At the NAB Show, Vizrt, a provider of IP-based content production systems, demonstrated high precision, immersive graphics integrated with live 4K pictures using a handheld camera.
Images of the Fox Sports Mascot ("Cleatus") standing on top of the Vizrt booth were virtually inserted into a 4K live video and displayed on a Panasonic 65-inch 4K Ultra HD display. The demonstration featured a handheld Red Dragon 4K camera, fitted with an Ncam tracking system and a Nipros fiber-optic transmission system, shooting 4K images at Vizrt's booth. Images of the Fox Sports Mascot ("Cleatus") standing on top of the Vizrt booth were virtually inserted into a 4K live video. These composited images were then processed through Vizrt's real-time 3D compositing system, Viz Engine. Viz Engine generated the graphics using an Nvidia Quadro K6000 graphics card and video key and fill was output from two Matrox dsxle 3 4K cards. The output was displayed on a Christie Quad-HD 84-inch flat panel LCD display and a Panasonic 65-inch 4K Ultra HD display.
The combined setup highlighted the ability to create immersive graphics tied to a freely moving camera, at full 4K resolution, allowing the operator to capture quick shots at any location. In turn, producers have the ability to very quickly set up a shot from any location, with immersive graphics added for branding purposes and production value.
"Through this ground-breaking collaboration with partners, Ncam and Red Digital Cinema, we're able to give those experimenting in 4K on the move, functionality that's as good as anything they have today in HD – more so because handheld cameras and immersive graphics are still tough to bring together," said Gerhard Lang, chief engineering officer at Vizrt. "It calls for a lot of processing power to provide this level of real-time rendering, so this is a terrific demonstration of what we can do today."
