
With Unified IO Sports Platform for XR Tools, Vizrt Charts Course for the Future Launch is intended to future-proof' development of live virtual graphics By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Monday, October 11, 2021 - 12:40 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Today, more live sports productions are in UHD and HDR than ever before, and broadcasters are increasingly keen to produce graphics natively in these high-end formats. At the same time, sports broadcasters have embraced IP-based workflows to enable virtualized and remote production models. With these trends in mind, Vizrt has launched a unified IO sports platform to serve as the backbone for future development of its live-virtual-graphics tools.
This unified IO is our future-proof [model] that all our sports platforms are now being built on, says Richard Einstein, senior global product manager, sports, Vizrt. It's a major technical change because we had to change the heart of the whole [ecosystem]. That has now allowed us to use the same combined platform for all the sports solutions and, in the end, allows for more flexibility, scalability, reliability, and simplicity for future developments. And it's a much tighter integration to the overall Vizrt ecosystem.
Last week, Vizrt released its XR Venue real-time virtual-enhancement solution for sports, which features Viz Arena 5 and is built on the new unified Matrox-based IO platform. XR Venue joins XR Playbook, which launched earlier this year, on the IO platform. XR Venue and XR Playbook are part of the Vizrt Extended Reality Suite (available through a Flexible Access subscription), which offers a full toolset of AR (augmented reality), VS (virtual set), Video Wall, mixed reality, and telestration.
With the unified IO sports platform, XR Venue or XR Playbook users can more easily adjust to changing production requirements. According to Einstein, with both tools based on the same IO as Viz Engine, users will be able to take advantage of Vizrt's latest developments for live virtual graphics more quickly and more easily.
We're now using the same IO as Viz Engine, which means that any developments [can be applied] across the whole Vizrt ecosystem, he says. If the Viz Engine team is working on anything new - such as tighter integration with Unreal Engine or more-centralized production workflows - we have much greater access and shared code to use for each other's mutual benefit than in the past, when we had to repeat a lot of developments [for each platform]. It will be a lot more efficient going forward, and we can provide the customers with more flexibility and new features much faster.
The unified IO offers more flexibility and scalability to produce either upstream at the venue or in a downstream workflow at the studio and a flexible choice of playout: fill and key or a composited video signal for specific production workflows. The output can be added directly on top of the program feed to the mixer as a separate source, which benefits workflows and output quality of high-class productions.
XR Venue also supports native UHD and HDR formats and workflows, allowing producers to create data-driven graphics and additional content for any sports coverage in UHD and HDR.
One of the biggest motivators [to develop] the IO sports platform was [to be able to support] the latest video formats like HDR, UHD, and 1080p, says Einstein. We had some limitations on the previous platform, but XR Venue and XR Playbook can [operate] in native HDR and UHD and also can [support] IP video formats and future video formats. For many of our customers who had already moved their productions to UHD, HDR, or IP workflows, this was a must-have.
XR Venue and XR Playbook supports SMPTE ST 2110 IP-based video (it will also support NDI in a future release), which opens the door to virtualized and remote production workflows for XR Venue and XR Playbook. This allows more flexibility and mitigating physical limitations like hardware dependencies or budget restrictions.
In addition, hardware for XR Venue is now consistent with regular Viz Engine hardware, such as the newly certified Dell R7920 for compact setups.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/05/2026
Digital Domain Welcomes Award-Nominated VFX Supervisor Jelmer Boskma
Brie Clayton May 4, 2026
0 Comments
Digital Domain, a global leader in visual eff...
04/05/2026
just:play pro 2026 and just:live pro 2026 are available to download!
More Details:At NAB 2026, ToolsOnAir showcased just:play pro 2026 and just:live pro 2026, ...
04/05/2026
just:in mac pro 2026 - The Next Level of Professional Recording on macOS
More Details:The headline innovation in just:in mac pro 2026 is the new Auto format si...
04/05/2026
Hardware is still an emphasis - Supershooter 11 is new, and REMI-based 65 is in ...
04/05/2026
Head of International Business Development Min Joo Kim explores the league's...
04/05/2026
Audio-Technica has announced that its ATND1061 ceiling array microphone and ATUC...
04/05/2026
Triple B Media has launched Bowling TV, a free ad-supported television (FAST) channel dedicated to bowling. The channel is available on Prime Video, LG Channels...
04/05/2026
PlayMetrics, a provider of operations management software for youth sports organizations, has announced the completion of its acquisition of substantially all t...
04/05/2026
IHSE GmbH has announced that Dr. Thomas Niessen has joined as CEO and Managing Director, effective May 1, 2026. He joins Frank Breitenfelder, who has served as ...
04/05/2026
PMY Group deployed its AI-powered crowd intelligence platform, Optic, at the For...
04/05/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
04/05/2026
Last week, guests gathered in New York City for On Air, In Style: An Evening with Spotify-a night of conversation, culture, and connection celebrating the inter...
04/05/2026
New music & post-production features added
Avid's latest DAW update delivers an array of helpful features aimed at both music and post-production users,...
04/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/05/2026
Student Spotlight: Joshua Griffin The New Orleans native, who was named the 2026 student commencement speaker for Boston Conservatory at Berklee, talks about ...
04/05/2026
It's Andrew! stomps onto screens this June 4 May 2026
The ABC and Screen Australia are delighted to announce that brand new preschool series, It's Andr...
03/05/2026
Polysynth now features Mutable Instruments' macro oscillators
Melbourne Instruments have just released a free firmware update that brings the engine beh...
03/05/2026
Introducing the new Mistika Workflows Suite: transformative and cost-effective f...
03/05/2026
Introducing the new Mistake Workflows Suite: transformative and cost-effective f...
03/05/2026
Back to All News
Filming begins on the third and final season of Breathless
Entertainment
03 May 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Discover the vi...
02/05/2026
(L-R) Dustin Hoffman and Leo Woodall appear in Tuner by Daniel Roher, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo courtesy of Sundance In...
02/05/2026
Versatile re-amping tool announced
Warm Audio are best known for their recreations of sought-after vintage studio gear, but their latest release brings a ne...
02/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/05/2026
Scripps Research immunologist Dennis Burton elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences A leader in broadly neutralizing antibodies, Burton has helped driv...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
01/05/2026
BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing ( BKB ), today announced the appointment of Will Wright ...
01/05/2026
Lawo has been at the center of the industry's transition to IP and other next-generation technologies. At NAB 2026, its story was the Edge One AV stagebox, ...
01/05/2026
HBA Media, acting on behalf of NBC Sports and Churchill Downs Incorporated, has announced broadcast and streaming distribution for Kentucky Derby 152, taking pl...
01/05/2026
By Bailey Pennick
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festi...
01/05/2026
Florals for spring? Groundbreaking. But a playlist that tells you which The Devi...
01/05/2026
One of the world's biggest popstars is headed to El Cl sico. Later this mont...
01/05/2026
Limited-edition model celebrates 15th anniversary
Heritage Audio's range of monitor controllers has just gained a new member, the Baby RAM Black Edition...
01/05/2026
Dumble recreation now available as UAD plug-in
Along with their renowned processing plug-ins, Universal Audio have been steadily introducing emulations of c...
01/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/05/2026
To celebrate the opening of its new showroom and office, Lightware UK hosted a dedicated launch event at the new London location. The event welcomed partners, c...
01/05/2026
Choice without compromise
The broadcast industrys transformation is accelerating, and traditional broadcasters are having to fundamentally reinvent how they o...