ROE Visual has created an open air studio enabling BBC Sport to broadcast from in front of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate.
BBC Sport is delivering a series of live broadcasts from the location, which features ROE Visual LED panels and virtual production techniques, said the company.
Following a series of tests which took place at ROE’s rental partner, Faber, in the Netherlands and the company’s office in Production Park, Leeds, the Berlin set-up includes both indoor and outdoor studios, integrated with extended reality (XR) technology. The combination of LED technology with tracking, graphics and XR in “a dynamic and environmentally challenging setup” marks a first for the BBC team, said ROE.
The outdoor studio’s LED floor comprises virtual panels which align with actual panel seams, aiming to create an illusion of natural glass while working in all available lighting conditions. The indoor studio has a wider range of AR graphics for in-game profiles and can provide an alternative to the external terrace in the event of bad weather. Using both also allows for simultaneous productions with shared rendering machines, added ROE.
ROE Visual’s Ruby RN1.9 broadcast premium LED panel enables XR camera work in confined spaces. Interacting with the LED processing, media playout system and camera tracking allows the BBC Sport team to manage fast graphics changes, AR implementation and multi-frame use, said the company.
“Collaborating with the BBC team on this project has demonstrated that we can create compelling productions by pooling resources and expertise,” said Olaf Sperwer, business development in virtual production at ROE Visual. “We are incredibly proud to have accomplished this innovative studio alongside all the teams involved. I can’t wait to see it go live!”
The studio is the BBC’s broadcasting location for UEFA Euro 2024.
