Enhancing a broadcasters studio presentation can make all the difference

Stations want the viewer to (virtually) join the talent on the set leading to new ways of telling a story that engages and informs the audience.

For television stations, keeping viewers interested in a news story has always been a challenge. It's even more so in today's multi-channel, multi-platform video consumption world. Indeed, the traditional static anchor desk with immobile on-air talent is clearly a thing of the past.

Using interactive screen to examine election results in various regions.

Traditional news studio with two anchors at the news desk.

What we're seeing globally is that designers are able to get more use out of the same studio space, led by a reduction in the size and complexity of the equipment installed and its ability to be controlled by the on-air talent themselves. In addition, changing a stations' on-air look can lead to sort term ratings spikes.

The advent of high-definition production and highly customizable graphics and virtual sets has changed the news game. We see on-air talent interacting with the graphics to tell the story as never before. And that's good for the viewer, who gets a more compelling look, and a better understanding, of a particular news story. It's also good for the station, because longer retention usually means higher ratings and increase and revenue.

However, the production and presentation of these 3D graphics has to be coordinated and they have to be created quickly. Then there's monitors that must be filled with content. Add to that multi-touch screens, virtual sets, immersive graphics and hybrid virtual/physical sets. All are now being used in creative ways to tell a story.

So, a centralized graphics rendering platform, like the Viz Engine from Vizrt, is critically important to keeping these multi-layered graphics fresh and allowing the staff to make changes right up to air. Once the proper graphics system is in place, a wide range of applications can be employed. With the Viz Engine, we're seeing graphics controlled with electronic tablets, infrared devices, foot pedals and even a wave of the hand.

The Viz Engine also allows news staff to merge graphics and video into a single workflow. Journalists search, edit and place graphics and video together in their native newsroom control system. Viz Engine then renders video and graphics together at the moment they are triggered to air. This state-of-the-art, non-conform workflow also enables the journalist to change graphic content up until the moment the video and graphics are played on air. And the graphic and video content can be played in a variety of formats in real-time from the Viz Engine for multiplatform distribution. Viewers on mobile devices, online, and on-air have the best possible viewing experience without the delay caused by transcoding.

News studios are installing off-the-shelf flat panel displays that can be mounted in a variety of ways and add color and graphics capabilities while allowing the anchor to roam around a set. Others are using rear-projection cubes mounted in a monitor wall configuration. This allows the producers to change the backdrop without having to build a new hard set for every newscast.

A combination of touchscreens and Viz Virtual Studio can create informative visual content.

Anchors stand in front of and interact with content as they explain a story.

News studios looking for the cool factor are installing large touch screen plasma and LED displays that allow an on-air reporter to swipe the screen and move on to the next image. Both CNN and Fox News use such technology, supported by a Viz Engine infrastructure, in their main New York studios. The images shown on these flat-panel displays could be live video, a map, a social media thread, animations or a still image.

The Viz Engine has also been enhanced with IP-streaming capability. This allows broadcasters to stream multiple formats and resolutions simultaneously, speeding the creation of online and mobile graphic and video content while keeping viewers of any of these platforms engaged longer. And that's what today's newscasts are all about.

At the end of the day, the trend in TV news studio technology is finding that right mix of presenting a story in its most comprehensive light. The challenge is to keep viewers interested in a multichannel world filled with an increasing variety of on-air looks and capabilities. That's why refreshing a station's on-air look with creative studio space design and graphics enhancements are critical to staying competitive.

Mixing the physical set and a virtual studio opens the door to new ways of telling a story while still being grounded in the studio.

In the past TV stations endeavored to bring the news into a viewer's living room. Today, the opposite is occurring. Stations want the viewer to (virtually) join the talent on the set. That's why anchors roam the set and the anchor desk has been replaced with touchscreen HD LCD panels and virtual elements that an anchor can stand in front of and interact with as they explain a story.

When the viewer is comfortable with the look and feel of a newscast, they watch longer. It's not rocket science, just a wow factor being added to traditional news. And more and more stations are beginning to understand the value of an exciting on-air look and the flexibility a centralized graphics platform can provide.

LINK:	http://www.vizrt.com/news/newsgrid/38680/Enhancing_a_broadcasters_stud...
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