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/.
