38 TVBEurope ForumVirtual Sets
resolutions. Additionally, video editing software and work stations will need to be upgraded to handle the additional processing required by the increased video resolutions and productions.
Lighting is key to good VR. Have changes to more energy efficient systems made a difference to the way VR systems are used?
Ahmadi: One of the core requirements of a virtual environment is the completely even distribution of light, even the corners of the green screen are rounded to prevent shadows. Energy efficient LED fixtures from Litepanels provide soft and even distribution of light. Cool-running LEDs also emit a fraction of the heat produced
Is there an increasing use of ‘augmented reality studios’ — a mix of virtual and live? And how does that affect you?
Benovici:Yes, we definitely see that trend, implemented in two ways — having augmented reality elements added to a real studio, as well as having a ‘hybrid studio’ — part of which is real and part of the background is green/ blue and used for virtual placement in the background. Cajic: I would agree.
Miguel Churruca, Brainstorm
by tungsten fixtures and have built-in dimmers. Because less HVAC is required to cool the studio, LED lights can be used in smaller spaces, making VR more affordable for new market applications. Lang: The new efficient lighting has opened more doors mainly because they produce very little heat. Rooms with lower ceilings and less air are still able to handle lengthy productions without any time constraints. Adding more lights to reduce uneven lit areas is not a problem anymore, either.
Augmented reality is where I see the biggest use of VR. It’s a lot more natural than a virtual studio in that it does not try to deceive the viewer, but just offers some meaningful addition to the real picture. It helps the viewer understand the complex data by adding stunning effects to it. In the end, this does not affect our particular technology in any way since it’s the same principle as a virtual studio. Churruca: Broadcasters affect technology as they evolve the way they produce television. Sometimes, when a new technology arrives, users want to make the most out of it, but as time goes by they tend to optimise its usage. In the case of VR, the combination of live and
virtual material can seem complex, but it can end up achieving more realistic scenes, optimising designers’ time and even reduce costs. Eddershaw: This is probably the most significant difference in the use of VR today compared with earlier eras. From a tracking perspective it is generally no different, however, when virtual objects are placed very close to real objects it does make lens
calibration and tracking accuracy even more critical as differences in motion can be more easily seen. Simply by following some basic guidelines on the placement and design of AR objects within real sets these effects can be easily mitigated. Harrison: Yes absolutely, particularly for sports production. From a render point of view, there is little difference. A more significant issue is the accuracy of tracking and sophistication of keying. VR drift is less noticeable in a full virtual set because there are fewer real world references, but with AR inaccuracies become more obvious. So things such as lens modelling and synchronisation are crucial. Keying for AR is important, too. Mixing background and foreground keying is desirable and combining this with ‘dynamic depth’ keying allows a much better sense of interaction.
What is the next major development on the VR front?
Gerhard Lang, Vizrt
Benovici: Virtual studio is a mature technology — it has been around for 20 years, so it will probably be more of an evolution and not a revolution. There is a growing tendency to decorate sets with video walls and screens, and in many ways this could be seen as the evolution of the virtual studio. Also, put the chroma key and blue boxes to one side and replace them with content fed to the video wall that serves as the background of the studio. Cajic: The object tracking systems are slowly emerging. This should be the next thing that could open up more possibilities into the VR environment, especially in sports analysis. Camloh: We think our vision
of more-accessible creative tools on more common platforms is the trend for the future. What’s more, the economics won’t be out of reach for people to incorporate more VR-type segments into their programmes. How powerful a brand can be or the amount of creativity its people have doesn’t always correlate with the size of its budget, so NewTek will continue with its mission of enabling even
www.tvbeurope.com April 2014
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60