Mo-Sys' StarTracker Celebrates #20yearsoftracking at IBC2017 posted: 29/08/2017
Mo-Sys' StarTracker Celebrates #20yearsoftracking at IBC2017 Incremental Steps in Technology Lead to Low-Cost, Easy-to-Use Camera Tracking for Wide Range of Broadcasters
Mo-Sys Engineering, the London-based developer of StarTracker, the first automatic, real-time optical camera tracking system, celebrates #20yearsoftracking in its booth (Hall 8, Stand G03) at the International Broadcasting Conference (IBC2017).
With the first patent application for an optical camera tracking system in 1997, Mo-Sys has gone on to create a low-cost, easy-to-operate and extremely reliable tracking technology in the following 20 years. The current version of StarTracker was introduced IBC 2015. The newest version of StarTracker, version 2.0., will be shown at IBC2017. It provides: enhanced smoothness, larger tilt capability, faster recovery, IP data output and a networked user interface.
StarTracker sensor pointing at retro-reflective star stickers affixed randomly to studio ceiling
Considering our beginnings in 1997, our system's come a long way since then, said Michael Geissler, CEO, Mo-Sys Engineering. It's still an optical system, but a very different technical concept. Now, we're working with low-cost reflective stickers on the ceiling for tracking. Twenty years ago, we were working with active LEDs and our own fluorescent optical amplifier for a sensor. I foresaw the need for camera tracking 20 years ago, but it's taken many incremental steps since then for it to become such a commonly used tool for a wide range of broadcasters.
StarTracker's found a home at major networks, including: BBC, FOX, Telemundo, NHK, Sky Sports, ZDF in Germany, Turner in USA and ESPN; and corporations such as Hewlett-Packard, Audi, and General Electric. Mo-Sys systems are in use in over 40 countries.
The majority of Virtual Studios and Augmented Reality (AR) providers at IBC2017 will employ StarTracker as the camera tracking system in their IBC booths.
StarTracker's increased recent worldwide acceptance is a result of its simplification of camera tracking and its lower cost, according to Geissler: There's nothing that makes it easier or more cost-effective to track in-studio cameras, on pedestals or handheld, for virtual set production than StarTracker. You literally turn it on like a light switch. It runs in the background and works every time. We're thankful to see such a huge uptick in interest in StarTracker as we move toward IBC.
StarTracker sensor with LED ring and processor unit
German production company Plazamedia uses two StarTracker systems for their client Sky Sports for in-studio production of the UEFA Champions League. StarTracker systems mounted to a Vinten pedestal and a crane are used in the creation of augmented reality graphics. In the past, camera tracking was a nightmare, said Michael Ermair, Head of Graphics Technology, Plazamedia. With StarTracker, it's just an automated process running in the background. It frees us to focus more on creativity. It's been a significant upgrade for us in terms of production value and reliability. The time-consuming homing procedure of mechanical tracking has been replaced with a maintenance-free optical marker recognition-based tracking system.
As opposed to competitive systems developed for other applications that are triple the cost and employ several high-cost infrared cameras, StarTracker was purpose designed by Mo-Sys for virtual studio camera tracking. It uses a single optical sensor on one navigation camera and retro-reflective stickers that are peeled from a roll and placed as a constellation' on the studio ceiling. LED light reflected by the stars' is detected by the navigation camera. The navigation camera transmits the location data to the graphics engine which produces the virtual environment. Initial set-up can be achieved in hours, after which no further calibration is required. It works equally well mounted on pedestals, cranes, jibs or for use with handheld cameras.
About Mo-Sys Engineering
Mo-Sys designs and builds advanced camera robotics and high-precision camera tracking for AR and VR for the film and broadcast industry. Mo-Sys offers the largest portfolio of camera tracking technologies from mechanical, inertial, to optical in addition to remote heads, broadcast robotics with overhead and floor-based camera rail systems and on-set visualization.
Mo-Sys has delivered its products to large-scale networks, including the BBC, Warner Bros. and Disney. Mo-Sys systems have been used on feature films such as: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Social Network, The Departed,' Tron - Legacy, Life of Pi, and Gravity and by broadcasters including the BBC, ESPN, FOX, Turner, Red Bull TV and Sky Sports.
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
01/12/2025
L3Harris and PentenAmio formalise their teaming agreement at MilCIS 2025, streng...
01/12/2025
Artemis II is NASA's first crewed flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. The crew, from left: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Vic...
01/12/2025
IRVINE, Calif. Wooden Camera has introduced its new Accessory Collection for the Canon EOS C50. The new lineup includes a low-profile, gimbal-ready cage, expand...
01/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for its Dec. 18 Open Commission Meeting that will include a vote on a report an...
01/12/2025
In most years, a graph of annual local TV ad spending is about as predictable as an electrocardiogram of a reasonably healthy patient in a doctor's office. ...
01/12/2025
Many industries have seen big-ticket hardware turn into software. Switchers, though, demand a combination of real-time performance and sheer bandwidth that has ...
01/12/2025
GENEVA Shanghai will host the next quadrennial Radiocommunication Assembly (RA-27) and World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-27), Oct. 11-Nov. 12, 2027. This...
01/12/2025
NEW YORK Just in time for Giving Tuesday tomorrow (Dec. 2), the Broadcasters Foundation of America is seeking out donations to help television and radio industr...
01/12/2025
STOCKHOLM, Sweden Net Insight CEO Crister Fritzson has informed the company's board that he will retire from the video transport and media cloud technology ...
01/12/2025
01 Dec 2025
Kyivstar and Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation Select Go...
01/12/2025
The prequel to the global hit Sky Original mob crime saga, Gomorrah' is a s...
01/12/2025
Featuring Florence Welch, Red Hot Chilli Peppers' Flea, designer Bella Freud...
01/12/2025
Back to All News
A Down to Earth, All Too Relatable Hero: Cashero' Teaser ...
01/12/2025
In the rush to deliver content to every screen, many broadcasters overlook one of the most crucial steps in the workflow: format and frame rate conversion. Get ...
01/12/2025
Fox Corporation Chief Financial Officer Steve Tomsic to Participate in Upcoming ...
01/12/2025
Arvato Systems' Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) Receives BSI C5 Certification (T...
01/12/2025
Summary This short video gives you an summary of the changes in under two minutes.
--...
01/12/2025
As the festive season approaches, RT Supporting the Arts is proud to showcase a...
01/12/2025
Researchers worldwide rely on open-source technologies as the foundation of their work. To equip the community with the latest advancements in digital and physi...
01/12/2025
Festive specials of Christmas in Kilmainham presented by Marty Whelan, High Road Low Road, Callan Kicks the Year and Keys to My Life
Ring in the New Year with ...
01/12/2025
Architect and television presenter Hugh Wallace, best known to RT audiences as a long-serving judge on Home of the Year, has died at the age of 68.
In a state...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
Mo-Sys' StarTracker Celebrates #20yearsoftracking at IBC2017 posted: 29/08/2017 
