Mo-Sys Engineering delivered a virtual LED production studio for Plazamedia ahead of the prestigious World Cup broadcast.
After trying to find the optimal technical solution and a successful proof-of-concept, the leading content solution provider and sports TV producer commissioned Plazamedia Mo-Sys to deliver its innovative LED studio.
This turnkey walkthrough includes true studio elements with optional XR capability. Mo-Sys provided technical guidance from concept to delivery, virtual production training and project management of the installation in the impressive 690 square meter studio at Plazamedia headquarters in AGROB Medienpark near Munich, Germany.
As the exclusive German rights holder, the world’s leading telecommunications giant Deutsche Telekom will be the first to use the groundbreaking Mo-Sys-based studio, from where all 64 matches of the 2022 World Cup will be broadcast over 29 production days via MagentaTV. After the World Cup, the studio will reopen as a full Virtual Production XR LED Volume.
Hansjorg Baumgartner, Director of Productions & Customer Relations at Plazamedia, said: “We have worked with Mo-Sys on several VP projects and this experience gave us the confidence to entrust their team with the delivery of this state-of-the-art XR studio. Mo-Sys’s new and innovative camera switching technology for LED VP, which maintains render performance across multiple cameras without increasing the number of XR engines, along with their knowledge, technical support, guidance and ability to involve key partners was for our success here is invaluable.”
The LED studio uses four cameras, each with a Mo-Sys StarTracker, to generate the 6-axis camera and lens tracking data that drives the perspective view of the virtual set. The tracked cameras work in tandem with Mo-Sys’s combined LED content server and on-air graphics system bMR (Broadcast Mixed Reality), which delivers the virtual set content from the graphics engine.
The bMR system also solves the problem of switching between full resolution tracked cameras recording a virtual set displayed on an LED wall, with the camera outputs switching faster than the LED wall can update with the correct camera background. Mo-Sys bMR orchestrates the switch to ensure only the correct camera perspective is visible.
Michael Geissler, CEO of Mo-Sys, adds: “The entire team at Mo-Sys is incredibly proud to have played such a significant role in bringing this incredible XR studio project to fruition. We thank Plazamedia for their trust in us and look forward to further strengthening our relationship.”
advertisement
Mo-Sys worked with Plazamedia’s in-house engineering and graphics teams to manage the project, ensuring the complex studio build was delivered on time. Mo-Sys was responsible for all virtual production technologies, including the 120 square meter LED wall made by Spanish manufacturer Alfalite. The 1.9mm pixel pitch Modularpix Pro ORIM modules were specified for the 33m x 3.5m U-shaped LED volume powered by a total of eleven render nodes.
Plazamedia is at the forefront of broadcaster adoption of virtual LED studios.
World Cup fans will be truly immersed in the action from Europe’s most advanced XR studio, thanks to the company’s commitment to increasing production values and enhancing the viewing experience. Utilizing state-of-the-art Mo-Sys technology, the studio will seamlessly combine presenter and foreground studio capabilities with augmented reality (AR) virtual set extensions and tracked graphics to deliver a unique 360-degree experience.
