Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Sports Graphics Forum: How AR and Virtual Studios Are Changing the Game for ESPN, Fox Sports, Turner, and Univision

04/04/2019

Sports Graphics Forum: How AR and Virtual Studios Are Changing the Game for ESPN, Fox Sports, Turner, and Univision By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor

Wednesday, April 3, 2019 - 9:30 am

Print This Story

Story Highlights

Augmented reality and virtual studios have allowed sports-content creators to rethink what is possible inside the studio. Whether it is expanding the physical footprint, creating more-flexible multi-use sets, displaying interactive analysis tools, or teleporting on-air talent from the field into the studio, AR is allowing studio shows to go beyond the limits of the physical world.

Augmented Reality in the Studio: Expanding Beyond the Physical World (from left): Turner Studios' Zach Bell, Fox Sports' Craig Chupinsky, Univision Deportes' Alexis Salinas, Disney DTCI's Aaron Thiel, and Ncam's Phil Ventre

Recent projects like Fox Sports' NASCAR virtual studio in Charlotte and ESPN's Around the Horn set at its New York Seaport District Studios, as well as Turner Sports' ELEAGUE efforts and Univision's unique AR deployments, have illustrated how these technologies are dramatically changing the face of sports studio shows. Along with Ncam - one of the key vendors in the AR realm today - these broadcasters took the stage at last month's SVG Sports Graphics Forum to provide a deep dive into their recent AR and virtual studio projects.

Around the Horn Goes Virtual for Move to Seaport Studios

When ESPN decided to move Around the Horn from its existing location in Times Square to it new Seaport Studios (opened in April 2018 and also home to several other ESPN programs including First Take and Get Up), the ESPN Remote Production Operations unit, ESPN Creative Services Motion Graphics Design, and Disney DCTI Technology group teamed up to create a fully integrated, three-dimensional studio environment. The studio, which launched in November, completely reimagined interaction between host Tony Reali and the four daily panelists.

Courtesy of ESPN

When we knew [Around the Horn] was going to move, we wanted to take this opportunity to repackage the show and give it a fresh look, said Aaron Thiel, Disney DTCI, Staff Software Engineer. We had a meeting with Tony and the showrunners, and Tony said, We want this show to look like it's from 10 years in the future.' That freed us up to really take chances and break the mold of what Around the Horn was.

In order to accomplish this, ESPN revisited the depth monitor technology it first deployed at the 2019 FIFA World Cup in Johannesburg. This technology allows ESPN to feature virtual monitors within the set (showing the four panelists) that dynamically adjust when a camera pans around the studio (i.e. when the camera pans left, the virtual monitor also adjusts its perspective to look more lifelike). As the show progresses from its opening First Word segment through its signature Showdown and Facetime ending, the panelists' images appear in-studio with Reali and can be enlarged, shrunk, isolated, and more. In addition, the higher scoring panelists who advance through the daily competition will transition forward closer to Reali.

While the footprint of the studio is just 16 x 25-sq-ft., the virtual technology (which leverages a Mo-Sys camera tracking system, Vizrt rendering engines, and computer animated design) allows ESPN plenty of freedom - both in terms of space and flexibility to use for multiple shows.

The facility is very tight, so we really wanted to extend it out and make it feel bigger. We freed up Tony, got him out from behind the desk, and gave him more control over the talent, and it was really a gamechanger for us, said Theil. We also knew when we were done, that if Tony could use it then we could pop in another show afterwards. Katie Nolan or someone else could come in and we could flip that set over in 30 seconds and reuse all this technology. So it's a big technology cost, but in the long run it could be a cheaper production.

Fox Sports Off the Virtual Races With New NASCAR Set

Fox Sports launched one of the largest virtual studio projects ever seen in the sports sector with a new NASCAR studio at its Charlotte, NC, production facility. Launched in February ahead of the Daytona 500, the ultra-customizable 60- x 60-ft. facility allows instant 3D analysis of racetracks, cars, race shops, and more, with the ability to create unique and changeable spaces within the high-tech studio environment in a matter of hours.

You can flip that set around so that, with the click of a button, you have a completely different set. You can put in a completely different environment for each individual show, said Craig Chupinsky, Fox Sports, Senior Designer. That same physical footprint can then house 3, 4, 5 shows in a day. Right now we're just doing one set, but we're using it seven days a week and the potential is there to [expand]. Yes, there is significant up-front cost, but you end up saving [in the long run] by being able to do all those different shows.

Fox's new Charlotte, NC-based virtual studio is playing a major role in its Daytona coverage.

The virtual set features graphic elements powered by Epic Games' Unreal Engine (the technology behind the popular online videogame Fortnite) suite of tools.

[We needed it to be] photo realistic enough so that there is the illusion that is grounded in this physical space. If we couldn't achieve that illusion then we wouldn't have done it, said Chupinsky. And game engines and hardware have gotten to the point when even when I go home and watch the show, I'm fully immersed in that illusion and have that suspension of disbelief. And if it wasn't for the quality of these game engines, it wouldn't have that same impact.

Fox Sports' virtual studio for NASCAR coverage will debut at the st
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2019/04/03/sports-graphics-forum-how-ar-an...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

13/03/2025

You Will Leave Opus Singing the Original Bops Performed by John Malkovich

(L-R) Stephanie Suganami, Tatanka Means, John Malkovich, Ayo Edebiri, and Juliette Lewis attend the premiere of Opus at Eccles Theatre in Park City. (Photo by...

13/03/2025

How Spotify Is Driving Growth, Discovery, and Innovation in the Audiobook Market

Spotify took center stage at the London Book Fair this week, reaffirming our commitment to the audiobook market and showcasing our impact on the publishing indu...

13/03/2025

Spotify Audiobooks Launches a New Publishing Program for Independent Authors

At Spotify, we work every day to lift up new voices, giving creators the opportunity to live off their art. Through Spotify Audiobooks, our in-house publishing ...

13/03/2025

Evolving EO/IR Technology For All-Domain Airborne Law Enforcement

Every time airborne law enforcement (ALE) teams fly, they expect their equipment to perform. Whether airborne units are conducting support for ground teams, bor...

13/03/2025

Craft Interview: Jamie McCombs, Audio Consultant / Sr. Audio

Sunday February 9 saw the annual return of the US' biggest television event, the Super Bowl LIX. Jamie McCombs, Fox Sports Audio Consultant / Sr. Audio capt...

13/03/2025

Craft Interview: Paul Sandweiss, Production Sound Mixer/Audio Director

On Sunday March 2, stars across the film industry gathered at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for the 97th Academy Awards. Production Sound Mixer Paul Sandweis...

13/03/2025

Riedel To Showcase New StageLink Smart Edge Devices At 2025 NAB Show

WUPPERTAL, Germany Riedel Communications will feature its new StageLink family of smart edge devices, Smart Audio and Mixing Engine (SAME) and Virtual Smart Pan...

13/03/2025

TAG Video Systems and Harmonic Partner to Deliver Enhanced Real-Time Monitoring for VOS360 Streaming Workflows at the 2025 NAB Show

TAG Video Systems and Harmonic Partner to Deliver Enhanced Real-Time Monitoring ...

13/03/2025

DigitalGlue Invites NAB Visitors to Experience New Features in Managed Storage Platform that Empowers Video Teams to Scale Effortlessly

DigitalGlue Invites NAB Visitors to Experience New Features in Managed Storage P...

13/03/2025

FOR-A America Theme - Connecting the Present, Building the Future - Comes to Life at NAB 2025 Exhibition

FOR-A America Theme - Connecting the Present, Building the Future - Comes to Lif...

13/03/2025

Ajit Pai Appointed President of CTIA

CTIA, the wireless industry association, has named former FCC Chairman Aji Pai as its President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1. He replaces Mere...

13/03/2025

NAB: FCC's 60 Minutes Investigation Is Unconstitutional, Invalid

he National Association of Broadcasters is urging the FCC to end its investigation of that controversial CBS interview with Kamala Harris stating there is no ...

13/03/2025

CBS Miami to Launch AR Coverage of Weather and Sports for March Madness

MIAMI CBS News & Stations continues to expand its use of augmented and virtual reality technologies with the planned launch of an augmented reality/virtual real...

13/03/2025

Meet the co-founder and chief customer success & innovation officer

Srividhya Srinivasan, co-founder and chief customer success & innovation Officer at Amagi, tells TVBEurope how staying ahead of the latest trends is essential f...

13/03/2025

FCC Chairman Carr Launches Massive Deregulation Initiative

WASHINGTON FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency has launched a massive, new deregulatory initiative that could potentially subject virtually all ...

13/03/2025

SDVI Integrates Rally With Spectra Vail

SUNNYVALE, Calif. SDVI has announced that it has integrated its Rally media supply chain management platform with the Spectra Vail multi-cloud data management s...

13/03/2025

FCC Approves Gray's Acquisition of KXLT

ATLANTA Gray Media has announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a waiver of its local ownership rules to permit Gray Media to acqu...

13/03/2025

NAB Show 2025 Exhibitor Insight: Blackmagic Design

TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?...

13/03/2025

Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice

Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions. ...

13/03/2025

Roku Debuts NWSL Zone' Within Roku Sports to Spotlight Live Games, Content

Roku Debuts NWSL Zone' Within Roku Sports to Spotlight Live Games, Content Feature marks Rokus first women's league-branded zone within service By Bra...

13/03/2025

Pixels, Images, Video, AI - and Us: A Perspective on AI from NDI Inventor Andrew Cross

Pixels, Images, Video, AI - and Us: A Perspective on AI from NDI Inventor Andrew...

13/03/2025

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Lighting Design Group's Steve Brill, Dennis Size on Completing Customizable Studios for All Clients

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Lighting Design Group's Steve Brill, Dennis Size ...

13/03/2025

IOC, Comcast NBCU Ink $3B Media-Rights Extension for Olympic Games Through 2036; Add Digital Projects, Initiatives

IOC, Comcast NBCU Ink $3B Media-Rights Extension for Olympic Games Through 2036;...

13/03/2025

NCAA March Madness Live Returns with Expanded Availability of MultiView Vertical Video Feed, Mascot Mode, and Popular Boss Button

NCAA March Madness Live Returns with Expanded Availability of MultiView Vertical...

13/03/2025

SVG Sit-Down: Cosm's Devin Poolman on What It Takes To Deliver the Immersive Experience for Daytona, The PLAYERS, and March Madness

SVG Sit-Down: Cosm's Devin Poolman on What It Takes To Deliver the Immersive...

13/03/2025

Sky Business Launches Cloud Voice A New Cloud Communication Solution for UK Businesses

Sky Business, Sky's B2B division, providing connectivity and content to busi...

13/03/2025

Rohde & Schwarz launches R&S NRP140TWG(N) thermal power sensor: A new benchmark for F band applications

Rohde & Schwarz launches R&S NRP140TWG(N) thermal power sensor: A new benchmark ...

13/03/2025

The ICG Marketing Survey 2025

We asked the questions, analysed the answers and now we're excited to share the results of the fifth edition of the ICG Marketing Survey. Our 2025 survey p...

13/03/2025

Harmonic Amps Up Video Streaming Efficiency with New Origin Capabilities

SAN JOSE, Calif. - March 13, 2025 Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced a breakthrough in video streaming innovation with the launch of new origin capabilitie...

13/03/2025

Haivision Showcases Mission-Critical Video Solutions at SOF Week 2025

Haivision Showcases Mission-Critical Video Solutions at SOF Week 2025 Haivision's video wall systems, ISR technology, and DoDIN APL-certified video distri...

13/03/2025

FOR-A America Theme Connecting the Present, Building the Future Comes to Life at NAB 2025 Exhibition

Company Leads the Way with New Software-Based Production Platform, 12G Switcher,...

13/03/2025

2025-03-13

A new Apple Immersive concert experience, Metallica, is coming to Apple Vision Pro this Friday, March 14. Filmed in Mexico City during the sold-out second-year ...

13/03/2025

Italia 90 Republic of Ireland Squad, Riverdance, Cian Ducrot & B*Witched on Friday's Late Late Show

Here is your host, Patrick Kielty! Shake your Shamrocks, Patrick Kielty will be...

13/03/2025

RT Celebrating all things Irish this St. Patrick's Weekend

This St. Patrick's weekend, RT invites you to celebrate all things Irish, showcasing the very best of Irish sport, entertainment and live coverage from the...

13/03/2025

GTC 2025 - Announcements and Live Updates

What's next in AI is at GTC 2025. Not only the technology, but the people and ideas that are pushing AI forward - creating new opportunities, novel solution...

13/03/2025

T-Mobile, Thales and SIMPL ease IoT deployments with a flexible and secure connectivity solution

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn By combining T-Mobile's robust network, Thal...

13/03/2025

Relive the Magic as GeForce NOW Brings More Blizzard Gaming to the Cloud

Bundle up - GeForce NOW is bringing a flurry of Blizzard titles to its ever-expanding library. Prepare to weather epic gameplay in the cloud, tackling the genr...

13/03/2025

Gaming Goodness: NVIDIA Reveals Latest Neural Rendering and AI Advancements Supercharging Game Development at GDC 2025

AI is leveling up the world's most beloved games, as the latest advancements...

13/03/2025

Drop It Like It's Mod: Breathing New Life Into Classic Games With AI in NVIDIA RTX Remix

PC game modding is massive, with over 5 billion mods downloaded annually. Mods p...

12/03/2025

Como o Impacto Cultural e Financeiro da Indstria Musical Define Seu Sucesso em 2025

O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...

12/03/2025

Cmo el impacto cultural y financiero de la industria musical define su xito en 2025

Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...

12/03/2025

Nourish Mind, Body, and Soul This Ramadan With Spotify

Ramadan, a period of profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide, is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Enrich your experience thi...

12/03/2025

How the Music Industry's Cultural and Financial Impact Define Its Success in 2025

Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...

12/03/2025

FAST now transcends back catalog content

More than 70% of FAST programming has been produced since 2010, according to new Gracenote report NEW YORK March 12, 2025 Gracenote, the content data busin...

12/03/2025

Viamedia Adopts ShowSeeker Pilot To Streamline Ad Workflows

GEONA, Nev. Independent digital and linear advertising rep firm Viamedia will adopt cloud-based ShowSeeker Pilot as its primary ad campaign and order management...

12/03/2025

Mediagenix Appoints Wael Yasin as Sales Director Central Europe

BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....

12/03/2025

Omdia: Global Online Consumer Expenditure to Hit $6.6 Trillion by 2029

LONDON A new study highlights opportunities for shoppable TV and the massive impact online consumer spending is having on the economy, with Omdia predicting tha...

12/03/2025

Comcast Technology Solutions Upgrades to Interra Systems BATON Version 9

CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems has announced that Comcast Technology Solutions has integrated recent updates to BATON Version 9 into its operations....

12/03/2025

Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering

Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering Brie Clayton March 12, 2025 0 Comments High-capacity switch enhances existi...

12/03/2025

DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol

DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol Brie Clayton March 12, 2025 0 Comments Feature film relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for ...