Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

EXCLUSIVE: Home match for MagentaTV

24/09/2021

EXCLUSIVE: Home match for MagentaTV posted: 18/10/2021

by Bernhard Herrmann, Kevin Reimuth

If you wanted to watch all 51 matches of the UEFA EURO 2020 on screen this summer, in Germany you had to turn to MagentaTV. All matches were offered there in UHD and Dolby 5.1. As the service provider, Plazamedia was responsible for the studio production. Bernhard Herrmann was there for our issue 9.2021 in the nerve-racking 2-2 between Germany and Hungary.

The German national soccer team met the team from Hungary in their last preliminary round match of the UEFA EURO 2020 in the arena in Munich on June 23, 2021. They needed at least a draw to advance to the round of 16.

Around noon, the Plazamedia studio complex in Ismaning, Bavaria, just outside the city limits of Munich, is covered in summery sunshine. At the compound of Plazamedia, a company of Sport1 Medien AG, three Covid-19 test stations have been set up at the main entrance to the building. Each of the up to 120 employees who are present every day must undergo a PCR or rapid test according to a scenario agreed with the health department. Anyone who has completed their test and received the negative result will receive a colored bracelet for that day, which allows access to certain studios.

Plazamedia was commissioned by Deutsche Telekom as the general contractor. A total of three studios with an area of around 2,600 square meters, four playouts and a content center are used for MagentaTV. The technical production of all 51 games took place on 22 live production days between June 11 and July 11 on two HD and two UHD channels. As a content-related program service provider, thinXpool TV GmbH was responsible for all editorial aspects of the project. Hardy Steinweg, COO of Plazamedia GmbH, welcomes us and we take a seat at a beer table set in the shady courtyard. He explains the workflows, the technology used and what Plazamedia has set up for a month on the occasion of the production for MagentaTV for EURO 2020.

Live production area in the Plazamedia-Compound in Ismaning

The arena in Munich-Fr ttmaning, where the team's last preliminary round match will take place that day, is less than three kilometers away from the studios. Unfortunately, the German Weather Service has already issued a severe weather warning with thunderstorms and heavy rain for the kick-off of the game, which is nowhere to be suspected with the Bavarian white-blue sky still prevailing. Gradually, the employees from the various trades arrive at Plazamedia.

Augmented Reality and 3D graphics in the studio

In Plazamedia Studio M, a 250 square meter action area was available for MagentaTV programs. A 60 square meter LED video wall in 32: 9 format served as backdrop and was feeded with a Pandoras box system from Christie as a media server. The curved, black presenters desk in front of the video wall with monitors embedded in a semicircle was based on the Telekom logo.

The U-shaped, light gray and silver-colored wall elements with various large curves at the corners were mainly kept in Deutsche Telekoms CI color magenta. Two white circumferential light strips indirectly illuminate the rear and side walls above and below. In addition to around two dozen spotlights, points the size of a tennis ball made of reflective film stand out on the ceiling of the studio. These belong to the Mo-Sys StarTracker system, where an LED sensor is attached to each of three studio cameras. This is used to calibrate the position and orientation of the camera. Rotation and lens data are determined exactly. This data is sent to a rendering engine so that a virtual 3D graphic can be integrated into the 2D TV image as an augmented reality element.

The central equipment room was housed in an external container

With the help of this system, VIZRT graphics could be faded into the TV image as an animated steel frame of the roof of the Munich arena in the studio image, giving the impression that you were actually there. The transition from the real studio wall to the virtual roof consisted of the familiar real, but now virtual, wall elements in magenta color. In some scenes of the program, the graphic designers had pushed the high-contrast combination of studio colors in the virtual representation a little too far, so that the complementary colors no longer matched each other. The reflection of the color yellow from the virtual German flag even gave the presenter and an expert a yellowish color in the TV picture.

All of UEFAs on-air graphics were produced by Deltatre in UHD, assigned to the live stadium feed and made available to broadcasters for their own superimpositions. The respective statistic datas were recorded and distributed by Deltatre in the stadiums.

Five cameras for MagentaTV

Five UHD-capable Sony HDC 3500 with Fujinon HD Boxed 24x and Fujinon EFP wide-angle 14x lenses were used in the MagentaTV studio. Three cameras were on pump tripods. This setup was supplemented by a camera crane and a steadicam. The moderators were equipped with headband microphones and in-ears.

The LED screen and AR control were particularly important for additional information and the virtual extension of the studio.

For the MagentaTV analysis on the Magic Wall , expert Jan Henkel used a 100-inch UHD touchscreen with a Piero Sport graphics analysis system from Ross Video. He used various graphic 3D elements and markings to explain game- and goal-deciding scenes with routes and positions on the field that had previously been selected for analysis from the live stadium feed and saved locally. This enabled for instance goals to be explained at half-time on a sport-professional level (that did not require a trainer seminar for viewers, as was sometimes necessary for other TV stations). The sports graphics and analysis engine also offered everything to display the actions in video scenes frame by frame
LINK: https://www.live-production.tv/news/sports/exclusive-home-match-magent...
See more stories from liveproduction

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...

03/09/2026

NAB Backs Most Proposed EAS Changes at FCC

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/09/2026

TiVo Expands FAST Channels, AI Discovery with Latest OS Update

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/09/2026

Eluvio Advances Content Fabric, AI at IBC 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/09/2026

Haivision Adds Bonded 5G Cellular Support to Makito ONE

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/09/2026

Alex Pannell Joins Gravity Media as Chief Business Officer

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/09/2026

AI-Media To Feature Multilingual AI Developments At IBC2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/09/2026

Tuxera and ATTO collaborate to deliver blistering macOS n...

Recognizing the ever-increasing demands for media throughput in challenging environments like post-production, two leaders in network technology have worked tog...

03/09/2026

EVS and Matrox Video Join Forces to Accelerate Dynamic Me...

EVS, a leader in live video technology and production infrastructure solutions, and Matrox Video, a leader in software-defined media technology and IP-based vid...

03/09/2026

AJA Debuts OG-FiDO-4 openGear Four-Channel SDI/Fiber Conversion Cards

AJA Debuts OG-FiDO-4 openGear Four-Channel SDI/Fiber Conversion Cards Brie Clayton September 3, 2026 0 Comments New product family expands 12G-SDI and...

03/09/2026

Nice Touch launches V2 of its AI edit assistant for professional editors

Nice Touch launches V2 of its AI edit assistant for professional editors Brie Clayton September 3, 2026 0 Comments Built by two editors with twelve ye...

03/09/2026

Accedo and MediaKind Launch End-to-End Streaming Solution...

Accedo, a global provider of video streaming software and services, and MediaKind, a world-leading video technology company and the number one independent provi...

03/09/2026

14 Percent of live sports viewers have considered switchi...

International research from Big Blue Marble puts a consumer churn number against a technical failure, and sets out what streaming providers must fix before 2030...

03/09/2026

Broadpeak expands CDNaaS for streaming at scale with new...

High-performance points of presence power video streaming delivery to large audiences across Latin America with guaranteed quality of experience Broadpeak , a ...

03/09/2026

Dalia Delivers New Agentic Workflows Changing How Media W...

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, will unveil the next evolution of Dalia at IBC2026 (7.A43), its media-aware agent...

03/09/2026

CGI showcases AI-assisted newsroom and radio workflows pa...

CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the world's largest independent IT and business consulting services firms, will showcase CGI OpenMedia Evolve and CGI d...

03/09/2026

LiveU Joins IBC Accelerator Smart Stories Consortium to D...

LiveU is participating in the IBC Accelerator Incubator 2026: Smart Stories The New Knowledge Architecture for Content Production, an industry-wide initiative...

03/09/2026

Christer Palsson brings global experience to Broadcast So...

Broadcast Solutions, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast and media industry, has taken another major step in its...

03/09/2026

Quortex brings AI and IP transition into focus at IBC 202...

Quortex today announced that it will showcase how it is accelerating innovation and the transition to IP at IBC 2026. The company will debut its newest intellig...

03/09/2026

Grass Valley Names Ronny Van Geel Vice President Of Cameras

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/09/2026

VisualOn and EZDRM Enable Visualization of C2PA Provenanc...

The EZDRM approach to Revenue Security on streaming video can be visualized as a multi-dimensional set of solutions. A growing dimension of that approach is the...

03/09/2026

Kiloview Brings Hybrid AV-over-IP to Life at IBC 2026 wit...

From field capture to management, control and production, Kiloview will demonstrate one connected Hybrid AV-over-IP workflow including a complete 4RU producti...

03/09/2026

Mediagenix Curation Unlocks Greater Catalog Value Through...

Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, today announced Mediagenix Curation, a new...

03/09/2026

LucidLink brings distributed media into active workflows...

LucidLink, the Emmy-winning cloud-native file streaming platform for instant, secure access to large files, today announced the next step in its vision to make ...

03/09/2026

Fraudulent communications purportedly from Screen Australia

Fraudulent communications purportedly from Screen Australia 3 September 2026 Screen Australia is aware of scam attempts involving fake emails and promotional m...

03/09/2026

AJA Introduces FS8, Next-Gen 12G-SDI/SMPTE ST 2110 Media Processor

AJA Introduces FS8, Next-Gen 12G-SDI/SMPTE ST 2110 Media Processor Brie Clayton September 2, 2026 0 Comments AJA Video Systems unveiled FS8, a video a...

03/09/2026

Shooting Deadheading with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF

Shooting Deadheading with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF Brie Clayton September 2, 2026 0 Comments Bringing a small story to the big screen with dark com...

03/09/2026

OOONA Launches OOONA Go: Professional Localization Management for Small Companies

OOONA Launches OOONA Go: Professional Localization Management for Small Companie...

03/09/2026

East of Texas Opens at American Tobacco Campus, Bringing North Carolina's First Tex-Mex BBQ Concept to Durham

DURHAM, N.C. - East of Texas Durham has officially opened its doors at American ...

03/09/2026

Is Six-Seven over? Comedian Tony Cantwell gets the low-down from kids in new RT KIDS series, First Class Take

First Class Takes is a new six-part series for RT KIDS that captures funny, hon...

03/09/2026

NBA 2K27' With NVIDIA DLSS 5 Leads 26 New Games Coming to GeForce NOW

September is here with 26 more games streaming on GeForce NOW this month, led by a slam dunk: NBA 2K27 with the NVIDIA DLSS 5 3D-Guided Neural Rendering feature...

02/09/2026

SVG Venues & Teams Summit 2026: All Sessions Now Available To Watch on SVG PLAY

Professional and collegiate clubs, leading vendors discuss current trends in stadium production On. Aug. 12, the 2026 SVG Venues & Teams Summit explored the ev...

02/09/2026

SoFi Stadium Completes Broadcast Infrastructure Upgrade

SoFi Stadium, YouTube Theater, and Hollywood Park have completed an infrastructure upgrade expanding game presentation and broadcast production capabilities acr...

02/09/2026

IBC 2026: Comcast Technology Solutions Unveils AI-Powered Workflow Applications

Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) has announced a suite of AI-powered workflow applications for broadcasters, content owners, and operators, built on its Video...

02/09/2026

NABA and APWPT Announce Partnership on Wireless Spectrum Advocacy

The North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) and the Association of Professional Wireless Production Technologies (APWPT) have announced a partnership to ...

02/09/2026

Prime Video Lands Exclusive In-Market Streaming Rights for Six NHL Teams Beginning This Season

Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Minneso...

02/09/2026

Mercedes-Benz Stadium Goes Mini: Nine-Year-Old Venue Continues to Innovate With Control Room Mini Halo Board

New LED provides enhanced quality control, quicker show prep, detailed productio...

02/09/2026

Keeley Electronics launch the Tube Drive

Combines the Phat Drive with high-voltage valve circuit The latest pedal from Keeley Electronics combines their popular Phat Mode drive pedal with an all-ne...

02/09/2026

Lewitt introduce Space Replicator Free

Free version of virtual mixing room plug-in introduced Lewitt's Space Replicator plug-in provides users with a virtual monitoring environment that aims ...

02/09/2026

Stereophonic Bundle from AIR Music Tech

Two new mixing & mastering plug-ins revealed AIR Music Tech have just introduced the Stereophonic Bundle, a pair of processing plug-ins designed to provide ...

02/09/2026

Rohde & Schwarz has achieved initial verification of 3GPP Rel. 17 power-saving feature SSSG for 5G NR

Rohde & Schwarz has achieved initial verification of 3GPP Rel. 17 power-saving f...

02/09/2026

AgileTV and Fiend MTS Complete CDN Watermarking Integration to Fast-Track Anti-Piracy Protection for Operators

Bilbao - 3rd September 2026 -AgileTV, a leading provider of end-to-end TV and vi...

02/09/2026

Agentic AI in the content supply chain

Why agentic media supply chains need experience design built around visibility, reversibility and human authority When AI can generate a functional interface ...

02/09/2026

Gracenote study: 85% of sports fans want TV home screens to show when and where to watch favorite teams

Six-country survey finds 26% of sports fans frequently unable to determine where...

02/09/2026

Manfrotto Showcases New Video Support Solutions at IBC 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

Mediagenix Rebrands Spideo as Mediagenix Curation

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

Creative Technology Group Founder Graham Andrews Sets Year-End Exit

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

San Antonio Spurs, DAZN Ink Exclusive Streaming Deal

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...