Archive for the ‘Virtual Sets’ Category

‘Meet the Press’ creates faux bookcase for talking heads

NBC News is now sending a fake bookcase graphic to live shot locations for “Meet the Press.”

The graphic appears very very fake on air and looks extremely flat.

One better solution to this would have been to film a portion of the set, then send them the looped tape, similar to what is done with MSNBC’s news nooks. NBC also does something similar during the weekend edition of “Nightly” when they have a video loop of the studio in the background, when the broadcast is actually produced from a smaller studio with just a single camera.

CHBC-TV behind the scenes clip

CHBC-TV, a Global TV affiliate in Canada, posted this behind the scenes clip talking about the transition to a virtual set.

The set, designed by Full Mental Jacket and powered by Orad, was installed as part of a multi-year roll out for Global TV at its various stations.

Quantum Vizualization Laboratories hopes to bring VR to local stations

Formed to develop applications and plug-ins for the real-time 3D graphics market, Quantum Vizualization Laboratories recently announced its corporate launch.

QVizLabs will focus primarily on “products and services to enable live, local HD broadcasting to expand beyond the confines of current studio facilities.”

Virtual Realty solutions, already proven successful internationally and at the US network level, are being scaled by QVizLabs to the operations, manpower and budgets of Call Letter Stations across the US.

QVizLabs is working closely with the industry leading developers of VR technologies to provide stable and scaled solutions that push the technological boundaries while maintaining the reliability expected by demanding CLS operations.

Located in Charleston, South Carolina, QVizLabs will be working closely with its sister company, Trinity Systems Engineering, to provide the highest level of real-time graphics products and services to the CLS market starting in early 2011.

NewscastStudio welcomes Hybrid as advertiser

NewscastStudio is pleased to announce that Hybrid, a manufacture of broadcast production technologies, has joined our list of advertisers.

Hybrid creates broadcast technology solutions for virtual studio installations, broadcast robotic camera supports and augmented reality. For more information about Hybrid, click here.

If your company sells products or services aimed at the television news industry, NewscastStudio is the perfect platform to get the word out. Click here for details.

Chyron continues support of virtual sets

Sports Video Group has a look at Chyron and NeuroTV’s partnership heading into NAB 2010.

Virtual set technology is popular in Asia and Europe but U.S. TV productions have been reticent to rely on it due to cost and complexity. The deal with NeuroTV could change that equation has it has a trackless technology, meaning that the camera can be locked down and computers then synthesize moves like camera crane moves and pans.

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Chyron partners with NeuroTV to offer virtual sets

Chyron has now partnered with NeuroTV, a company specializing in virtual sets.

The partnership is driven by the increasing desire for broadcasters to advance to sophisticated high-definition environments, and the virtual set tools provide endless possibilities without enormous costs.

With the combined Chyron/NeuroTV system, software can manipulate the look from a single fixed camera, virtually placing on-air talent in different sets and even replicating camera movements, all live.

More at Government Video

Digital Juice shows how to create virtual sets with new product

Digital Juice, a leading royalty-free content company, recently released two additional volumes of its “Motion Designer’s Toolkit” and has posted an accompanying tutorial on how the product can be used to create “virtual sets” using After Effects.

These “sets” would probably more accurately be described as virtual environments, since, at least the example shown, isn’t a structural as some other virtual set solutions. However, the result is certainly sharp looking and it’s definitely worth considering for any virtual set needs.

‘Nightly Business Report’ debuts new look and virtual set

Broadcasting on PBS since 1979, “Nightly Business Report” debuted a new host, new modern look and virtual studio for the new year.

The new look, using yellows and blues with high tech flying parts is a vast change from the previous package. The new show has a sleek look that is very different for a PBS show. (more…)

Update: More screen grabs from ITN makeover available

TV Live has posted additional images of the new graphics package and virtual set being used at Britain’s ITN.

Click here to see the library of images.

Jacksonville station debuts bland new set

WJXT-TV, an independent station serving Jacksonville, Fla., has debuted a new set, reports Florida News Center, and, while it has some nice potential, the overall look is a bit bland.

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Big Ben clock face gone from ITN graphics

British television network ITN has dumped the graphical images of the Big Ben clock face from its graphics package and virtual set.

More details, commentary and a video of the network’s old look are after the jump.

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‘Hologram’ technology headed to ESPN?

Broadcasting and Cable reports about the hologram technology soon to hit ESPN’s air waves. The technology, slated for a spring 2010 debut, will likely be used for ESPN’s coverage of the World Cup.

Ley’s virtual appearance onscreen was remarkably realistic, without the significant image blurring seen in hologram technology used by CNN on Election Night last fall.

Pagano says the hologram technique is an extension of the “EA Virtual Playbook” technology that ESPN already uses for NFL coverage, and Berman said it will allow them to bring the images of players directly into the studio for analysis or interviews.

It is unclear if this is the same technology developed by Vizrt and Stats, but ESPN is a big Vizrt customer. According to the B&C article, “ESPN has written some software for the virtual technology internally, and learned how to tweak the lighting and the seating of talent to create the most realistic effect.”