WELT creates future-proofed studio for modern storytelling with Vizrt solutions

WELT creates future-proofed studio for modern storytelling with Vizrt solutions posted: 29/09/2022

Opting for an automated, switcher-less SMPTE 2100 set up, the WELT team now has increased creative freedom, accuracy, and operational efficiency.

WELT, one of the biggest news channels in Germany with an audience of over 63 million, moved production to a new location in 2021. WELT wanted to revolutionize its entire production workflow and turned to Vizrt solutions to support the change.

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Together with solutions integrator, Qvest Media, Vizrt delivered several advanced software tools to achieve the workflow advancement: Viz Mosart for automation, Viz One for asset management, Viz Pilot Edge for journalist workflows, Viz Multiplay for video wall content control, and Viz Engine to power, interconnect, and output.

Flexibility, scalability and creativity

The WELT team needed a solution that would allow for maximum flexibility and scalability to futureproof production for modern storytelling. The solution also needed to enhance creative opportunities with a simplified workflow. Working with Vizrt's solution set, WELT saw an opportunity to completely reinvent its infrastructure to improve workflow reliability, create stunning graphics and captivating studio presentations.

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WELT had several ideas for the new set up, both creative and technical. The creative ideas included a hybrid augmented reality (AR) studio and a physical studio with different creative layers, such as moving LED screens with content that can be in different positions and configurations around the studio, a cycloramic LED backdrop and AR graphics.

Vizrt and WELT worked together to develop the core components during the setup of the new space as there was a large amount of customization necessary to achieve the workflows envisioned. The upgraded studio is equipped with three control rooms, one real set with LED panels, and one hybrid set with virtual and real set bringing to life the team's creative ideas.

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Overcoming obstacles with software-defined solutions

With seven robotic cameras, fully motorized LED panels and IP-controlled lighting, the WELT studio was a complex challenge. The challenge was that content, assets, and stories were being translated and muddled three to four times over. However, Vizrt supported the WELT team in overcoming the obstacle with some out-of-the-box thinking. Instead of having fixed hardware components routed through copper SDI to a hardware mixer in the gallery, they used software and SMPTE 2110.

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The idea was to integrate many of the workflows into one centralized solution and replace the hardware-based studio mixer with a software-based mixer, says Adrian Fiedrich, Research and Development Project Manager at Vizrt. We saw how we could modify and extend components to meet the new workflow- and of course many new features to fit the customer's needs.

With SMPTE 2110 NMOS networking solution, the WELT team built around the automation already in place to streamline the workflow and eliminate errors.

What started as a tailored solution for WELT, developed into a completely new workflow approach. We created certain software components because some of the devices didnt exist before in common broadcast workflows. This resulted in having a variety of new features and plugins. In the end, everything, all the various components, all the routing and the final compositing, was controlled by Vizrt solutions and was a success, continues Fiedrich.

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For us, this was more of an opportunity rather than a challenge, notes Gerhard Lang, Chief Technology Officer, Vizrt. We shared the vision that WELT had for its new facility and stand fully behind the idea of software-defined visual storytelling with complete utilization of the IP infrastructure in place.

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For the team at WELT, a mixer-less workflow means the producers and editorial department have enhanced agility, even during live productions to instantly implement any creative or editorial requirements needed.

The workflow also allows extensions and updates for all the technology to be free of dependencies on other components driving unparalleled and unmatched automation processes. With less time being spent on the day-to-day technical elements, the WELT team is now able to spend more time creating captivating, creative and immersive productions for its audiences.

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About Vizrt:

Vizrt is the world's leading provider of innovative visual storytelling tools for media content creators in broadcast, enterprise, or new media - unlocking the power of a story for all. Vizrt offers market-defining software-based solutions for real-time 3D graphics, video playout, studio automation, sports analysis, media asset management, and journalist story tools - each tool unlocking the power of the story for our customers.

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Vizrt offer Flexible Access to our workflows, and our platforms integrate with third party products, because we believe in enabling our customers' success, giving them the right tool for the job, accelerating their creative excellence.

More than three billion people watch stories told by Vizrt customers everyday including from media companies such as CNN, CBS, NBC, Fox, BBC, BSkyB, Sky Sports, Al Jazeera, NDR, ZDF, Network 18, Tencent, and many more.

About the Vizrt Group:

Vizrt Group runs under the passionately held single, simple purpose of more stories, better told, supplying media content creators around the world with software-defined visual storytelling tools to help them to build a better-informed world.

The Group contains three of the strongest names in the broadcast technology industry; NewTek, NDI and Vizrt. All three being creative businesses, built on innovation

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