Page 26 - AIB | The Chanel | Issue 1 2012
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26
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ISSUE 1 2011
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THE CHANNEL
THE CHANNEL
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TECHNOLOGY
2
ammoth and
deltatre will be
providing
television
graphics for
the BBC’s
coverage of
London 2012. Here Mammoth
Graphics MD Phil Long explains
why both companies will be using
Vizrt for the event of the year which
will be broadcast to millions of
people around the world
When pitching for the London 2012
Olympic Graphics contract, Mammoth
and deltatre carefully analysed the
brief and prepared a joint response
that not only enabled the delivery
of complex graphics but also made
technical innovation possible. I
believe that London 2012 will be
the first truly ‘Digital Olympics’
and viewers will expect a seamless
multiplatform experience with an
unified approach across television,
web and mobile.
NEWELEMENTS
For the London 2012 coverage, both
Mammoth and deltatre will be
using Vizrt. This enables both
companies not only to develop the
existing brand but also to introduce
some new elements that will
enhance the event programming
and will create a legacy for events
after London 2012.
At the IBC in London there will
be machines running Viz Artist
which ensures operators are able to
make or change graphics if
required by the editorial team. A
shared Graphics Hub database also
means that any new templates or
graphics created will be available
for use by all operators and
channels. As well as the expected
name supers, full frames and result
graphics, by using Vizrt the two
companies can create interesting
infographics, medal table(s) and
event maps which can either be
‘driven’ by an operator or indeed
by the presenter themselves.
STEREOSCOPIC
Alongside Viz Artist, the
companies will also run Viz Engine,
which is a powerful playout
software that renders the HD
graphics in real time. If there is a
sudden decision to produce certain
coverage in 3D, then the Viz Engine
is fully capable of playing out
stereoscopic content too, with a
small tweak to the graphics.
Alongside the bespoke graphics
and templates, deltatre hopes to
deploy its MAGMA product which
utilises Viz Engine to produce data
driven graphics created either by
producers or editors.
The same graphics hardware
and software, with the addition of
some plugins, can also harness the
ower of social media, outputting
Tweets, Facebook comments, SMS
and emails once they’ve been
mediated editorially. In addition,
the same BBC‐branded graphics
‘clips’ can be rendered for use on
NLE systems to help speed up the
highlights workflow.
TOUCHSCREENS
Using the same platform, the
companies can also deploy
innovative solutions for studio
presentation such as touch screens.
Indeed, all the graphics created
have the potential to be played out
by a dedicated operator, and/or a
presenter via touchscreen or iPad
control.
The Vizrt software is hosted on a
HP Z800 workstation running
Windows 7 Professional 64‐bit so
for the creative design stations that
run Vizrt the companies are also
able to install other graphics
packages such as Adobe After
Effects, Adobe Photoshop and 3D
Studio Max alongside Vizrt to
create compelling and stylish
graphics as demanded by the
editorial teams.
At Mammoth we have many
years’ experience of working with
Vizrt, as does deltatre, and faced
with such an intense and
demanding Olympics project it is a
key factor that there is a strong
support team based in the UK
available for any extra assistance
should that be needed.
The Vizrt team in the UK will
provide rental services for all the
interested broadcasters during
London 2012 – software, hardware,
engineers and operators. They will
also be renting Viz Reporter, the
perfect tool for the journalist on the
go.
We are determined to deliver the
best graphics service we can for the
Olympics. To borrow the Olympic
motto
Citius, Altius, Fortius
(Faster,
Higher, Stronger), together with Vizrt,
that is also what we aspire to.
■
The Viz
Engine is
fully
capable of
playing
out
stereo-
scopic
content
“
”
ENHANCING
GRAPHICS
M
mammothgraphics.tv
w.vizrt.com
rentals contact Maja at
