Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

GhostFrame Tech Proves Powerful for Regional Feeds, Shoots Without Reblocking, and More

16/05/2023

GhostFrame Tech Proves Powerful for Regional Feeds, Shoots Without Reblocking, and More Single LED wall can be used to create multiple simultaneous outputs By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director

Tuesday, May 16, 2023 - 9:19 am

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

In recent years, the capabilities of virtual studios, green-screen studios, and LED walls have expanded exponentially, thanks to increasingly powerful graphics engines, better graphics tools, and improved tracking. Such developments are also spurring production personnel to look for new ways to derive as much as possible from those elements, and that is one reason a relatively new production toolkit from GhostFrame is beginning to resonate with U.S. broadcasters, Fox Sports among them.

It's a toolkit that enables you to hide video content in an LED wall, which is invisible to the naked eye but visible through a camera, says Peter Angell, CEO, AGS AG, a GhostFrame partner. Each frame is sliced into a number of subframes. Those subframes include the frames that are supposed to be visible on each of the feeds as well as other frames that are used to visually delete the frames not relevant to each output.

We do that by showing the inverse image, he continues. The simplest way to explain that is with a green screen. We want you to see the green-screen frame on camera, but then we insert a frame that is magenta, the opposite of green, and they are played back so quickly your eye doesn't see either green or magenta. Instead, you see gray.

GhostFrame allows each of four feeds to have a separate background behind a presenter or talent.

The trick is in orchestrating the subframes in such a way that the overall light cycle of the frame appears to be one-60th of a second, eliminating flicker or motion disruption.

The end result is a system that allows a single LED wall to be used to create multiple simultaneous outputs. For example, a single presenter can stand in front of an LED wall announcing sports scores, and a single camera and the single LED wall can output feeds that have a different look or branding, making it much easier to embrace a future that is increasingly going to require personalized content. Even the studio audience could have a different experience.

They could see something completely different from what those watching the broadcast or stream see, Angell notes. A sports studio show could be regionalized or have a different feed for the home and visiting teams.

GhostFrame can make it easier to create regional feeds or to produce content with less need for reblocking.

GhostFrame's secret sauce is not hardware but firmware sent to the LED wall (currently, it is compatible with LED walls only from Roe Visual LED Display Solutions) and LED-wall-control systems from Megapixel. The firmware is licensed, either on a yearly basis or for a shorter period.

We do provide initial support as it can be quite hard to set up, adds Angell.

At the core, he adds, the system is all about the mathematics of camera frame rates and the refresh rate of the LED wall. The LED wall on show at NAB 2023, for example, refreshes around 14,000 times a second while the camera records at 240 fps.

If we are using a camera with global shutter, says Angell, we can sync the camera to the wall, run it at exactly the same rate, and then carve out the individual frames. If we are running at 240 fps, we can get really clean definition for all the frames because all four of the outputs will be 60 fps.

Other applications can help reduce the time required for resetting a scene or allow the LED wall or floor to display blocking instructions and even scripts to those in the studio while viewers at home see graphics or video elements (think footsteps visible only to talent so they can know where to walk). Camera tracking patterns can also be hidden, allowing the system to be used in a fully enclosed volumetric studio without the need for physical markers.

We can put the marker invisibly onto the wall, Angell explains. Wherever you point the camera, there are markers and physical points that are integrated with TrackMan. When you add it all up, you can do four things at the same time because the LED wall can have four realities.

The most interesting aspect of the demo at NAB 2023 involved shooting a daytime and nighttime scene at the same time. Three lighting panels around the small set were set up to light a daylight scene; three others lit a nighttime version. With the light panels controlled via the same controller as the LED panel, the subframes for the day scene were synchronized with the daylight panels, the subframes for the night scene with the nighttime panels. The result was one output that looked as if the subject was in daylight and one where the subject seemed to be outside at dusk.

This is crucial, says Angell, because you can light all your realities simultaneously and don't need to reblock or reshoot or reset the lighting. That's a real production benefit because you can do three or four things at once without changing anything.
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2023/05/16/ghostframe-tech-proves-powerful...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

06/09/2026

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

18/08/2026

SportStream 2026 Virtual Event Set for September 15-17

SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...

18/08/2026

IBC 2026: BeckTV to Debut BeckFlow Documentation Platform

BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53). BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...

18/08/2026

IBC 2026: Boland Communications to Introduce ST 2110 Option for 4K Monitors

Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...

18/08/2026

Seattle Seahawks Integrate Dolby OptiView with Dolby Vision for Fan Streaming

Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...

18/08/2026

Insights from BMG's Graham Taylor on the Role of a Sports Producer in Live Broadcast Production

For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...

18/08/2026

TMRW Sports Names Rufus Hack as President of Golf

TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...

18/08/2026

SMT To Deliver Race Technology for Freedom 250 IndyCar Broadcast

SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...

18/08/2026

HMA's Creator Collective Pairs Digital Creators, Beat Writers in New Model for Local-Sports Coverage

The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...

18/08/2026

Behind The Mic: FOX Sports Shares Broadcast Lineup for 2026 NFL Season and College Football Season

Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...

18/08/2026

Miami Heats Ed Filomia on Rebuilding Kaseya Centers Video Infrastructure and 29 Years With the Heat

The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...

18/08/2026

Bill Rasmussen, ESPN Founder and Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer, Dies at 93

William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...

18/08/2026

DAZN Completes Acquisition of ViewLift

DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...

18/08/2026

American Association of Professional Baseball Adds SI TV as Broadcast Partner

The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...

18/08/2026

Esports Foundation Postpones Inaugural Esports Nations Cup to November 2027

The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...

18/08/2026

Diversified Launches Global Managed Services Practice

Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...

18/08/2026

Appear Completes REMI Proof of Concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions

Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...

18/08/2026

IBC 2026: Riedel Implements Live Production Infrastructure at Edith Cowan University

Riedel Communications has announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, ...

18/08/2026

Panoramic from Panorama Labs

Company launch with stereo-imaging tool Panoramic is the debut release from Panorama Labs, a new company formed by mastering engineer Nicholas Di Lorenzo. C...

18/08/2026

Focusrite extend Control 2 support

Control software now available for older interfaces Focusrite have just announced the launch of an update that extends Control 2 software support their Scar...

18/08/2026

Call for the 20th Annual South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs20) Jury

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...

18/08/2026

Corridor Television Pays $27,000 for Violating FCCs EAS Rules

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/08/2026

Disney's ABC Files First Amendment Lawsuit Against the FCC

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/08/2026

Lightware Integrates with SpectralBot to Accelerate AV Tr...

Lightware announces an integration with SpectralBot that helps system integrators and AV operators troubleshoot faster using augmented reality (AR), AI-assisted...

18/08/2026

Command Frame for After Effects

Command Frame for After Effects Scott Black August 18, 2026 0 Comments Free download, demonstrations, hands-on tests, and creator resources Want to t...

18/08/2026

Dot Group to show how cutting carbon cuts cost - live at...

At Stand 14.A57, the data company will demonstrate GreenDot and IBM Aspera together, giving media and entertainment businesses real-time visibility of what thei...

18/08/2026

Blue Lucy launches Connected Value Audit

New tool provides a robust audit of operational workflows, calculating the tangible value each delivers today, and informing business decisions for tomorrow. W...

18/08/2026

Media Utilities transitions to Media Utilities - a DigiNe...

Media Utilities is integrating its activities into DigiNet and will maintain a recognisable presence in the market under the name: Media Utilities, a DigiNet br...

18/08/2026

Appear demonstrates broadcast-grade REMI production over...

Proof of Concept validates reliable multi-camera live production from remote racecourses without fixed network infrastructure Appear ASA (Appear, OSE:APR), a g...

18/08/2026

Stingr brings frictionless second-screen interaction to I...

Stingr, a new venture from the founders of Hornets Tech, is bringing its second-screen interaction platform to IBC2026. The second screen has never really wor...

18/08/2026

Hiltron to Promote its Latest Generation Satellite Commun...

Long-established satellite equipment manufacturer and systems integrator Hiltron Communications will promote its new HACUX-IDU2 antenna control unit touchscreen...

18/08/2026

EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS Launch Combined Nuvex System

EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS Launch Combined Nuvex System Brie Clayton August 17, 2026 0 Comments Integrated platform melds media asset management, pla...

18/08/2026

The United Stand Scales Live Fan Show with Blackmagic Design Workflow

The United Stand Scales Live Fan Show with Blackmagic Design Workflow Brie Clayton August 17, 2026 0 Comments ATEM Constellation 8K and HyperDeck Stud...

18/08/2026

Twin Cities PBS to Become Minnesota PBS

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/08/2026

MPA, ByteDance Reach AI Copyright Protection Deal

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/08/2026

DirecTV to Launch Curated Multiview for Live Sports

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/08/2026

Sinclair Taps Carol Kellum to Head Nebraska Stations

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/08/2026

Corridor Television Pays $27,000 for Violations of FCCs EAS Rules

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/08/2026

Triveni Digital Accelerates TV 3 0 Transition in Brazil W...

Triveni Digital Now Offers a Joint Solution With MediaKind and a Lab System Bundle Supporting ISDB-Tb and TV 3.0 Broadcast Services Triveni Digital, a trusted ...

18/08/2026

BeckTV Debuts BeckFlow at IBC and Showcases Expertise for...

At IBC2026, BeckTV, a premier systems integrator for the broadcast industry, will introduce BeckFlow to the European market. BeckFlow is the first web-based sch...

18/08/2026

PTZOptics Launches Rise 4K Bringing Ultra HD Quality and...

New flagship PTZ camera combines cinematic 4K imaging, professional broadcast connectivity and the complete Horizon intelligent video experience for productions...

18/08/2026

VisualOn IBC Show Preview - AI-Powered CAE Advanced Playb...

At IBC2026, VisualOn will demonstrate how video service providers can slash bandwidth costs, maximize ad revenue, and deploy premium interactive features withou...

18/08/2026

Paying It Forward: Greg Tabor on Giving Back to the Next Generation

The relationships built during graduate school often continue to shape careers long after a degree is earned, creating a community of scientists who learn from ...

18/08/2026

Sky Sports and The Fast and the Curious announce new partnership

Tuesday 18 August 2026 Sky Sports and The Fast and the Curious announce new partnership Sky Sports and The Fast and the Curious have announced a new long-term...

18/08/2026

Riedel Brings Professional Live Production Into the Classrooms of ECU

Wuppertal August 18, 2026 Riedel Brings Professional Live Production Into the Classrooms of ECURiedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan Universi...

18/08/2026

The Biggest AI Opportunity Isn't in Engineering. It's in Everyone Else.

In my previous article, The AI Shift Feels Familiar. Our Response Should Be Different., I argued that the greatest challenge organizations face is no longer the...

18/08/2026

Apple announces changes for apps in the European Union - UPDATE - Posted on 18 August 2026

Apple today announced changes to its business terms for apps in the European Uni...

18/08/2026

RT TO AIR NEW DOCUMENTARY THAT LIFTS THE LID ON THE HEALY RAE DYNASTY

THE HEALY RAES: BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS AIRS WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19 ON RT ONE AT 9:35PM A new documentary The Healy-Raes: Blood, Sweat & Tears airs on RT One and ...