Industry Insights: Virtual set design misconceptions and usage in TV

What is the timeline needed to setup a virtual studio solution?

“The biggest variable is whether it is a “tracked” (encoded camera heads/lenses) or “trackless” (locked down cameras) solution. Trackless implementations can be set up in an hour or two. Tracked virtual studios can take days, depending on the number of cameras and how much calibration is required. If you add robotics into the mix, it can take even longer,” said Olson.

“It takes a little longer in the design and rehearsal phases but much shorter in the fabrication/installation phase, would estimate it shortens the overall process by a month or more,” said McLaughlin.

“It will depend on the complexity of the installation, calibration of the tracking system when required, peripherals involved and requirements for operators’ training. A simple installation with fixed cameras using the virtual system’s internal chroma keyer is quite straightforward, meaning it just requires some days to train operators. But more complex installations involving external chroma keyers and several cameras or cranes with tracking do require careful calibration and initial set up to perform at their best,” Churruca explained.

“Hardware installation and commissioning usually takes 5 to 10 days. The set design process typically takes 3 to 4 weeks,” Lasry notes.

“Different virtual studio systems have different setup times, from several hours to several days, depending on the design, tracking and the system’s configuration. Avid’s Maestro | Virtual set offers multiple configurations and tracking options depending on the broadcaster’s needs. For example when used with the Avid’s new Xync 2.0 infrared camera tracking, a virtual set can be up and running in a matter of hours,” Benovici said.

“Timelines would depend on our familiarity with a particular client, the design brief, the scope of the project and the scale of design, amongst other things, i.e. it varies a lot,” explained Mann.

“We’ve been successful doing this in as little as 5 weeks. The timeline needed to setup a virtual studio solution would be about 90 days,” notes Mollomo.

Panelists

– Ofir Benovici of Avid
– Miguel Churruca of Brainstorm
– Olivier Cohen of ChyronHego
– Ronen Lasry of Full Mental Jacket
– Gerhard Lang of Vizrt
– Jim Mann of Lightwell
– Mack McLaughlin of FX Design Group
– Chris Mollomo of Ross Video
– Brian Olson of NewTek

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[focus-on]This article is part of our Focus On Virtual in Broadcast View more from the series here.[/focus-on]