Fox Denver soars with tech-heavy set upgrade

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KDVR has moved into a new set that leverages the element of height in the Mile High City.

The set, at Nexstar’s Fox affiliate in Denver, Colorado, is also stocked to the top with technology thanks to FX Design Group and Digital Video Group.

In one corner of the studio, a double-height array of 14 86-inch vertically mounted panels creates the illusion of windows, with an additional eight behind the weather center in the opposite corner.

The set does not feature practical balconies, though two metallic railing segments mounted on either side of the set create the suggestion that there could be one.

In contrast to the open, airy feeling the video panels create, the two areas are separated by hard scenic that’s framed out with silver-toned columns bearing a lit stripe and topped off with a solid header.

Below is a series of frosted panels mounted in front of wall-mounted TV screens, suggesting the presence of a control room or similar space tucked behind the set.

On the left side of this wall segment is a video column inside a thick gray frame, adding another strong visual vertical. About half of the frosted wall is covered by a seamless 12×7 Neoti LED video wall accented with its own header and gray support frame.

To break up the space and add yet another vertical note, the frosted wall behind the screen is interrupted by a solid upright segment.

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Combined, not only do these elements continue to emphasize the height of the set, but they also create a well-crafted asymmetrical look.

As much as vertical lines dominate the look, they are broken up with horizontal accents, including edge-lit elements and dark gray headers with lighter trim. Likewise, the strong, structural feel of the scenery is occasionally lightened up with skinny horizontal segments that seem to float in space.

The anchor desk, fronted with two low-profile video panels, is placed just off-center, allowing it to use the corner array as a background. This position also puts it close to the weather center, which has been moved on camera so that anchors can interact with the station’s Pinpoint Weather team. These shots can also incorporate the video column and wall.

Forecasters have the ability to stand at a curved desk with integrated monitors, giving them quick access to the station’s weather computer system. This is set diagonally against the smaller corner of the double-height video wall windows, adding design consistency to the weather area.

The weather center also features a 4×2 86-inch LG monitor array positioned in front of a color-changing backlit wall and capped with a trio of wall-mounted monitors installed between two header elements. 

This wall also features thick vertical columns as well as darker gray structures that provide support for the extended-width video wall and also continue the vertical motif.

Opposite this wall, which can also be used for non-weather segments, is an additional freestanding 12×7 Neoti LED wall positioned so that it can be used for in-studio standups and debriefs or incorporated into anchor desk shots.

Here again, strong vertical columns and darker gray slabs serve as support elements, while the LED wall itself is partially framed out by a white element shaped like an upside-down L.

The set also includes an additional multipurpose space that isn’t physically as tall as the anchor and weather areas but still has elements that suggest height.

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The corner window look is incorporated here with perpendicular seamless LED walls that meet at a gray support column.

A faux balcony is suggested by a railing element that matches the ones found on the main set. A color-changing backlit shoot-off wall and dark gray header continue the illusion of a second level.

The space also includes a smaller seamless video panel element to create an area that, in many ways, mimics the layout of the anchor area on a smaller scale.

This wall features a blend of backlit and light and dark gray segments, including a textured one that reaches the top of the set. Another one goes part of the way up before taking a 90-degree turn to meet up with the edge of the faux balcony. 

Technology from LG, Philips and Neoti is used in the new set design, with video wall processing from TV One’s Corio solution.

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