hybrid and cloud environments. DeepVA’s AI services are deployed securely within each Viz One environment, providing powerful AI workflows without risking sensitive data leaving the infrastructure, the company said.

Vizrt and DeepVA also said that they are pioneering a pragmatic approach to AI in media: delivering automation where it adds real value, without unnecessary complexity. Viz One 8.1 delivers the kind of AI that makes a measurable difference, the companies said, saving hours of manual tagging, surfacing the most relevant assets instantly and helping content creators tell better stories more quickly.

“Viz One 8.1 is the next step in our long-term vision to accelerate efficiencies,” said Jochen Bergdolt, head of MAM at Vizrt. “By combining Viz One’s proven reliability with intelligent automation, we’re giving customers the tools to work smarter today—and build stronger media operations for tomorrow."

Find out more about how Vizrt and DeepVA are making media asset management more efficient here.

NEW YORK—Chyron has selected Diego Soto as the winner of the Chyron Designer of the Year Award for IBC 2025.

Soto’s winning submission was selected from more than 30 entrants on the basis of design excellence, animation and data integration.

“This award is so important for Chyron. We take a lot of care in making products with cutting-edge feature sets for designers and operators, but out products are only as good as the knowledge and skills of those who use them,” said Carol Bettencourt, vice president of marketing at Chyron.

“We are very committed to growing and nurturing a global community of Chyron users how that our customers have the talent pool that they need.”

Soto studied software engineering at Universidad Latina de Costa Rica and holds a bachelor’s degree from Westbridge where he studied animation, interactive technology, video graphics and special effects. He also holds the Chyron PRIME Designer Black Belt certification, which is the highest level of study within the Chyron Academy.

He currently serves as a real-time graphics specialist at NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises. He also owns and operates DASM Animation, a high-end design studio specializing in digital art, mixed media, 3D models and motion graphics.

“Working with Chyron PRIME gives me the tools and creative freedom to bring my ideas to life. It was easy to learn with instinctive tools. It has been a great experience to utilize my experience as a designer with this modern graphics system,” said Soto. “I know it is being used more and more by broadcasters everywhere. I am really honored to be selected for this award.”

More information is available on the company’s website.

LONDON—Vizrt has announced that it is providing automation technologies for live sports production to the Viaplay streaming service that are being used to cover Premier League action and soccer matches.

For this year’s soccer season, Viaplay’s goals were to simultaneously increase content output and improve show quality and consistency, while ensuring scalable workflows, the two companies explained. To accomplish those goals, it is using Viz Mosart on live productions, which allows a single operator to run an entire show, enabling the production of more localized content for different audiences.

Viz Mosart is designed to put all the power of the gallery and studio at the operator’s fingertips, with templated actions controlling lighting, graphics playout, robotic cameras, and videowalls simultaneously. Viaplay’s teams across Denmark and Norway are creating consistent, on-brand live content that entertains and informs soccer fans before, during, and after every Premier League match, Vizrt reported.

By automating repetitive tasks, Vizrt reported that users are able to ensure consistent, reliable productions, while enabling more creative storytelling and making it possible to deliver more content with the same resources. Viz Mosart is at the center of production workflows across the Viaplay studios, ready to be flexible and deliver what’s needed for each production team.

Viaplay subscribers across the Nordic countries and the Netherlands can tune in to the streaming service’s pre-match build-up, halftime debrief, and post-game analysis. For all live Premier League matches, soccer fans in each territory can enjoy commentary in their own language, providing them with unparalleled access to expert insight and coverage of the beautiful game.

“This is an important step in our journey to future-proof our sports productions, and without the reliable system and strong expertise we receive from Vizrt as our partner, it would not have been possible for this project to go live in such a short time,” says Robin Gerbino, vice president of production, sports operations at Viaplay Group.

“Production automation needs to be flexible to make a real difference. Adaptability is as important as reliability, especially in live sports, where so much of the excitement comes from not knowing what will happen,” says Andrew O’Neil, vice president of sports, strategy & growth at Vizrt. “The purpose is to free up your time, while keeping the production process efficient. With Viz Mosart, the show is completely yours to create and change as you please.”

To effectively implement Viz Mosart across the Viaplay studios, Vizrt offered comprehensive training of the automation solution for team leaders, including training in show design to help make shows as creative as possible.

Following the successful launch of the solution for Premier League content production, Viaplay plans on expanding its use to more markets and other sports coverage during the year — including premium rights such as the Champions League, Formula 1, Superliga, FIS Skiing, and many more, the companies explained.

"With our new partnership with Vizrt, centered around implementing Viz Mosart to strengthen our productions, we are very pleased with the collaboration and the support we have received making it possible to go live in the new soccer season kick-off. This is a first step, and we are very much looking forward to what the collaboration can bring in the years to come,” explained Gerbino at Viaplay Group.

To learn more about how automation streamlines production for news, sports, and other live and pre-recorded shows, please visit: https://www.vizrt.com/products/viz-mosart/

LONDON—Vizrt has introduced Viz Arena 6, the newest version of its all-in-one live augmented reality (AR) graphics and virtual advertising sports solution. The new version includes AI-powered features that reduce calibration headaches and radically simplify keying and masking in ways that greatly speed up AR sports production, the company reported.

More specifically, the new AI-driven features make it easier for operators to integrate AR graphics into live broadcasts, lowering the barrier to entry for creating stunning AR sports graphics. With AI calibration, AR graphics and virtual ads stay perfectly locked to the field, no matter how the camera moves. It also gets graphics to air 10 times faster without losing any precision. The Sports Intelligent Keyer uses ambient learning to intelligently separate foreground from background, with minimal manual input required, the company said.

The system is designed to efficiently produce higher quality graphics in less time. It provides users with a a reliable system that eases time-consuming and complex tasks in ways that allow producers to expand quality productions without scaling costs or complexity, Vizrt said.

That has already drawn praise from some early users. “We were blown away by the AI calibration and AI keyer, they really transformed our fast-paced MotoGP workflow. We were supposed to be beta testing, but Viz Arena 6 was so stable and consistent, that we decided to take it straight to air,” says Sergi Sendra, senior director, media content, technical and production departments at Dorna Sports.

By lowering the barriers to AR graphics, the benefit is not just in creating and inserting striking data-driven visualization; it also helps the bottom line, Vizrt stressed.

With virtual ads, productions can easily add tailored, sponsor-specific advertising to any live sport event. This flexibility expands creative possibilities and helps deliver greater value for commercial partners, the company reported.

“With this release, we’re expanding on the real purpose of AI in production technology: making the process more effective and accessible. Want better creativity and efficiency? AI-powered calibration and keying speed up the process. In sports, the action never slows, and productions need technology that can keep up,” says Edouard Griveaud, Senior Product Manager, Sports and AI, at Vizrt.

More information on the product’s features and its ability to save time can be found at https://www.vizrt.com/products/viz-arena/.

NEW YORK—Emergent, a provider of AI-enhanced technology solutions and immersive content production tools has announced a series of high-profile partnerships and collaborations to be featured at IBC2025. The company will highlight its ability to merge cutting-edge data integration with creative visualization, demonstrating how its technology empowers broadcasters, event producers, and enterprises to deliver dynamic real-time content.

At the center of Emergent’s presence at IBC2025 is its show collaboration with ROE Visual (booth #1.D29). Invited by ROE Visual to showcase high-end AI-enhanced content, Emergent has created multi-vertical virtual environments, built in Unreal Engine 5, designed to elevate video production for industries including broadcast, finance and pharmaceutical. These spaces will be showcased at the ROE booth Innovation Lab, displayed on the company’s Coral 1.2 LED product, and powered by Vizrt’s complete AR graphics and virtual set solution, Viz Virtual Studio Go, which combines proprietary camera tracking and its renowned, efficient graphics playout workflow.

Emergent’s says its collaboration with ROE Visual and Vizrt underscores its ability to work seamlessly with leading industry platforms to deliver high-quality content on a scalable plug-and-play solution for streaming, video conferencing, and immersive virtual studio media production.

“Our presence at IBC2025 represents a pivotal moment for Emergent, as we bring together some of the most innovative names in media production to demonstrate what’s possible when AI-enhanced data integration meets immersive visualization,” said Grig Mindlin, CEO of Emergent. “From our work with ROE Visual on virtual environments to our integration with SPX and collaboration with Vizrt and Al Kamel Systems, we are proving how data, design, and AI-driven technology can combine to create unmatched experiences for audiences worldwide.”

Emergent has also partnered with SPX Graphics (Booth #1.B25) to integrate its Emergent Nova real-time data aggregation and distribution platform with SPX HTML graphics playout solution. This integration enables curated news and sports data feeds to flow directly into SPX’s tools, including the new SPX Broadcast and SPX Production platforms.

“As HTML graphics become an increasingly popular and efficient choice for live productions, the combination of Emergent’s Nova and SPX’s solutions will provide a powerful resource for election coverage, sports events, and other data-driven productions,” said David Jorba, CBO of Emergent.

Emergent has also entered into a new partnership with Al Kamel Systems (AKS), the trusted graphics and timing provider for world-class motorsport competitions including global FIA championships, several large-scale championships in the USA, and the pioneering electric racing series since their inception. Together, the companies are developing new creative solutions for data-driven augmented reality graphics, powered by Unreal Engine, for the upcoming season. This partnership reflects Emergent’s commitment to advancing the use of real-time data in AR storytelling for global sports.

NEW YORK—Former executives from Vizrt and Disguise announced today the launch of Emergent, an AI- and data-driven technology and services company that will offer AI-enabled content creation solutions, interactive experiences, and immersive creative services to the media and entertainment industry. The company will make its public debut at IBC2025, Sept. 12-15 at the RAI Amsterdam.

“Emergent was founded on the belief that the future of media lies in intelligent content—driven by AI, informed by context, and delivered at the right moment to the right audience,” Emergent CEO Grig Mindlin said. “Our tools and services solve the complexity behind today’s production environments, giving creators, producers, and technologists the power to move faster, think smarter, and tell unforgettable stories.”

The company offers two product/service offerings:

Emergent Solutions will deliver enterprise-grade AI-enhanced solutions for media production, sports and news events, and immersive environments. Solutions is designed to reduce production costs, accelerate workflows and turn fragmented data into clear, real-time intelligence, the company said, by automating tedious tasks or enhancing audience engagement through personalized content.

Emergent Studio is a team of designers, technologists, and storytellers that provides creative and integration services to bring AI-powered content workflows and visualization to life. The multidisciplinary team helps customers design, deploy and scale creative projects and AI solutions, from strategic consulting and concept design, to installation and managed services.

The founding team includes:

• Grig Mindlin, CEO, a media-tech founder with two successful exits and leadership stops at Vizrt, Acision, Polygon Labs (acquired by Disguise), and Disguise. He is known for driving innovation that scales—and teams that love the work.
• David Jorba, CBO, a media tech executive with extensive experience in business development, growing revenue, and scaling global SaaS and services businesses. His leadership roles brought commercial success to Vizrt, TVU Networks, as a partner at Polygon Labs, and Disguise—driving go-to-market strategy, and international expansion.
• Miguel Yabrudes, CCO, an Emmy Award–winning creative leader behind groundbreaking visualization and creative technology projects for the Olympics, World Cup, and major broadcasters. He has held executive roles at Disguise, Polygon Labs (co-founder), and Vizrt, blending storytelling and innovation to shape the future of live media.
• Wilson Li, CTO, a technology architect with over 15 years of experience designing cloud-native platforms, AI pipelines, and large-scale data simulation systems. Formerly Head of Engineering and partner at Polygon Labs, he previously led advanced R&D initiatives at Vizrt, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.

“The market is demanding smarter, faster, and more efficient content solutions, and Emergent is built to meet that challenge head-on,” said David Jorba, Chief Business & Strategy Officer at Emergent. “Our team understands the challenges of modern production and that's why we’re focused on empowering media organizations with the tools, strategies, and services to build the creative power they need to compete and thrive.”

At IBC, Emergent execs will be in Stand 1.D29 with one of their partners, ROE Visual.

LONDON—Vizrt has introduced Managed Services, a way for its customers to focus on storytelling while the company handles the operational complexity behind the scenes.

Vizrt Managed Services supports broadcasters, live event producers and enterprises with dedicated assistance, operational proficiency and technology needed to meet these demands and connect with viewers, it said.

“In live production, you only get one shot to make an impact,” Vizrt CEO Rohit Nagarajan said. “With Vizrt Managed Services, we take care of the operational heavy lifting with our team of experts so our customers can focus on what moves the needle: creating standout content, reaching new audiences and driving real impact at scale.”

Vizrt Managed Services addresses five areas:

• Application management services, which include proactive monitoring, maintenance and management of Vizrt and selected third-party systems. 
• Creative services, which cover design, creation and management of custom graphics, templates and visual assets that elevate brand identity and drive viewer engagement.
• Sports and events operations, which include end-to-end support for sports and live event productions with on-site and remote services to help teams deliver seamless, broadcast-quality content. 
• Corporate communications, which combines broadcast-quality tools with complete production services for internal and external communications from concept development through delivery. 
• Private infrastructure cloud, which includes leasing on–premises high-performance hardware infrastructure through a flexible cost model. 

During a recent rugby match broadcast by French broadcaster Canal+, Vizrt was behind the scenes managing creation and delivery of dynamic augmented reality (AR) graphics, the company said.

“At Canal+, we want to deliver the best coverage of live sports, and that includes unique visual elements that engage the fans watching from anywhere,” said Christophe Schatz, head of sports TV production, Canal+. “Collaborating again with Vizrt, now with Managed Services, we’re looking forward to exploring new ways to drive innovation in storytelling.”

More information is available on the company’s website.

On Air, a 26-hour global live broadcast will take place on Oct. 16 2025, delivering a continuous stream of original and pre-recorded content managed entirely by university and college students.

The project has been put together by the Global Media and Entertainment Talent Manifesto, with backing from ITV Studios, SMPTE, AWS, Vizrt and Deluxe.

Each participating institution will contribute at least one hour of live programming to the broadcast. Confirmed universities/locations include: Auckland University of Technology (SMPTE), Baltic Film and Media School, Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart (SMPTE), Hong Kong Design Institute (SMPTE), Lycée René Cassin – Biarritz, Medieklyngen – Media Cluster Norway, University of Sao Paulo in partnership with Faculdade Casper Libero, University of Surrey, University of Texas (SMPTE), and York University with Ravensbourne University London as the central hub for master control room, playout control and operations.

The aim is for On Air to give participating students real-world experience, international exposure, and networking opportunities, as well as offering media and entertainment organisations direct access to a diverse pool of future-ready creatives and technologists.

“On Air exemplifies the power of collaboration between education and industry by providing an opportunity to connect with and support the next generation of talent,” said Carrie Wootten, founder of the Global Media and Entertainment Talent Manifesto. “By giving students real-world experience, hands-on learning and visibility among potential future employers, we can help ensure the future of our sector is more innovative, inclusive and sustainable.”

Tim Guilder, head of production technology – ITV Studios at ITV, added: “ITV is committed to helping foster the next generation of talent and we’re proud to be supporting On Air and providing technical support and studio access to this exciting project. The scale of this project will give creatives and technologists more global opportunities to shine.”

The On Air team is looking for a distribution partner and any platform integrators to take the project further. More details about the project are available here: http://mediatalentmanifesto.com/on-air

This article originally appeared on TV Tech sister brand TVBEurope.

At the 2025 NAB Show, April 6-9 in Las Vegas, Vizrt says it plans to showcase a new AI graphics solution integration with Highfield AI, Viz Connect Audio, the company’s first dedicated NDI audio connection solution, and Viz One 8, the company’s largest update to its enterprise Media Asset Management (MAM) system in more than 10 years.

HighField AI, an advanced AI-powered solution designed to automate repetitive tasks within the media production workflow will demonstrate its integration on Vizrt Booth W3031. HighField AI, which announced its launch last week, is the industry's first multimodal and agentic AI solution designed to improve professional broadcast graphics workflow efficiency through its intelligent, context-aware AI solution.

HighField AI—purpose-built for the media industry—analyzes the stories as written by journalists in their NRCS system such as CGI Open Media and Avid’s iNews. It deploys a set of AI agents that automate tasks usually done by operators: selecting the most suitable graphics templates created with Vizrt and filling them with relevant content, including text, images, and video clips pulled from broadcasters' content repositories. These agents collaborate autonomously to assemble the story graphics, learning from past decisions to improve efficiency and accuracy. While the system operates autonomously, journalists maintain complete control over the final product, safeguarding editorial integrity and quality.

The result is maximized user efficiency and higher quality productions, Vizrt said.

"There’s an urgent need to streamline workflows for broadcasters,” says Ionut Pogacean, Senior Product Manager, Media Technologies and Workflow, Vizrt. “This integration helps our customers get the most out of their existing Vizrt infrastructure, streamlining workflows without major changes or disruptions. With HighField AI, Vizrt users can produce high-quality, visually stunning graphics faster and more efficiently, enhancing every production cycle.”

“Together with Vizrt, we're transforming the way journalists work by eliminating inefficiencies and empowering them to craft even more powerful stories," says Ofir Benovici, Co-Founder of HighField AI. "By enhancing journalists' existing workflows with cutting-edge AI, we're enabling them to deliver content faster than ever before and at higher quality.”

Vizrt will demo its integration with Highfield at Booth W3031 in the West Hall of the LVCC during the show as well as in the and in the IABM Lounge (N259).

NDI for Audio
Also new at the show is Viz Connect Audio—the company’s first dedicated audio connectivity and monitoring technology product. Viz Connect Audio adds, for the first time, a much-needed ability to manage any and all NDI sources on a network, both visually and aurally, Vizrt said.

“Audio is just as important as video in any live production. By ensuring seamless and flexible audio connectivity using the same NDI network, with streaming infrastructure also widely used for video, Viz Connect Audio guarantees professional-quality, easy to configure live productions,” says Steve Taylor, Chief Product and Technology Officer, Vizrt.

Viz Connect Audio makes it easy for users to connect analog audio sources, configure and convert them to NDI, enabling their use in a local or remote NDI ecosystem. At the same time, Viz Connect Audio allows visibility of all NDI audio sources on the NDI network.

“While TriCasters have long provided the ability to connect audio sources directly into the live production switcher, with Viz Connect Audio, the focus is firmly on enabling users to bring in analog audio sources, convert them to NDI, and connect them straight to the NDI network – strengthening the entire workflow and flexibility of the ecosystem,” says Christopher McLendon, Senior Product Manager, Vizrt.

Ideal for broadcast studios, event producers, corporate communications, educational institutions, content creators, and anyone doing a live production, Viz Connect Audio easily integrates, enabling the visibility, monitoring, and control of a production’s audio sources.

As one of the first dedicated NDI IP Audio solutions, Viz Connect Audio brings endless connectivity options, expanding unrivalled production possibilities using a range of formats.

At NAB 2025, Viz Connect Audio will be showcased in its seamless integration with Vizrt’s flagship TriCaster, the TriCaster Vizion in Booth W3031 in the West Hall of the LVCC.

Vizrt will also showcase Viz One 8, the company’s largest update to its enterprise Media Asset Management (MAM) system in more than 10 years.

BERGEN, Norway—Vizrt has unveiled Viz One 8, the company’s largest update to its enterprise Media Asset Management (MAM) system in more than 10 years. The update is built on a containerized backend.

The containerization makes Viz One a collection of small containers, rather than one large system. Each is responsible for specific services and can function, scale, self-heal and be updated independently, the company said.

This containerization makes the platform more flexible, scalable, resilient and upgradable while reducing operational costs and improving ingest, editing and distribution performance, it said,

This architecture provides more IT choice and flexibility by making it easier to deploy in an on-premises, cloud or hybrid technology stack. It simplifies integration across different technology environments and makes MAM workflows more adaptable to varying operational needs, it said.

Typically, MAM system upgrade is complex. It often sidelines broadcasters from the benefits of new features and innovations. Viz One 8’s container-based backend makes future upgrades easy, thereby enabling broadcasters and other content owners to stay current and competitive, it said.

Whether deploying the tools of the future for HDR, AI workflow integrations or new global content standards, Viz One 8 can adapt effortlessly without disrupting daily operations, it said.

More information is available on the company’s website.

It’s become a virtuous circle: Advances in graphics and editing technology lead to higher quality and better-looking content, especially on mobile devices. The audience becomes accustomed to these improvements, which drives the need for further advances in improved quality and content appearance.

Advanced graphics and editing are the unsung heroes of modern video production and the trends and technology that support these heroes will be on full display on the 2025 NAB Show floor in Las Vegas.

As consumers become accustomed to high-quality visual content across all their devices, broadcasters are feeling the pressure to meet these expectations with their own content to stay competitive, according to Sarah Jones, senior technical solutions specialist for Blackmagic Design, Americas.

“This demand means broadcasters are upgrading production equipment and investing in technologies capable of delivering higher resolutions and cinematic images,” Jones says. “While this could impact production budgets, today’s technologies are more accessible than ever before, packing professional features into affordable budgets, so we’re seeing a reduction in the barrier to entry when it comes to the use of cutting-edge technology.”

Standing Out
Uniqueness is also becoming more important in the video graphics and editing sector. With content providers serving out so many channels in an ever more-crowded video universe, being different and eye-catching is vital for building audiences.

As a result, “a significant trend we’re seeing at ENCO Systems is the need for both customizable channel branding and dynamic graphics insertion,” says Bill Bennett, media solutions and
accounts manager for the company.
“Broadcasters and streamers often have the same content feeding several different channels, each requiring its own branding, so they rely on our ClipFire video playout system to separately brand each signal.

“Furthermore, these same folks like to host cost-efficient automated channels with dynamic, compelling graphics which change with real-time data [think weather or sports], so we’ve been able to help them do that, too,” Bennett adds.

Of course, serving out all these extra channels costs money, which is a commodity that content providers cherish. That is why economy is a third trend influencing the graphics and editing sector, with vendors doing their best to devise solutions that deliver advances without emptying the bank.

“​​Whether an individual content creator or a large broadcaster, many are looking to achieve more with less,” Vizrt Chief Marketing Officer Chris Black tells TV Tech. “They’re looking for workflows and technology that can support them creating more content, faster, with multiple aspect ratios for dual outputs, leveraging their current investment without the need to add in new tech, or hire new people. Two big focuses we are seeing are the use of dual-aspect ratios for social media content alongside linear or multiregion
advertising to monetize content across various demographics.”

At the same time, production teams are seeking new ways to scale up their operations that are inherently flexible and efficient. “As a result, we are seeing the further democratization of media technology,” Black says. For instance, “cloud-native and web-based HTML5 graphics platforms with intuitive UI are offering existing graphics templates for individuals to use, increasing efficiency in time to air.”

What They’ll Be Showing
Blackmagic Design will have two booths in South Hall Lower, (SL216 and SL8016), and will showcase cameras, DaVinci Resolve postproduction software and hardware, its wide range of SMPTE-2110 IP video products, the ATEM family of live production switchers, streaming solutions, network storage and more, according to Jones.

“Pairing our URSA Cine Immersive and DaVinci Resolve provides an end-to-end workflow to support these evolving interactive needs, providing the means to capture and edit 8K, 3D video with a 180-degree field of view,” Jones says. “The Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive is the world’s first commercial camera system designed to capture Apple Immersive Video, and DaVinci Resolve provides the ability to edit Apple Immersive Video for the first time.”

When it comes to automating time-intensive tasks, DaVinci Resolve Studio’s Neural Engine-backed AI tools can significantly speed up workflows. “This comes into play, for example, with our facial recognition technology, which can automatically detect, track and organize footage based on an individual’s face, eliminating the need to search and organize manually,” Jones says. “Similarly, smart reframe tools intelligently resize and reposition footage to fit various aspect ratios, facilitating content repurposing across platforms.

ENCO Systems will showcase its ClipFire flagship multichannel playout and ingest platform which can service a lot of needs (and channels) from a single box, according to Bennett.

“We’ll be showing where we think the future of broadcast graphics are headed, thanks to our Qimera Virtual Production produc,” Bennett says. “Built on the massively popular Unreal Engine, Qimera generates stunning truly three-dimensional graphics which humans can interact with and walk around in 3D space, complete with graphics (and backgrounds) that move as the humans do in-camera, making for some incredibly compelling video. We’ll also be showing the new MOS newsroom automation hooks we’ve built into Qimera recently, to automate the data that’s making those 3D dynamic graphics so compelling.”

Also in the West Hall, Vizrt will demonstrate Viz Connect Audio, “which offers unparalleled connectivity, visibility, and control of audio sources on an NDI network,” Black says. “We are particularly excited about Viz Connect Audio, and how it seamlessly integrates with our flagship TriCaster, the TriCaster Vizion.”

This year’s show will be the first time that the multi-award-winning TriCaster Vizion will be demoed at NAB Show, offering the latest in IP connectivity, configurable SDI I/O, powerful switching, audio mixing and state-of-the-art graphics. “Show attendees can also expect to see advancements in Viz Engine’s seamless integration with Unreal Engine,” Black says. “Building on benchmarks for ease of use and performance, Vizrt will demonstrate—via Viz Arc—enhanced control of the latest versions of Viz Engine 5 and Unreal Engine 5.”

Vizrt also plans to display its latest advances in immersive graphics, cloud, automation, and AI. “We aren’t just showing technology,” Black concludes. “We are showing real-world solutions that solve everyday production challenges across three experience areas and several solution pods.”

While virtual sets have had a presence in television studios for several decades, advances in artificial intelligence and virtual reality are revolutionizing the TV news of today. The use of virtual sets and advanced graphics, where the on-air talent works within a simulated 3D graphical environment, has made physical sets little more than background props that viewers never see.

“Virtual sets and advanced graphics are becoming essential in delivering impactful storytelling,” said Marcus B. Brodersen, CEO of Pixotope, a real-time virtual production platform. “Thanks to new technologies, broadcasters can now build more flexible environments that can be adapted on the fly, which is critical for the fast-paced nature of news production.”

“Virtual sets enable the visual extension of the set, meaning that you can do more with a limited space,” added Russell Leak, senior customer success manager with Vizrt, a pioneer in developing real-time graphics and live production solutions for content creators. “With detail-oriented virtual environments, presenters can interact with the space around them seamlessly, creating an engaging visual experience for the audience.

“Topped with data-driven immersive graphics to illustrate important data points clearly, virtual sets and advanced graphics are playing a crucial role in providing both information and entertainment,” he added. “They help illustrate the storytelling, improve audience retention and relay effectively crucial data-driven stories.”

Data Visualization
The most significant evolution in news tech over the past year has been in data visualization, according to Jim Doyle, Ross Video’s vice president, creative services.

“Using CG-generated graphics like XPression helps our customers provide results and information very quickly and provides virtual graphics to tell the story,” he said. “Our work with Fox News for their 2024 election coverage [which used Ross Video’s Graphics on Command voice-activated AI-driven live graphics system] is probably the most advanced TV news setup we’ve done. We’ve created a workflow where someone on set can verbally request the next graphic, and AI then recalls that specific scene, allowing them to speak to it.”

(Read: CBS Owned Stations Go Virtual To Reinvent News)

The U.S. and U.K. elections were big drivers of on-air news innovation in 2024.

“Broadcasters worldwide used Viz Engine, sometimes integrated with Unreal Engine, to create fully immersive 3D environments, including a full video wall of the White House for the U.S. elections, as well as an illustration of Parliament for the U.K. general election in blue and red, with seats changing in real-time as results came in,” Vizrt Senior Customer Success Manager Russell Leak said. “AI has also been a buzzword for a reason: It is being used for the setup and improvement of visualization of sets. For instance, Reality Connect, available in Viz Engine 5, uses advanced AI algorithms to enable hyperrealistic talent immersion, including shadow-casting and reflections within virtual studios and XR sets.”

Brainstorm specializes in advanced technologies like real-time 3D graphics, virtual sets, camera tracking, XR and film previsualization. In 2024, the company collaborated with Univision Arizona (KTVW Phoenix) to develop a complex virtual set and a suite of data-driven AR graphics templates for its election night coverage delivered on its large, green 35-by-30-foot cyclorama.

“Virtual sets, augmented reality graphics and real-time 3D graphics have been around for decades, but recent advancements in graphics quality and computing power now make it possible to deliver more realistic sets and complex graphics in real time,” Miguel Churruca, Brainstorm’s marketing and communications director, said. “By combining Unreal Engine for set rendering with real-time broadcast graphics engines, we achieve the best of both worlds for news production, with stunning background scenes and hyperrealistic graphics. We can even take it a step further with remote connections—bringing a remote talent directly into the news set rather than onto a screen, or virtually placing the anchor in a remote location, all in real time.”

What's Coming Next
As exciting as the innovations in virtual news sets and advanced graphics for news production were last year, what’s coming next is bound to be even more dazzling.

“In 2025, virtual studios will continue to become easier to implement and achieve photorealistic quality, even in live broadcasts,” Brodersen said. “With advancements in real-time rendering and lighting, such as real-time ray tracing, virtual sets will become indistinguishable from physical ones.

“Another area that is seeing very rapid advancement is AI-based tools for video analysis, processing and content generation,” he continued. “One of the innovations we are working on is ‘Pixotope Reveal,’ our AI-powered background segmentation tool that can automatically detect and select up to 20 talents. It allows you to place the AR graphics behind or in front of the talent without the need of complex infrastructure, such as green screen, chroma-keying or lights.”

Brainstorm’s Churruca agreed that a major goal among broadcasters is to achieve maximum realism, creating virtual sets that are indistinguishable from reality by using the latest rendering technologies.

“These advancements not only enhance visual quality but also improve lighting, reflections and interaction with graphics and other elements, resulting in a highly polished final output,” he said. “Virtual and real elements can seamlessly coexist—such as combining real tables and props with virtual backgrounds. We can mix talent and props with real LED backgrounds or pair virtual backgrounds with virtual screens, creating endless combinations for displaying images, graphics, or other virtual elements.”

Ross Video’s Doyle sees virtual reality breaking out of the news production studio in 2025. “I believe we’ll see more simplification in the control room,” he said. “I think virtual control rooms, at least for Tier-2 or Tier-3 productions, have a future. AI-driven routing and switcher control are also on the horizon, which will change things. Combined with what we’re doing now with voice command, we’re quickly moving into a whole new production environment.”

The Beginning of the End?
Does all of this progress spell the doom of traditional TV news presentation? “It’s looking that way,” Brodersen said. “The days of physical news sets with static, over-the-shoulder graphic windows are indeed fading. Even regional broadcasters, such as VideoReport Canarias [in Spain] and TV La 7 [in Italy], are making the switch to virtual sets and it’s likely more will follow.”

Said Doyle: “In some ways, yes, and in some ways, no. I’d say traditional over-the-shoulder graphics with an abstract image and two lines of text — that’s outdated. But I think graphics that reinforce what the talent is saying, like half slabs with bullets of information or data-driven charts and graphs, are still useful and aren’t going anywhere. “

What about physical TV news sets? Are they fated to go the way of ¾-inch videotape and paper scripts? “Definitely not,” Leak said. “To some extent, those news sets are not a thing of the past because audiences like familiarity, and the traditional news look is appealing to a key part of the audience.”

In fact, physical desks, chairs and other news-studio props still have their place in this brave new world of TV news production.

“Physical news sets continue to play a crucial role, but virtual news sets enhance the dynamics of news presentations,” Churruca explained. “Anchors are no longer confined to sitting behind a desk while OTS [over-the-shoulder] graphics illustrate the news: Now virtual sets and augmented reality graphics on physical sets offer greater flexibility. Anchors can move freely—standing behind a desk, interacting with AR graphics in a larger space or even being teleported to remote locations using chroma-key and virtual technology. Both physical and virtual approaches have their advantages, allowing us to leverage all available technologies to create more engaging news programs with dynamic presentations.”

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa —Building audience loyalty is the ultimate goal for storytellers around the world. In an age with never-ending content, how can you guarantee audiences will consistently turn to you?

As Africa’s leading entertainment platform, we understand that challenge well. It’s beyond owning the rights to the right content; it’s also about knowing how to distribute, archive and leverage it well.

MultiChoice South Africa offers entertainment in all its forms: from SuperSport, Africa’s premier sports broadcaster, to DStv, a video entertainment company, and GOtv, a digital terrestrial television platform known for its affordability.

Delivering engaging stories across all platforms is no small feat. Knowing our content is enjoyed by over 23.5 million households in 50 markets across sub-Saharan Africa, we understand our duty to our audience.

Managing 24/7 Media
For our extensive media portfolio, receiving live and file-delivered content requires a system capable of prioritizing and distributing that content, at scale, in a 24/7 operation. This is why we count on Viz One, Vizrt’s enterprise media asset management (MAM) system, to strengthen both the live content distribution and storage management.

MultiChoice uses Viz One to produce, acquire and package media for sports and entertainment for over 200 channels broadcast across the African continent. In essence, Viz One catalogs MultiChoice’s vast media portfolio and makes it available to our users. They can search across asset and timeline level metadata captured from every item in the system to preview material and create shot selections, quickly finding the right piece of media in the expansive archive in a matter of minutes.

The MAM system makes content available for editing and dubbing workflows, regardless of whether it is currently importing or sits within our ever-growing archive, which currently stands at over 1.5 million hours of HD content.

This means that the assets captured for top-tier sports—including football, cricket, rugby, motor racing— as well as any other program and commercial material, are properly stored and readily available. Then, our MAM team creates the highlights, program versions and stage media for playout every day of the week.

In 2010, the Media Asset Management Engineering and Support team was created at MultiChoice, and by 2015, we had more than doubled in personnel. I’m responsible for managing the full MAM system and engineering support team, which means coordinating between multiple teams, including the MultiChoice Operations and other engineering teams, for road mapping the workflows and any process enhancements required.

For the last 14 years, we have grown the MAM System from a small IBM Tivoli Storage Management digital tape storage with 800 terabytes of data—managing and transferring commercial content only and the Ardome MAM System—to an IBM Tivoli Storage Management digital tape storage with more than 72 petabytes of data. This was replicated at our DR site, managing all content processing of the entire content broadcast on MultiChoice and SuperSport linear and digital channels.

It’s paramount for the efficiency of all MultiChoice platforms and programs that we use our digital tape storage as efficiently as possible.

Supporting Creatives
It’s undeniable the potential the creative industry has across Africa. Being responsible for researching and helping implement new technologies that streamline our platforms and processes, I know well how technology can help ease the creative process.

Because we have the trust of millions of households across the continent, we have taken this rich revenue of the attention economy to amplify African stories, investing back in the talent of our audiences. From supporting M-Net’s channels, which create original productions of authentic stories, to enterprise development such as MultiChoice’s Innovation Fund and Africa Accelerator, we’re committed to elevating African talent.

By leveraging our unique platform, we enrich a broad ecosystem of consumer services for creatives across Africa—all underpinned by scalable technology. As we grow, so do the stories we share and keep.

More information is available at vizrt.com.

BERGEN, Norway—Vizrt has hired Rohit Nagarajan as its new CEO, replacing Michael Hallén, who led the company for eight years.

Nagarajan joins Vizrt with over two decades of experience in sales and financial software technology. He has held pivotal roles across multiple geographies at SAP, SoftwareONE, and Salesforce and has “deep expertise across sales, marketing, and product innovation” the company said, adding that “Nagarajan’s focus will be on scaling Vizrt’s international growth, and enhancing its offering for customers, partners and users.” 

“For over 25 years, Vizrt has been at the heart of media innovation, building strong relationships with incredible clients worldwide,” Nagarajan said. “Just this past Tuesday, Vizrt technology was central to how hundreds of media companies covered the U.S. election, showcasing the power of our expertise and our customers’ creativity. With the media industry entering the era of cloud and AI-assisted production, I truly feel there’s never been a more exciting time to be part of this journey. The potential for us to grow and make an even bigger impact is immense.”

Michael Hallén, who sat as Vizrt’s CEO for the past eight years, oversaw the integration of NewTek and Flowics into Vizrt’s ecosystem and will remain as chairman of NDI.    

“Rohit is highly respected for his leadership, customer dedication, and deep expertise across sales, marketing, product, and talent management—qualities that align perfectly with Vizrt’s culture and vision,” Vizrt chairman Klaus Holse said. “His proven track record in driving growth and building global software organizations will be invaluable in guiding Vizrt’s next phase of success.  On behalf of the Board, we thank Michael for his contributions; under his leadership, Vizrt has built an infrastructure ready for sales growth. We look forward to his continued impact as Chairman of NDI.”   

Said Hallén: “Leading Vizrt alongside such talented colleagues has been an honor. I’m proud of our achievements over the past eight years and look forward to seeing the company’s continued success under Rohit’s leadership.” 

MIAMI—In recent weeks a crew of about 150 have been transforming Telemundo’s Miami headquarters into two studios that will play a central role in its election-night coverage Nov. 5, enabling the Spanish-language network to use virtual reality technologies in that coverage for the first time.

“We have created a beautiful, really interactive stage here at the Telemundo center,” with virtual and augmented reality capabilities to dramatically convey election night voting patterns and developments, John Perez, senior vice president, production and technical operations, network news at Telemundo Enterprises, said in an interview.

Telemundo crews have created two studios totaling 20,000 square feet by repurposing what is normally the second-floor newsroom at Telemundo Center. The network will use a 15,000-square-foot studio as its Election Center and another 5,000-square-foot studio as a 360 virtual reality set.

While Telemundo regularly uses augmented reality in its newscasts, this will be the first time it will employ virtual reality in its election coverage, Perez said.

Overall, the coverage will feature eight sets, including real and virtual reality, eight 4K video screens with 8.5 million pixels, more than 250 lighting instruments and 12 on-camera locations.

More specifically, the entire production space is wrapped in over 3,000 feet of painted light, with 8.5 million pixels of LED video technology and over 250 lighting instruments. At the center is a three-part curved anchor desk with LED displays for real-time election updates, key race alerts, and state projections.

The anchor area is complemented by a 20-foot curved LED video wall and three LED screen displays with integrated touchscreens. In addition, multiple vertical Planar LookThru monitor towers are located on the building columns and ceiling to add depth and visual appeal, Perez said.

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) will play a pivotal role in election night coverage to deliver visualizations, real-time updates on election results, key race alerts, and state projections.

As part of that, the center staircase of Telemundo Center has been transformed to showcase AR elements such as projected winners and “Camino a Los 270” (Road to 270), which will visually represent the path to the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.

To offer that, Telemundo tech teams have integrated Vizrt’s broadcast solutions and Unreal Engine to create lifelike animations and real-time visualizations. “It will make the election night coverage more engaging and informative,” Perez said.

The 360-degree virtual reality set, inspired by the U.S. Capitol, consists of four virtual sets with elements that create a parallax effect, enhancing the depth and realism of the broadcast. This virtual environment will allow viewers to feel as though they are fully immersed in the election night action, Perez said.

AR and VR graphics will be used to display real-time social media content from both campaigns, providing a comprehensive view of the election landscape as it unfolds.

A Facebook video showing the real-time creation of the studios is available here.

MONTREAL—Matrox Video has announced that it is supplying DSX LE5 SDI I/O cards for Vizrt's latest TriCaster product range.

The TriCaster Vizion uses Matrox's DSX LE5 SDI I/O cards, providing advanced SDI connectivity and integration into modern production workflows. The deployment marks a significant expansion of Vizrt's use of Matrox Video technology, the companies said.

The just-launched TriCaster Vizion is a complete live production system designed for broadcasters, sports networks and live-event producers seeking an efficient solution for high-volume, cost-effective video productions. By incorporating Matrox's DSX LE5 SDI I/O cards, the system delivers flexible SDI input and output configurations up to 12G, enabling users to adapt easily to different production environments, the companies said.

“Our longstanding relationship with Vizrt has been built on mutual trust and shared success for over 20 years,” Francesco Scartozzi, vice president of sales and business development at Matrox Video, said. “They continue to show confidence in Matrox Video products because we actively listened to their needs and responded by offering the best products that meet their requirements. Our DSX LE5 SDI I/O cards enable the TriCaster Vizion to provide robust, reliable performance, meeting the demands of users in dynamic environments. We look forward to collaborating on future projects that continue to push the boundaries of live production.”

Added Vizrt Senior Product Manager Chris McLendon: “Partnering with Matrox Video for the TriCaster Vizion shows our continued commitment to providing the best solutions for our users in live production. The integration of Matrox's DSX LE5 SDI I/O cards enhances the capabilities of our top TriCaster with unparalleled flexibility and performance. As we continue to innovate and expand our offerings, we value the expertise and reliability that Matrox brings to our partnership, and we look forward to the exciting developments ahead.”

More information about Matrox Video and its products is available at video.matrox.com.

BERGEN, Norway—Vizrt, a provider of real-time graphics and live production solutions for content creators, has named Vanessa Walmsley as chief commercial officer.

Walmsely, who brings more than two decades of media and technology experience to her new role, is tasked with bringing the company’s commercial teams together into a single, unified organization, the company said.

“This is a natural next step in our customer-centric strategy, aimed at guaranteeing our commercial efforts are fully aligned with the needs of our customers, partners and end users, ensuring they are at the center of our operating model," Virtz CEO Michael Hallén said in a statement.

A six-year Vizrt employee who most recently served as global head of customer success, Walmsley has played a key role in driving customer success initiatives, improving customer engagement and ensuring strong alignment of the company’s commercial teams, the company said. She spoke with sister publication TVB Europe while in serving in the customer success role.

“The media tech landscape is evolving, and so are the needs of our customers and users. Vizrt is uniquely positioned to address these shifting demands with our broad range of solutions—serving everyone from traditional broadcasters to corporations, educational institutions, live streamers, even podcasters,” Walmsley said in a statement. “I plan to bring Vizrt’s innovative technology to a wider audience and I look forward to working closely with our partners and customers to shape that growth together.”

BERGEN, Norway—Vizrt today said its cloud-ready TriCaster Vectar and TriCaster Now are now available in Amazon Web Services (AWS) Marketplace.

AWS Marketplace is a curated digital catalog for software that runs on AWS. Making TriCaster video production tools available in AWS Marketplace streamlines the testing, purchase and management of those products within customers’ accounts, Vizrt said.

“AWS Marketplace provides a centralized portal for access, testing and billing of cloud-based TriCaster video production tools, making it easier than ever for content creators to take their first step in achieving truly remote live productions,” Davide Cortassa, product manager for Cloud Live Production at Vizrt, said.

“AWS customers can leverage their committed cloud spend and enjoy the reduced travel and transport costs and carbon emissions that cloud live productions provide,” he said.

TriCaster Vectar (previously Viz Vectar Plus) is a video production system for larger news and sports productions that supports up to 44 external sources. It can be deployed in customers’ AWS accounts for free as a fully functional watermarked version for testing, Vizrt said, with customers responsible for managing AWS costs.

TriCaster Now supports up to 8 inputs and caters to smaller seasonal or entry-level productions and corporate town halls. It provides a fully managed software-as-a-service (SaaS) with a simple usage-based credits pricing model, Vizrt said.

To support the AWS Marketplace launch, Vizrt said it has qualified as a certified AWS Media & Entertainment Competency partner, a program that validates and promotes AWS Partners that have demonstrated technical expertise and customer success in specific areas.

This builds upon last year’s AWS ISV Accelerate accreditation, ensuring customers that Vizrt’s live production and media asset management (MAM) solutions meet the strict standards and best practices of AWS, it said.

Both TriCaster products are now available in the AWS Marketplace.

More information is available on the company’s website.

BERGEN, Norway—Vizrt today announced the addition of TriCaster Vizion and TriCaster Mini S to its TriCaster family.

TriCaster Vizion, the new flagship TriCaster, is designed for broadcasters, sports networks and live event producers. It offers the latest in IP connectivity, configurable SDI I/O supplied by Matrox devices, powerful switching, audio mixing and state-of-the-art graphics. It features leading graphics capabilities with TriCaster Graphics powered by Viz Flowics as standard, as well as artificial intelligence (AI)-powered automation of time-consuming tasks, the company said.

Vizrt is making TriCaster Vizion available with different licensing options and a choice of two hardware platforms supported by HP. Support is part of the perpetual and subscription-licensing options, the company said.

“TriCaster Vizion is the hub of a complete digital media production ecosystem. It’s built to understand the needs of media production, which are constantly evolving,” Vizrt Global Head of Product Management Ulrich Voigt said. “In fact, TriCaster Vizion was devised from the demands and conversations with the TriCaster user community. The result is a live production system that empowers users to push creative boundaries, streamline workflows and deliver the content they envision.”

TriCaster Mini S is an entry-level, software-only solution for content creators and smaller productions. It offers robust IP connectivity, 4Kp60 streaming, and integrated TriCaster Graphics powered by Viz Flowics as standard. With TriCaster Mini S, users can live-switch video, leverage virtual sets and special effects, mix and record audio, publish to social media and web stream, it said.

“TriCaster Mini S is equipped to bring you everything needed to start your live production journey,” Voigt said. “It also puts the choice in your hands: choose your hardware, then you’re set to create, produce, and stream your stories, your way.”

With the TriCaster Mini S, users simply download software for use or can choose any approved hardware or their own system, the company said.

Both products are available to order now, Vizrt said.

More information is available on the company’s website.

PALO ALTO, Calif.—Chess is a unique game, and the reasons why people become interested in it are varied. Much like other games, it requires skill, attention, and strategic thinking. But the length of a match is never the same and the longer it is, the longer the tension builds. For a viewer, catching every second counts. Especially if they’re tuning in virtually.

At Chess.com, we have a loyal, international, growing community of chess enthusiasts, currently producing for 150 million users and counting. Chess.com consistently delivers more than 300 productions annually, encompassing live tournaments, interviews, instructional content and community events.

Because we want to make chess available to everyone—and the demand keeps increasing—investing in a higher-quality production is the natural next step. From the basic OBS setups we were using to keep up with the increasing demand, we decided to create a completely remote broadcasting solution that lives entirely in the cloud.

At first, the idea was to build a physical studio, but that was quickly scratched—since we are a fully remote company, it made the most sense to create a fully remote broadcasting solution. This meant we wouldn’t be tied to physical constraints and every member of the production team would be able to access whatever they needed for the productions.

Our Virtual Truck

Working closely with teams at Vizrt, NDI and ecosystem partner Advanced Systems Group (ASG), the answer came in the form of a “virtual production truck,” with a setup that uses Vizrt’s TriCaster Vectar and NDI technology at its core, hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), with Viz Flowics providing HTML5 graphics.

We looked at just about every single vision mixer available in the cloud, and ultimately landed on TriCaster Vectar as the tool that best supported our needs. We needed to be able to ingest a hefty number of inputs while also being able to support a wide range of production models. TriCaster Vectar enables us to operate both in small crew environments, where the Technical Director wears a lot of hats like audio and video playout, but also to flex up to a larger, fully remote crew where we break those roles away from the switcher.

With TriCaster Vectar’s native ability to incorporate high-quality HTML5 graphics, we can add audience comments from different social media platforms, including YouTube Live and Twitch, during live games. It’s crucial for us to let fans share their experiences and reactions, and nurture that sense of community.

HTML5 Graphics

Chess is an incredibly graphics-heavy broadcast, and TriCaster Vectar being able to bring in HTML5 graphics without consuming the available NDI inputs was also a big win for us. We regularly use between eight and 10 animation buffers as our production graphics channels; it’s basically become 10 additional inputs strictly for graphics and allows us to fully max out the 44 inputs for cameras and video playback on larger productions.

It took just about a month and a half to put together the virtual production truck. I know it sounds insane, but we connected everything through cloud-based software, while leveraging the flexibility of NDI.

This virtual production workflow allows Chess.com’s employees in Europe, South Africa, India, and the United States to have access to all the live production tools they’d expect to see in a traditional studio or broadcasting truck. Telos Infinity VIP provides intercom to 18 physical intercom panels installed in employees’ home offices, as well as offering up to 41 virtual panels so they can seamlessly collaborate despite being fully remote.

With the scalability of this cloud-based system, Chess.com can continue to expand our production capabilities without the need for frequent hardware upgrades, so we can grow as our community grows.

More information is available at vizrt.com, ndi.video and www.asgllc.com.

BERGEN, Norway—Vizrt has announced several new senior appointments focusing on enhancing the company’s customer security, experience, and channel business.

Heading up the IT team is Petra Tesch, Vizrt’s Chief Information Officer, while its newly promoted Chief Security Officer, Elie Feghaly, spearheads the organization’s cybersecurity, which fortifies the security of Vizrt’s on-premises infrastructure, cloud environments, and proprietary software, the company said.

“The trust that our customers and partners have for both Vizrt, and its products are paramount. Our comprehensive approach ensures robust protection across the board at Vizrt, safeguarding both our own assets and our customer's data against the evolving cyber threats,” Elie Feghaly, Chief Security Officer.

Both Petra and Elie report to Vizrt’s Chief Finance Officer, Pierre Milet. Pierre joined Vizrt in January 2024 and brings over 30 years of financial and commercial leadership experience from global technology firms and is tasked with accelerating Vizrt’s SaaS business.

Targeting Vizrt’s focus on sustainability compliance, Vizrt has hired Avinash Kumar as its ESG Controller. His expertise extends to integrating sustainable practices, addressing ESG-related concerns, and navigating the evolving regulatory landscape, including compliance with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), according to the company.

Avinash’s commitment to environmental stewardship and corporate governance excellence positions him as an asset for Vizrt, and its customers’ pursuit of responsible business practices, Vizrt said.

“Vizrt’s focus on sustainability is not merely a corporate responsibility—it is a strategic advantage that significantly benefits our customers and partners. By embedding sustainable practices within our operations, we ensure long-term viability, resilience, and a better future,” states Michael Hallén, Chief Executive Officer, Vizrt.

Two additional senior appointments include Paul Shutt as Vizrt’s new Head of Channel Sales for APAC and Karl Bradford, Head of Channel Sales for America and Canada.

Since joining Vizrt in Asia Pacific in 2011 as a System Engineer, Shutt has advanced through several key roles, including Deputy Global Head of Customer Success.

Bradford joins Vizrt from Apple where he spent more than a decade building channel development at Apple. Bradford and his team of channel account managers within the Americas’ market will work directly with Vizrt’s channel partner community to gather feedback on product, market trends, training requirements and commercial opportunities to enable a prosperous channel network, the company said.

“Our channel partners are crucial to enable scalable growth for our company, and to reach our vision of enabling any size content creator with the best tools, whether a podcaster or a broadcaster. By democratizing access to our top-tier broadcast products and focusing on upskilling and certifying our partners with the latest tech, we can ensure they are the first to adapt to the evolving market demands and deliver exactly what our users need,” concludes Marco Kraak, General Manager, Channel Sales, Vizrt. 

BERGEN, Norway—Vizrt has launched Viz Trio Go, an out-of-the-box 3D graphics creation and control tool that combines compact hardware with the Viz Trio graphics control application and Viz Engine, the company’s graphics platform that enables complete graphics production via NDI workflows.

The company designed Viz Trio Go with smaller production hubs in mind. The offering gives local and regional TV stations and OB van operators access to a high-quality graphics solution at an affordable price, it said.

“Historically, smaller or more regional broadcasters operate with limited budgets and limited resources,” said Ionut Pogacean, senior product manager at Vizrt. “Often one staff member wears many hats.”

“We realize the challenges these stations are facing, including that to remain competitive in today’s current landscape, they must deliver content that is visually engaging, similar to the bigger broadcasters.”

The new offering enables any size broadcaster to create high-quality visuals easily regardless of budget and technical expertise. Viz Trio Go is a plug-and-play solution that accelerates time to air and seamlessly integrates with existing workflows, thereby reducing the need for extensive training or additional personnel, Vizrt said.

The solution comes with free customizable graphics packages modeled on the graphics of top sports and news broadcasters. Templates are easy to modify using the Viz Artist 3D motion graphics design tool, it said.

For news users, Viz Trio Go comes with a free, unique course created by Viz University that’s accessible the minute the machine is turned on. The course covers Viz Trio software, Viz Engine and Viz Artist, it said.

The company also announced Viz Trio Go will be offered at a significant discount with the purchase of TriCaster or Viz 3Play. NVG1 customers can trade in their units for Viz Trio Go and receive a 50% discount until the end of the year, it said.

More information is available on the company’s website.

BERGEN, Norway—Vizrt and Ithaca College are working together to elevate the skills of the next generation of artists and provide a pipeline of new talent to transition into the media technology industry. 

The university has added various Vizrt solutions to underpin its virtual production curriculum and address the media tech sector’s demand for highly skilled professionals.

“The media tech skills shortage is a challenge for customers. And we are dedicated to taking action to support and inspire the next generation of content creators, our partnership with Ithaca College does just that,” said Griet Johannsen, Vizrt’s global center of excellence lead, training and certification. “By empowering new talent with the necessary skills and hands-on experience, we promote the training of urgently needed new talent for our industry.”  

Ithaca College sought a new graphics system that would best serve both student and industry needs. Already familiar with TriCaster for live production and seeing that TriCaster was now part of Vizrt, director of technical operations Nigel Martin decided that adding Vizrt graphics and tools into the curriculum was the natural choice, the company said. 

“Many of the students that leave Ithaca College go to work for major sports broadcasters, and in speaking with them about their needs, we found a lot of them use Vizrt,” said Martin. “So, we got in touch about options, and worked closely with Vizrt’s Customer Success department. Not only did we bring in innovative technology, but we got students access to work directly with Viz University – with up to 600 students per year leaving as certified operators.” 

Ithaca College brought in the Viz Engine 5 graphics platform and rendering engine, the Viz Trio graphics control application and the Viz Artist graphics design tool to serve as the foundation of its graphics solution. For its virtual production courses, TriCaster’s vision mixing was added.  

Ithaca College is the first university in the world to incorporate Viz University into its teaching program and deliver dedicated classes that focus on Vizrt’s live production products and tools, alongside offering training courses and certification via Viz University, the company said.

Students are already using the technology to produce 25 shows per week for ICTV, the university’s student-run campus news station.  

More information about Viz University is available on the company’s website. 

It's happened: The realistic virtual sets and advanced news graphics that have been wowing TV viewers for years have become accepted elements of broadcast production. 

“It’s no longer a gimmick,” said Ray Ratliff, Vizrt’s Product Evangelist, XR. “Broadcasters and media producers are leveraging these technologies to help them tell their stories, expanding the depth and richness of their stories in new and powerful ways.”

Better Quality, Easier to Use
Just because virtual sets and advanced news graphics have come of age doesn't mean that these technologies are standing still. In fact, advances in both technologies explain why they continue to impress viewers and news producers alike.

“The improvements in tracking technology for virtual sets have been a game-changer,” said Mike Paquin, Ross Video’s Senior Product Manager, Virtual Solutions, “These systems are now incredibly precise and reliable, which means they require less maintenance and can be used daily without the need for constant recalibration. 

"The improvement in control systems is also significant: in the past, there were standalone control systems which required a dedicated operator, but with technology like Voyager and Lucid, the control side can be easily integrated with existing workflows, eliminating the need for dedicated operators and extensive training.”

Advanced news graphics have also become easier to use, accelerating the adoption of virtual sets and augmented reality (AR) in TV news production.

“One factor driving this trend has been increasing simplicity in use for day-to-day graphics,” said Aldo Campisi, Chyron’s Vice President for Latin America, Caribbean, Spain & Portugal. “We’ve focused on simplifying and deskilling daily use of virtual sets and/or augmented reality, even enabling our customers to extend the CAMIO newsroom automation workflow they use for traditional graphics into the world of virtual sets and virtual graphics,” he said. “With this functionality, producers can use a familiar tool set to build graphics in 3D space, in augmented reality, and in virtual sets all while maintaining data visualization functionality.” 

Thanks to the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into virtual set and news graphics systems, achieving “real-time photorealism is easier and more cost-effective than ever before,” said Ratliff. At the same time, the ability to format these effects into templates is simplifying and speeding up the production process “without impacting staffing requirements.”

The Impact 
Collectively, advances in virtual sets and news graphics are allowing broadcasters to explain stories to their viewers in new and visually exciting ways. 

For instance, when Thailand’s Amarin TV wanted to explain the progress of an election during a results broadcast, “they visualized the candidates as runners on a race track,” said David Dowling, Chief Revenue Officer with Pixotope Technologies. “Depending on how well they were doing or how big their numbers were, the graphics showed their positions on the track, plus whether they were still fresh or tired, or about to give up the ghost.”

Meanwhile, when Iceland’s RUV TV wanted to explain the latest volcano that had erupted on that island nation, “they incorporated an AR volcano onto their news set,” Dowling said. “It was a story-telling element that really helped their presenters explain what was going on.”

Across the TV broadcast industry, “we see customers using immersive graphics to put their presenters in the middle of the action,” said Ratliff. “Broadcasters place their people in fully virtual environments, bringing more significant presence and context to their stories, helping viewers understand the content better. We’ve seen incredible examples of this globally on a variety of coverage whether it's elections, sports or other major news.” 

“Graphics are now truly telling the story in an immersive way, and they're not just being used in virtual sets, where talent is in front of a green screen,” Campisi added. “Visual storytelling is also being enhanced with augmented graphics. The presenter might be standing in front of a true LED video wall with graphics that are brought into extended reality, creating an immersive experience that empowers the newsroom team to demonstrate, visualize, and story tell with much greater detail and emphasis.”

What’s Coming Next
As impressive as virtual sets and news graphics are today, they are likely to wow viewers even more in the years to come. At the same time, the trend in these technologies is to make them less obvious to the viewer, rather than more. 

“I think that photorealism is something that people are crying out for and I can certainly see that trend having an impact on the way in which graphics are presented,” Dowling said. “Even if it's just a lower third or a bug, the look will be as close to real life as possible.”

Meanwhile, the technologies that have revolutionized the look of TV news appear destined to break out of this niche. 

“At Chyron, we’re increasingly being asked for solutions that help our customers commercialize their productions,” said Campisi. “By its very nature, a 3D virtual set offers more spaces that may be digitally branded than with simpler 2D graphics. Looking ahead, we can see how advanced skeletal tracking and visualization — to the point that it’s highly representative and realistic — could be translated across sports and entertainment. 

“For example, a match targeting a younger demographic could feature all the well-known athletes on a team stylized to look like characters from a popular animated series or an epic space opera,” Campisi added. “In other words, properties and brands could be marketed and monetized in remarkable new ways to realize exponential returns.” 

Advances in GPUs, AI tools, and decreasing LED prices are now blurring the lines between virtual and actual reality, according to Campisi. 

“These innovations will enable hyper-realistic, immersive sets and interactive presentations, enhanced by AR and MR integration. Cloud-based flexibility, real-time automation, and lifelike virtual characters will revolutionize newsroom graphics, pushing the boundaries of visual media.”

BERGEN, Norway—Vizrt has integrated Viz Pilot Edge, the company’s newsroom HTML-based templated graphics system, with the Dalet Galaxy five news production and distribution solution, Vizrt said today.

Viz Pilot Edge is designed for the newsroom to help journalists create story-centric, engaging content faster and more efficiently. The recently introduced Viz Pilot Edge 3 features a new web-based interface that makes newsroom graphics production simpler and seamless, it said.  

To ensure efficiency and a fast turnaround of stories, Viz Pilot Edge is now directly accessible from the Dalet Galaxy.

“At Vizrt, we are committed to continuously empowering newsrooms with the tools and technology to boost workflows and succeed in a rapidly evolving media landscape. This collaboration is a step forward to give journalists the independence and power to elevate storytelling with visually compelling content that audiences expect,” said Ionut Pogacean, senior product manager for Viz Pilot Edge. 

The integration brings the templated graphics capabilities of Viz Pilot Edge directly into Dalet’s solution for unified news operations. Journalists and editors can now access the latest Viz graphical elements directly from their existing Dalet newsroom workflows, the company said. 

“News professionals must have a seamless experience throughout their day-to-day operations,” said Aaron Kroger, product marketing lead at Dalet. “Having Viz Pilot Edge integrated within their existing tools creates this experience.” 

More information is available on the Vizrt website. 

BERGEN, Norway—Vizrt has released Viz Libero 8.3 with the announcement that its latest software version enables users to crop video to various aspect ratios from one interface, allowing them to create one project and publish multiple versions to multiple platforms live or post-game.

“Younger demographics are consuming sports on social media through snackable clips like replays, analysis and highlights. Viz Libero helps create the perfect content to capture the attention of new audiences like Gen Z with illustrative and engaging graphics,” says Edouard Griveaud, senior product manager at Vizrt. “To support our customers and users in reaching and engaging these new audiences in an even better and faster way we’ve developed a unique social media video crop tool.”  

Fully operational and deployable in the cloud, Viz Libero offers a flexible licensing structure so users can maximize the value of Viz Libero across broadcast teams in a traditional manner before their digital and social teams continue the story following the final whistle, Vizrt said.

Other updated Viz Libero features are focused on enhancing the user experience. Operators only need to select the preferred aspect ratio, add analysis and export clips as vertical or other common aspect ratios for publishing platforms, it said.  

The social media crop tool in Viz Libero is also pre-configured to track players to speed up the most basic use of analysis for social media. Operators can select the aspect ratio, then click on the player and the video crop tool will automatically track and crop, it said.  

Among the Viz Libero 8.3 are non-line sports calibration for sports like cricket and ice hockey where there are few lines on the field of play to guide graphics placements and native Datacenter integration to Sportec. 

More information is available on the company’s website.

Like a science fiction novel where artificial intelligence is involved in everything people do, the 2024 NAB Show is seeing artificial intelligence, and in particular generative AI, assume a level of prominence that only highly disruptive, once-in-a-generation technologies like the rise of digital media or the internet can command. 

Separating some of the sci-fi hype surrounding AI from real long-term opportunities remains difficult, but nearly a dozen NAB Show exhibitors say there is little doubt that the real-world marriage between AI and data opens enormous opportunities for media companies with extensive consumer data and metadata-rich content libraries.

“ChatGPT and Gemini have revolutionized the world of generative text, and we expect to see similar disruptions in the video and audio generations using AI,” said Bibhas Kumar Samanta, head of sales, India and MENA at Interra Systems, which is showing AI-powered quality control and captioning solutions. “With newly released tools like OpenAI Sora, content creators will be able to produce short videos rapidly and more cost-effectively, which is especially relevant for ads, marketing and social media campaigns and will lead to new forms of content engagement and monetization.” 

Some of this builds on existing, very large businesses and is likely to only get bigger. The International Data Corp. (IDC) is now predicting that the worldwide AI software market will grow from $64 billion in 2022 to nearly $251 billion in 2027 and that generative AI platforms and applications will generate additional revenues of $55.7 billion in 2027.

“Many of the use cases that are being explored by our customers today involve applying generative AI to areas that already use some form of AI, such as monetization, upscaling, media supply chain and search,” said Chris Blandy, director of Strategy and Business Development for Media & Entertainment at Amazon Web Services (AWS). 

Carol Bettencourt, vice president of marketing, said Chyron will be demonstrating a number of products with AI features that greatly streamline workflows for graphics and live production. “We believe data is so important to the storytelling [and our solutions] that it has to be considered in our projects from the very start.”

“New AI solutions enable M&E companies to swiftly comprehend and act on data, which is an industry advantage and a necessity for optimized content production, management and monetization,” said Sean King, senior vice president at Veritone. The company is launching “Ask Veri,” a media intelligence tool designed to help users maximize the value of their content and data. 

The extensive data that broadcasters, studios, streamers and other media companies have relating to consumer behavior and the content they create, give the M&E industry a leg up when it comes to capitalizing on AI advances, but it also underlies some of the biggest challenges posed by AI. “The legal landscape in terms of content rights for generative AI is a minefield right now with a multitude of lawsuits having been filed against tech companies by artists and authors,” explained Camilla Powell, product manager at disguise.
Powell stresses, however, that the marriage of AI and data is already producing major advances in content creation. In addition to applications in editing, remote production and content personalization, the melding of data from cameras, LED walls, lenses and other components has produced improved AI tools for virtual production. “Instead of creating virtual production backdrops in weeks, teams can use AI to compose photorealistic nearly 3D backdrops in minutes,” she said. 

More specifically, a host of companies such as Chyron, Vizrt and Sony will be offering AI-powered tools for live production and sports. Sony, for example, will be showing the Sony AI Automated Production (Sony A2P) solution, said Alan Gagliardotto, senior product manager, Sony Electronics.

“Using AI and integrated data in our news and sports workflows means we can build graphics and the playout of stories quicker and easier,” said Steve Taylor, vice president, R&D at Vizrt, which will be showing Viz Engine and other solutions with AI features.

Other applications, which are too numerous to list, run the gamut from content creation and distribution to monetization and personalization for both consumers and operations. Elke Hungenaert, vice president of product management, video network at Synamedia, noted: “We’ve all heard of the benefits of AI for consumer experience, but what it can do for video service providers on the business side is equally game-changing,” offering them tools to improve video quality while delivering “video content more cost efficiently,” Hungenaert concluded.

Five AI Takeaways, Not Generated by AI

• The Marriage of AI and Data Fuels Innovation — “Data is the key foundation for the training of machine-learning platforms,” explains Steve Taylor, vice president, R&D at Vizrt. “The better the data … the more exciting the experience [that] can be provided to the viewer.” 
• Personalization — After years of struggling to offer more personalized advertising,  and content discovery, AI tools promise to make personalized media a reality. “In the future [in sports] you’ll see partner collaboration with different AI engines to personalize the fan experience,” said Alan Gagliardotto, senior product manager, Sony Electronics.
• Democratization of Production — AI is producing “more cost-effective virtual production than ever before, making the technology from Hollywood features [available] to indie productions,” said Camilla Powell, product manager at disguise. 
• Old Efficiencies Supercharged — AI applications promise to streamline existing applications for encoding, monitoring, quality control, bandwidth management, app development and other applications. “AI, machine learning and computer vision algorithms are all being used to automate practical content distribution tasks,” explained Mathieu Planche, CEO, Witbe, and in areas like app testing they have exponentially sped up processes. 
• AI Needs Humans — AI pioneer and Stanford Professor Fei-Fei Li’s adage that “AI is made by humans” and that “there is nothing artificial about it,” is also being taken to heart by companies who emphasize the importance of training people in the developing AI solutions. “You have to train people to use them properly,” said Carol Bettencourt, vice president of marketing, at Chyron who also stressed the importance of working with clients to further improve the tools.

Copyright NAB 2024.

Vizrt is expanding its partnership with EVS, the companies announced today. 

The two companies—which have partnered on their production solutions for a number of years via Vizrt’s Viz Mosart studio automation solution support for EVS XT and XS-series servers—have now extended that support to EVS’s XS-NEO software defined server. 

This new collaboration integrates Vizrt’s expertise in automated production tools with EVS’s renowned capabilities in live broadcast technology, aiming to  deliver an out of the box solution for both ingest and automation-based playout, the companies said.  

EVS’s new XS-NEO server allows broadcasters to natively play multiple formats, including XDCam, and supports play from local high-performance RAID disks or directly from a facility's central storage, streamlining workflows for maximum efficiency, according to Vizrt. 

"Viz Mosart never stops evolving and remains at the cutting edge of automated multi-format live production,” said Andy Newton, Senior Product Manager at Vizrt. “With the integration of XS-NEO, we’re improving our expertise in the software-defined newsroom, with unrivalled flexibility for our customers’ workflows."

"With the replacement of legacy “End of Life” Ingest and Playout systems remaining a key challenge for newsrooms today, having our software defined XS-NEO fully validated for Viz Mosart control brings smooth multi-format playout – including support for native XDCam - directly to the News operation,” said Christophe Wittevrongel, Senior Solutions Manager at EVS. “Our goal is to deliver a fully supported, hyper-reliable ingest and playout solution that directly addresses one of the most important facets of Newsroom operation with no disruption to the present operation.” 

The two companies will discuss the integration at their booths: Vizrt (SL5061) and EVS (SU4015), at the NAB Show, April 14-17 in Las Vegas.

Efficiency, AI and the need to optimize remote production capabilities are among the watchwords among editing and graphics vendors as the 2024 NAB Show approaches.

“Key trends in TV/video graphics include the need for greater efficiency, which is essential in enabling broadcasters to remain and grow more profitable,” said Carol Bettencourt, vice president of marketing for Chyron. “Accuracy is also vital. On the sports side, we’re seeing a trend toward even more rapid playout. And finally, an overarching trend is increasing interest in cloud workflows.”

That’s not all. “Remote collaboration continues to be a driving force within the video editing world, and really in the post-production world as a whole,” said Sarah Jones, senior technical solutions specialist for Blackmagic Design. “Producers and operators want to enable their teams to edit from any available system, from anywhere on the planet, while maintaining security,” added Ray Ratliff, Vizrt’s Product Evangelist, XR. “These requirements are driving cloud MAM and HTML client editing.”

Pushing the Boundaries
There’s also a growing demand for immersive experiences, which are driving innovations in augmented reality and virtual reality graphics, according to Daniel Evans, senior vice president of sales for Magnifi, a San Francisco-based developer of AI for broadcast technologies. 

“Additionally, the rise of 4K and even 8K content is pushing the boundaries of visual quality,” he added. “Cloud-based editing solutions are gaining traction, enhancing collaboration and flexibility. Furthermore, AI-powered tools are streamlining workflows, from automated editing to real-time graphics generation.”

With changing viewer expectations and shorter attention spans, there is pressure to create visually captivating and easily digestible live sports events, says Steven Heimbold, CEO of Singular.live. “But it is also important to make the creation of quality graphics more accessible for all levels of sport, with solutions that offer fast onboarding and a great user experience,” he added.

At press time, many NAB Show editing and graphics exhibitors had not unveiled their plans, including Avid, although the company is implementing AI in many of its products, including  ScriptSync AI in Avid Media Composer, which uses AI-enabled speech-to-text technology to generate transcripts and automatically align media clips to scripts and transcripts. Avid’s new Media Composer PhraseFind AI, likewise, also uses AI speech-to-text, letting editors search for clips using keywords, with automatic detection of 21 languages.

Blackmagic Design will showcase DaVinci Resolve Studio post-production software, the ATEM family of live production switchers, and Blackmagic Cloud Store, a storage that syncs and shares media with Dropbox and Google Drive.

“DaVinci Resolve is a complete post-production solution that lets everyone on a team work together on the same project at the same time,” Jones said. “Traditional editing has a linear workflow with each editor handing off to the next, introducing errors and mountains of change logs to keep track of at each stage. With DaVinci Resolve’s collaboration, each editor can work on the same project, in their own dedicated page with the tools they need.

“With the introduction of Blackmagic Cloud, editors, colorists, VFX artists, animators and sound engineers can now simultaneously work together from anywhere in the world,” Jones added. “Plus, they can review each other’s changes without spending hours reconforming the timeline.”

The Latest in AI
Perhaps no element of the content creation process has been impacted more by AI than editing and graphics, and advances in the technology will be omnipresent on the show floor.

Chyron’s booth will include a sneak peek at some of the latest graphics features the company has developed specifically for NBC Sports. 

“Attendees will also see a beta version of PRIME 5 [Chyron’s live production engine] and how that robust platform is coming into its own as a mature offering,” said Bettencourt. Cloud-based workflows are also on deck. “We’ll also showcase PAINT 9.6, the latest iteration of our legendary illustrated replay offering, now with brand-new AI features including seamless telestration across camera angles,” she said. “Virtual Placement will be on display as well.”

New enhancements to the Magnifi platform enhancements include advanced editing and storytelling capabilities, multichannel audio ingest, frame-accurate scrubbing capabilities, and rules-based package automation, according to Evans. “Additionally, we will highlight new features such as ‘AI-enabled Ball Tracking’ and ‘Bulk Autoflip.’

Magnifi is also introducing what Evans calls “design system as a service at scale”—an AI solution seamlessly integrated into the design system using LLM and a botable image generation solution. “We will also be demonstrating how one of the premier Division I Athletics programs leverages this platform to modernize their creative workflows across video, marketing, advertising, and player commercialization efforts,” he added.

More Flexible Workflows
Singular will launch “overlays.uno,” which provides an optimized operator interface for Singular.live graphics.

“The Singular platform addresses the trend of accessibility by providing a low barrier to entry for users,” said Heimhold. “It allows content owners and creators to design and animate graphics, integrate data seamlessly, and enhance the overall production quality, contributing to engaging new audiences. Our cloud-based system saves hardware costs, supports agile workflows, and allows for customization based on specific requirements, which aligns with the industry trend towards more flexible production workflows.”

Vizrt will show how data-driven storytelling, XR and AR graphics, and virtual sets driven by its Viz Engine can create stunning visuals for covering important events. The company will also showcase tools for live sports production and analysis including Viz AI, Viz Flowics, Viz Libero, 3Play, Viz Arena, Viz Virtual Studio and TriCaster. 

“With Viz AI, onscreen objects like cars or players can be tracked without multilayer tracking systems, eliminating complexity, and expanding the possibilities of sports analysis,” said Chris Black, global head of brand and communications/AI evangelist, who sees 2024 as a year packed with important broadcast-worthy elections and international sports events.

This fact “means those who provide coverage must be on top of their game to deliver information to a global audience beautifully,” he said.  

To help broadcasters meet this goal, Vizrt will be showing how data-driven storytelling, XR and AR graphics, and virtual sets driven by its Viz Engine can create stunning visuals for covering important events. The company will also showcase tools for live sports production and analysis including Viz AI, Viz Flowics, Viz Libero, 3Play, Viz Arena, Viz Virtual Studio and TriCaster. 

“With Viz AI, onscreen objects like cars or players can be tracked without multi-layer tracking systems, eliminating complexity, and expanding the possibilities of sports analysis,” Black concluded.

Register for the 2024 NAB Show, April 14-17 in Las Vegas at https://nabshow.com/2024/

Recent innovations in live on-set virtual production (OSVP) have gone a long way toward addressing concerns about workforce skillsets and costs fueling producers’ lingering resistance to upending old ways of doing things.

As 2024 gets underway, the gains are impacting progress at both ends of the production spectrum and all points in between. At the high end, content producers now have access to an unprecedented array of purpose-built OSVP studios in the United States and beyond, many of which just came into operation over the past year or so. Featuring massively scalable LED volumes, these facilities are supporting projects that routinely set new OSVP benchmarks for use case versatility in film, broadcast, and ad productions. 

Meanwhile, in-house productions are making use of LED wall building blocks linked to camera-to-computer rendering “cabinets” that can be stacked to support virtually any volume space. Workflow management systems harmonize dynamic elements across the physical and virtual spaces, including robotic cameras, 3D extended reality (XR) objects, lighting that illuminates the physical space in synh with on-screen luminosity, and much else.

Procedural and Cost Concerns
But, for all these gains, the next-gen approach to VP can still be a hard sell when it comes to convincing project managers to relinquish heavy reliance on postproduction in favor of spending upfront on expertise and technology that significantly reduces the need for location-based production. 

The point is made by Gary Adcock, a leading voice in next-gen VP production who leverages expertise in lens and camera manufacturing to help producers navigate tough use cases.

Adcock says it’s often hard for people to embrace the idea of basing production on a roadmap that front ends preparations for dealing with all the nuances of visual effects, coloration, lighting, etc. that have traditionally been reserved for post.

“You have to think about what the end point is and work backwards to make sure what you’re setting up in VP will take you there,” Adcock explains. “For people who have spent a long time in film, that can be a hard transition to make.”

Especially when they must get budgetary approval to cover the upfront costs. “Our rough planning is every three meters of wall has its own computer rendering system,” Adcock explains.  “When you start getting into 100-meter walls and every three meters you have to do that, all of a sudden you have a tremendously expensive outlay for computer systems.”

Those devices can run $25,000 to $40,000 each or more, he notes. And then there’s the cost of licensing and running in-camera VFX software such as the commonly used Epic Games-supplied Unreal Engine, which combines, compresses, unifies frame rates, and parses out the moment-to-moment scene-specific raw CGI and camera-captured video footage for synchronized rendering on each wall segment. 

But such costs pale next to what it can cost for a location-based shoot, especially if the in-camera VFX approach can deliver truly realistic visuals that would otherwise be impossible. For example, Adcock notes, no one can tell there are no real cars involved in the climatic wild car chase at the end of “The Batman,” released in 2022. “We’ve gotten to the point where we can mimic the reality of the world in a way that’s necessary for the types of things that are done for filming and television,” he says.

Recruitment Challenges
On top of these incremental costs, there’s a need to hire people with new skillsets and/or retrain existing staff to work in this new environment. This is made harder by the difficulties the industry is having with bringing new people on board, notes Ray Ratliff, evangelist for Vizrt products utilizing extended reality (XR) that have helped propel the company to the forefront in next-gen VP. 

“A significant challenge to the industry is the lack of new people joining the broadcast engineering workforce,” Ratliff says. He knows this from first-hand experience with customers whose leaders “share the challenges of recruiting new talent from universities and broadcast-adjacent technology fields.”

Vizrt is doing its part to remedy the situation, Ratliff adds. “Vizrt works with universities in many parts of the world to expose technology students to the broadcast field and nurture their interest in the field,” he says. “We also have opportunities for internships and development programs that we are also in discussions to expand to further support building the broadcast engineering talent pipeline.”

AI to the Rescue
The heavy lifting is getting less burdensome thanks to advances in the use of AI, which Ratliff says Vizrt is leveraging “to eliminate complexity and bring more value to our customers.” One of the more dramatic cases in point involves a solution to one of the most vexing issues with in-camera VFX, namely, enabling realistic immersion of on-screen personalities into the virtual environment.

Vizrt’s latest version of its Viz Engine real-time graphics rendering platform incorporates a new AI-driven function called “Reality Connect” into its workflows. Utilizing AI algorithms in conjunction with continuously updated 3D models of people on set enabled by Viz Engine’s integration with Unreal Engine, the solution delivers “significant improvements in reflections and shadow in the virtual environment,” Ratliff says. 

AI is providing many other ways to save staff time and reduce the level of expertise required to execute tasks. For example, Vizrt is using the technology to track objects in a scene, obviating the need to implement multilayer tracking systems. 

Ratliff also points to the recently introduced Adaptive Graphics tool, which eliminates the need to manually configure graphics for each type of display used in a production by allowing designers to build a graphic once and set parameters for automatic adaptation to different displays.

Building OSVP Expertise
But even with such advances there remains a big gap to be filled when it comes to much-needed OSVP expertise. Closing that gap is a front-burner priority at Sony Electronics (SE) and Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), according to Jamie Raffone, senior manager of cinematic production at SE. 

The two divisions are teamed using SE components to support in-camera VFX on Sony Innovation Studio’s Stage 7, a giant volume facility at SPE’s Culver City, Calif. production lot under management of Sony’s Pixomondo (PXO) unit. 

“Everybody [in production] wants to understand not just what the costs are but what it takes to make use of this technology,” Raffone says. It’s not just a matter of retraining personnel, which is essential; it’s also about educating decision makers, she notes.

“There’s not a single role that says ‘yes’ or ‘no’” to using volume facilities in production,” she says. There needs to be decision-making expertise at multiple levels of management, “from vice presidents to directors to producers to people overseeing corporate investments.” At the ground level, once a go decision is made, there’s a need for knowledgeable oversight that “starts with script evaluation and getting the staff together to execute the project.”

Sony is playing an active role in filling these knowledge gaps, Raffone adds. “Sony is aligning with specific workflow integrators, designers, and consultants, so that when a company wants to use the Sony ecosystem, they have a partner guiding them through the entire workflow. There’s so much more to this than buying equipment.” 

Simplifying Broadcasters' Use of OSVP
Making the right equipment choices is fundamental to expanding OSVP adoption. Looking at how this point has resonated in the live broadcasting arena, Mike Paquin, senior product manager for virtual solutions at Ross Video, says use of the technology “is starting to become more mainstream, in part because we’re making it more user friendly.” 

Automated orchestration of components is a big part of this, he adds. Under the command of Ross’s widely used Overdrive automated production control system, the company’s VP controller Lucid orchestrates every in-house or third-party component that’s been integrated to operate in the VP workflow, including switchers, robotic cameras, graphics platforms, and Ross’s Unreal-powered Voyager XR rendering system.

With its acquisition of G3 LED in 2021, Ross also became a leading supplier of LED panels that can be seamlessly stacked for use in any scenario, including giant volumes with pixel pitches as small as 1.56 mm encompassing floors, walls and ceilings. “We’re one stop,” Paquin says, “the only things we don’t provide are lenses and cameras.”

These integrated solutions have gone a long way toward simplifying OSVP for broadcasters, Paquin notes. “We’re helping people do stuff every day without an army of people,” he says. “Instead of needing one studio for the new set, another for sports, separate ones you have to set up for special events, you can flip a whole set from one use to another during a commercial break.” 

Will in-camera VFX be the live broadcasting norm everywhere in two or three years? “That’s my goal,” Paquin says. 

NEW YORK—Vizrt has promoted Thomas Nelson to global vice president of key accounts with the focus of expanding the company’s business in the Americas.

Nelson, who will be responsible for key accounts and business development, has more than 20 years of experience in the media technology market. He has worked at Vizrt for the past 15 years. 

Beginning his career at TV 2 Norway in sports production, Nelson moved to Vizrt Australia in 2008. Since then, he has held senior leadership roles in Asia Pacific and Europe. In 2023, he increased his presence in the United States, Vizrt said.

With a deep understanding of the Vizrt ecosystem, Nelson has specialist’s technical knowledge as well as business experience leading international customer account teams, the company said.

“The media tech market is undergoing significant transformation, from sports rights and streaming to mergers and acquisitions. Our customers are facing disruptions that demand more than a vendor – they need a dedicated partner,” said Nelson.

“My global experience across Vizrt, paired with the capabilities of our customer success team, ensures we can best support our customers as they redefine workflows, standardize operations and look to innovate while driving efficiencies.” 

To support Nelson, Vizrt is expanding its U.S. team with several new positions within its key account organization. The company also will host a series of events with customers and partners across the U.S., beginning in its New York office later this month, it said.

More information is available on the company’s website.

STOCKHOLM—NDI has announced that it has named Daniel Nergård as its new president.

In the new role, Nergård will be responsible for driving the company’s continued expansion and the adoption of the NDI video-over-IP connectivity standard. 

As the community of users keeps growing and the adoption of NDI spreads into more segments, Nergård will lead the team to harness that growth and bring NDI to many more companies, devices, and software applications, the company said. 

Nergård brings a wealth of knowledge to the role, having previously served as the chief revenue officer of Vizrt, which owns NDI, and was a part of the management team. 

Prior to that, Nergård held key roles in general management and leading commercial initiatives across diverse software segments, including fintech, mobile applications, infrastructure, and enterprise software. 

"NDI is leading in video connectivity technology, as both flexibility and ease of use have become the standard in the various industries we serve,” said Daniel Nergård, president of NDI. "After a few years of watching NDI’s growth, I am excited to lead this team into its next phase. We envision a significant expansion into diverse devices and various market segments, driven by the increasing demand from our partners and the user community. Our commitment to investing in and supporting our valued partners and users within the expanding ecosystem remains our top priority." 

NDI noted that the appointment comes as NDI is working to further scale its presence among major partners and product manufacturers as well as expanding the usage of NDI within major Cloud Service Providers. The current ecosystem made up of millions of users boasts more than 700 NDI-enabled hardware products and 300-plus software applications.  

"In 2023, NDI achieved remarkable acceleration, witnessing a 130% surge in the number of new NDI Advanced licensees. Daniel's extensive background will contribute significantly to further increase the rate of adoption while expanding NDI’s technology capabilities," said Michael Hallén, chairman of NDI board of directors and CEO of Vizrt. 

More information on NDI can be found here. 

NEW YORK—As the 2024 election season began in earnest on Jan. 15 with the Iowa Caucus, NBC News is deploying a new web-based controller of its own making designed to enable its editorial team to respond faster and more easily to changing vote totals, generate on-air graphics and keep viewers better informed as the primary and general election votes unfold.

Sync, under development since December 2022, is an agnostic controller that producers, playback operators and technical directors are using to control the network’s Vizrt render engine. 

“Sync really unifies the way that we look at not only the control room workflow, but also the content creation workflow,” says Marc Greenstein, senior vice president of Design & Production for NBCUniversal News Group.

The initial goal for Sync was to replace the network’s aging election control system. Another priority was to optimize video and graphic playback, he says. However, even before the 2024 election season began, the network realized its December 2023 launch of a CNBC redesign, would be the perfect fit for the new controller.

While perhaps not immediately apparent, the financial network and election coverage share some production commonalities. Both frequently depend on a mix of playlists for any given show. Although the MOS rundown is almost always the priority, there are additional “shared playlists,” in the words of Greenstein, that address important fast developments on an ad hoc basis. 

“I call them ‘shared playlists,’ meaning somebody from the desk is saying, ‘Here are the top 10 movers today. Let's make a playlist and have everyone easily be able to access that,” he says. “For elections, there’s something similar.”

For next-day election coverage, a MOS-based playlist will drive most of the presentation. “But then there'll be either the user-based playlist or the auto-generated playlist on the night itself, meaning the user may say, ‘Hey, let me make a playlist of battleground counties in Iowa. Here are the five counties that we’re watching closely,” explains Greenstein.

“It [the user-based playlist] allows them quick access as the director and the control room teams decide what content they want on air at what moment. Obviously, it’s the same thing for CNBC.”

Sync and Workflow
More broadly, Sync will unify control across the entire NBC news group, opening up several workflow options and beyond, says Greenstein. 

From a workflow perspective it enables the network’s editorial teams to select various templates, organize data in a way that speeds time to air and save presets so that as a story pivots throughout the day coverage can evolve more easily, he says. 

“The problem with traditional automation is that it is totally dictated by a rundown and by MOS abstracts. You definitely have reduced flexibility,” says Greenstein. “The core of Sync was to break from that and say, ‘We can very closely follow the rundown, or we can break [that and allow user-generated playlists on the fly].’”

From an organizational point of view, Sync brings other benefits. Not relying on a single computer in a single physical location thanks to its web-based design offers a degree of disaster recovery as well as the flexibility to work remotely if some unforeseen circumstance makes it impossible to work from the studio, as was the case during COVID, he says.

While currently used to command the render engine, Sync also can control Singular.live graphics and other HTML platforms, as well as additional graphics devices and tape machines. Even future production switcher control isn’t off the table, he says. 

“What we tried to create with Sync was an accordion,” says Greenstein. “If you're doing a really complicated show that requires multiple operators to do things on the fly that aren't part of a planned rundown—meaning there needs to be instantaneous decision making, Sync can scale to have two operators, five operators, 10 operators, all controlling the different parts and pieces hooked into it.”

Conversely for smaller, more formatted shows, Sync could one day be used to execute a more automated control approach. “That is absolutely on the roadmap of things that we’re going to dig in and consider,” he says.

CNBC Redesign
Robert Poulton, vice president and global creative director at CNBC, headed up the redesign of the financial network’s on-air look. Work began in June 2020 on the new design. The network selected Troika Media Group, an outside design and advertising firm that it had worked with in the past, to assist with the design. (Troika filed for bankruptcy in December 2023.)

Deciding what to keep and what to eliminate took about a year, says Poulton. “There are so many elements that are on our screens all the time. So many of them are just fed with data. We were not just building graphics. We were building graphics that are fed with something that adjusts and moves.”

Among the key design goals was developing a clean, minimal aesthetic that delivers actionable information and language seamlessly to viewers so that they can be comfortably engaged 24/7. Poulton and Troika developed a new grid foundation with a square shape acting as the root of the financial network’s design language. The network chose a design placing show branding and time zone clocks above the CNBC logo. Selected colors were bold and reflected the brand’s legacy.

The design also incorporated an updated CNBC logo aligned with the new peacock colors as well as a logo font treatment using Tinker, a font named after former NBC chairman and CEO Grant Tinker.

Augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) use is also part of the redesign, especially to enhance storytelling during earnings season, says Poulton.

“I will say, we've just launched the look. The child's born. Now we've got to raise it, and I think that we'll add on as we as we go along. But really the idea of AR and VR in general is not [that it’s] just a pretty thing to look at, but how can it help us tell the story in a better way?” Poulton asks, rhetorically.

For election coverage, Sync made its debut controlling some of the network’s AR and virtual graphics used to cover the Iowa Caucus, says Greenstein.

Greenstein recalls seeing the new design for the first time. “It was so simple and clean, but it’s also so complicated,” he says. “We really just came to the conclusion; we need to take Sync and pivot to launch this on CNBC to give it [the design] the capability Robert was looking for but not make the workflow a tremendous burden either on the operators or producers.”

Steve Fastook, senior vice president of Technical Operations at CNBC, echoes Greenstein’s observation. “It [the simplicity of CNBC’s redesign] created a lot of complexity under the hood,” says Fastook. “[With] a typical graphics device, an operator would play out graphics, and the TD [technical director] would key them. 

“Well, every single graphic in our system goes back and forth with the production switcher. So, sometimes the production switcher fires Viz and tells it to do an effect. Sometimes Viz tells the switcher. ‘Hey, make this move, change this priority and then play out.’ It’s a very close, intermixed operation. It's quite complicated. But with Sync on top of it all, it's really simple for the operators.”

Deploying Sync first for the rollout of CNBC’s new design should pay dividends for the network’s coverage of the 2024 elections, Greenstein predicts.

“The great part is what we learned from doing CNBC. We're now back into elections with a lot of that knowledge,” he says. “I think you're going to see our election coverage over time get a little more dynamic from the things that we picked up in approaching the CNBC project.”

If you’ve bought a new car in the past eight years, you probably have noticed a trend: Many controls are now on a large touch panel. If you bought a larger video production switcher in the past 10 years, you may have noticed the same thing.

Now that touch panels are part of the control interface for production switchers, users and manufacturers alike are gaining strong experience in ergonomics and convenience. Talking to users, there is no question that touch panels bring important and worthwhile new features to switchers—but they also say that there is no substitute for a button-and-lever control panel.

“For quick actions like switching cameras, tactile hardware panels are best—your hands instinctively know where to go,” said André Dantzler, president of SociallyU, which operates a well-equipped studio in Chattanooga, Tenn. “But for complex setups like customizing multiviewers, [a computer or touch-panel interface] gives you much more intricate control.”

In SociallyU’s studio, a Blackmagic Design ATEM Constellation 8K switcher and several Ultimatte 4K keyers (also by Blackmagic Design) are used to create virtual backgrounds. Dantzler relies on Blackmagic’s ATEM Software Control to provide a touch-panel interface for the switcher.

“The ATEM Software Control lets you get detailed in ways hardware switchers can’t,” Dantzler said. “You can easily rename inputs, adjust advanced camera settings, and build up media assets. [It gives us] the best of both worlds: the ATEM Software Control for detailed setup since it’s free and doesn’t require additional hardware, and the Constellation 8K switcher’s physical panel for quick live actions.”

From My Cold Dead Hands…
Michael Lange, a freelance technical director in Madison, Wisc., agrees that touch panels definitely have a place in the world of production switchers.

“A touch panel allows you to create a custom interface or menu for a specific show,” he said. “For example, if you needed to create a custom screen for recalling a set of macros or effects, you could do that. On some systems, you can completely customize the look and feel of that menu, so there’s a lot of power there to augment traditional control surfaces.”

However, don’t think even about taking away his traditional pushbutton-and-lever control panel.

“On any live broadcast, I prefer physical buttons and levers—you need an interface you can feel, without looking down,” Lange said. “You need an interface where you can build muscle memory. Touchscreens typically don’t allow for that, and they’re too error prone. Touchscreens do have their place in switcher interfaces, but they excel at configuring settings and displaying menus.”

“For fast-paced shows, you need an interface you can feel,” he said. “The learning curve is definitely greater for a traditional interface, but that’s by design. With greater flexibility and power, comes a greater learning curve, much like learning to play the piano.”

Lange typically does his live switching work using Vizrt production switchers, and Jon Raidel, global CoE lead for cloud and live production at Vizrt, concurs with Lange’s observation.

“On any live broadcast, I prefer physical buttons and levers,” Raidel said. “This is critical for speed. You need an interface you can feel, without looking down. You need an interface where you can build muscle memory. Touch screens do have their place in switcher interfaces, but they excel at configuring settings and displaying menus. For fast-paced shows, you need an interface you can feel.”

Manufacturers listen carefully to the requests they get from working technical directors, and what manufacturers hear is that TDs overwhelmingly prefer a pushbutton-and-lever control panel for a fast-paced program.

However, they also hear that the ability to reconfigure settings as needed is a feature of value.

“The touchpanels that we find on video control surfaces such as the FOR-A HVS492WOU are not only capable of displaying a much greater amount of information at once, they’re exponentially faster in terms of data entry,” said Ken Sorrell, CTO for Production Technology Partners as well as the touring video director for Christian/crossover artist Lauren Daigle. “They also make on-the-fly adjustments or changes quite easy, which is important when directing anything live.”

User Requirements
“Overall the design of the control surface has remained consistent associated with user’s comfort and use requirements,” said Greg Huttie, vice president for switchers at Grass Valley. “There has been some incorporation of touchscreens with certain areas of the surface, along with heavy usage in the display screen tied to the menu. All changes we’ve incorporated have been vetted by the TD community in keeping with their fervent belief in maintaining tactile feel when it comes to punching a live show or sporting event.”

Huttie does notice that there are some situations where touch-panel interfaces get used.

“Productions are now tasked with creating revenue related to more than a single production output,” He said. These secondary or ‘plus programs’ are utilizing touchscreen control surfaces more frequently than the standard primary production.”

Technical directors—the people who sit at production switchers and make split-second decisions about which button or control to use—all have one voice when it comes to switcher control panels: “Don’t take away our buttons!” Still, touch panels and related computer control capability clearly have a place in modern production switchers. And their role will probably get bigger.

“While the design of the production switcher control panel has remained fundamentally unchanged, the development of control technology, such as touch displays, has allowed users to access configuration parameters quickly and easily,” said Nigel Spratling, vice president for production switchers & servers at Ross Video. “There is still a place for switches and levers, however, the latest control technology is now very much part of the modern production switcher.”

However, with the accessibility of new technology and with the shifting landscape of the live production industry, video production switchers are now being used in a wider array of live production spaces and are being operated by users of all age groups and experiences, Spratling adds.

“In response to this changing landscape, contemporary video production switchers must offer users the flexibility to choose their preferred mode of operation,” Spratling said. “Experienced users are likely to prefer the positivity and precision of physical controls, while beginners might find a touchscreen interface less intimidating with unnecessary controls stripped away. The future of video production switcher controls is likely to be a hybrid, accommodating various user preferences.”

The Crux of it
And that might be the crux of it. I’m old enough to remember when film editors described the “tactile” feel of working with film, and how it was part of the art form. There is very little of that particular tactile feel going on today, as virtually all editing is done electronically on computers.

“With more financially accessible hardware and software introduced to the market over the last several years, and more people entering the industry because of that accessibility, there certainly has been a shift, though I would say a traditional panel and lever style switcher is probably still the most common among industry veterans,” said Bob Caniglia, director of sales operations for the Americas at Blackmagic Design. “As the next generation of creatives comes up, it has been interesting to see how industry demands have been shifting.”

“For example, our ATEM Software Control, which comes free with our ATEM live production switchers, provides even more controls,” Caniglia said. “It can be run on Mac or Windows, and can even be duplicated so more than one person can work on the same workflow simultaneously. Having software like this running on an iPad [for example] allows for great flexibility and level of detail. However, a more traditional interface may make more sense for a straightforward workflow. Having a combination allows users to find the ideal balance for any given setup.”

Hot Topic du Jour
Also, the hot topic du jour is artificial intelligence. Will there be a day in the coming years when Alexa or Siri is the technical director for the Super Bowl or the Olympics? Or even for the six o’clock news?

I know, you’re thinking, “That’s impossible.” Perhaps you are right. However, the big benefit of touch panels used to control production switchers is flexibility.

“A key benefit of touchscreen interfaces is configurability,” Spratling said. “If a manufacturer adds new functionality to its video production switcher, it is a relatively quick design of the software interface to support it. However, to support the same functionality with physical buttons, a redesign of the switcher panel may be required and the user to purchase the newly designed panel. Some manufacturers even allow users to customize their own touchscreen interface!”

In the coming years, might we see a switcher that can understand spoken commands like, “Take camera 2,” or “Key in Marsha’s lower-third?” Once the AI learns the rhythms of a news broadcast, could it do as good a job as an alert, well-trained human?

That is the logical extension of the flexibility provided by touch panels and computer interfaces now appearing on production switchers.

Production switchers are the heart of any live production system. It used to be that they were all about mix/effect busses and chromakeyers, but today’s switchers really are where the action happens in the live production process. 

Editor's note: This article was updated on Jan. 24. 

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

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

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

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

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

But does gamification in broadcast work? 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BERGEN, Norway—Television broadcasters looking to attract more 18- to 25-year-olds to news better sharpen their social media skills and enhance graphics use, according to a newly released e-Book from Vizrt.

The e-Book, “Future Newsrooms: Creating Engaging News Content for Gen Z,” draws on the work of journalism.com.uk, research from Statista focused on the U.S. and original research of 4,000 people in six age groups, including 18 to 24 years old, which corresponds closely to the Gen Z age group, commissioned by Vizrt.

“Our research highlights the importance of real-time data and on-screen graphics in retaining Gen Z and futureproofing newsroom content creation,” said Ulrich Voigt, global head of product management at Vizrt.

“Content creators, traditional broadcasters and newer online news outfits, must adapt to meet the evolving needs of news consumers as each generation becomes more digitally advanced. Immersive storytelling with AR and XR can quickly and easily break down barriers to news accessibility and drive audience engagement,” he said.

Most members of Gen Z turn first to social media for news content. Sixty percent go to Instagram and 38% each go to TikTok and Facebook to stay abreast of news, the research showed. 

Respondents cited three main reasons for the shift in news consumption habits, including the intensity of news cycles, the volume of negative stories and the shift to social-first news brands, the research revealed.

The original research also underscored how important on-screen graphics are Gen Z. It found 31% pay attention to content with on-screen graphics, compared to 14% of the other age groups. More than half (51%) rely on graphics to: understand complex stories, compared to 42% of the other age groups; read data clearly, 48% Gen Z vs. 46%; and receive more information not otherwise shown on screen, 54% vs. 50%.

One big step broadcasters might wish to take is reorienting their presentation from horizontal to vertical to reach Gen Z watching news on their phones. A total of 56% of Gen Z said they found it challenging to watch content with a horizontal orientation that’s not been adapted for vertical viewing, it found.

A lack of on-screen graphics for content consumed on the go was another issue Gen Z respondents cited.

Vizrt has made the e-Book available online. Registration is required.

AUCKLAND, New Zealand—At Television New Zealand (TVNZ)—the country’s largest broadcaster—we work at the forefront of news and entertainment in New Zealand, delivering content to more than two million New Zealanders daily through free-to-air broadcast channels TVNZ 1, 2, DUKE and online platforms TVNZ+ and 1news.co.nz.

As New Zealand’s most-trusted news provider, our priority is getting the story out to audiences, so we empowered our news and current affairs (NCA) teams to do as much of the work themselves, with far less reliance on our archivists. The ability to search and pull back content is essential to telling engaging stories. 

With an extensive history of footage and valuable media assets, we also knew that investing in a good media asset management system was paramount to making it easy for NCA teams to access the content they need, whether it’s recently archived or decades old. Viz One delivers that for us.

Archived With Viz One
In the weeks leading up to New Zealand’s recent general election, for example, we had reporters in the field every day following politicians and party leaders; all that content came back to base and was archived through Viz One so it could be readily accessible by the newsroom if purged from the Avid editing environment. We also had a very busy archive team making sure all the footage could be researched and accessed by producers, journalists and reporters directly from their desktops.

We introduced a digital archive managed by the Viz Ardome MAM in 2009. The migration from Ardome to Viz One added NCA to the digital archive through digitizing TVNZ’s legacy tape-based news archive to file format, which was all completed in 2017.  Viz One looks after TVNZ’s archive, giving easy access to over a million unique assets spanning decades of archived content across petabytes of storage. 

With our streaming platform TVNZ+ growing rapidly and with the steady growth of TVNZ’s unique content, we migrated the archive to Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud to benefit from the cost predictability, resiliency and flexibility that cloud offers. Coupled with content classification and intelligent archive rules, Viz One automatically moves content to different levels of AWS S3 archive storage, such as S3 Glacier and S3 Glacier Deep Archive. This maximizes cost efficiencies while still empowering journalists to quickly access and retrieve clips or enable Content teams to recall scheduled content for online delivery and linear playout.

The move to cloud not only enables us to protect our invaluable archive, it also opens up additional services, such as AI facial recognition and speech-to-text for metadata logging, optimizing the search and discovery process. 

Digital First
We’re currently transforming our organization from a traditional linear TV broadcaster to a digital-first media company. What was compelling for us in choosing Viz One was the open API architectures and the partnerships that Vizrt has developed for our other key technologies, such as AWS and Avid. Beyond that, the ability to upskill our team using Viz University gives us further access to the value of our core tools.

It was important for us to choose a reliable MAM system to manage decades of media archive content and be able to repurpose it easily and quickly. At TVNZ, we understand the responsibility of being an authority source of the truth, and that comes with being responsible with our footage. Knowing it’s safe and ready to be reimagined is why we chose Vizrt. l

More information is available at www.vizrt.com.

BERGEN, Norway—Vizrt has unveiled the TriCaster Flex Dual control panel, the second in its TriCaster Flex control panel lineup.

“Adding to the TriCaster Flex line of control panels was a natural next step for Vizrt, and by bringing to life the Flex Dual we are aligning our control panel offering to match the depth and breadth of the ever expanding and evolving TriCaster line,” said Vizrt senior product manager Chris McLendon. “The TriCaster Flex Dual is an excellent way of demonstrating how products from across the Vizrt portfolio can work together seamlessly to tell stories beautifully.”

The TriCaster Flex Dual is a dual stripe control panel. It offers users an unparalleled number of ways to work and customize their workflows and can evolve to meet the needs of any production. The control panel offers 24 direct crosspoints, two 10-key dynamic menu systems and other new features, including a full-size joystick—a first for a Flex control panel, the company said.

The TriCaster Flex Dual is an NDI-native panel, which means operators no longer are tethered to the physical location of their TriCaster switchers. Capable of working with TriCaster hardware models, such as the TriCaster TC1, 1 Pro and 2 Elite, as well as the TriCaster Vectar in the cloud, Flex Dual simply connects to the network and controls switchers from anywhere in the world, it said.

Providing creative freedom regardless of the size or complexity of a production, the new control panel offers delegate and utility rows for unique workflow configurations, giving users the freedom to define how they want to work, it said.

More information is available on the company’s website.

BERGEN, Norway—Vizrt has announced the appointment of Marco Kraak as its general manager, global channel.

Vizrt said that the role’s key remit is to drive growth for the Channel business, enabling partners to sell the full Vizrt portfolio and unlock new customer segments for them.  

“Uniting earlier this year under the Vizrt brand has opened a huge portfolio of products and solutions for partners, giving partners the opportunity to grow their own businesses and provide increased value to the end customer,” says Daniel Nergård, chief revenue officer for Vizrt. “Marco’s appointment will strengthen our Partner Community; they are strategic for scaling our business. Their growth is our growth.”

Kraak comes with over 25 years of executive experience in partner go-to-market strategy and growing both indirect and direct sales. He held multiple international senior positions within Cisco developing their Channel business in various areas including recurring software business. Recently he came from SUSE where he led the Channel remit for APAC, EMEA and China, as well as leading its global channel development, introducing new key channel growth initiatives and strategy. 

“Getting the Vizrt partner community in front of the various strategic ways and solutions that we can provide to help them build new revenue streams is why I love this remit, it’s a mutually beneficial relationship,” said Kraak. “At Vizrt I want to utilize our large installed base, empower our valued partner community, and further strengthen our position in the market.” 

Vizrt also noted that as part of the recent creation of its single vendor product portfolio, Vizrt’s Channel Business has created a certified Partner Program for our distributors and resellers. The program allows partners to expand and scale their business with a broader product portfolio and offers a range of strategic benefits and solutions to break into new customer segments. 

More information about the Vizrt Partner Program is available at:  https://www.vizrt.com/vizrt/partner-program/ 

LONDON—Music charity World Heart Beat has outfitted its new studio in Wandsworth, a district in the south of the city, with audio and video technology donated from leading industry manufacturers, including a TriCaster Mini 4K video creation system and TriCaster Mini control panel from Vizrt, the company said today.

Among the other tech vendors donating technology are Sold State Logic, Focusrite and d&b Audiotechnik. World Heart Beat is using the technology to create and stream content, including live performances, help launch the recordings of new artists and for remote learning sessions, the company said.

Earlier this year, the charity expanded into its new facility, featuring a 2,500-square-foot space designed and equipped to serve as a high-tech, 200-capacity auditorium and music venue. The setup also includes multiple teaching spaces and a state-of-the-art recording studio, the company said.

“We ended up with a high-end facility, equipped with 21st-century infrastructure and capable of taking us as far into the future as possible. We have created an ingenious way of utilizing space and inspiring the younger generation to explore the realm of creative opportunities; TriCaster is a core component of that forward-looking infrastructure,” said World Heart Beat CEO James Gero.

The TriCaster Mini 4K is being used in conjunction with multiple BirdDog 4K cameras, including several located in the auditorium to capture concerts. The two TriCaster solutions are installed in the HEARST Broadcasting Suite and connected to the building’s cabling network, which includes more than 50 miles of fiber optic, Cat 6a and analog cables, installed by White Light.  

“It’s extremely exciting when you take delivery of a piece of sophisticated equipment and realize that you can get to grips with it very, very quickly,” said Gero. “It shows the workflow has been superbly well thought out. The TriCaster has so much more power and capabilities than what’s on the surface; it’s really quite brilliant.” 

“It can be operated with relatively little pre-training but there are layers of complexities that open the doors to endless possibilities. The TriCaster is exactly the piece of equipment that will enable young people on our program to find opportunities in audio-visual and production. It’s a win-win also for emerging performing artists who require more exposure, as TriCaster can live stream across multiple social channels simultaneously.” 

While newly installed, the TriCaster has already been used extensively for remote learning sessions as well as performances by both emerging and established artists from the worlds of classical, Indian, funk, R&B and jazz.

World Heart Beat was established in 2009 to provide affordable music education for disadvantaged young people, as well as opening pathways into music and creative industries. With an open-door admittance policy, World Heart Beat teaches about 425 students from South London and beyond each year.

More information is available on the websites of World Heart Beat and Vizrt.

The term “live production over IP” covers a lot of territory, but the basic idea is that IP circuits are used for at least some of the signals in the production. In some studios that are built for IP production from the ground up, IP circuits are the primary pathways, and the gear directly connects to these IP circuits.

Just about any type of production can work with IP technologies. Examples of productions that use IP techniques range from the highest-level sports and events, down to local news and talk shows. Although more traditional SDI systems are still practical and in wide use, IP-based systems are here to stay.

One huge benefit from IP techniques is the ability to get remote feeds very quickly and at low cost. What used to take an expensive satellite feed can now be set up in seconds inexpensively from anywhere in the world using an IP feed.

“On my way home from [a major sporting event in] Australia, I could not help marveling at how much has changed over the last decade,” said Karlheinz Amberg, director of global events for Lawo. “Each event has become a milestone, as cutting-edge technology is deployed at the request of host broadcasters. ST2110 IP and remote production have become the de-facto standards for today’s international broadcast centers.”

Smaller Footprint
One of the benefits of increased use of IP technology for large-scale broadcasts is that the gear has a smaller footprint.

“One might argue that thorough planning allows operators to prepare enough hardware for global events, yet last-minute requests and changes of plans are difficult to address in this way,” Amberg said. “Besides, who wants to justify the carbon footprint of shipping additional devices to where they are needed in a matter of hours? 

At this year’s global events, Lawo’s HOME Apps took center stage, according to Amberg.

“For one recent event, it was decided to run them on 10 Dell servers (10U in total),” he said. “We used them for 60x HOME UDX apps to downconvert 3G ST2110, 1080p HDR streams to 3G ST2110, 1080p SDR, 1080i SDR and other flavors of broadcast video.”

Amberg said that when the entire planet is watching, the slightest glitch may trigger tirades of irate remarks by the director, the CTO, the organizing committee, and the sponsors who pay substantial amounts to be associated with a flawless experience.

“I think it’s fair to say that any match, race, hockey tournament, motorcycle event, etc., of global interest you have watched over the last 20 years has involved a considerable amount of Lawo gear,” Amberg said.

Stepping in When Satellite Can't
BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC, used Matrox Video’s Monarch EDGE encoder technology, coupled with GlobalM’s SRT (Secure Reliable Transport) distribution platform, to televise the state funeral of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II across the U.K. a year ago. 

The workflow began with Monarch EDGE multichannel encoders. Most live content ready for distribution entered master control as SDI feeds, and an EDGE E4 quad-channel, 4:2:2 10-bit encoder captured and contributed four high-quality, low-latency streams—main and reserve domestic feeds, and main and reserve international feeds—to the GlobalM streaming platform.

The GlobalM orchestration network then distributed and transmitted the SRT-enabled feeds, including backup and redundant paths, to international rights-holders across the globe, while the master control monitored all streams in real time with the GlobalM web dashboard. During the 12-hour broadcast, GlobalM did not drop a single packet, providing worldwide BBC audiences access to 12 hours of high-quality, uninterrupted event coverage.

Spending associated with satellite contribution and distribution has historically been restricted to events that warrant its expense and complexity, and fewer and fewer broadcasters are equipped with the necessary satellite-receiving equipment. In the case of the queen’s funeral, rights-holders with no satellite capability still needed to access the signal in the same quality as satellite would provide.

“The BBC would not have been able to meet the demand for the content without the EDGE/GlobalM combination,” said Paul Calleja, chief technology officer and co-founder of GlobalM. “Matrox Monarch EDGE’s high-quality and low-latency encoding support on the GlobalM private IP backbone gave BBC Studios complete stability and quality for each stream, ensuring international rights holders near and far got exceptional event coverage.”

In this case, GlobalM chose SRT, and Monarch EDGE performed flawlessly with this transport mechanism, according to Calleja. In rapid response setups like the queen’s funeral, commissioning is key. Monarch EDGE proved easy to set up and deploy, so that the broadcaster could focus on capturing the event, and not struggle with network configuration.

The highly competent broadcast staff that operates at the highest levels needs to get experience and training in a challenging learning environment. One such program in the United States is at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kan.

At FHSU, a faculty-led student crew is tasked with the official television production of all the school’s NCAA Division II sports, which go to paying customers. Therefore, there is no room for error or equipment failure.

FHSU broadcasts everything from football to volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, and men’s and women’s basketball. The college also has a partnership with a local high school, where the high school pays FHSU to livestream scholastic athletic events that include football, volleyball, boys’ and girls’ basketball, and track.

“To capture all this sports content across the schools, we use about 10 cameras routed into a NewTek TriCaster TC1,” said Nick Schwien, director of Tiger Media Network at Fort Hays State University. “We use Vizrt/NewTek equipment for all our live productions in-house and off campus, including a TriCaster 2 Elite, a TriCaster TC1, a TriCaster Mini 4K, Viz Engine, 3Play 3P2 and 3Play 3P1, and other components by Vizrt.”

For cameras, FHSU uses a mix of Panasonic, Blackmagic Design, NewTek PTZ and JVC equipment. Much of the gear is mounted in a custom-made Bigfoot cart.

“Our TriCasters handle anything we can throw at them, and they are a great way for college students to learn about productions,” Schwien said. “We are even currently in the process of developing a sports production emphasis at FHSU, which works out well since the gear has been so easy for the students to learn.”

Ease of use and reliability are critical in a learning environment, and Schwien said that the TriCasters and associated gear have really worked out well in that regard.

“The TriCasters also help us stream to many different platforms using an easy setup process that expands our opportunity to reach audiences,” he said. “It helps us engage our loyal audiences and fan bases as well.”

Adapts Better to Last Minute Changes
JAB Holding is a behind-the-scenes corporation that invests in many well-known name brands, such as Panera Bread, Tiffany, Lacoste, Cover Girl and Burberry. With offices spread across the globe, it is time-consuming and expensive to have company-wide face-to-face meetings. For its annual gathering this year, JAB hired Gradient Experience to produce a two-day conference on video using high-quality IP links that featured LiveU encoders and decoders.

“The use of LiveU allowed our team to adapt to last-minute changes in scheduling,” said Corey Protin, head of livestream & studios for Gradient Experience. “When a guest could no longer fly to our London green-screen facility, we simply used a LiveU encoder alongside the LiveU LU4000 4K/quad HD rackmount receiver to bring him/her into the production. We were able to meet the presenters’ needs, without sacrificing our production quality.”

Products for live IP production are among the fastest growing categories in the video industry. Although broadcasters have been able for decades to do remote broadcasts via microwave, IP remote devices give users far more mobility and flexibility. 

An example is the TVU One from TVU Networks, which just debuted at IBC 2023. The TVU One is a portable 5G cellular modem that can work at resolutions up to 4K/60 fps in HDR quality. In addition to supporting 5G cellular modems, the One can also be fitted up to work with Starlink, Wi-Fi, Ethernet and satellite.

The Power of 2110
A major network-owned station on the East Coast recently upgraded its news production to a Ross Video Hyperconverged solution. This included two Ultrix-FR5 platforms featuring integrated Ultrix Acuity production switchers, connected to the station’s existing ST 2110 production network. The Ross gear has been deployed as the heart of two live production studios, which also use the company’s routing systems and multiviewers.

“As rack space was limited, Ultrix delivered a full production solution for two studios in a compact 10RU, connecting easily into the existing ST 2110 network,” said Alun Fryer, technical marketing lead for Hyperconverged Solutions at Ross Video. “The system integrated a full-size Ultrix Acuity production switcher for each studio with the flexibility to repurpose the hardware to multiple smaller Ultrix Carbonite switchers on demand for smaller production jobs.”

Fryer explained why the Ross Ultrix solution was the right for this large broadcaster.

“[Ultrix] integrates video and audio production, signal processing and routing into a compact, adaptable platform,” he said. “The software-defined features allow the customer to adapt the capabilities of the platform to the needs of the facility dynamically, giving them the production flexibility they needed.”

The tools for live IP production cover a lot of turf in the television industry, incorporating everything from familiar-looking devices like production switchers to cloud-based services that were just thought of a few years ago. The competitiveness of the live broadcast business—especially news—means that broadcasters are always going for the gear that will get them on air with news in the fastest, most flexible way possible.

This in turn spurs manufacturers to develop products and systems that give broadcasters that “faster-than-now” capability. IP systems, with their easy integration of wireless and wired devices, is the platform on which faster-than-now is built. 

Want to learn more? Attend TV Tech's free October TV Tech Talk: Advances in Live IP Production, Oct. 19. Register here. 

BERGEN, Norway—Vizrt has released Viz Pilot Edge 3.0, featuring a new UI and faster response time for newsroom graphics creation. At the core of the redesign is improved navigation for users and enhanced functionality written using modern web technology (Vue, TypeScript), making Viz Pilot Edge more user-friendly, more responsive, and with a start-up time that is now up to 3x faster, the company said.  

“Viz Pilot Edge is the central cog in the newsroom graphics creation machinery. We are taking practical steps to ensure journalists can tell stories most efficiently by building products for a workflow that is relevant not only for today’s newsrooms but also for the newsrooms of the future,” says Ionut ‘Johnny’ Pogacean, Senior Product Manager for Viz Pilot Edge.   

Although the layout has been streamlined and is optimized for different screen sizes, the new UI was redesigned to look familiar to users, according to Vizrt.  Navigation has also been updated to make it easier to locate templates and elements, with dropdowns and tabs for faster access to regularly used features. The search function now contains multiple tag filtering to further narrow down search results. Additionally, the preview window can be undocked, which is especially useful when working with multi-field advanced templates.   

The interface update also includes the ability to drag and drop multiple elements into a story slug, radio buttons in templates, improved crop functionality and faster editing of tables. Live data input gets a boost with the addition of feed browser RSS feed support.  

Requesting and managing images has been made easier with the new Order Management integration. Journalists can prep their templates with the relevant text and/or data and send an order directly to the Creative Department via Viz Pilot Edge. This new process provides an overview of the media orders for transparency and efficient management.  

Incorporating AR/VR into an automated rundown has been simplified with the ability to host the Viz Arc MOS plugin. Users can control AR/VR graphics in one unified interface and playout with a studio automation application such as Viz Mosart.  

Despite the extensive interface change, any template created in previous versions will continue to work seamlessly, Vizrt said.  

BERGEN, Norway—Vizrt has announced that the NewTek brand—which it acquired in 2019—will no longer be marketed under a separate brand name from Vizrt, but will be combined under one product line under the Vizrt brand, declaring that “the markets of broadcast and pro AV are converging, and the needs of customers and end users are changing.”  

While Vizrt had focused primarily on professional broadcast, NewTek was marketed more toward Pro AV, but with the continuing emergence of IP as a base production standard—as well as the impact on remote production imposed by the pandemic—the differences between the two have become blurred.  

“From transitioning to IP-based infrastructure, monetization, capturing audience attention, remotely producing content, driving remote collaboration, moving to the cloud, focusing on sustainability, security, and the skill gap—we found our customers across both sides of the portfolio are evolving and often need to do more, with less. Now, Vizrt is a one-stop shop to support it all,” said  Michael Hallén, CEO of Vizrt. 

In addition, as the company combined its R&D since the acquisition, Vizrt has found more success in combining the strengths of its NewTek IP with the Vizrt production portfolio, the company said. 

“After years of investment, we have expanded our customer success function, which includes service, and support, to be a 150-person strong, critical branch of our organization. Our R&D teams, spanning six global hubs, have over 250 engineers, and our product team has developed and released more than 20 innovations in the past year, with many more in the pipeline,” explains Hallén.  

Through the unified ecosystem of products, all partners gain access to the entire portfolio, the company said, and partners can certify as experts through Vizrt’s learning platform Viz University with new courses on studio, graphics, automation, live production, cloud, and more.  

Vizrt said it will extend its product portfolio and launch a new entry-level video production system for streamers and content creators, and new cloud live production systems. 

Announced earlier this year, NDI will remain a standalone brand, but supported by Vizrt as a key partner. Vizrt Group will now operate under the Vizrt name. Vizrt is still owned privately by Nordic Capital, and its board and leadership team remain unchanged.

Both companies will be in Stand A.41 at the 2023 IBC Show, Sept. 15-18 at the RAI Amsterdam.

BERGEN, Norway—Vizrt has added Media Object Server (MOS) protocol support to its cloud-native HTML5 Viz Flowics platform, the company said today.

The addition means Viz Flowics is now an HTML5 graphics system with a MOS Gateway and HTML plugin for all MOS-compliant newsroom computer systems (NRCS). The support simplifies newsroom MOS workflows, enabling efficient graphics creation and management of graphics playlists, the company said.

While Viz has long offered a comprehensive solution using the MOS protocol, the addition of MOS support to Viz Flowics gives newsrooms and broadcasters seeking to adopt HTML5 for graphics a path forward, it said.

“We want to make it easier for customers, especially broadcasters with more simple graphics requirements, to incorporate HTML5 graphics. The new MOS support in combination with our native integrations with local weather, traffic and markets data providers makes this solution a perfect fit for regional broadcasters and local stations who are looking for more -effective graphics systems, and we have already signed up the first two customers who are implementing this solution,” said Gabriel Baños, co-founder of Flowics. 

Viz Flowics offers an intuitive user interface, which beginners with no design background as those with experience find easy to use. The web editor relies on drag-and-drop features, providing what is required to create broadcast-quality graphics. This includes an extensive customization palette and animation tools, it said. 

Graphic artists using the web-based editor, create templates and place them in the relevant projects as graphics packages for respective shows. Creative assets are stored in the cloud in an assets library, it said.

For journalists, there is no change to their existing graphics editing workflow when working on a particular story in a rundown from the NRCS. They simply log in to their NCRS as they do today and open the Viz Flowics plugin to access available graphics templates for a particular newscast or show. Templates are used to create, save and drop graphics into stories, it said.  

Viz Flowics MOS Support via its own MOS Gateway manages the connection between the NRCS and the Viz Flowics cloud backend, creating the associated graphics playlist once the rundown is enabled. Viz Flowics keeps the graphics playlist in sync and updated whenever there is a change, such as a story being removed or a graphics overlay being added, Vizrt said.

In the control room, the graphics operator opens the Viz Flowics Rundown Control web-based interface and selects the bulletin’s dedicated graphics playlist to play out graphics according to the running order, it said.

More information is available on the company’s website.

BERGEN, Norway—Vizrt has announced that it collaborated with Sky Sports Germany to broadcast its first vertical soccer match multi-screened on Tik Tok. 

The collaboration allowed fans who tuned into the broadcaster’s social media platform on Saturday to watch the highly anticipated Super Cup match, with a multi-split screen format that delivered a unique fan experience, the companies said. 

“Sport viewer trends are rapidly changing,” explained Alessandro Reitano, senior vice president sports production at Sky Sports. “Vertical football [soccer] matches have been broadcasted previously, however screening on TikTok whilst offering a multi-screen viewing experience is a first. We’ve seen a growing demand for snappier content via digital platforms, and with Vizrt Vectar, we can deliver a one-of-a-kind experience that combines multiple aspects of the game within a short 15-minute segment.”

Described as a ‘Watch Party’, viewers were able to watch multiple sources and graphics simultaneously including exclusive camera cuts, performance history, and match analytics, the companies said. 

Sky Sports Germany is using Vizrt’s Viz Vectar Plus for the live 9:16 production, in addition to using Viz Engine 5, and its classic render pipeline, for its core broadcast studio production to drive the LED walls and AR graphics.

Sky Sports Germany has also brought in Viz Arena for in-stadium AR graphics and Viz Libero for advanced sports analysis.

The companies also noted that recent research by Vizrt has shown a growing trend amongst Gen Z for short-form content and that Vizrt’s solutions allowed Sky Sports Germany to capitalize on this trend by offering 15-minute live segments of the game aired prior to, during, and post the match. 

This new viewing experience also responds to a growing trend in sports by younger generations who are opting out of traditional broadcast formats and prefer to watch sports via their mobile phones while on the go.  

Two-thirds (68%) of Gen Z and almost half (47%) of millennials frequently watch sports on social media and over 70% find vertical viewing more personal and immersive than horizontal, according to Vizrt. 

BERGEN, Norway—Vizrt has released Viz Channel Branding, a new solution that provides automated and scalable channel branding, promo, and marketing control for broadcasters across linear playout, FAST channels, VOD, and OTT.

In announcing the release, Vizrt stressed that channel branding has become more important than ever in a period of media fragmentation. With research suggesting up to 50% of audiences “zap” to other content during ad breaks and traditional broadcaster viewing forecasted to shrink to below half (48%) of total video viewing by 2028, Vizrt said that the new solution will help clients build a strong and recognizable brand to attract and retain audiences.

“With Viz Channel Branding, broadcasters will enjoy far greater stability – especially those with very large playlists – and a new user interface will make it easy for new and existing users to get the most out of the system. Channel Deck™ and Failover Helper are the stand-out developments, ensuring broadcasters have even more confidence and capabilities in vital channel branding and promo efforts to win the fight for audience viewership and loyalty,” remarked Kerry Stavri, senior product manager, Vizrt.

One key feature is its automated and scalable branding, making it an essential tool in the constant fight for viewer retention and audience growth, Vizrt said. 

Replacing Viz Multichannel, it introduces far greater automation, control, stability, and visibility for branding and channel cross-promotion needs across all linear and on-demand outputs. On-screen branding events are dynamically built using metadata, rules, and conditions, while tight integrations with traffic and automation systems ensure frame accurate and correct playout regardless of changes to programming.

The solution also provides complete visibility from a single screen

Viz Channel Branding’s new Channel Deck gives operators complete confidence that branding is being played out correctly and on time through a dedicated window, Vizrt said. Providing complete visibility across any number of channels, users can see the planned branding and the result, providing a single source of truth for what’s coming and any potential issues.

Viz Channel Branded is also designed to enhance the user experience

A fresh and modern user interface makes it easy for both existing and new users to navigate the system so operators can focus on creating compelling content that keeps viewers informed, engaged, and coming back for more.

In addition the offering provides enhanced stability, integrations, and failover support

At the press of a button, the new Failover Helper web app provides easy failover to a redundant system to guarantee the continuity of channel branding and promos in the event of a technology stack failure, ensuring viewers are always kept informed.

With virtually unlimited playlist abilities, broadcasters can be even more prepared by creating several weeks’ worth of promo scheduling in advance. Additionally, advanced API integration with 3rd party playout automation systems enables instant updates, fine-grained control of playlist content, and minimal network traffic for more powerful automated workflows, the company said. 

Alongside ticker and bug control, 3D and augmented reality (AR) graphics, and HTML5 graphics through the new Viz Flowics, Vizrt said that Viz Channel Branding is designed to further strengthens Vizrt’s overall channel branding and promo offering, providing broadcasters with even more choice and flexibility. 

More information about Viz Channel Branding is available here.