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From local to globalA selection of our customersCustomers®The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 11

Broadcast industry’s most comprehensivemarket study reveals top trends of 2011Media TrendsBy Joe Zaller, Digital Media Market Strategist at DevoncroftStory reprinted with the permission of Devoncroft PartnersEach year, Devoncroft Partners conducts a large scale globalstudy of the broadcast industry called the Big Broadcast Survey(BBS). More than 8,000 broadcast professionals in 100+ countriesparticipated in the 2011 BBS, making it the most comprehensivestudy ever done in the broadcast industry.One of the key outputs is a ranking of the broadcast industrytrends that are considered by BBS respondents to be the most commerciallyimportant to their businesses in any given year.To create the 2011 BBS Broadcast Industry Global Trend Index,BBS respondents were presented with a list of 15 industry trendsand asked them to tell us which one trend they consider to be “mostimportant” to their business, which one trend they consider to be“second most important” to their business, and which other trends(plural) they consider to be “also very important.”The responses to these questions was then used to create theBBS Broadcast Industry Global Trend Index by applying a weightingbased on the commercial importance of each trend.The goal is to help clients gain insight into the business driversbehind the respondent’s answer. Therefore, participants were askedthis question in the context of commercial importance, rather than“industry buzz” or technology hype.The table below shows the 2011 BBS Broadcast Industry GlobalTrend Index. This chart measures the responses all non-vendorswho participated in the 2011 BBS, regardless of company type,company size, geographic location, job title, etc.Similar to results in both the 2009 and 2010, the top four trendsin the 2011 Global Broadcast Industry Trend Index are: multi-platformcontent delivery, transition to HDTV operations, file-based /tapeless workflows, and IP networking and content deliveryHowever, there has been considerable movement in the relativeranking of these four trends over the past several years. Most significantly,“multi-platform content delivery” has become increasinglyimportant, and is the dominant trend in 2011. For comparison:In 2009, the BBS Broadcast Industry Global Trend Index wasdominated by the transition to HDTV operations, while multi-platformcontent delivery was fourth on the listIn 2010, multi-platform content delivery had become the mostimportant industry trend, narrowly eclipsing file-based / tapelessworkflows (which were combined in the 2010 BBS Trend Index) andthe transition to HDTV operationsThese results show that broadcast professionals continue tofocus their efforts on taking advantage of the potential for incrementalrevenue streams presented by multi-platform contentdelivery. Indeed, as the chart above shows, multi-platform contentdelivery was ranked significantly higher than any other trend in the2011 study. As video content become ubiquitous, broadcasters andcontent owners are looking for ways to monetize their assets, andgrow their revenue. Technology vendors are continuing to developsolutions to convert content for optimal performance on any platform,and to run targeted ads alongside that content.But there is more to the story than just multi-platform contentdelivery. For the third year in a row, the transition to HDTV operationsranks as one of the top trends in the broadcast industry. It’slikely that HDTV upgrades will continue to be one of the majordrivers of project-based spending as broadcasters around the worldcontinue with plans to transition their operations to HDTV.Operational efficiencies (through file-based / tapeless workflows)remain a significant macro driver in 2011, as broadcasters continueto deploy new workflows. The increasing importance of file-basedtechnologies has implications for the broadcast industry in terms ofboth workflows and product procurement. Previous research showsthat broadcasters are moving to file-based workflows not only toachieve greater speed and efficiencies, but also to reduce cost.During the recession, technology budgets were typically prioritizedtowards solutions that add revenue and/or reduce cost. Now thatthe industry is recovering from the downturn, it’s likely that theway technology is purchased will remain focused on thesecommercial priorities.Tracking Changes in Importance of Broadcast IndustryTrends Over Time The transition to HDTV operations, the moveto file-based / tapeless workflows, and IP networking and contentdelivery continue to be important to broadcast professionals.However, they have been outpaced by multi-platform contentdelivery. Since 2009, multi-platform content delivery has gone fromranking #4 in the BBS Broadcast Industry Global Trend Index torunning away with the top spot.Why Tracking Movement of Trends is Important In the broadcastindustry much of the spending on technology is project-based,and those projects all come from somewhere. Our view is that industrytrends drive capital projects, which in turn drive budgets, whichin turn drive product purchase. In other words, what is commerciallyimportant to technology buyers today (i.e. trends) will likely turn intowhat they are budgeting for tomorrow (i.e. projects).The 2011 BBS Trend Index shows that monetizing content on multipleplatforms is clearly a key objective for broadcast professionalsin the year ahead. Yet many players, particularly on the contentside, are still experimenting with their business models.There is a difference between recognizing that a trend iscommercially important and having a business plan in place that capitalizes on that trend.So while there is no doubt that generating incremental revenue by delivering a multi-screenexperience to consumers is a hot topic, business models have to move beyond the experimentalin order to drive serious market growth.Once that happens, multi-platform content delivery will likely become the most importantplanned project rather than just the most important trend.Most important technology trends – percentage of respondents When analyzingthis data, it is useful to understand the numbers behind the Index – i.e. the percentageof 2011 BBS respondents who ranked each trend “most important,” “second most important,”and “also very important.”This helps to identify which issues are on the “front burner” versus the “back burner” inthe minds of technology buyers. Front burner issues are more likely to result in budget beingallocated to them. Back burner issues are “also important” but perhaps not enough to justifyexpenditure beyond experimentation.At first glance this table simply reinforces the 2011 BBS Broadcast Industry Global TrendIndex, with many of the trends retaining the same numerical ranking as in the Index.Indeed, the top four trends from the Index (multi-platform content delivery, transitionto HDTV operations, file-based / tapeless workflows, and IP networking and contentdelivery) clearly stand out in terms of their importance to respondents relative to the othertrends on the list. This reinforces the fact that completing the migration to HDTV, achievingoperational efficiencies, and finding new revenue streams are strong priorities for today’sbroadcast professionals.However it is interesting to note that a large percentage of respondents view improvementsin video compression, video-on-demand, automated workflows, targeted adverting,and 3D as “also very important.”The first three of these four trends have to do with delivering content more efficientlyand generating new revenue streams. The strong showing of 3D in the “also very important”category indicates that broadcast professionals will continue to watch the progress of thistechnology and experiment with it as appropriate for their business models.Improving video compressionIP networkingTapeless workflowTransition to HDMulti-platform deliveryAnalog switch-offCentralised operationsMove to automated workflow3D TVTargeted advertisingVideo on demandThe Vizrt Catalogue 2011 13

The Vizrt PlatformBroadenyour reachAs multi-platform distribution becomesincreasingly important, so does the job ofgetting your content onto whatever deviceyour customers are using. Viz Media Engineis the first solution on the market for crossplatformmedia delivery.Read more about Viz Media Enginefor device-adapted graphics on p.20,Online & Mobile on p.70, and forMedia Asset Management on p.90The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 15

The Vizrt PlatformSpeed / Quality / VolumeIngestThe Vizrt PlatformThere are about as many preferences when collecting content, as there are customers. There aretimes when you need to rout an SDI signal directly to a live transcoder. Later that very same day,files need to be ingested via watch-folders oruploaded directly into a content managementsystem. The Vizrt platform allows a variety ofmethods for ingesting video. Metadata mayfollow through the ingest process, or it can belogged and edited during upload.Vizrt’s focus has always been on what wedefine as our three core values: speed, qualityand volume. Combined, they have becomesynonymous with our success. Being able topublish high quality content – within a fastpaced workflow – is the key ingredient inmaking our customers competitive.The newsdeskEDIT Vizrt’s brings a full toolbox directly to the journalist’s desktop. Searching video or addingelements like maps or graphics can be handled from within our newsroom component. Enjoyfast searching and editing of new videos, and add graphics in an instant. Our video editingtools use proxy video.SEARCH The new Viz Media Engine also includes fast searching, an efficient way of quicklyfinding the content you need right there and then.WEB Build the website of your dreams with EscenicContent Engine’s widget system. With this, the journalistalso has access to other Vizrt tools to producegraphics, video and maps. Videos are served to theweb and transcoded to an array of formats matchingthe requirements of the connecting device.In order to keep any system as scalable as possible – and beingable to handle large volumes when in production – we’ve have hadto think carefully about each step of the way. With these three corevalues as the foundation, our platform is now covering broadcast,media asset management, online, mobile and sports.The Vizrt workflow has expanded a lot over the years. Whatstarted out as a graphics template system for the newsroom, nowcovers the complete workflow both for broadcasters, newspapers, aswell as other participants in the ever-increasing multitude of mobilephones and other handheld devices. Central for handling video inthis workflow is the Viz Media Engine. The approach accommodatesmany ways of bringing video content into the Vizrt workflow. Atcertain times you might need a scheduled SDI workflow with hundredsof incoming feeds. Then Viz Dart is what you’re looking for.Later on you might be in desperate need of ingesting P2 formattedvideo from Viz Media Porter – Or you simply want to upload avideo file through a web interface – directly inside the web CMS. Orsimply drop it to a watch folder? Our ingest methods accommodatefor all of this – and more.News gathering is not only about video. Once inside the Vizrtworkflow, a journalist has access to a large variety of data andimagery. It could be anything from financial data, election data,weather data, map data, to social media feeds being brought intoour systems. When all these feeds are gathered – data, imagery andvideo – the journalist has full access to the material. Without havingto move from machine to machine – or between departments – hecan access it all from applications running on his laptop. Intensiveprocessing tasks will all be restricted to the server side. When jobsare done, the material is instantly accessible to entire teamsworking together.The Internet has taught us how worthless your assets are if no oneis able to find them. The same applies to local storage. The new VizMedia Engine features a radically simplified search, where narrowingdown your approach is essential. The journalist can now browseor rough cut videos in an instant, or open their edit list in their videosuite of choice. Once editing is done, the package is submitted to arundown and all the complex logistics of moving the media aroundto play-out servers or transcoders happen in the background. Theseprocesses are all transparent for the user. He only needs to wait forthe green light. At his desktop, a journalist has a set of storytellingtools that help him search for, produce and publish content. VizContent Pilot provides him with access to video, maps and graphics,all available for publishing to broadcast, web and mobile. Bybundling all processes requiring editorial decisions, the journalistis empowered to work faster and more efficiently – with a very highlevel of quality.In the field of graphics, Vizrt has been strong since day one.While always highly important, modern broadcast trends havemade control of your assets even more important. The traditionalbroadcast workflow, adding graphics in real-time during production,will probably be the most important for many years to come.Simultaneously, it’s interesting to see how this SDI workflow – evenfor broadcasters – requires add-ons. For many of our web andmobile customers, the SDI based workflow is in some cases not evenrelevant, or no longer an option.Vizrt's aim is to use technology to make a journalist’s life easier.At the same time we see an ever-increasing complexity: How todistribute device-adapted content to a large amount of devices. Ourphilosophy is – and always will be – that journalists should onlyhave to do their editorial job once. When published, the process ofadjusting and formatting it to match correct codecs and formats,font sizes and branding, should all be automated. This is what ourViz Media Engine does to distribution. After detecting your device, itserves you the content that best fits your device and bandwidth.Read more about device-adapted graphics on p.20The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 17

The Vizrt PlatformThe studioOn the goVIRTUAL SET Data harvested for programs like weather forecasts or elections all need animpressive final visualization. It might be a full-fledged virtual set, or the same technology forproducing immersive graphics in a studio. Viz Video Wall ER makes it possible to add severalsynced Viz Engines and build up the final output in whatever resolution you’re looking for.With news breaking all the time, and the accessibility throughsmart phones and wireless connections, customers are no longeroff. They’re always on. All media houses now need to target consumerswherever they are.Multi-touch Telling stories requires a tight connection between the anchor and your graphics.With multi-touch screens, you can build breathtaking scenes, allowing your talent greaterflow in a show. In longer shows like elections, where planning is hard and improvisation anecessity, data mining with touch screens is another solution. Your studio screens might alsobe mirrored for touch applications on phones and pads.Anchor Increase the flow of your show by putting the anchor in the driver seat. Graphicsand video can be started directly from an iPad running Viz Anchor, creating a unique andnatural environment.At homeDevice-adapted graphics The nuclear family no longer gathers when watching TV. Content ownerstargeting family settings with one-sized displays, run the risk of not reaching out to all the potential viewers.We’re moving into an era where viewers often watch content individually, highlighting the need for multiplatformdistribution – not to mention optimized graphics. And how about the new unique opportunitiesadvertising based on gender, age or localization provides?social media From major news events to online debates – few trends are as crystal clear as social mediamoving in and occupying a central position. Gathering and filtering these data and visualizing them in theViz Engine have proven to be an excellent complementary to other sources of content.The arenacompanion app Two screening happens in everyliving room. Phones, PCs and iPads are all activelyused while watching TV. Participation will surely bethe key to success in the broadcast business in yearsto come. A companion app to go along with yourshow is the best way of accommodating this.Vizrt's has the ideal tools for any OB vanproduction. With our 3D charachtergenerater, you can bring yourcontrool room directlyto the field.The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 19

The Vizrt PlatformDeviceadaptedgraphicsImagine a TV production without graphics. A strangequestion, you say? Well, you’re not alone in thinking thatway. In fact, over the last few decades, the connectionbetween graphics and video in TV production hasgrown to a level where it’s hardly possible to separateone from the other.Until today, the graphics/video relationshiphas been a one-to-one – a set of graphicsdesigned to fit all kinds of video. Today,with more than a thousand mobile deviceson the market, not to mention the growingarray of pads available, this relationship isbreaking up. The most obvious change whenmoving from single format TV production,to multi-device targeting, is the difference inscreen sizes. However, content owners alsoneed to take into consideration differentviewing habits, skinning options, as well aslocalization and personalization of contentand advertisement.We at Vizrt are committed to deliveringsoftware that helps any content owner inreaching whatever device their desired enduser operates on. Within the Vizrt workflow,the central tool for handling this is the VizMedia Engine, in combination with VizEngine.When approaching newer and smallerscreens, the first we think of is the fontdisplay. Fonts might seem insignificantwhen it comes to branding, but they’re certainlynot. There’s not a single more importantitem when it comes to building a con-sistent brand.Brandedfonts are thestrongest buildingblocks whenbuilding a consistentlook. Therefore,the workflow used forbuilding device-adaptedgraphics should accommodatefor using branded fonts.All new screens have are differentboth in terms of pixel size, areaand viewing distance. As a consequence,we need to take care of the legibilityof each one of them. One scenario iswhat to do with graphics from a TV productionoriginally designed for high-definition(HD). Here, the smallest font needs to bescaled up when displayed on for instancean iPhone.Another point to take notice of is whenvideos with graphics are scaled down andcompressed. With regard to both size, framerate and compression algorithms, certainelements need taking care of in order tooptimize the graphics. In general, Vizrtavoids advanced transparency layers anduses less animation for videos running onthe smallest screens. As we reach higherbandwidths and larger screens like the iPador a Galaxy Tab, we can take advantage ofmore of these effects.Having considered the size of a newdevice’s screen, the second challenge isthe new types of viewing habits. The newscreens are generally watched by no morethan one person, and at his or her owninitiative. Combined with login information,this makes it possible to personalize thegraphics according to pre-defined profilesand also serve localized and personalizedadvertisement.There are basically two main workflowsfor device-adapted graphics. One is to burnthe graphics into the video, the other to putthe graphics on top at the end device. Asof now, the first is maybe the most viable –although we see a large interest also for thesecond option. No matter which option youchoose, however, we at Vizrt feel that thechallenges are much the same. We need totake care of metadata and time it in orderto produce the graphics – either in thetranscoding process, or on the final device.Vizrt has an answer, whatever method youwant to use.In order to produce multiple streams ofvideos with device-adapted graphics, ourfirst method is to do this in the transcodingprocess. Our Viz Media Engine is thetool for this job. The typical content ownertranscodes videos into twenty to thirtydifferent video streams before distribution.They all have different sizes, frame rates,codecs and so on. When adding graphicsin the transcoding process, the Viz MediaEngine will request the Viz Engine to deliverthe necessary frames that are added in thetranscoding process. Prior to this request,the graphics have been put into three or foursets that will serve the different screen sizes.Beyond putting sensible graphics andreadable fonts onto all kinds of new devices,thus producing a high quality product,device-adapted graphics might give birthto new ideas as well. One of the thingsour customers are asking for is being ableto produce the same video with multiplebrands simultaneously. We also see a lotof interest in localized and personalizedadvertisement, as well more simple optionslike selling advertisement to just iPhone andiPad streams, or exclusively target Androidusers.In all, device-adapted graphics mightseem like a small detail. Once you start tothink about the whole workflow, however,one quickly sees that its implication requirescareful planning when building up thenew workflow architecture. The ideal flowrequires harvesting metadata all the wayfrom the camera situation; give the videofurther enhancements in the newsroom, anddelivering the metadata to the transcoderor onto the final device. At Vizrt, we arealready witnessing how our first customersare benefiting tremendously from this newworkflow. It’s clear to us that this challengewill increase greatly importance in the yearsto come.The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 21

The Vizrt PlatformBroadcastOnline & MobileMedia Asset ManagementSportsEven though Vizrt’s focus is on tight integration and endto-endsolutions, we roughly divide our products into four maincategories: Broadcast, Online & Mobile, Media Asset Management,and Sports.broadcast. Vizrt graphics systems were developed to be morethan just a couple of individual tools. They were designed to worktogether and to provide an integrated graphics environment thatboosts creativity. Viz Engine, one of today’s most powerful renderingengines. Renders animated 3D scenes in real-time, producinghigh-end animations in SD and HD. It also supports stereoscopyout of the box. Viz Trio is the number one character generator (CG)for live broadcast events anywhere on the globe. Viz Artist releasesdesigners from repetitive standard tasks and gives them completefreedom to concentrate on the creative side of their work. VizContent Pilot delivers graphics content to all types of displays, whileViz Multichannel makes it easy to utilize high-quality graphics forchannel branding and provides a single client that handles theplaylist elements of one or multiple channels. Viz Ticker3D makes itpossible to build creative and compelling graphic tickers with totalflexibility. In the studio itself, Viz Anchor runs natively on Apple’siPad and allows users to control newsroom playlists, includingvideo and graphics, directly from the iPad. In short, we cover it all.media asset management At the heart of every efficientbroadcast workflow is a powerful media asset management (MAM)system. With more than a decade of experience in the MAM marketand several petabytes of material stored at broadcasters around theglobe, Vizrt is one of the most trusted providers for MAM systems inthe broadcast industry. Everyone, from journalists to video editors,can use the sophisticated search engine to quickly find exactly whathe or she is looking for. The Vizrt MAM system is a true all rounder,supporting ingest from various sources and compatible with allmajor newsroom systems. With the recent release of Viz MediaEngine, Vizrt is also taking a major step in the multi-platform direction,combining our online, mobile and asset management solutionsin order to take control of the complete video workflow – from thecamera situation, to final play-out on TV, web, phones and otherdevices.online & mobile Vizrt’s online and mobile workflow allows youto build and easily maintain a complete presence on both platforms.With the same editorial crew creating content for distribution inmultiple channels, the traditional line between TV broadcastingand Internet communication has disappeared. Having to publish toan unknown number of different end-user devices makes it difficultto retain control over the content and puts additional pressure onboth editorial and technical staff. The Vizrt online suite was createdto facilitate this sort of multimedia production and multichannelcontent distribution. It provides a single production pipeline fortext, image and video, allowing dynamic content to be publishedto an unlimited number of devices. Vizrt’s graphics now integrateswith both online and mobile, enabling you to burn graphics directlyonto any online or mobile video.Sports In addition to offering solutions enhancing any sportsbroadcast, Vizrt has recently teamed up with LiberoVision andnow offers realistic 3D replays for seven different sports; Football,American football, basketball, baseball, hockey, rugby, and handball.In collaboration with our partner Stergen, Vizrt also offersexcellent tools for accurately converting live 2D signals into 3D –the smarter future of 3D sports broadcasting.The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 23

BroadcastJoin Us& Beat YourCompetitorsTHE RIGHT MIX OF GRAPHICS can help to transform a good show into a mustseeevent. Vizrt provides tools for every aspect of the broadcast productionprocess. From news and sports to elections and weather forecasts; our broadcastproducts help you create stream-lined workflows with focus on attractivecontent. Designed to work closely together, our broadcast tools provide anintegrated graphics environment that boosts creativity. We’re extremely proud tostate that we’re the world’s number one provider of on-air graphics.Creating broadcast graphics begins in Viz Artist. Over the years, Vizrt’s graphicstool has gained a reputation of being one of the most versatile products in theindustry. It enables designers to build complete virtual sets and complex 3D animations;it allows the integration of maps and fully supports video throughoutthe workflow. Even when it comes to everyday tasks, such as building geometryor creating fonts for lower-third graphics, Viz Artist is the tool of choice. VizArtist also supports creation of stereoscopic content right out of the box.Of course, a graphics application is always only as good as the renderingengine that plays out its graphics. Good to know then, that Viz Artist was developedtogether with one of the most powerful rendering engines on the market;Viz Engine. Viz Engine renders animated 2D and 3D scenes in real-time andsupports play-out both in SD as well as HD. And those broadcasters who want todive into the 3D realm will be pleased to hear that Viz Engine is fully capable ofplaying out stereoscopic content.Vizrt’s graphics systems also help to streamline existing workflows fromcreation to play-out. Vizrt’s advanced template system takes graphics createdwith Viz Artist and makes them available for journalists and operators in the VizTrio character generator and the Viz Content Pilot production tool. It has neverbeen easier to play out professional looking graphics without actually having todo any design work.Our latest addition to the studio environment, Viz Anchor, also hands morepower over to the presenters. The app, running natively on Apple’s iPad, allowstalents to control newsroom playlists, including video and graphics, directlyfrom the iPad.Did you know that Fox Sports……used Vizrt graphics during the 2011 Super Bowl final? FOX began using Vizrt at the beginning of the 2010 NFL seasonand deployed Multiple Viz Trio and Viz Engine systems for the Super Bowl‘s expanded coverage. – The Vizrt presentationwas seamless. In all, I believe it was one of the most visually impressive Super Bowls ever, says Zac Fields,Director of Remote Graphics at FOX.The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 25

BroadcastPetter Ole JakobsenCTO / VizrtPetter Ole has 20 years of experience from the broadcast industry, holdingamong other the position as Senior Development Editor at TV 2 in Norway.Solving the multiplatformpuzzlePetter Ole Jakobsen is firm in his belief; new channels and platformswill make life more complex for broadcasters and publishers in theyears to come. But then he’s also a firm believer in helping out.During the last couple of years technologicalinnovation seems to have clickedinto a secret sixth gear – and acceleratedquicker than anyone could have imagined.From your point of view, which of thecurrent industry trends are the mostexiting?– My answer to that is without a doubtthe emergence of multiple platforms, andthe challenges facing everyone tryingto bend their heads around solving it. Itincreases the complexity of the broadcastworkflow tremendously, yet at same timerichly rewards those with a solid foundationto publish from, both editorially and from amore technical point of view. In this world,a lot of different products need to interact,which is no easy task. At the same time,maintaining several parallel workflows isnot an option in the long run. That wouldindeed become very expensive. It’s not agood thing editorial wise either. You’ll findyourself buried in a pile of inputs, forcingyour staff to make costly on-air errors.What is Vizrt’s solution to theproblem?– Over the last five years, Vizrt has developeda unique platform workflow that letsyou publish to TV directly from your preferrednewsroom system. Simultaneously,the same personnel can also publishdedicated versions of the same story online,to different mobile phones, various tablets,and so on. On top of that, we convert andoptimize both video and graphics, dependingon the recipient’s screen resolutions.– Interesting. How do you do it?– Graphics designed to run in full HDwon’t look good on your iPhone. That’s whywe scale the graphics to match, for example,and iPhone sized screen. All this is carriedout on the fly, as part of the processingitself, making the graphics easier to readon each device, providing a much betterend-user experience. At the same time youmay also use those graphics and their correspondingdesign on all platforms, even ifthey only were meant for TV initially, anddistribute them to all your designers andViz Engines through Viz Graphics Hub.Our very own dropbox.Dropbox?– Viz Graphics Hub is a solution tailoredfor distributing graphics between differentTV stations or between each station’svarious offices. The Graphics Hub runs overthe Internet and takes advantage of smartsyncing, a must for most TV stations, stationgroups and media houses – nearly all nowincreasing their number of channels.It’s an exiting trend. Did it mean thatyou had to rethink how you assembledyour own products?– Of course it did. Among other things,it sets a new standard when it comes to reliability.Each product’s ability to scale is alsogreatly increased. There’s no longer room forduct tape and paper clips. A media house canhave 10-20-30 channels running on the sameinfrastructure, making stable and gooddelivery extremely important. All in all, thefile-based workflow has handed us, as wellas the TV channels, a whole range of newpossibilities and challenges.Sounds good. Anything excitingand new up your sleeve, there?– At this year’s NAB, we launched theViz Media Engine. It’s a very exiting productwhich we’ve put a lot of thought and effortinto, and a product I have great expectationsattached to. We’re essentially trying to redefinehow the industry handles its file-basedworkflows. We’ve adjusted the workflow,based on how we feel it should be done andwhat our customers have told us. In orderto improve your workflow, the Viz MediaEngine can also be plugged on top of mostmedia asset storage solutions out there.A-ha. So you distinguish between afile-based workflow andstorage?– Yes, and I believe this is important forthe future. A file-based workflow is considerablymore than just digital storage ofedited stories and raw material. By usingViz Media Engine, you gain a united andeffective workflow, from acquisition to playoutand/or distribution.… Meaning that this workflow is available,even if you just recently boughta MAM system without an optimalworkflow?– We’ve spent a considerable amount of timebuilding our APIs. They’re open and RESTful.Through these, we can interface up against mostof the solutions out there, thus letting the Viz MediaEngine collect the files and place them where youwant them to be published.But how does the transcoding anddistribution happen?– It’s possible to use whatever transcoding solutionyou desire, obviously. But the Viz Media Engine has itsown specialized transcoding and encoding component,making sure that everything works seamlessly andthat video and graphics are optimized for each device’sdisplay. As mentioned earlier, it’s also possible to insertgraphics at this stage.OK, so how is the actual online publishingpart done?– Again, you’re free to use an existing system, butVizrt also offers a newsroom system tailored to fulfillthe requirements of multi platform publishing; theViz Online Suite. The system supports online publishing,connected TVs, as well as mobile web and apps.Anything else to add?– Vizrt wants to make innovative, effective andreliable products. The best part is that our customersrespond positively when using them. No media houseis too small, nor too big, to take advantage of Vizrt’sproduct portfolio. It’s that simple.The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 27

BroadcastBy Ian WhiteHead of Computer Graphics / ITNITN’s development of avirtual touch screenVirtual touch-screens are used by Vizrt customers all over the world aspart of Viz Virtual Studio sets. When one of Britain’s biggest TV networksrelaunched their news flagship, Vizrt played an important part.Virtual touch screens have been exhibited extensively by Vizrtat IBC, NAB and other events, as a concept for customers to makeuse of. Here is a description of why virtual touch-screens wereadopted at ITN and how they have been used since, by Ian White,Head of Computer Graphics for ITN.When presenters can interact directly with a virtual graphic bytouching or sliding, it gives the graphic a greater sense of realityand preserves the “magic” illusion of the set. This was especiallythe case during the recent US mid-term elections, where presenterscould be seen sliding huge virtual wall panels of voting graphicswith just the flick of a finger.Ian White, Head of Computer Graphics for ITN, tells the storybehind their virtual touchscreen projectWhen we re-launched our flagship news programme, “News atTen”, in January 2008 we wanted to enable our correspondents tocontrol their own graphics using a touchscreen within our studio.An added complication is that our studios at ITN are virtual, shotagainst a chroma green screen. This means that anything green onthe touchscreen would be keyed out and rendered invisible by theVizrt virtual set system! There is a high probability that most contentwe’d want to show on the touchscreen would contain some green.The solution we came up with was actually to make all graphicson the touchscreen monochrome green and to shroud the entiretouchscreen, stand and all, in green. We then replaced the nowinvisible real touchscreen with a virtual touchscreen positioned toexactly match the real one. The presenter can see their green graphicswell enough to touch and interact with them, but the viewersonly see a beautifully rendered full color virtual touchscreen – andall in real-time.An interactive Viz Artist (2.8) scene running on the real touchscreencontrols the virtual graphics rendered by the virtual setsystem. The virtual touchscreen has one big advantage, it no longerhas to look like real LCD or Plasma, which is usually rather dull.For the News at Ten set we created a slim sheet of interactive glass,and because the set is virtual, we were able to make the glass andthe graphics within it translucent, allowing the set backdrop to beseen through it. Something impossible to achieve with a real LCD ina real set!Our presenter was able to exploreevery possible coalition scenario,involving 11 different parties!Ian White / Head of Computer Graphics / ITNFor our live Election 2010 programme we took this techniqueeven further. Our Election virtual reality set was made up of manyglass panels, including a virtual holographic glass wall containinginteractive 3D graphics.We used two invisible touchscreensto create very an interactive surface. Ourpresenter had full control of her graphicsincluding the wall graphic we calledthe ‘Battleground’ comprising over 200of the most important ‘target’ seats theConservative party were trying to win.The 2010 UK general election finallyresulted in a hung Parliament consisting ofa coalition of the Conservative and LiberalDemocrat Parties, and our presenter wasable to explore every possible coalitionscenario, involving 11 different parties!She manipulated the 3D VR graphic interactively and all thecalculations where done automatically within the Viz scene, fromlive election data.The overall impression for the viewer was clear, clean graphicsseamlessly integrated into the studio, which the presenter couldfreely interact with to analyze and explain the story as it unfolded.The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 29

Virtuality neverlooked this goodBroadcastViz Virtual Studio presents producerswith unrivaled possibilities. Complex 2Dand 3D virtual sets, which include interactivity,can be easily created using an intuitiveinterface.The solution was created to fully supportthe Vizrt family of applications and can beseamlessly integrated with existing softwareinstallations. Viz Virtual Studio supports allmajor camera-tracking solutions and otherstudio peripherals.The Viz Virtual Studio module offers theonly scalable, open and complete family ofsolutions for virtual studio production in themarket today. It features a comprehensivestudio and production workflow and impressivegraphics capabilities.It delivers the highest quality visualimage for the most challenging productions,while providing an easy-to-use drag-anddropinterface. The Defocus Shader is a newdevelopment in the latest version of VizArtist.It emulates the focus effects of opticallenses to create a virtual set that is almostindistinguishable from a real world studio.mAGICALBuild a studiowith a uniquelook, with cameramovements andsynchronizedanimations.Read more aboutour real-timegraphics rendererViz Engine on p. 34A talent in the studio withaccess to dynamically updatedgraphics, is the main ingredientin any successful virtual set.FREEDOM FOR CREATIVE MINDS. VizVirtual Studio integrates with a wide rangeof camera tracking solutions and externalstudio peripherals. The scenes for a set arecreated with Viz Artist, where the graphicdesigners build, animate, and compose theirvirtual environment. With Viz Artist, eventhe smallest stage area can be turned intoan impressive studio. Existing sets can beenhanced with virtual objects with whichthe anchor can interact. Viz Virtual Studioallows a single operator to handle complexproductions that would normally requireseveral different operators, allowing staffto concentrate on other tasks, improvingoverall efficiency.PART OF THE VIZRT PRODUCT FAMILY. VizVirtual Studio shares all the advantagesand benefits of the Vizrt family of tools. Itincludes the Viz Engine real-time renderer,Viz Artist, and a special virtual set version ofViz Content Pilot. Viz Virtual Studio now alsofeatures a high quality, fast and lightweightinternal keyed rivalling some of the dedicatedexternal for a fraction of the cost.Viz Virtual Studio Easy integration. The Viz Virtual Studiocompanion product Viz IO is a studio configurationand calibration tool that enables connectivityand control between all required studiodevices such as cameras, routers, VTRs,video servers, audio mixers and other studioequipment. Upgrading to Viz Virtual Studiofrom an existing Vizrt system is therefore easyand requires little additional training.In combination with the full version of VizContent Pilot, broadcasters can integratetheir graphics with the virtual studio, decidingwhether to lock graphics to the screen orhave them tracked with the camera.Key Features• Fully compatible with Windows andPanasonic AV-CGP500 HD• Easy and intuitive interface for authoringand editing of real-time graphics• Supports custom templates for on-aircontrol and operation• Extensive plug-in effects for text, image,particles, curves and DVE effects• Lens calibration tools for a perfect matchbetween the real and the virtual studio• Supports all tracking technologies• Open system designed to integrate andcontrol any studio device• Seamless newsroom integration with allmajor newsroom systems• Optional Viewpoint library optimized forreal-time rendering• Support for real-time 2D and 3D fonts• Recording of tracking data forpostproduction• Expandable for all other Vizrt applications• Support for all major input and outputformats in both SD and HDThe Vizrt Catalogue 2011 31

Shift your video wallinto overdriveBroadcastIn short, there are practically no limitsto what you can do with Viz Video Wall ER.Resolution, wall size or layout– we support it.Viz Video Wall ER enables you to createunique installations that surround the viewerand go far beyond the capacity of traditionalvideo-wall setups. Viz Video Wall ER has awide range of purposes in addition to regularstudio broadcasting: It is perfectly suited toentertainment and educational productions,as well as interactivity in live broadcasting.Viz Video Wall ER can even be used inoutdoor environments. The solution integratesseamlessly with other Vizrt solutionswithout requiring changes in the workflow.Ease of use. Moving from a traditionalway of displaying content towardsViz Video Wall ER technology is simple.Adopting the new technology is intuitivefor both administrators and users, and thesolution is cost-effective and future-prooffor the organization.Continuity. Even though your outputchanges dramatically, internal routinesremain the same. Viz Video Wall ER seamlesslyintegrates with established workflows.Designers, journalists and control roomoperators can concentrate on what theydo best.TOUCHCreate uniqueinstallationsthat surround theviewer and go farbeyond the capacityof traditional videowall setups.Flexibility. Viz Video Wall ER is designedfor scalability. Broadcasters can start outsmall-scale, then expand when they feel it’stime. A basic installation includes two VizEngines, which includes all the benefits ofa full installation. Such a setup producesquality output over any number of screens.Quality enhancement. If the need formore power and higher resolution arises,the installation can easily be upgraded.Every additional engine increases the graphicscapabilities so that virtually unlimitedresolutions and wall sizes can be achieved.The workflow for the operator remains thesame, no matter how many engines arebeing used.When two or more Viz Engines are usedin tandem, the rendering load can be splitasymmetrically. This means that the resolutionof one area of the screen can be higherthan another area. This is particularly usefulwhen the camera is taking a close-up andparts of the screen are shown in detail,which requires a higher resolution display.With Viz Video Wall ER, pixelated low-qualityimages are a thing of the past.Integration. Viz Video Wall ER can easilybe integrated into existing Vizrt solutions. Itis possible to create powerful 3D effects withViz Artist that take the impact of video wallsto a whole new level.Viz Video Wall ERKey Features• Virtually unlimited resolution• Unlimited wall size• Run graphics and live video on onevideo wall• No workflow changes• Control graphics from Viz Trio, VizContent Pilot and Viz Anchor• Uncompressed output from Viz Engine• Asymmetrical splitting of renderingload with two or more Viz Engines• Ease of use due to several animationlayers• DVI and SDI video outputThe Vizrt Catalogue 2011 33

The ultimate compositorfor real-time contentBroadcastViz Engine is one of today’s most powerfulrendering engines. It renders animated 2Dand 3D scenes in real-time, producing highendanimations in SD and HD. And did wemention it even supports stereoscopy out ofthe box?Designed with openness in mind. Fromthe beginning, Viz Engine has been developedwith flexibility in mind. This allowscustomers to integrate their own proprietarycontrol software with ease. In addition, apowerful scripting language supports easymanipulation of graphics objects, as well asthe creation of user-specific plug-ins.The Viz Engine application is built ontop of OpenGL. This makes it one of the few3D systems that can run the same graphicscontent on multiple hardware platforms andoperating systems. Furthermore, Viz Engineruns on off-the-shelf, rack-mountableWindows PCs with a standard graphics card.Easy communication. The main VizEngine components and Viz Artist GUI runon the same machine and communicate viaTCP sockets. The communication protocolbetween the GUI and the kernel is consistentand easy to understand. All the commandsare similar in structure, consisting of anobject name or address, a command orfunction name, the function argumentsplus additional data when necessary.The protocol also includes a full set ofquery commands for retrieving detailedstatus information about graphic contentfrom the engine.This makes it easy to write externalapplications to control the Viz Engine kernelin runtime. Vizrt offers several externalcommand protocol products that are specificSTEREOSCOPYStereo supportis native forViz Engine.Read more aboutViz Engine’sreal-time stereo3D capabilitieson p. 44to the broadcast industry, including VizContent Pilot and Viz Media SequencerEngine. Third party developers can createtheir own specific applications within,and on top of, Viz Engine.Full support for stereoscopy. VizEngine has always been a real 3D system.Even though graphics have so far mostlybeen played out on conventional 2D screens,the graphics themselves have always beenin real 3D. That’s why Viz Engine was one ofthe world’s first systems to support stereoscopyright out of the box. By simply syncingtwo Viz Engines, broadcasters can createreal-time stereoscopic graphics just as easilyas 2D graphics.Flexible hardware support. Thecombination of a powerful plug-in API anda simple ASCII communication protocolmakes a very flexible foundation for variousapplications. Given the availability of competitivehigh-performance graphics hardwarein the market today, Viz Engine canbe used as the complete graphics layer forapplications requiring high-fidelity graphiccontent and interactivity.Viz Engine on the PC platform can beconfigured with an optional Matrox X.mio video board that will further enhance itscapabilities. With a Matrox board, VizEngine supports real-time video outputboth in HD and SD, as well as in PAL andNTSC. The Engine can then handle two independentSD/HD video inputs in RGB,or one RGBA input used for background orlive video textures. With a Matrox board,Viz Engine supports clip playback in avariety of formats: DVCPRO 25Mbit,50Mbit, and MPEG2, and IMX.Being the most trusted newsorganization in the country, we’reconstantly finding ways to improveour programs. In our recentrebranding, Vizrt proved to beinstrumental in helping us achieve alook that is truly innovativeand world-class.Sheila Paras / Head of Creative Imaging / GMA NewsViz EngineKey Features• Extremely powerful rendering engine• Runs on Windows XP/2000• 2D and 3D real-time high-quality graphicswith live video inputs and fill + key outputs• Supports SD digital video (PAL and NTSCin 4:3 and 16:9 ratios), HD digital video, aswell as render to disk (AVI and Quicktime)• High-quality full scene anti-aliasing• Open interface allows third party applicationsto control the graphics with ease• Built-in chroma keyer• Powerful Plug-in API available• Pure OpenGL implementation• Full support of OpenGL Shader Languageenables users to create their own shaders• Supports timeline-based audio playback• Optional video board to support live videoinputs and clip playback• Optional plug-in packages availableThe Vizrt Catalogue 2011 35

Create real-time 3DgraphicsBroadcastViz Artist covers all areas of today’s broadcastgraphics. It enables designers to buildcomplete virtual sets as well as complex3D animations. It even makes bread-andbuttertasks, such as building geometry andcreating fonts for lower third graphics, moreefficient. Add to that full support for mapsand video and you have a system that takescare of all your design needs.Animations and more. Innovative scenes,compelling graphics, and stunning animations:Viz Artist 3 releases designers fromrepetitive standard tasks and gives themcomplete freedom to concentrate on thecreative side of their work.Video. Viz Artist 3 fully supports videoas part of the creation process. Videoscan be used as parts of a scene, or astextures mapped onto geometry usingUVW coordinates.Splines. The built-in spline editor allowsusers to fully control every aspect of an animation.Parameters can be adjusted eitherby their keyframe values or withthe attached handles.Directors. Controlling animations hasnever been simpler: directors control animationson the timeline. They can be split andmerged and even grouped hierarchically. Aclear representation of complex animationsis provided.Viz Graphic Hub server. Viz Artist3 comes with an integrated multi-userdatabase that serves as the central point forstoring all assets. This asset managementdatabase provides efficient and secure filehandling.Guaranteed data consistency. Allobjects keep track of their references underall circumstances. They stay consistent evenwhen they are copied or moved. This meansthat changes in an object will always affectall connected scenes. Company-wide changesin style, such as new fonts or logos can beaccomplished by editing a single element.PIXELSA user-friendly andeffective real-time3D modelling andanimation tool. Letyour ideas come tolife with Viz Artist.Organizing functionality. Viz Artist offers great flexibilitywhen it comes to organizing references. Scenes, including all theirrelevant references, can be arranged in different projects. Complexscenes often contain many image, object, clip, and font references.These references are registered in Viz Graphic Hub and can be easilysearched for using any of their properties. All elements necessaryfor handling complex designs are accessible from one place.Support for Stereoscopy. For designers the transition fromcreating graphics for 2D playout to stereoscopic playout can be achallenge. With its integrated support for true stereoscopic previewon the same machine, artists can now instantly see how their designtranslates into 3D space and adjust it accordingly. It’s no longernecessary to render elements out and check them on another screenbefore playout.Objects and geometry. Every Viz Artist 3 installation offers awide variety of different parametric objects. The selection contains2D objects and simple 3D objects that can be used to create morecomplex 3D models.Editing 3D objects. Each parametric object has a set of free variablesthat allows designers to alter the object’s features in variousways. For a cylinder, for example, the editable features wouldinclude bevel size, radius, and internal-hole radius. All variablechanges can be animated and externally controlled.Built-in interactivity. Viz Artist 3 features advanced control andinteractivity options. The application comes with its own powerfulscripting language, closely resembling Visual Basic in structureand syntax. The scripting language allows designers to integrateinteractivity and custom logic easily into a scene. It only takes a fewlines of code to create interactive elements such as click buttons orsupport for touchscreens.Viz Artist 3 comes with a variety of built-in functions that enablethe user to easily manipulate different object and function properties.The functions can be addressed from scripts, which can then becompiled and saved as plug-ins. These plug-ins can easily be usedin further scenes and shared with other users.Open for other formats. Viz Artist 3 has the ability to importmodels from other 3D packages. Viz Artist 3 can import files from allmajor 3D packages, such as Maya, 3DS Max, Lightwave, Softimage,and many others. It accepts the majority of these formats’ geometryparameters, such as reference to textures, texture mapping coordinates,smoothing groups, materials, and lighting.Viz Pixel FX plug-ins are based on advanced shader technology,offering designers color correction and video manipulation in VizArtist on a level that up now demanded third-party applications.Viz Artist Key Features• User-friendly and effective real-time 3Dmodelling and animation tool• Full support for maps and video• Full real-time rendering of models from3rd party applications like Maya andSoftimage|xsi• Pre-rendering of scenes for futureplayback• Hardware 2D DVE as well as software 3DDVE• Advanced font style handling• Built-in spline editor for full control overanimation at any time• Full support for undo/redo functionality• Supports shortcuts for all common tasks• Integration with asset managementdatabase for efficient file-handling anddata consistency• Supports Viz Graphic Hub with extendedsearch functionality: all object propertiescan serve as search criteria• Software Development Kit available• Optional Shader plug-ins availableThe Vizrt Catalogue 2011 37

A new starBroadcastin the studioVIZ ANCHOR is a new Vizrt app targeted at news, sports and weatherpresenters in the studio. The app runs natively on Apple’s iPad andallows users to control newsroom playlists, including video andgraphics, directly from the iPad.CONTROLLING GRAPHICS from the palm of your hand. Our awardwinningcontrol app empowers your on-air talent to do what theydo best: present content in a compelling way, free from a range ofcommon newsroom restrictions. It provides a subset of the functionalityof Vizrt’s other control applications, such as Viz Content Pilotand Viz Trio, enabling the presenter to have an updated version ofthe playlist available in the palm of his or her hand – without goingthrough the control room.SEAMLESS INTEGRATION. Viz Anchor integrates seamlessly withexisting Vizrt workflows. Once the latest run-down is updated, thepresenter may easily run graphics directly on-air, or for instancestart and stop animations on a video wall controlled by Viz VideoWall ER. Video clips and graphics scenes can be controlled remotelyfrom anywhere in the studio. This allows for a more dynamic presentationwith a smooth and organic flow.Viz Anchor fits perfectly into a sports broadcast where thepresenter himself wants to bring up relevant data during the halftime analysis. It adds excitement to any electoral coverage, or addsa bit of thunder to your daily weather forecast. A number of realtimescenarios fetched by the anchor is all you need to make thepresenter look innovative and creative. By bringing the number onetrending tablet into the studio, you’re simultaneously expanding theboundaries of newsroom television.Viz Anchor Viz Anchor requires an existing Vizrt infrastructureand is not a standalone product. Tobe able to utilize Viz Anchor you will need accessto additional Vizrt software components.Key Features• Playout of graphics added to newsroomstories runs natively on Apple’s iPad usingthe MOS protocol• Playout of context-enabled playlists andshows• Playout of Transition Logic graphics (withoutcontext)• Provide a snapshot preview of the scenein the playlist• Connect to and use any Viz MediaSequencer Engine with a profile and supportedplaylist type• Configurable playlist operations• Support for RGBA (key and fill) versions ofthe preview thumbnails• View and send logs directly to VizrtMORE INTERACTION. Being an iPad app,Viz Anchor features an intuitive touchbasedinterface. Through the device’swireless connection, changes in the playlist can easily be fetched by the presenter.Simply tap a finger in order to get the latestplay list at your disposal. Another doubletapwill run any selected set of graphics.ADD A NEW DIMENSION TO YOURSTORYTELLING. There are no limitationsas to what type of graphics youcan control. It can be your typical CG(character generator) graphics, graphicson your video wall, your virtual set, orimmersive graphics. At a crucial timeof segmentation within the TV industry,add a new dimension to yourstorytelling with Viz Anchor.The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 39

A real-time 2D/3Dcharacter generatorBroadcastViz Trio is the number one character generator (CG) for live televisedevents anywhere on the globe.IT’S THE SYSTEM’S FLEXIBILITY and the high level of built-in intelligencethat sets it apart. Forget about the limitations of traditionalCGs and work instead with an intelligent application that exceedsyour expectations. Viz Trio is a system that delivers more than youthought was possible and may perhaps even inspire you and yourdesigners to try something completely new.A FEATURE RICH 3D DESIGN SYSTEM. In addition to basic CGfunctionality, a set of advanced features supply the operator withcomplex graphical and operational possibilities. Viz Trio supports,amongst other features, connectivity to multiple newsroom systems,seamless context switching on graphics, Look-Ahead TransitionLogic, multiple clients controlling a single output channel, andintegration with non-linear editing systems.ALL GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES. As its name suggests, Viz Trioit is often used as a combination of three products. With the VizTrio client you control the video output and make changes to yourcontent, whenever needed. Then there is the Viz Engine, which is areal-time 3D rendering software that delivers animations in HD SDIvideo or as a DVI digital output. Finally, there is Viz Artist, which isan animation and visual effects creation tool.TV PRODUCERS often faces the challenge of how to present thesame news or sports results cost-effectively across various channelsor even for different shows on the same channel. Viz Trio’s templatevariants make it possible to deliver several different graphicsstreams from a single CG and a single set of data.MULTIPLE CLIENTS ON ONE OUTPUT CHANNEL. Multiple Viz Trioclients can prepare graphics simultaneously without tying up theon-air graphics channel during the preparation process. Further,during play out, multiple clients can operate one output channel.Viz Trio includes a simple built-in macrolanguage that designers can use to customizefurther the way graphics are rendered.Ready-made examples are available at allstages for a huge variety of functions. VizTrio is not just a pre configured application– its behavior can be customized to yourworkflow needs.LOOK-AHEAD TRANSITION LOGIC is uniqueto Vizrt. It makes sure that for any newpage taken to air, the system automaticallyperforms optimal transitions between existingand new graphics elements. Graphicselements intended to be on the screen at thesame time are put in different logical layers.The concept of independent layers makesit possible to put on air any combinationof graphics and still control them independentlyof each other.VISUAL DATA TOOLS. Viz Trio supportsViz Artist’s Visual Data Tools plug-ins forshowing information such as bars, graphs,lines, pies, scatters or stocks. Charts can beedited in the same way as common spreadsheets.As Viz Trio supports the ADO interface,it is also possible to connect to anydatabase or spreadsheet for fetching data.NEWSROOM INTEGRATION. Apart fromintegrating with other Vizrt systems,Viz Trio also integrates with major newsroomsystems, automation systems,general purpose interfaces and nonlinearediting system.Viz Trio Viz Trio allows operators to fill out graphicstemplates and add video files to them.Available clips can be searched within a VizMedia Engine database and be edited usingnon-linear editing systems such as Viz PreCutor Viz EasyCut. From within the Viz Trio interfaceit is possible to choose templates andedit them on the fly. Headlines can be addedand video files can be searched and added tothe template. The end result can be instantlypreviewed on the operator’s machine with alow-resolution version of the selected clips.Key Features:• Runs on a rack mountable PCs as well asstandard desktop PCs• True real-time 3D graphics• Look-Ahead Transition Logic enablesseamless automatic transitions betweengraphics (no need for mix off/on)• Integration with the leading non-linearediting (NLE) systems from Apple, Avidand Quantel• Supports all major SD and HD formats• Advanced multi-layer logic reducesnumber of pages needed for compositegraphical elements• Real-time video output with adjustablevideo buffering• Maps integration for adding high-resolutioncustom maps with style definitions,and real-time animations and hierarchicalzoom from globe to street-level• Integration with all major newsroomsystemsIT’S ALL IN A BOX. You need the full functionality of Viz Trio, butdon’t have the space to spare? Then simply run Viz Trio on a singlePC! With a single PC setup you get all the features of a regular VizTrio with having two graphics card in the same machine. The VizTrio client that is used for organizing playlists, controlling the videooutput and making fast changes to content, and the Viz Enginefor rendering the graphics both run on the same hardware, withno significant effect on rendering performance. In fact, with twographics cards on board the setup not only saves space, costs andsimplifies setup and maintenance; it even allows for a full localpreview directly on the Viz Trio. It is the perfect CG for OB vans andall locations where rack space is limited.The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 41

Turn graphics intoan easy task forjournalistsBroadcastViz Content Pilot allows journalists and producers to add graphicselements to their stories through a simple fill-in-form interface. Itoffers a complete overview of the graphics rundown and integrateswith all the major newsroom systems.BROADCASTERS WORLDWIDE use Viz Content Pilot, from majorTV networks to local TV stations. Because Viz Content Pilot is notlimited to broadcast productions, it can deliver graphics content toall types of graphics displays and is also used as the core controlcomponent in a Viz Virtual Studio setup. Viz Content Pilot can serveas the core content control system for all users that require speed, aconsistent look, and a streamlined workflow for their graphics.CREATE, MANAGE, AND DELIVER high volumes of top-qualitycontent with Viz Content Pilot. It supports live and taped news,sports, election, and other broadcast productions. By using a varietyof template forms, the editorial staff can enter new data, images orvideos in pre-defined graphic animations, and preview the resultinstantaneously. Therefore, day-to-day content creation can betotally independent from the design department.PLAYLIST MANAGEMENT. Viz Content Pilot includes a powerfulmulti-user playlist with real-time updates allowing multiple producersto update the playlist simultaneously. The playlist can also beautomatically synchronized with a variety of applications, such asnewsroom systems or Viz Trio.Viz Content Pilot includes full support for Vizrt’s Look-AheadTransition Logic . Transitions between graphics are triggered automaticallyusing a single video output channel. This enables seamlessand automatic transitions between multiple layers of graphics.NEWSROOM INTEGRATION. Viz Content Pilot easily integrates intothe editorial workflow, as its templates can be accessed by anymajor newsroom system. The Newsroom Connect Component isa small, but advanced, graphics editing tool that is bundled withViz Content Pilot and installed on your newsroom system clientmachines. It enables journalists to add images, text, videos, andmaps, and to select the graphics concept and variant. It also supportsa real-time preview and snapshots. For time-critical situations,the Quick CG command line tool allows the user to create graphicswith text on the fly.TEMPLATES WITH CUSTOM APPLICATIONS. Template designers cancreate small applications, using drag-and-drop operations, scripts,and macro commands in Viz Content Pilot.These applications can access and processexternal data, and trigger any kind ofcustom logic. With good usability design,designers can create templates that exactlyfit the needs of journalists.BY LINKING GRAPHICS AND VIDEO workflows,Vizrt extends the capabilities of itsgraphics systems, including the Viz ContentPilot. With our broadcast graphics solutionsvideo, high-quality graphics, productiontools, and media asset management worktogether in one integrated environment.THE JOURNALIST can access a shared databaseof video clips and stills from the newsroom.By enabling Viz Content Pilot withVizrt’s video and graphics link and combiningit with Viz Media Engine, it is possible toadd video to graphics from the newsroom.Using Viz EasyCut or Viz PreCut, journalistscan edit video clips, save them, and thenadd them to the story, either as video or asvideo in graphics from their desktop PCsin the newsroom. For last-minute editing,video clips, images, and text can also beedited by the Viz Content Pilot operator.NON-LINEAR VIDEO EDITINGINTEGRATION. With the Viz NLE plug-in,graphics templates can be used withinthe non-linear editing system without anymodifications.All the standard Viz Content Pilotcontrols and features are available withinthe non-linear editing system. The plug-inwindow includes a real-time preview of thegraphics, including full length animation.Once the template is validated, the graphicswill be rendered into the timeline.Viz Content Pilot supports amongstothers the NLE systems by Avid andQuantel, as well as Apple’s FinalCut Pro.Viz Content Pilot Viz Content Pilot supports concept andvariant enabled playlists. Concepts can beunderstood as branding styles, and are usedto define the theme of a playlist. For example,Music , Sports, 6 o’clock News, 9 o’clockNews, where each of these concepts havetheir own look and style. To further enhancethe usability of concepts, Viz Content Pilotalso supports variants of graphics. With differentvariants of a template the user can switchvariants of a scene on the fly, even rightbefore the graphics are aired. Typical variantsof a template will be a one bar graphic, a twobars graphic etc.Key Features• Support for concept and variant-enabledplaylists• Advanced newsroom integration with allmajor newsroom systems• Integration with all major automationsystems• Integration of a maps system for addinghigh resolution custom maps with styledefinitions• Full integration of video in graphics duringtemplate design, template filling, andplay out• Access to previews in real-time or assnapshots• Template-driven graphics with a completelycustomizable interface• Built-in macro commands and scriptinglogic• Customizable real-time playlist with snapshoticons of templates and videos• Runs on top of a powerful enterpriselevel Oracle database that supports up to100,000 usersThe Vizrt Catalogue 2011 43

Real-time graphics forstereoscopic broadcastBroadcastPlans to show moving pictures inthree dimensions are as old as the movie/TV industry itself. After first experimentsin the early 20th century, the technology isfinally ready for prime-time. Far from beingsimply a visual gimmick, stereoscopy canhelp broadcasters to add a “new dimension”of information to their content. Examples ofuse include sports broadcast where stereoscopyallows the viewers to follow the actionmore precisely than in a 2D projection.Turning 2 dimensions into 3. “Manyroads lead to Rome” when it comes toshowing 3D video. Existing technologies canroughly be separated into two categories: 3Dsystems that use conventional screens andrely on special glasses for the viewer, andsystems that use specialized screens andno glasses. Note that Viz Engine producesstereoscopic output independently of thescreen technology. In short, anaglyphimages provide a stereoscopic 3D effect byusing two-color glasses, while polarized3D glasses create the illusion of threedimensionalimages by restricting the lightthat reaches each eye. Alternate framesequencingis a third method of showing 3Dfilm using specialized glasses. The imagesare placed into a single strip of film in alternatingorder; the first left-eye image, thenthe corresponding right-eye image, thenthe second left-eye image, followed bythe second right-eye image and so on.A fourth option, autostereoscopy, is amethod of displaying three-dimensionalimages that can be viewed without the useof special headgear or glasses on the part ofthe user. These methods produce depth perceptioneven though the image is producedby a flat device.A complete stereo-enabled platformfrom editing to on-air. It is one of the challengesof 3D broadcasting that graphicsbehave differently in 2D than they do in 3D.DimensionsStereoscopy is 3Dimaging enhancingthe illusion of depth.While 3D graphics can look perfectlyalright when you see them as a 2D projection,they may look very wrong whenrendered as stereo pairs for 3D output. Thisis because in 2D we cannot differentiatebetween an object that is further away andscaled up and an object which is closer butscaled down.Viz Artist has by nature always been afull fledged 3D program, from version 3.3revision 9082 it also features built-in stereoscopicrendering capabilities.Grids help the designers to move andalign the objects in true 3D. During playout,the two graphics cards, or two engines, takeon the role of the left or right camera, orthey can render an image which combinesthe pair as side by side, interlaced etc. (Fora complete list please see the Viz Artistdocumentation.)What is needed to get started? Creatingstereoscopic play-out is in the nature ofVizrt’s graphics applications. Even whenthe play-out happens in 2D on conventionalTV screens, the graphics themselves aredelivered as true 3D animations, followingproper physical and optical rules. Changingthe play-out to support stereoscopic devicesis therefore just a “natural” extension of theactual rendering process.Stereo support is native for Viz Engine 3.3from revision 9082. For the VGA version VizEngine supports quad-buffered rendering,which enables the scene editor for stereoviewing too. When selecting the side-by-sideapproach, only the full screen on-air modewill display a stereo pair where the left andright images are next to each other.To produce two separate SDI fill and keysignals, either a dual-channel setup or twoViz Engines are needed. Viz Trio or any othercontrol software will communicate with thetwo engines using a software componentfrom the Viz Video Wall distributor to ensurefield-accurate synchronization.Key benefits of adopting Viz graphics foryour real-time and pre-recorded stereoscopicproductions:• When properly designed, most existing Vizscenes already work immediately• Vizrt’s existing control software will worksimmediately for stereo• Vizrt’s existing control and renderinghardware can be used for stereo or singlecamera output• The output format can be changedon-the-fly• Stereo parameters can be adjusted in realtimeduring production• Editing is available in stereo mode• Supports both shutter-glasses and asautostereoscopic displaysIf you are interested seeing Vizrt’s real-timestereo 3D capabilities for yourself, pleasecontact your local Viz office for a demo.As an existing customer, if you are interestedin adapting your Viz system for stereo production,or want to try your hand at designing Viz3D scenes stereoscopically, contact your localViz representative so we can FTP you the latestdocumentation and some sample scenes.The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 45

Reconstructing thespirits of the pastWhen Sky News set out to bringan old legend back to life lastChristmas, Viz Artist played anextremely important part.BroadcastDETAILS, DETAILSAaron Smillie comparingnotes with Bluebirdexpert Bill Smith.Sir Donald Campbell captured before his tragic deathin 1967 – televised and now part of British television history.The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 47

BroadcastNO ORDINARY JOB All componentswere precisely measured.Phil Billmore (centre) measures,Aaron watches (left). Thesketches were the skeleton ofthe finished on-air graphics.“Will the Bluebird ever be allowed to flyagain?” asked a British newspaper as anunderwater team lifted the wreckage of SirDonald Campbell’s legendary jet-poweredspeedboat from the bottom of ConistonWater in England some ten years ago.The moment of Sir Donald’s death backin 1967 is considered some of Britain’s mostprecious television history, still etched inthe memory of everyone who witnessedtheir national hero roaring across the water– in blurry black and white – at more than320mph. Tragically, Campbell died that day– failing to set a world record. In a matterof seconds, the front end lifted clear of thewater and the speedboat did a spectacularback flip, crashing into the water in a hugecloud of spray.Much has happened since, both on televisionand in the world of speed boats. Some45 years down the road, the public didn’thave to wait for the restorers to put all thepieces back together in order to once againadmire the iconic craft in action. Thanks to ateam from Sky News’s creative department,the hydroplane has already been broughtback to life, speeding across millions ofTV-screens last December.The remarkable story of the Bluebird’sphoenix-like rebirth was chronicled in atelevision documentary called ‘Bluebird:The Spirit Reborn’ broadcasted on Sky Newsand Sky News HD on Christmas Eve lastyear. The team used hi-tech 3D computergraphics, including Viz Artist, to recreateexactly what went wrong. The end-result isnothing short of amazing.The brief – To create the world’s mostaccurate high-end 3D reconstruction of thetragedy and to treat it with the respect andsensitivity it deserved.Sky were given exclusive access to theBluebird’s undergoing restoration, andbrought together the two most knowledgableexperts on the subject (Bill Smith andNeil Sheppard). Based on their new findingsand calculations, they visualized second bysecond what they believed to be the tragiclast moments of both Bluebird K7 and SirDonald Campbell’s life.Aaron Smillie and Phil Billmore (VFXArtists at Sky News) worked together onthe project from research, modelling andanimation through to final compositing. Theproject quickly became “a labour of love”for the entire team and they quickly realizedhow they needed to work in order to solvetheir own piece of the puzzle.the Sky News creative team Aaron and Phil are both Visual Effects Artists in the 3D VFX Teammanaged by Brent Jones. Aaron started his career as a Graphic Designer at ITV. Phil studied ComputerAided Product Design.Sky News A 24-hour based domestic and international satellite television news broadcaster withan emphasis on UK and international news stories. Its relations with Vizrt stretches way back. Today,Sky News it is one of Vizrt’s biggest and most important customers.The graphic got an amazingreception from inside Sky andthe audience watching at homeAaron Smillie / VFX Artist / Sky News“real-time felt like the right technology for this typeof project. The obvious benefit being that the expertsinvolved in the crash could not only see in real-time thesequence from all camera angles but could also suggestchanges as it evolved. Time withthe experts was limited so usingViz Artist made for an extremelyefficient workflow as their suggestionscould be immediatelyimplemented. Once they and thedocumentary producers werefinally happy with the sequence,they could leave knowing, prettymuch, what the final resultwas going to be”, Aaron Smillieexplains.“We had very little referencematerial to start with becausethe original plans were not made available to us so wesourced scale replica model plans from the 60’s. Thisenabled us to at least get started and it wasn’t too longbefore we were given access to the workshop wherethe restoration is being carried out. It was amazing toactually see Bluebird for real and it gave us a fantasticopportunity to photograph and measure every piece toensure that our computer model is the most accuratecomputer model of Bluebird K7 in the world.”Vizrt software was used in the animation and creationof the graphic and we also played it out live to theproducers and experts to scrutinize. This was then renderedoff as separate passes; reflections, water, boat andland and composited in After Effects, with Aaron goingto great lengths adding the finishing touches, such asglows, more water and even droplets on the lens.According to Aaron, the response was overwhelming.“The graphic got an amazing reception from insideSky and the audience watching at home. It will also begoing out on the History Channel in a few months”.See the end-result, plus the old TV-footage from 1967,by visiting vizrt.com/casestudies. To see more on theactual Bluebird K7 restoration go to bluebirdproject.comThe Vizrt Catalogue 2011 49

BroadcastComplex channelbranding made simpleViz Multichannel makes it easy to utilizehigh-quality Vizrt graphics for channelbranding. The application simplifies theplayout of playlists, providing a single clientthat handles the playlist elements of one ormore channels. Viz Multichannel helps topromote commercial messages on multiplechannels in a fully automated way. It combinespre-scheduled, time code based playlistoperations with the possibility of adding realtime2D and 3D graphic effects and powerfulbranding capabilities. In complex environmentsthe application helps to centralize theentire workflow onto one desktop.Integration with the workflow. VizMultichannel integrates seamlessly withexisting channel traffic and scheduling solutions.It supports the import of playlists fromall major traffic and automation systems.Support for automation systems. VizMultichannel’s integration with the automationsystem guarantees that every singleelement is played out at exactly the righttime. After receiving a playlist from thetraffic system, the automation takes controlduring playout, telling Viz Multichannelwhen to run a specific item.Last-minute changes – made in theautomation system – will automaticallybe synchronized with the playlist in VizMultichannel. This means that the solutionas a whole always reflects the latest status,regardless of when a playlist is changed.Event handling. While shows or ad-blocksare considered primary events, the graphicseffects within the show, like squeezebacks,tickers and lower thirds, are seen as secondaryevents. After a primary event has beentriggered by the automation system, VizMultichannel takes control of the secondaryevents and plays them without the needfor user intervention, this way guaranteeingaccurate timing. Optionally, secondaryevents can also be triggered by the automationsystem.BRANDINGUtilize high-qualityVizrt graphicsfor your channelbranding.Viz Multichannel’s flexibility is basedon relative time codes: Offsets are based onthe time code of a specific program ratherthan on an absolute time of day. Because therelative start point of a template in relationto the main program always stays the same,updates in the playlist do not affect thegraphics schedule.The communication between VizMultichannel and the automation systemuses standard protocols like VDCP andIntelligent Interface and is open to otherthird party systems.Adjusting the playlist. Last-minutechanges to existing playlists are verycommon in broadcasting. Whether sportsevents go overtime or breaking newsdemands its own space in the playlist, VizMultichannel handles time-critical changeswithout the need for user interference.Staying in control. Viz Multichannelallows users to maintain full control overthe playlist up to the very last minute beforeplayout. Templates automatically collectinformation such as the program’s nameand start time. Should any changes occur,all relevant information is updated instantly.An automatic error check makes surethat changes in the original playlist do notcorrupt the graphics playlist. Advancederror protection features include alertsconcerning overlapping animations,mismatches, or other deviations fromthe schedule.Branding and promotions.Viz Multichannel does much more thansimply merge your promotion and brandingstrategy with the playlist. It also helps youto control and monitor the content.Templates make graphics accessiblein next to no time. Vizrt’s template systemlets users create branded graphics with onlya few clicks. Or even completely automaticallyif you prefer.Viz Multichannel Key Features• Hands-off workflow for graphic elementcreation, directly from the channel trafficsystem• Advanced support for promotions andbranding• Automation for an unlimited number ofchannels• Cutting-edge real-time 2D/3D graphicsand DVE effects• Supports all SD and HD formats• Interfaces with all major automation solutionsvia GPI, Chyron Intelligent Interface,RS-232/242 and TCP/IP• Multichannel elements can be triggeredthrough the Vizrt REST API• Supports playlist changes up to the verylast minute• One operator can monitor all channelsfrom a single client• Full preview functionality• Automatic notification of traffic errors• Automated billing and reports• Runs on standard, rack-mountable PChardware and laptopsThe Vizrt Catalogue 2011 51

Possibly the most flexiblereal-time 3D tickerBroadcastViz Ticker3D is an advanced ticker systemthat makes it possible to build creative andcompelling graphic tickers with total flexibility.With Viz Ticker3D, multiple graphicalelements (both scrolling and flipping) withvarious speeds can be displayed simultaneously.The elements can include text,animated images, and sound.Flexibility. Viz Ticker3D is highly flexible,allowing users to create tickers of live data,animated 3D objects, images, and text. Thetickers themselves are 3D objects, and canbe designed to scroll around objects, forexample a desks in a virtual set or the wallsof a real studio.Two Ticker concepts. Viz Ticker3D supportstwo major ticker concepts: scrollingand flipping 3D tickers. With scrolling tickers,multiple ticker lines can be scrolled over thescreen. The flipping ticker concept makes itpossible to flip between pages, as if througha stack of cards. This solution allows foradvanced visual transitions between pages,as well as automatically alternating pageswith real-time content, such as the stockexchangesindices.Data entry. Ticker content can easily beadded through the use of templates. Contentcan be manually entered or auto-retrieved.For example, in breaking news stories or textmessaging (SMS/MMS) interactivity, contentis manually entered. Election or sportsresults, news wires, weather or financialdata is typically auto-retrieved from externaldata feeds.Typical workflow. The ticker creationworkflow typically starts with the designof a scene in Viz Artist. The next step isto scan and verify the scene structure inTicker Wizard, and then to build the logicfor the ticker by performing a few quickCAROUSELControl your livetickers with scrollingand flippingtext, images andanimated 3D objects,with various speeds,simultaneously.configurations. The final step in the workflowis to launch Ticker Client and add messagesto the carousel. The ticker is then ready to goon air.Multiple clients. The solution architectureallows for multiple clients to create andcontrol the live tickers. The Viz Ticker3D userinterface manages all information and taskscheduling in a user-friendly manner.Ticker Wizard and Ticker Client.The Viz Ticker3D solution consists of twoapplications. Ticker Wizard is Vizrt’s tickerconfiguration application. In this system,carousels (scrolling or flipping) are selected,and equipped with templates. Adjustmentsof the GUI settings in Ticker Client can bedefined from this system. The typical userof Ticker Wizard is a graphical artist.Ticker Client is Vizrt’s ticker client application.In this system, messages (instancesof templates) are created, added to thecarousel, and sent to air. The typical userof Ticker Client is a journalist or operator.Advanced features. Viz Ticker3D distinguishesitself through several noteworthyfeatures. Ticker elements can, for example,trigger events when entering the scrollingticker. Such an event may be the start of ananimation, or the display of pre-definedtext or graphic objects positioned anywhereon the screen. Stock price movements cangenerate up or down markers, voting resultscan render 3D charts, and so on. In addition,the system features multi-render supportand can be set up to feed several multipleoutput channels from one message carousel.Multiple clients can control a shared tickermessage pool, as well as perform on-aircontrol. Viz Ticker3D also supports theLook-Ahead Transition Logic to facilitateand simplify visual transitions of multipletickers on-air simultaneously.Viz Ticker3D Key Features• Real-time 3D text, graphics, and animationsdisplayed simultaneously withminimal buffering delay• Direct editing of content on-air. Controlkeys and GPIs for on/off air, switching betweencarousel and animation transitions• Multiple clients for on-air control andediting• Multiple clients control a shared tickermessage pool• Open interface for data feed applicationintegration• Step-by-step setup of tickers in only a fewminutes• Multiple scrolling tickers• Supports expire settings on individualelements according to time/date and/ornumber of runs• Multi-render support allows you to choosetickers from a common pool of content• Full unicode language support, includingcomplex scriptThe Vizrt Catalogue 2011 53

Adding graphicsto the timelineBroadcastViz NLE connects the Vizrt real-time graphicspipeline with existing post-productionenvironments and reduces design and developmentoverheads. Our plugins for nonlinearediting allows broadcasters to worksmarter. It seamlessly connects the Vizrtreal-time graphics pipeline with an existingpost-production environment. Broadcasterscan in other words retain the same graphicalelements in both surroundings.The system. Instead of recreating existingVizrt graphics using other design software,users can now design each graphic once,and use it both live and in their post-productionwork. Viz NLE provides fast turnaroundtimes in busy newsrooms,and reduced design and development overheads,for example, when changinga station’s branding.The workflow. With Viz Content Pilot, theoperator can pick ready-made graphics fora specific story. When using Viz Trio or VizNLE on the Mac, the operator chooses anexisting template and inserts text, imagesand video to create a new graphic whichthen appears in the timeline.After choosing a graphic, the operatorcan move the Viz NLE effect around in thevideo project’s timeline and change its duration.The effects can be edited at any timeand in any way, from simple spell checkingVIDEO BRANDINGThe key to a fasterediting workflow isthe optimization ofas many steps ofyour workflow aspossible. Read moreabout the Vizrt videoediting workflowon p.101to choosing different pictures or graphics.When stretching or shortening graphicsthat contain in and out animations, theintegrity of the animations are safe-guarded.The support for variable-length effectsmeans that out-animations are always triggeredat the proper time near the end of theeffect. The same unaltered graphic can thusbe used whether an NLE effect lasts for fiveminutes or five seconds.Advantages and benefits. One ofViz NLE’s key advantages is the ability topreserve existing channel branding withoutadditional effort. The same graphics can beused in different scenarios, from a station’svideo editing projects to live broadcasts.This is especially useful in near realtimecoverage of elections and sportsevents, for instance, where the newsroomorientedworkflow of Viz Content Pilot orthe live-system performance of Viz Trio.Another important advantage is Viz NLE’sunobtrusiveness.As a plug-in within the NLE application,it saves the NLE operator time and effort byextending the power and functionality of theproducts in Vizrt’s graphics pipeline withoutcomplicating the workflow with unnecessarydetails.The workflow is native to the NLE application;Vizrt simply provides the plug-in toinclude Vizrt graphics.Viz NLE Available plug-insViz NLE provides a suite of plug-ins forthese NLE applications:• Avid NLE systems with AVX2 support:Media Composer, Xpress Pro, NewsCutter• Avid Liquid (formerly Pinnacle Liquid)• Apple FinalCut Studio• Viz EasyCutSome third-party vendors have developedViz NLE-like functionality in their ownsoftware:• Harris Velocity• EVS CleanEdit• Sony XPRIAdding graphics to thetimeline becomes a smoothoperation with the templatedriven NLE plug-inThe Vizrt Catalogue 2011 55

Serving The Full RangeVizrt is more than just the big names. When Sydney based Zspace wentlive with an award-winning bang, they proved that Vizrt is a perfectmatch even for the small players.By Pasravee Baile / Journalist & Media Consultantzspace is a creative collective with dedicated teams specialising in design,film production and solutions for live events, based in the heart of Sydney. Itsfocus is on mixing talent, experience and technology.Vizrt has 542 licensed software dongles on PCs In Australia and NewZealand. There are 71 Viz Artists out there in the lands down under, along with141 SD Viz Engines, 143 HD Viz Engines and 187 Viz Control Applications.Since 2008, Sky Racing Australia’s Viz Ardome system has been automaticallyrecording, cutting and archiving around 1500 thoroughbred horse,greyhound and harness races a week. The biggest week so far was the weekafter Easter this year with 1739 races.BroadcastZspace is a highly successful Sydneybased Design Company providing TVCs andprogram branding graphics to the broadcastindustry and has expanded its coverage withthe establishment of its “Live” department.Zspace’s involvement with Vizrt began in2003 with the launch of Network Ten Sportson Vizrt. Zspace had been providing graphicdesign services to Ch10 and when Ch10Sport made the leap to Vizrt, they were thereto take up the challenge.Zspace worked closely with Vizrt to buildsome award-winning graphics for Ch10MotorSport and Australian Football Leaguecoverage. The MotorSport 3D grid lineupanimation was a huge success for Zspacedesign and showed the ease of data integrationand power of the Viz Engine.The design process involved buildingmodels of the cars in Maya and individuallivery of the cars in Adobe Illustrator,imagery of drivers in Photoshop and the Pitlane buildings from the famous Bathursttrack were taken from the architects CADdesign. All these elements were easilyimported into the Viz Artist and animated tothe finished result.As this animation had to be run in realtime, the performance power of the VizEngine shone through. The graphic wasbuilt to show the grid lineup of all carsinstantly after the “top 10 shoot-out” wherethe top 10 cars time trial for Pole position.The 3D grid animation had to be data drivenfrom the timing system to instantly providethe detailed animation live on air, where thegraphic was rendered in real time via dataselecting the correct car lineup includingteam and car type, driver details with photowhile fly-over animating the whole gridview.The V8 Motor racing has since moved tothe Seven Network along with Zspace redesigninga new look grid lineup and providingthe graphics production services to Ch7.Other involvement in motorsport for Zspaceis also with the Formula One racing wherethey provide production services to theMelbourne and Singapore racetracks. Everyrace other than the F1 is covered by Zspaceproduction and showing Vizrt graphics onall big and small screens around the tracks.One of the key benefits for the Networksand Zspace using Vizrt is the real timerendering where these detailed graphicsanimations can be easily reworked withSponsorship logos giving the Networks avaluable new revenue stream.From these humble beginnings Zspace’suse of Vizrt has grown steadily to nowhaving started their “Zspace Live” department.There is currently 6 full time Vizrtfocussed staff at Zspace providing graphicsdesign and production services basedaround Vizrt products.As this animation had to be run in realtime, theperformance power of the Viz Engine shone through.The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 57

Create brandedanimated mapsBroadcastViz World is the broadcast industry’s defacto standard for the creation of brandedmaps and geographic animations. Viz Worldcan act as both a creation tool and a serverplatform. By extending Viz World to a serveredition, it can provide real-time, brandedmap imagery to several clients embeddedwithin Vizrt’s control applications,both for broadcast production and onlinepublishing.The graphic templates containing mapreferences can be accessed and personalizedby any number of users throughout an organization.In practice, the Viz World Clientenables producers, journalists and operatorsto open map control objects within graphictemplates from within Viz Content Pilot, VizTrio or Viz Weather, for example. By editingthe map elements, users can change maplocations, add animated 3D objects (such ascar crashes, planes or fires), and animatedlabels; show street information, displayon-demand satellite images of chosen locations,create geographical locators, anddesign fully animated 3D maps.BRANDED TEMPLATE BASED MAPS. Just asmany other Vizrt applications, Viz World isfully template based. All pre-designed templatescan be accessed through the Viz Triocharacter generator and Viz Content Pilot,as well as Viz Weather and Viz Artist. Onlinepublishers can even use Viz World to createbranded, animated maps for their web sites.From choosing a location to publishinga map that is consistent with channel orwebsite branding takes a journalist less thana minute and doesn’t require any exceptionalsoftware skills.ADD A MAPViz World Clientenables producers,journalists andoperators to openmap control objectswithin graphictemplates, forexample, from withinViz Content Pilot,Viz Trio orViz Weather.Any of the following options can beadded to Viz World to expand its map-makingcapabilities, both for broadcast use andonline publication.NATURAL EARTH COLORING. Based onsatellite imagery from Planet Observer,the Natural Earth Coloring option can adddetailed imagery to your maps, down to a15m resolution.3D EXPORT. Fully textured genuine reliefmodels can be created and exported at thetouch of a button. The .object files producedcan be used in Viz Artist or third-party 3Dmodelling packages.PAINT AND EFFECTS. Add professionalquality and fully-featured raster paintretouch and rotoscoping functionality.IMAGERY ON DEMAND. Instantly browse,download and incorporate high-resolutionsatellite imagery from around the world.The Viz World Client. Viz World can act asboth a creation tool and a server platform.When it is upgraded to a server edition,it enables maps or map templates firstprepared using Viz World to be integratedwithin 3D graphic templates usingViz Artist.Additional map data. Viz World includesa comprehensive database of politicalboundaries, coastlines, rivers, major roads,named places, and relief topography coveringthe entire world. In addition, there is avariety of optional additional data for you tochoose from.Viz World Key Features• Create branded maps directly from allof Vizrt’s content control and designapplications• Supports Viz Content Pilot, Viz Trio, andViz Weather• No workflow changes, seamless integrationwith Escenic Content Engine.• Map labels can be generated in the maptexture itself, or as 3D/2D Viz Engineobjects• Geo positions, zoom animations, map locatorsand objects can be placed on maps• Objects and animations are created automaticallyusing Viz Artist plug-ins• Fully integrated with Microsoft VirtualEarth’s Birds Eye view imagery• Unlimited range of animations, from globeto street level• Multiple destinations can be visited withone animation• Supports 3D terrain and elevationThe Vizrt Catalogue 2011 61

Monitoring yourVizrt infrastructurefrom a single pointBroadcastViz Secure is a premium system-supportproduct tailored for both basic as well ascomplex Vizrt environments. It can monitorboth on-air and content preparationsystems, provides continuous visual statusupdates, reports failures, suggests remedialand preventative actions, and logs everysystem event, enabling statistical and trendmonitoring.Broadcasters share a need for thehighest level of system availability, especiallyfor their on-air program streams. Mostequipment is replicated and multiple individualcomponents need to work together.Complex software systems can be difficultto diagnose and need levels of engineeringexpertise that may not be available aroundthe clock. Viz Secure allows to monitorthese systems by running in the backgroundand continuously reporting data back to acontrol hub. From there, alarms, exceptionreports, diagnosis tools and software-restartcapabilities provide engineering teamswith all tools necessary to maintainon-air reliability.Real-time monitoring and exceptionreporting at component level. Viz Secureis monitoring individual system components,enabling better diagnosis andquicker, more effective responses from theengineering team. By controlling the internalsof the Vizrt application performance,Viz Secure can highlight potential problemsbefore they impact on-air performance.Resilience and recovery from networkproblems. Because the log data is initiallyheld locally, a network-service interruptiondoes not result in lost information. This canbe of particular value when equipment isdisconnected as part of normal operation- e.g. equipment in an outside broadcasttruck will automatically report back to ahub at the base on re-connection.Secure, encrypted information transfer.A variety of security mechanisms ensurethat Viz Secure logging and control data isnot intercepted or tampered with. Clientswho need system access from the outsidecan employ conditional access to protectthe integrity of their broadcast network.Passwords protect access to viewing andactions capability.Range of alarm and notification options.Upon detection of a component failure, arule set determines the action to be taken.The action can range from a state changein a dynamic display and text messages,to audible alarms and emails. Standardreports include time-to-fix, issues byperiod, by severity, as well as installedsoftware versions.Statistical reporting to analyze trends.Short term (e.g. memory use) and long term(e.g. database disk occupancy) trends canbe analyzed enabling pre-emptive action tokeep the system operating at peak efficiency.Data can be exported and used off-site bysupport providers for off-line analysis.Viz Secure Key Features• Monitors the health of entire Vizrt environments–applications, databases andhardware• Real-time non-stop monitoring and exceptionreporting at component level• Range of alarm and notification options• Proactive maintenance diagnosis• Remedial action information• Fully scalable to monitor basic as well ascomplex environments• Enables remote maintenance includingrestarting applications• Secure, encrypted information transfer• Easy to install and low system overhead• Can operate as a slave application toother maintenance systems• Advanced 3D GUIDiagnosis and remedial actioninformation. In many cases, problemsolution requires a software applicationto be restarted. Subject to the site securitypolicies remote application restarts can beenabled allowing specialist off-site engineersto reset a system. This is especiallyuseful when shift engineers do not have theexpertise required to deal with an issue.REAL-TIMEMonitor your Vizrtsystems securelywith Viz SecurePremium 3D GUI option. The 3D GUI optionuses Viz Engine to display an interactive 3Dmodel of the physical environment showingcurrent equipment status, and providingengineers quicker tools to locate and repairsystems. Drill-down access can includetouch screen monitors. The GUI can alsoshow images of equipment racks and theinternal layout of the computers.The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 63

BroadcastHåvard MyklebustExecutive Vice President / VizrtHaving built experience from the world of newspapers and television over thelast 25 years, Vizrt’s Executive Vice President has taken part in a series of groundbreaking technological transformations - like the transition from paste up todigital desktop publishing within the newspaper industry, and the change fromtape-based workflows to digital, file-based workflows in the TV industry. He hasalso built channels and worked as product editor in Norway’s largest commercialTV station.It's all about those eyeballsIn order to protect and secure future income streams, HåvardMyklebust feels no innovative media house can afford not toinvest in multi-platform distribution.What’s the most important in the fiveyears to come?– Get your content out there! It’s allabout being where your users, viewers andreaders are. The segmentation and fragmentationof the market keeps doing it moreand more difficult to be where the users are.We’re one of the few companies in the worldoffering a workflow where video, graphics,text, and images are shown together andadjusted to fit each TV channel, weatherthey are planning on airing or publishingtheir content. The content has to be mobile,preferably with a local presence, and ideallyalso social.Exactly why is it so important topublish in numerous channels and onseveral platforms?– Take television as an example. The lastten years, the median age for TV viewershas increased by 10 years globally. Theyounger watch a lot less TV. Instead, theyhave moved to other platforms where theydemand high quality content on theirlaptops, smartphones, pads, etc. And weknow for certain that the media habits ofthe younger audience affects the habits ofother age groups as well. Just have a look atFacebook. It started as a youth phenomenonand is now used by grandmothers alike.But how do you make money on thenew platforms?– There is no universal recipe. Allmarkets are different. But there is no doubtthat the big advertising revenues are tobe found in the big markets. At my formeremployer, we enjoyed great success withusers paying to get access to content. Thiswill continue to be an important source ofrevenue in many markets. But all of this isaffected by local conditions. Our customersknow who their viewers and readers are,and Vizrt delivers the solutions each of ourcustomers needs.Is it possible to make as much moneyon the new IP based platform comparedto traditional platforms?– We have done a lot of research on this.The results suggest that it will be a combinationof cost savings and revenue from newplatforms and channels. I am no fortuneteller,so this I hard to predict. But there’s nodoubt that there are more eyeballs to catchout there, hence more revenue. It’s all aboutcombining traditional broadcasting withnew platforms.How can Vizrt contribute?– For most, this is all about editorialstrategy. How do you transform a newsroomaccustomed to focus only on broadcast,maybe only delivering to one channel, intoone that thinks and works with multipleplatforms and distribution channels? This isan organizational challenge, for sure. Vizrthas a strong marked advantage here in offeringthe tools needed to make this necessaryworkflow transition as easy, effective andsmooth as possible. We deliver the righttools for the modern newsroom. We areworking closely with our customers to continuedeveloping our newsroom workflowtools to address multi-platform publishing.But how is this possible with all theplatforms, operating systems anddevices out there?– We are lucky here in Vizrt, havingan R&D department that is committed todeveloping support for all major operatingsystems like iOS, Android, Windows Phoneetc, in addition to HTML5, the web, etc. Thisgives our customers the security they need,knowing that they have selected a supplierthat is future proof.What will be the most important components in the future of the media world?– This is hard to predict, but there are few doubts about this being all about video. Butthe video content needs to be branded and also include explanatory and informative graphics.Still, I strongly believe that all media houses, including publishers, need to work morewith video, metadata, and work more towards customized content. It’s all about personalizingcontent to get what you want; at the location you are at, and when you want it!What about live?– Live broadcast will always be special, but at the same time the broadcasters need tostart thinking about distributing more widely. Vizrt is known for our real-time systems andthis is amongst our greatest strengths today. Fast delivery of high quality content is ourbiggest competitive advantage and we will continue to do more research and developmentin this field. Vizrt runs some of the biggest live events in the world, and we are proud to saythat this is our area of expertise.Any thing to add to this?– Vizrt is a company about to reach 40 offices spread around the entire world. Prettysoon we’ll also be hiring our 600th employee. We welcome you to visit us to discuss yourfuture. Come see us at one of our offices, on a trade show or on the street. We’re here for ourcustomers and very happy to be involved in any type of challenge, be it a large and complextask, or a smaller one. Our goal is to work with both larger and smaller media houses, anywherein the world, at any time!The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 65

Online & MobileA CompleteOnline & MobileVideo PlatformVizrt makes it easy to create captivating stories. Every day,leading players in the world’s media market rely on us to managetheir content and provide a dynamic platform for storytelling.Around 600 Internet media sites benefit from the possibilities weprovide through our online content management system and solutionfor multi-platform distribution to handheld devices.Some of our biggest online customers are Times Online,The Sun, Aftonbladet, The Telegraph, and Welt Online. Among ourmobile users are Turner, Al Jazeera, TV 2 Norway and SVT.We offer one workflow for video streaming and all supportingfunctionalities. The complete package comes in one framework,securing smooth delivery on every viable platform or device needinga specific video format or content enhancement. Vizrt’s online andmobile workflow allows you to build and easily maintain a completepresence on both platforms.With the same editorial crew creating content for distributionin multiple channels, the traditional line between TV broadcastingand Internet communication has disappeared. In order to becompelling online as well as on mobile and emerging formats suchas iPad, video, audio and graphics editing needs to be as integralto the content creation process as text and image have become. Theresult is a workflow that puts video and graphics editing at the fingertipsof any journalist working towards online and mobile output.Did you know that Al Jazeera……uses Viz Reporter on their mobile phones to send video footage directly from the field to the newsroom? “A bombwent off with our reporters on-site. Without a camera, he grabbed his phone and filmed the destruction. He then sentthe material straight back into the news desk workflow – in full quality” says Safdar Mustafa, Head of Mobile Media atAl Jazeera Network. Read the full interview with Mr. Mustafa on the next page.The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 67

Online & Mobile12 31. Power in a desert. Charging mobile phones in the desert is a realchallenge. Plugging onto the car battery is the only available option. AlJazeera reporter May Welsh.Powering the Arabicrevolutions2. Moving around with big cameras during revolutions is impossible.Al Jazeera has switched to mobile phones instead.3. News in pocket size. Safdar Mustafa is Head of Mobile Media at AlJazeera. Photo: Helge Skodvin4. Al Jazeera has made a lot of video content captured viamobile available in an open creative commons repository.– It’s an integral part of our philosophy, says Safdar Mustafa.By Anders W. Hagen / Story reprinted with the permission of The Norwegian Financial DailyNO MATTER WHAT. When Al Jazeera’sjournalists find it to dangerous to bring thecamera to document riots and clashes withsecurity forces, they bring out their mobilephone. And continue reporting. “It all boilsdown to avoiding restrictions on how eventsare documented. It’s either nothing, orcontent captured with your mobile. Clearlythe most important is to show what’s goingon, says Safdar Mustafa, Head of MobileMedia at Al Jazeera Network. During themany revolutions in the Middle East overA bomb went off, with our reporterson-site. Without a camera, he grabbedhis phone and filmed the destruction.Then he sent the material straight backto the news desk.the last couple of months, the Arabic andEnglish speaking news organization hasyet again demonstrated its leading positionin the global media landscape. Mustafarecently held a keynote session in Bergenat an event hosted by Vizrt.Censored and arrested. To Al Jazeera, the mobile phone hasbecome an important tool in order to avoid censorship and dangerwhen reporting from countries such as Egypt, Tunisia and Bahrainwhere violent clashes and oppressive regimes make life extremelydifficult for journalists. “In regions where governments strike hardagainst news conveyers, the mobile plays an important part ingathering content. In some countries – at certain times – bringing acamera is extremely difficult,” says Mustafa.His employer has plenty of experience dealing with attemptsto enforce censorship and make arrests. Egypt’s former presidentHosni Mubarak decided to have armed forces close down the AlJazeera headquarters in his country, and reporters were not allowedto travel to several Arabic countries,including Syria.A Mobile Solution. By replacingthe camera with a mobile,Al Jazeera now much moreeasily get footage and accessto areas of conflict, withoutfear of having their equipmentconfiscated.Mustafa himself was partof the first tests using a mobilecamera a few years back. Byplacing a Nokia N95 on thedashboard of his Jeep, he drovearound the streets of Doha, Qatar. When returning, his colleagueswere impressed by the quality.“Most mobiles have what we need: a camera, support for transmittingdata at high speeds and GPS localization. We did two tests.One was a planned trip documenting through the Sahara in Maliand Niger, where the reporter followed a group of rebels aroundclosely. For us it was of paramount importance to quickly documenthappenings without bringing the big camera, says Mustafa.“The second “test” was the real deal – breaking news. A bombwent off in Chad, and one of our reporters was on-site – but withouta camera. He grabbed his phone and filmed the destruction andreactions afterwards. He held his mobile in the one hand and hispress card in the other while recording. Then he sent the materialstraight to the news desk from his mobile,” Mustafa explainseagerly.“During the demonstrations at Tahrir Square in Cairo in Egypt, itwas very challenging to report from the ground,” Mustada says.“There were security forces of rebels, all dressed in civilianclothes – complete chaos. Walking around with big cameras wouldbe dangerous, not to mention bringing lots of heavy equipment.”A Funeral in Bahrain. Another scenario unfolded when one ofAl Jazeera’s reporters documented migrant workers fleeing fromriots in Tunisia, back to their home country in Asia. Equipped withnothing but an iPhone, he managed to follow them onboard theplane and discreetly put together a story from their return trip home.A third example comes from Bahrain. Al Jazeera reporter Ben4Al Jazeera is an international news network based in Doha, Qatar.Founded by the Emir of Qatar, with $130 million invested in the startup.Plays an important role in opposition to government controlled newschannels in the region. World wide audience of 50 million, approximatelythe size of the BBC.Piven joined a funeral after a series of violent riots. The pictures hetook were posted on aljazeera.com.“This was at a time when it was very difficult to get hold of picturestaken from within Bahrain. Being able to use the mobile phonewas very helpful”, says Mustafa.Al Jazeera uses a tailor-made version of Vizrt’s mobile application;the Viz Reporter, designed by Vizrt. The app hands journaliststhe option of recording and edit video material directly on themobile phone, add metadata and send it directly back to the newsdesk and its workflow.The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 69

Broaden your reach withViz Media EngineOnline & MobileSmart-phones and tablets havechanged consumer behavior drastically. Theneed for a streamlined production process isgreater than ever.The Viz Media Engine offers a flexibleand complete solution for video publishing,integrating device adaptation, deliveryto any online platform, reporting of videoconsumption, transcoding, encoding, italso directly extends existing workflows forbroadcast, graphics, editing and archiving.Individual and specialized products withineach segment are now harmonized, formingan integrated solution.Viz Media Engine takes care of thecomplete chain of ingesting, adapting andpublishing content to a variety of formatsand consumer terminals. Mobile operators,broadcasters and online media have chosenViz Media Engine to make their contentavailable on new platforms and to createadditional revenue chains. The platformcan be built as a centralized node thatcontrols web and streaming servers in otherlocations.Purpose-built for integration directly intoexisting workflows, the Viz Media Engine isparticularly suited to cross-platform mediadelivery. The server also offers an extensiveAPI where most of the functions of theViz Media Engine server are exposed. Thisallows you to control content transcoding,streaming, playlisting and publishing froman external systems.All editorial tools are built for multichannelcontent management. Control of contentand layout for mobile versions is easilyhandled from a single user interface. Thedevice database is updated on a daily basisand supports thousands of different handhelddevices. Dynamic video playlists andpicture-in-picture features are supported.When utilizing the Viz Media Enginesolution, you can re-purpose your graphicsonline by merging graphics and videoadapted for each device in the transcodingstep, and adjust your graphics to fit varioustarget platforms. You can even simultaneouslyproduce the same video withdifferent branding.supportedfile formats.3gp / .aac / .flv / .m4v /.mov / .ogg / .vc1 / .3g2,.amr / .gfx / .m4a / .mpa,.mfx / .wmv / .avi / .asf,.h263 / .mp3 / .mpg / .rm,.wma / .ac3 / .dv / .h264,.mp4 / .mpeg / .ts / .vobAudio codecsAAC / AMR-NB / DV Audio/ MPEG-1 (mp1,2,3) /Windows Media Audio / Pro/ AC-3 / AMR-WB / Vorbis /PCM (16,24,32 bit) /Real AudioVideo codecsCinepack / DV Video /DVC Pro 25 / DVCPro 50 /DVCPro 100/HD/ Flash Video / H.263, H.264/ HuffYUV, M-JPEG / MPEG-1,MPEG-2 (PS & ES) /MPEG-4/XVID / MicrosoftMPEG-4, ON2 (VP5,6) /Sorenson / Theora /VC-1, VC3/DNxHD /Windows Media Video(7,8,9), XVID.The Control Server is the core component in the Viz MediaEngine platform and combines all parts into one integrated solution.All components can be individually connected to the platformaccording to customer needs.The Control Server performs device detection for mobile phoneand web browser video capabilities. It contains an extensive contentAPI for ingest, transcoding and publishing. Conditional access tocontent can be managed in this component as well. The ControlServer is designed to deliver a broad set of video format outputsto maximize the capabilities of each handset. The Control Serverallows for control of the publishing process through the WebServiceAPI, and a high-performance API is offered for building adaptedvideo content into Mobile Internet (WAP/XHTML) pages on a session-by-sessionbasis. This API can also be utilized to build contentinto On Device Portals, Flash Lite Players etc. The Control Server isdesigned to deliver a broad set of outputs of video formats to serveall handsets in the market with optimal video quality and utilizationof each handset’s capabilities.Input video can be sourced from either an IP video source, orfrom a video capture card. A source video is prepared in the sameway as a video clip. A single live stream of video is transcodedsimultaneously to a predefined set of outputs, including resolutionsfrom 128x96 H.263 and up to 480x360 H.264 (SD/HD) for iPhone.Vizrt’s Video Transcoder gives complete control over all aspectsof a transcoding job. It converts an ingested file into a large numberof target formats to optimize the content for all the different terminalssuch as mobile phones, web players, etc. Read more about ourvideo transcoder on page 73.Input video can be sourced from either an IP video source orfrom a video capture card. A source video is prepared in the sameway as a video clip. A single live stream of video is transcodedsimultaneously to a predefined set of 10 different outputs, includingresolutions from 128x96 H.263 and up to 480x360 H.264 (SD/HD) foriPhone.The Viz Media Engine manages the whole process of ingesting,adapting and publishing content to a variety of formats andconsumer terminals. The control server performs device detectionfor mobile phone and web browser video capabilities. It containsan extensive content API for ingest, transcoding and publishing,designed to deliver a broad set of video format outputs to maximizethe capabilities of each handset. This API can also be utilized tobuild content into On Device Portals, Flash Lite Players, etc. Thecontrol server is designed to deliver a broad set of video formats,ensuring both optimal video quality and optimal utilization ofhandset capabilities for all handsets in the market.For mobile video on demand content, the Video Transcoder bydefault prepares around 15-20 versions for streaming video in therange from 128x96 (SubQCIF) H.263 video up to 480x272 H.264 videofor iPhone and 640x368 for iPad and other high-end terminals.These versions consist of H.263, H.264 andMPEG-4 SP versions in different resolutions,frame-rates and codecs for audio and video.For downloadable VOD clips the VideoTranscoder prepares around 10 versions ofa source file using the same set of codecsand resolutions in a separate combination.In total around 25-30 versions will becreated for delivering both downloadableand streaming versions of a source file. Newmobile phones released from the manufacturerscan have a new output profileallocated, and e.g. support for 16x9 videooutput for a Nokia N8 phone can easily beadded.These transcoding jobs are built froman XML-template that can be edited on theserver. This XML-template allows for verydetailed access to the codec tools to controlthe transcoding on low level.For high volume transcoding jobs, multipleVideo Transcoders can be configuredas a transcoding cluster to deliver fastertranscoding for immediate publishing.The latest Video Transcoder nowalso supports a plug-in towardsViz Trio and Viz Engine to ingestgraphics and video separatelyas input and to combine these in anoptimal manner during the transcodingprocess to deliver the best output perbit-rate and to deliver sharp graphics for allscenarios. This integration delivers a seamlessprocess for inserting optimized graphicsdesigned specifically for the differentoutputs for mobile phones, iPad, iPhone,Web-TV, HD Video etc.Read more about VIZ MEDIA Engine forMEDIA ASSEt management on P. 90Viz Media Engine Transcoding• Graphics insertion in the transcoding step• Playlisted online live streams• Significantly improved integrations withEscenic Content Engine• MAM integrations for ingest and onlineplayout• Viz Live Reporter for iPhone andBlackberry with SDI outputViz Media Engine delivers a seamless processfor inserting optimized graphics designedspecifically for the different outputs formobile phones, iPad, iPhone, Web-TV, HDVideo etc.The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 71

The new starin the studioOnline & MobileLightning-fast transcodingThe Viz Media Engine converts an ingested file into a large number oftarget formats to optimize the content to all the different terminals.For mobile VOD content the Video Transcoder by default prepares around15-20 versions for streaming video in the range from 128x96 (SubQCIF)H.263 video up to 480x272 H.264 video for iPhone and 640x368 for iPadand other high end terminals. For downloadable VOD clips the VideoTranscoder prepares around 10 versions of a source file using the sameset of codecs and resolutions.In total around 25-30 versions will be created for delivering both downloadableand streaming versions of a source file. New mobile phonesreleased from the manufacturers can have a new output profile allocated,and e.g. support for 16x9 video output for a Nokia N8 phone can easilybe added.These transcoding jobs are built from an XML-template that can be editedon the server. This XML-template allows for very detailed access to thecodec tools to control the transcoding on low level.For high volume transcoding jobs, multiple video transcoders can beconfigured as a transcoding cluster to deliver faster transcoding for immediatepublishing.The latest video transcoder now also supports a plug-in towards Viz Trioand Viz Engine to ingest graphics and video separately as input and tocombine these in an optimal manner during the transcoding process todeliver the best output per bit-rate and to deliver sharp graphics for allscenarios. This integration delivers a seamless process for inserting optimizedgraphics designed specifically for the different outputs for mobilephones, iPad, iPhone, Web-TV, HD Video etc.It’s time to bring some glamour to the studio. Enter Viz Anchor, our brand-new iPad application. VizAnchor integrates with existing Vizrt workflows and brings the power of our control applications tothe iPad. With Viz Anchor, the presenter has an updated version of the playlist available locally andcan control video clips and graphics scenes without a PC or queries to the control room.Go to vizrt.com to find out how your new star can help to create more dynamic presentationsThe Vizrt Catalogue 2011 73

Make every journalista video reporterOnline & MobileBreaking news content is highly valuable,but all media companies face the samechallenge: They never know where andwhen the next big story is going happen.Viz Reporter has improved our productivitya great deal. It allows us to process contentuploads more quickly and get the imagespublished right away. It overcomes the qualityissues with mobile phone content, and ourmultimedia material is now handled in anoptimal mannerRolf Dyrnes Svendsen / Editor and Director of Digital Media / AdresseavisenViz Reporter increases your chance ofcapturing exclusive content by allowingjournalists to capture high quality videocontent with their mobile phones and sendit directly to your media server. There’s noreduction in quality, no time consumingconversion, the journalists don’t even need aPC or WiFi access.Today’s mobile phones have extensivemultimedia capture capabilities, makingmobile to air broadcasting a reality for TVstations.Viz Reporter & Live Reporter fully utilize the multimedia capabilitiesof modern mobile phones and enable broadcasters, mediahouses, content providers and mobile operators to buildnew revenue-generating services with mobile high-resolution multimediacontent.Awkward file transfers andheavy compression can resultin low quality standards.The Viz Reporter solutionprovides the customer with afully integrated solution, fromvideo recording on the mobilephone, playback on the backendserver, and design of anoptimal process for use innews production.Users can browse the mobilephone’s file system for multimediacontent; editing tools enablethem to trim videos recordedwith the camera; stories can becreated, geo-tagged and descriptivemetadata can be added tothe media. Afterwards the content can be uploaded in full qualityvia the mobile net or a WiFi network.Once content is available on the Viz Mobilize Control Server, itcan be prepared for online publishing, archived for future purposeor exported to other workflows.The Viz Reporter client application is supported on a wide rangeof Java-enabled mobile phones and on Blackberries. The latestrelease also runs on Apple’s iPhone and iPad.GET IT ON THE APP STORE TODAY!Viz Reporter Key Features• Runs on standard mobile phones• Takes direct control of the mobile phone’shardware• All hardware features available from withinthe client• Support for predefined templates onmobile devices• Allows video editing on the mobile phone• Geo tagging on certain phones featuringGPS• Uncompressed transfer of captured videoto the Transcoding Server• File size limited only by the storage capacityof the mobile device• Easy addition of meta-information on themobile device• Captured video material isinstantly available in the Media AssetManagement systemReporting breaking news to the newsroom. Videoclips and images are transferred from the mobile applicationand become searchable in the newsroomThe Vizrt Catalogue 2011 75

Online & MobilePoweringthe web –worldwideVizrt offers an end-to-end-solution for broadcasters,distributors and media companies looking to develop productsand monetize online and mobile video content with full broadcastquality. The solution also includes a complete live video streamingsolution for mobile phones, tablets, web browsers and on-deviceapplications and extensive video on demand and editorial contentcreation solution.With the same editorial crew creating content for distribution inmultiple channels, the traditional line between TV broadcasting andInternet communication has disappeared. Publishing to an unknownnumber of different end-user devices makes it difficult to retaincontrol over the content and puts additional pressure on both editorialand technical staff.The Vizrt online suite was created to facilitate this sort ofmultimedia production and multichannel content distribution. Itprovides a single production pipeline for text, image and video inwhich dynamic content can be published to an unlimited number ofdevices. Vizrt graphics can now be burned directly onto any onlineor mobile video.The Viz Media Engine delivers simultaneous transcoding to avariety of formats. Combined with the ability to publish to all platformsfrom a single CMS, we are able to deliver a personal experienceon each device without the overheads and delays inherent in amanual process.The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 77

Creating greatonline experiencesOnline & MobileThe Vizrt online suite facilitates multimediaproduction and multichannel contentdistribution. It provides a single dynamicproduction pipeline for video, maps, graphics,text and images that allows content tobe published both to the web and to mobileand tablet devices.Our most important clients includeAftonbladet, The Sun, The Independent,The Hindu, Trinity Mirror plc, De Telegraaf,Berliner Morgenpost, Impresa, n-tv.de, TheGlobe and Mail, and YLE.The core of the Vizrt online suite isEscenic Content Engine. It is a high-performance,feature-rich web publishing platformthat powers many of the world’s mostsuccessful websites for news and entertainmentwebsites. Escenic Content Studioprovides an efficient desktop environmentfor managing text, images, video, graphics,maps, tags, time-controlled content,and supports an open, continuous editorialworkflow for digital publishing.When the Vizrt online suite is integratedwith Vizrt’s graphics and media assetmanagement solutions, web journalists caneasily add videos, maps, still and 3D graphicsto stories published across differentplatforms.Escenic Content Engine is designed forhigh volume and high traffic content management.With a highly efficient multi-levelcaching technology, the system provides aresponsive application for web editors, andalso ensures that end users experience afast website. Escenic Content Engine offersnear-linear scaling and installations rangefrom single-server installations to advancedmulti-server setups with internal and externalload-balancing, redundancy, distributedmemory caches and content deliverynetworks.Ready-made building blocks. Websitesare built with the Widget Frameworkcomponent, a modular widget system forCOMMUNITIESViz CommunityExpansion providesthe toolkit forbuilding tailor-madeonline communitiesimplementing websites. Users can create complex layouts by meansof simple drag-and-drop operations. It provides users with readymadebuilding blocks for setting up web sites and it is a fast andflexible way to construct sites using pre configured functionality.The Widget Framework allows users to change websites without theneed for coding and subsequent debugging.The Widget Framework can be used as a development frameworkand is way of managing a code base for multiple publications in oneenvironment. It can be customized and extended to fit customer’sneeds and introduces a new way of working with templates. Insteadof hard-coding new features into the page logic, all configurationsare done using widget content types together with groups andconfiguration sections. This means that websites can easily be controlleddirectly from the Escenic Content Studio web publishing tool.Mobile Internet Publishing. Together with the Escenic ContentEngine, the Viz Mobile Expansion provides publishers with acomplete cross-channel content management system for web andmobile. From within the Escenic Content Engine’s editorial desktoptool, Escenic Content Studio, users can publish mobile Internetcontent at the same time as publishing to the web – saving considerabletime and effort. This is done by simply drag-and-drop operations.All the device adaptation is automatically carried out in thebackground. Content and layout are optimized and formatted tosupport the full capabilities of each individual mobile or handhelddevices such as mobile phones, iPads, Kindles, and so on.The Mobile Expansion’s automatic detection of more than 1,800mobile devices ensures that all users get the best user experience.Content is automatically adapted based on the device’s capabilities,such as physical screen size and resolution, touchscreen and keyboard,supported image and video formats, CSS and HTML levels,JavaScript and AJAX support.Building online communities. Viz Community Expansion is asolution for running large, full-featured, high-volume communitysites. It allows users to publish pictures and images, connect withfriends and join groups. It provides everything needed to create aliving online community and connect your site to Facebook andTwitter.Branded video content. With Vizrt’s web editing tools, users cansearch for a video clip, open the video in a video timeline editor andadd graphics. Elements can be added as logos, as a score line, asa title, or as any other graphical 3D element. The Viz Content Pilotintegration ensures users can insert the graphics without leavingthe Escenic Content Studio environment. The timeline editor letsyou choose between different predefined templates. The user thenadds metadata, previews the video withincluded graphics and publishes the articlewith branded video content from within thesame user interface. The graphics can bedesigned to adapt to each platformand device.An integrated solution for managingvideo assets. Escenic Content Engine alsointegrates with Viz Media Engine, Vizrt’smedia asset management system – allowingonline journalists to access video clips,stills, graphics, and audio files from withinEscenic Content Studio and publish themalong with a story. Video clips can easilybe edited using built in non-linear editingapplications before being made available forpublishing on the web. Read more about VizMedia Engine on p.90.Adding video and graphics to theweb publishing workflow. Integrationbetween Vizrt’s online suite and Viz ContentPilot enables web editors using EscenicContent Studio to easily add a graphicalelement to a story, as a video, a stillimage, or a 3D graphics. The use of templatesallows editorial staff to enter data,images and videos into predefined graphicanimations and to preview the end resultinstantaneously.Uploading content from mobilephones. When transferring a video file orhigh-resolution pictures from Viz Reporter,the journalist can select which sectionof a web page the content should be sentto. Content created with Viz Reporter isinstantly available in Escenic ContentStudio, along with its entire multichanneland cross-platform publishing capabilities.Add a local map to your story. EscenicContent Engine integrates with Viz World,the broadcast industry’s de facto standardfor the creation of branded maps andgeographic animations. Users can createbranded, animated maps and insert themdirectly into a web page.Powerful presentation layer.Escenic Content Engine separates contentand presentation. This makes it possible touse the same content across multiple websitesand channels, always providing thebest presentation and user experience. Byusing JSP and JSTL libraries combined withthe Widget Framework, website developerscan focus on the user experience, creatingexciting websites in a matter of days.Now it’s even easier to desk your frontpage and sub sites. Turn the page to readabout in-page editing »In order to remain in complete controlof online presence, the journalist has a set of toolsaccessible right from his laptop.Escenic Content Engine Key Features• Architecture designed for multi-channeland cross-publishing• In page editing of web sites• Open architecture with Java and REST• Mobile adaptation and device detectionAPIs• Effective, responsive and customizableworkspace for web publishing• Drag and drop images, videos, text,articles, etc.• Upload video and images directly intoEscenic Content Studio• Add images, videos, and 3D elements toa web article with the integrated online,graphics and media asset managementsolution• Insert graphics to videos as part of yourvideo publishing workflow• Add branded maps to your web articles aspart of the editorial workflow• Extensive JSP tag library for efficient websitedevelopment• Powerful and flexible presentation layer• Full-featured high performance and scalablecontent repository solution• Live monitoring of both internal and externaldata, with a built-in RSS reader• Create complex web layouts with simpledrag-and-drop operations• Tag support and taxonomyThe Vizrt Catalogue 2011 79

Online & Mobile» The In Page plug-in allows a content editor toedit a website’s text and images, and rearrange contentitems directly in the browser. If the website is basedon the Widget Framework, In Page can also be used tomake changes to the configuration of the underlyingwidgets, thereby enabling layout changes from withinthe browser.In Page lets users edit content directly on thewebsite, using the standard HTML5 features of modernbrowsers:• Edit any text on any content item• Edit images: crop, zoom, pan just like in EscenicContent Studio• Manage widgets: rearrange, reposition, changeparameters, etcEdit text. Using In Page any text on any page maybe edited directly on the site, with the changes saveddirectly back to Escenic Content Engine. Contentproducers may edit using In Page and Escenic ContentStudio alternately, since all content is stored in thesame repository. If a typo is corrected on the site usingIn Page, it will also be corrected in the repository andalso in other channels such as mobile or tablet adaptedwebsite, feeds, iOS apps based on Viz App Framework,etc.Text editing is WYSIWUG: The look of the websitedoes not change while changes are being made andall operations (save, cancel, etc) are available usingright-click. Changing a title so it does not break, makingsure a lead text fills up the right amount of space, etc. isquickly and easily done.In Page also supports editing of multiple versions, forinstance one “full” version for desktop/laptop computers,one tablet version and a mobile version. Eachof these may be edited separately, allowing for quickadaptation to each channel.Edit images. When editing images on a front-page orwithin an article, In Page allows you to zoom in and out,and pan the image to select the precise area of the imageyou want, while retaining the required aspect ratio. Aswith the text, these changes will also be stored with thesource image, and will be instantly updated in EscenicContent Studio.Because Escenic Content Engine supports multiplerepresentations of the same source image, onlythe crop coordinates are saved, and different crops(representations) of the same image are notaffected. This allows for different crops ofthe same image on a front/section page andin an article view. In Escenic Content Studioall the different (soft) crops can be efficientlymanaged in a single view.Manage widgets. For websites basedon Widget Framework, In Page allowscontent producers to make changes to thewidgets and their layout directly on thewebsite. To move the “Most commented” or“Slideshow” widget to a different positionon the front page: Simply drag and drop.The Widget Framework will automaticallytake care of image resizing and any otheradaptation of functionality and design.In Page gives content producers easyaccess to the same configuration optionsthat are available in Escenic Content Studio.For example: The sports editor may want tochange the hash tag of the displayed Twittermessages, and at the same time increasethe number of tweets shown. This is donesimply by right-clicking the Twitter widgeton the website, updating the configuration,and saving. The new Twitter messages areupdated instantly, with no need to changeany code and without involving developers.In Page requires Escenic 5.2 or higher.The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 81

Fast and safe mobileInternet publishingOnline & MobileThe bewildering array of new devices,each with their specific capabilities ofscreen size, format capabilities and userinterfaces makes it impossible to deploy aone-size-fits-all content approach to mobilepublishing.The sensible method is not to buildelements that are specific to a device, butinstead create a template based environmentthat contains policy informationindicating how content should be displayedon any device – not just on any one specificdevice. It is a logical architecture whichprovides both scalability and flexibility.The Viz Mobile Expansion achieves thisby providing a device database, a devicefilter and a presentation template configurationwhich makes content and layout‘device-aware’.Content and page layout are optimizedand formatted to support the fullHIT THE POCKETWork with yourpublications formobile from thesame user interfaceas your publicationsfor web. Read moreabout EscenicContent Studioon p. 78capabilities of each individual device. Theend result is that mobile end users receivethe richest, most compelling user experiencepossible for their device.The Viz Mobile Expansion interfacesdirectly with Escenic Content Engine,appearing as a separate publication channelon the same server. Escenic Content Studiousers can simply drag-and-drop theirarticles, including all images and videos,into this new publication and all deviceadaptation is performed automatically inthe background.All handheld devices, browsers andplatforms can be handled by one singlecode base, allowing for rapid developmentand easy maintenance. A web developmenttoolbox with HTML5 support provides buildingblocks, enabling easy design for rich andcompelling mobile web sites.Viz Mobile Expansion Key Features• The Related Contents Widget is supposedto be used only in article context, not insection context.• Support for all types of mobile digitalcontent• Automatic multimedia converter andstreaming to mobile formats (images,video, audio)• Multiple dimension adaptation and segmentation:Device, operator and market• Advanced functions for increased usability• Mobile optimized AJAX engine• Powerful widget collection• Always up to date device database• Use same URL for mobile and desktop site• Possibility for location-based content withintegrated map generator• Enhanced support for Google Android andApple iPhone platforms• Extended RSS syndication• Send and receive SMS, MMS or WAP-push• Charge or identify end user• Flexible JSP template system for optimizedpresentationThe Vizrt Catalogue 2011 83

Great looking contenton any deviceThere's no new media – it’s all new consumption.Online & MobileThe introduction of touch-enabled tabletcomputers has inspired media houses andonline publishers alike. The new publicationchannels demand new ways to bringcontent quickly to multiple platforms. VizApp Framework does exactly this; it helpscustomers to publish to applications thatrun natively on the latest smartphones andtablets powered by Apple’s iOS and Android.Viz App Framework helps online-publishersand media houses to turn onlinecontent into applications for mobile devices.These applications provide a native userexperience on the latest tablet computersand smartphones. Native applications fullysupport all of the devices’ capabilities, suchas multi-touch interfaces, screen rotationand the highest possible resolution for videoplayback.The user apps can be made availablevia iTunes or the Android Market either asfree or paid apps. The applications can alsosupport different methods of monetizingcontent:Publishers can combine editorial contentwith advertising that can be automaticallyadapted to the device and the user profile.Applications also enable content accessPLatFormsTurn youronline contentinto applicationsfor mobile andhandheld devicescontrol, flexible download policies or anauthentication system.Viz App Framework works togetherseamlessly with existing Escenic ContentEngine and Escenic Content Studio installations.Users can easily integrate an existingEscenic Content Engine system into Viz AppFramework, but it is also possible to use VizApp Framework as a stand-alone productusing only a runtime edition of EscenicContent Studio. Future releases of Viz AppFramework will give customers the possibilityto integrate third-party CMS systems aswell.Either solution enables publishers tocross publishing the full range of editorialmaterial, such as texts, images, maps andgraphics, using only one workflow. Furtherintegration with Viz Media Engine allowspublishers to enhance their apps withadditional video content. For operators andjournalists the publishing workflow remainsunchanged, with the app simply representingan additional output channel. All theusual preview and editing features areavailable when creating the app, making VizApp Framework one of the easiest ways ofporting content to mobile devices.Viz App Framework Key Features• Works seamlessly together with existingEscenic Content Engine installations.• Seamless publishing workflow to apps/mobile web• Framework provides great looking contenton any device without need for editorialintervention• Available via iTunes or the Android Market– either as free or paid apps.• Automatically adaptable advertisingbased on device and/or user profile.The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 85

Online & MobileVizrt breakingthe normAt the Dhaka office in Bangladesh,old customs are being replaced bya flat structure.Story reprinted with kind permission from the Norwegian peace corps, FK Norway12I held the diagram of theorganizational structure upsidedown, so that the boss appeared tobe lowest ranked in the hierarchy.Dag Henning Rinden / Project Consultant / Vizrt Bangladesh– We have no servants in our office. Thestaff here have to make their own coffee,said Chief Operating Office Momenul IslamMilton, as he showed us around the openoffice landscape.Having to prepare your own beverage inthe workplace might seem a matter of courseto most, but in Bangladesh it is normal tohave servants. In Vizrt it is different. Everymorning the employees find bread, mayonnaiseand butter on the counter in theshared kitchen. They also have access to teaand coffee. But nobody prepares the mealfor them.– In Bangladesh, those who can affordit have somebody to serve them. That’s thenorm. We have had this tradition ever sincewe were under British ruleWhy are so many Bangladeshi people stillmaintaining this old practice?– Because it is part of our mentality,and of course because it is convenient tohave somebody to do the dirty work for you.Norwegians staying here for long periods also benefitfrom the same facilities. But this idea of having servantsis not appropriate anymore. Look at what happened inEgypt, the turmoil. Globalization and social networkingon the Internet expose people to different cultures, andmake them realize that they want a flat structure. Peoplewant to be treated equally, Momenul said.Vizrt has very good working conditions comparedto many other Bangladeshi companies. Fixed workinghours from 8 AM to 5 PM, salaries described as “good”,and 20 days’ paid vacationannually for all employees. Vizrthas exchanged Bangladeshiand Norwegian The Peace Corpsparticipants between Dhaka andOslo since 2007.– The collaboration withThe Peace Corps is one the keyfactors in our success. Throughthe exchanges we have learnedabout the high demands andexpectations of our customers inEurope, and about their culture.You cannot learn that by readinga book, said Momenul.Dag Henning Rinden is the current Peace Corpsparticipant from Vizrt Norway. During his stay in Dhaka,he is in charge of eight staff, but he doesn’t want his colleaguesto perceive him as their boss.– I held the diagram of the organizational structureupside down, so that the boss appeared to be lowestranked in the hierarchy. I did that to show the staffthat they are the ones who are important – they are theones doing the job. My function is to facilitate them toperform as well as possible. We want a flat structure inthis company; that is the reason why I sit with the otheremployees in the open landscape. My desk is no largerthan theirs, said Dag Henning Rinden.1. The MAM Team Manojit, Amit and Rashed busy with VML5 development.2. The DHAKA OFFICE has nearly a hundred employees3. system admin Ekram in action!4. Equal Treatment Dag Henning Rinden wants a flat structure inside Vizrt, andexpects to be treated no differently from the eight staff he manages.BANGLADESH. Soon hiring their 100th employee, Vizrt Dhaka is our biggest research& development office. The team handles customer support and works closely with ourother development offices for our online and mobile solutions.The Norwegian Peace Corps arranges reciprocal exchanges of personnel betweenorganizations in Norway and developing countries. The objective is to contribute to lastingimprovements in economic, social and political conditions in the world.34The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 87

Media Asset ManagementA Complete VideoManagement SolutionThe Viz media Engine is Vizrt’s response to a rapidly evolvingmarket requiring flexible solutions to video management and multiplatformdistribution. We’re essentially replacing our previous videohub and transcoding tools with a unique bundle designed to takecare of the complete video workflow – from the camera situation, tofinal play-out on TV, web, phones and other devices. The solution’smain goal is to provide customers with new revenue streams byensuring that branded video content is easily managed and availableon all distribution platforms.COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE. The easiest way to send a messageto your competitors is by gaining a competitive advantage. Thetransition to file-based workflows is the one trend that is most commerciallyimportant to businesses, according to the Big BroadcastSurvey. The Viz Media Engine provides the answer to the multi-platformchallenge. The Viz Media Engine offers a complete solution foronline video publishing that integrates device adaptation, deliveryto any online platform, reporting of video consumption, transcoding/encoding,and directly extends existing workflows for broadcast,graphics, editing and archiving.MODULAR AND EXPANDABLE. The Viz Media Engine is easilyexpandable with modules for archiving and online publishing,including encoders, transcoders, ingest modules, editing clients,graphics insertion, storage, metadata handling, CDN delivery andmuch more. These tools manage the complete process from ingestall the way through to the online player.The Viz Media Engine also provides a seamless workflowbetween SDI and file based systems. The same content can be editedand repackaged with graphics for both SDI play-out and onlineplay-out. We offer tools both for ingest and play-out of SDI videosand transcoding and play-out online.Did you know that the largestdigital soccer archive…… in the world uses Vizrt technology? The German Football League hasmade all content from 1963 available. Read the full story on p. 95The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 89

Your archive just becamemore intelligentMedia Asset ManagementTHE EASY WAY. Viz Media Engine opensup Media Asset Management systems toan entirely new spectrum of professionalswithin the broadcast and online media industry.With its intuitive design, and well-documentedfeatures, new users can immediatelybenefit from the system’s rich features ontheir familiar desktop PCs.No matter how advanced a MAM system, itis only as good as the information it manages.Viz Media Engine is based on an efficient,industry-standard metadata model thatanyone can keep updated. A typical workflowconsists of a reporter ingesting into the workflowwhat he recently captured on tape in thefield. Our improved search – the Viz MediaStudio – is the heart of the solution – providingyou with easy access to all material.Viz Media Engine automatically generatesscaled key frames from every video andimage file and extracts embedded audio fromvideo files. In the Viz Media Engine, searchingis supported during ingest, enabling youto finish your stories in the shortest possibletime frame – with the greatest possiblequality. Both free-text search and structuredsearch are supported.EDITING The Viz Media Engine productionpackage comes with the well-known desktopediting applications Viz PreCut, Viz EasyCut,and Viz ShotCut (Mac). These tools enable upto 50 concurrent users to simultaneously cutvideo and create new clips.supportedfile formatsHD1080i50/59.94720p50/59.94DV100/DVCProHDwrapped in MXF-Op1aor DIF DNxHDwrapped in MXF-Op1HD1080i50/59.94XDCamHD 422wrapped in MXF-Op1aAVC-Intrawrapped in MXF-Op1aSDDV25/DVCPro25/DVCamwrapped in MXF-Op1aor DIF DV50/DVCPro50wrapped in MXF-Op1aor DIF IMX30/50wrapped in MXF-Op1aFor workflows that include craft editing,Video Production Package Extended featuresan advanced integration with Final CutPro or Avid.HIGH AND LOW When new video files areingested, Viz Media Engine automaticallyproduces two versions of each transferredvideo file: a low-resolution version forbrowsing and online editing, and a highresolutionversion for export and playout.PLAYOUT AND DISTRIBUTION Viz MediaEngine can deliver video content to a varietyof platforms and mediums, supporting standardinterfaces to broadcast video servers.Similarly, you can use Viz Media Engine foronline and phone publishing. It supportsintegration with streaming servers and withEscenic Content Studio, Vizrt’s web publishingand content management system.Intelligent Archiving At the core ofViz Media Engine is an intelligent archivesystem which moves media around betweenstorage areas of different kinds. When a userrequests a media object, the system retrievesall parts of the requested object from longterm storage, wherever they may be located.All complexity is handled by the Viz MediaEngine system, allowing the user to focus onproductive activities.Read more about VIZ MEDIA Enginefor Online & Mobile on P. 70Viz Media Engine Storage• Media Studio Web user interface• Event-based storage management• REST-based APIs• More flexible module structure• Platform for the futureIntegration with various Vizrt softwareViz Media Engine is usually the core of thesystem and everything else speaks to it. Thus,the integration of Viz Media Engine and thevarious other Vizrt products is a fundamentalpart of the design. This integration enablesadvanced workflows, such as:• Ingest media via Viz Reporter• Cut and adjust with Viz EasyCut• Add a graphics overlay designed in Viz Trio• Publish the result on the web, usingEscenic Content Engine together with amap from Viz World• Viz Media Engine Delivery Core (previouslynamed Viz Mobilize) transcodes the mediato dozens of different formats for output todifferent kinds of mobile devices and webplatforms.• Use the media in a TV broadcast byadding it to a playlist in Viz Content Pilot.The media is transferred to the specifiedplayout servers and Viz Media Engineensures that the file is available during thewhole scheduled broadcast.Packages Viz Media Engine offers a flexible and complete solutionfor online video publishing that integrates device adaptation,delivery to any online platform, reporting of video consumption andtranscoding/encoding. It directly extends existing workflows forbroadcast, graphics, editing and archiving.A Viz Media Engine setup is highly configurable and subject toindividual preferences, but current customer requirements normallyresemble one of our three standard packagesViz Media Engine – Online Package The online package providestranscoding of clips and live streams, both SDI and IP, handlesdevice detection, encodes and delivers optimized video files, includingschedule and playout features.Viz Media Engine – Video Production PackageThe online production package accommodates video productionworkflows, including archiving. Search, browse, and edit contentthrough a web interface, support for third party integration andexpandable storage.Viz Media Engine – Newsroom PackageThe newsroom package focuses on broadcast integration and connectivitywith newsroom components the particular news workflow.Search, browse, and edit, highly expandable storage, support fornewsroom components, and expandable support for streaming.Assets gettheir value whenbeing used. Ourbrand new searchmakes it easy tofind the clips youneed in secondsThe Vizrt Catalogue 2011 91

Say hello to our brandnew journalist toolMedia Asset ManagementFast access is the key to getting more outof your material – and to being able to serveyour audience with breaking news. Havinggathered your material, the clock reallystarts ticking as soon as you start ingesting.If your media asset management solutionisn’t up to speed, chances are you’ll see it onthe news somewhere else first.Enter the new Viz Media Studio, whereall the steps of publishing are done from asingle point. By using proxy video, search,browse and editing is faster than ever.Through the web interface of Viz MediaEngine, you can instantly find your materialand get a quick overview of the clip throughthe video thumbnails. Most importantly, itcan all be done while the material is stillbeing ingested – enabling you to finish yourstory in the shortest possible time with thegreatest quality possible.Inside the browser, the revamped VizMedia Studio’s main display is dividedinto several areas. Searching in Viz MediaStudio is simple and powerful. The QuicksupportedformatsDV25 wrapped inMXF-Op1a or DIF (PAL/NTSC)IMX30/50 wrapped inMXF-Op1a (PAL/NTSC)DV100 wrapped in MXFOp1a or DIF 1080i50/59.94,720p50/59.94DNxHD wrapped inMXF Op1a 1080i50/59.94,720p50/59.94XDCamHD 422 wrapped inMXF-Op1a (1080i50/59.94)AVC-Intra wrapped in MXF-Op1a (1080i50/59.94).Viz Media Studio There are several ways of addingcontent to the media archive. Viz Dart is ourscheduling software for SDI inputs. Viz MediaEngine supports drop folders where files areautomatically ingested. Other options includeuploading from Escenic Content Studio –our online content management system –uploading from a transcoder web interface,streaming to a transcoder and uploadingvideo and metadata directly with Viz Reporter.Search box is on the Title Bar and is availableregardless of the current page. A majorfeature of Viz Media Studio is advancedfiltering and refining of search results. TheRefine button appears at the top of theSearch Results page. Results can be dynamicallyfiltered with a few clicks.A radicalLY simplified search, where options for narrowing downyour search have been increased. The journalist can now browse or roughcut videos in an instant, or open their edit list in their video suite of choice.A SMARTER INTERFACE makes it easier for the user to navigatebetween different types of contentusing proxy video, search, browse and editing is now lightning-fast.Quick search – always available at the top – has also been implementedREFINe YOUR SEARCH with multiple options for searching. The new VizMedia Studio makes you work smarterSearch has never been better. Navigateyour assets faster than ever before with thenew Viz Media StudioThe Vizrt Catalogue 2011 93

Ignite your potentialOur training courses are designed to help youimprove your skills, projects and resumé. Ourgoal is to provide you with the best trainingpossible and we have taken great measures toensure your learning sessions will run smoothlyand successfully.Our courses introduce hands-on tasks andreal-world examples – in just a matter of days,you will be embracing new technology standards.Ignite your potential at vizrt.com/training Article reprinted with kind permission from FKT Magazine, Original published 7/2011The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 95

Article reprinted with kind permission from FKT Magazine, Original published 7/2011The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 97

Article reprinted with kind permission from FKT Magazine, Original published 7/2011The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 99

A perfect matchfor every sportVizrt combines high-quality live graphics with a comprehensive digital media asset managementsystem. Virtual graphics and even personalized advertisement can be rendered in real-time andpresented in stunning 2D and 3D; on giant stadium screens as well as on mobile phones. A flexiblecontent management system allows users to store and organize thousands of hours of content andstatistics and make it available and profitable long after the event is over.Go to vizrt.com to find out moreArticle reprinted with kind permission from FKT Magazine, Original published 7/2011The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 101

The Vizrt videoediting workflowMedia Asset ManagementThe key to a faster editing workflow isthe optimization of as many steps of yourworkflow as possible. In order to finishyour stories as quickly as possible – withmaximum quality – ingesting is of vitalimportance.Once the content has been ingested,the first part of your editing job is to findthe material and select the clips you needto tell the story. Searching, thumbnailbrowsing and watching clips in a videoplayer are all easily accessible inside theViz Media Engine.The best part of it all? All functions aresupported while the content is still beingprocessed, enabling you to start editingright away.Having located the clips you need, thereare basically two paths to take: Either useour integrations to drag the material intoyour favorite editing suite, or continue withVizrt’s tools for rough cutting or editing. Ifyou prefer to handle your content in FinalCut Pro or Avid, simply bring the high-resclip into the editor. They both integrate withViz Media Engine, securing easy import andexport of your material.As always, the option of staying insidethe Vizrt workflow exists. If you prefer to cutdown your material with our own tools, VizPreCut (PC) and Viz ShotCut (Mac) will dothe job for you. The crucial advantage hereis working with a very light application.Combined with proxy video, the process isPLAYConnect yourVizrt real-timegraphics pipelinewith yourpost-productionenvironment,with Viz NLE.Read more on p. 54fast and efficient – even on a journalist’s limited laptop or when aslow office network dictates the rules.Once your list of clips is complete, submit it as a new story andthe Viz Media Engine will handle the back end processing. There’sno need to move away from the desk, no need to switch machines.The initial story is created and no time is lost rendering the clip. Thecontent can also be opened in Viz EasyCut with better tools for controllingediting and audio control. Another option is keep workingon your rough cut in your preferred editor.As the initial editing is done, the second part of editing consistsof how to add and time graphics. Vizrt’s solution can be split in two:either the graphics are added in real-time as the story is played outduring production, or the graphics are added to the package itself.If you prefer adding the graphics to the package yourself, butstill want a consistent branding, you should look into Viz NLE. Theplug-in is available for video editing software such as Avid, FinalCut Pro, Adobe, and Quantel, giving the user a template interfacelike Viz Trio for filling in data, text and pictures. The plug-in isdragged to the time line and adjusted to fit your required timing.A central server will quickly provide the editor with the necessarysequence of pictures populated on the time line. The end result is afast template-driven graphic with a consistent look and feel in linewith the rest of your branding.Turning the table – should a journalist only need to time agraphic for real-time play-out, Vizrt now has a new tool available aspart of our newsroom plug-in. Once a search for a video has beendone in Viz Media Engine, you can easily launch it in the time lineeditor. A wide selection of templates is available, leaving it up tothe user to fill in a template with the required information. Checkthe final composition with the preview option, save the graphicsand the package will be produced during production and play outthrough Viz Engine in real-time.In total, Vizrt’s toolbox helps make a journalist’s day more productive,empowering him to produce more stories in less time, andat the same ensuring better quality and consistent branding.Viz Easy Cut Key Features:• Complete video editing tool for journalists• Time line based• Fully integrates with Vizrt’s MAM systemsViz Ardome and Viz Media Engine• Rubber band, clip and track level audioadjustments, back-to-back audio crossfades, waveform plots, video dissolves,time line transfers, voice over tools andaspect ratio conversions functions• Allows for editing of video files while theyare being ingested• Allows for multiple users to work on thesame base material simultaneously• Easy to use GUI• Full hot-key support• Allows for adding metadata to clips,making sure that the latest video files areinstantly searchable and accessible fromboth Viz Media Engine and Viz ArdomeViz PreCut Key Features:• Proxy video editing, allowing for editingrow-resolution version of video files• Browse files while during video fileingested without having to reload theentire clip• Roughly cut files can be added to an EditDecision List (EDL)• Fully integrates with Vizrt’s MAM systemsViz Ardome and Viz Media Engine• Allows for adding metadata to clips,making sure that the latest video files areinstantly searchable and accessible fromboth Viz Media Engine and Viz Ardome• Integrates with Escenic Content Engine,Vizrt’s online CMS systemViz ShotCut Key Features:• Easy to use low-resolution video editor forthe Mac• One-up view, with large browse previews• Playback and scrub via mouse, keyboard(JKL), external Jog Shuttle controller• Thumbnail previews also support play andscrub• Shot Changes can be seen as overlays,with shortcuts to jump between / selectshots• Simple table based EDL assembly• Customer specific metadata forms• Post to Viz Ardome• Export to Final Cut Pro on same machinein one step• Export to any Avid or Final Cut Pro on siteusing Assistant• Supports MPEG-1 (4:3) and H.264 (4:3 and16:9) low-res browse formats• Support multiple audio tracks with abilityto mute/unmute individual tracksThe Vizrt Catalogue 2011 103

A complete media assetmanagement solutionMedia Asset ManagementViz Ardome covers the whole workflowfrom ingest, transcoding, media management,browse editing, and annotationtools. Through an easy-to-use graphicalinterface, you can control ingest and importfrom digital files, feeds and tapes, quicklypreview the content, and attach metadata.Media collection runs smoothly in thebackground, providing the user with quickeringesting. Inside Viz Ardome, low-resolutiondesktop editing ensures fast access tomedia, where hundreds of users have accesssimultaneously. Viz Ardome integrates withnumerous newsroom systems, as well asAVID, Final Cut Pro, Liquid, Quantel,and AutoDesk.VIZ ARDOME IS A HIGHLY scalable solutionwith extensive rights and metadata functionality.Leading media companies useViz Ardome to address cross-format storageand management, from small work groupsto enterprise wide systems across multiplesites. Viz Ardome is designed to meet avariety of requirements, ranging from fastpaced news production to long term preservationof media assets and full length films.A Viz Ardome system can be configured tohandle thousands of simultaneous usersand hundreds of concurrent media operations.The system can also be scaled up byinstalling multiple Viz Ardome instances.The instances can exchange media,metadata and workflow tasks in accordancewith configured policies. This method ofscaling the system is used to implementwork in progress libraries and to cross bothgeographical boundaries and multiple-sitemedia installations.SPEED UP YOUR NEWSROOM productionwith automated ingest processes and acentral point of access to all content, regardlessof editing platform. All ingest operationscan be monitored simultaneously.Applications for browsing, cutting andediting empower journalists with storytellingtools at their desktop. Integration withthe newsroom computer system speeds uppublishing, and eliminates typical copypaste work. Media sharing and publishingwork is simplified through the use of craftediting plug-ins for publishing and metadataentry.CORE AND COMPANION PRODUCTS. TheViz Ardome core product delivers the mediamanagement and archive foundation. Corefunctions include storage management,metadata handling, search, workflows, usermanagement and security management. Anumber of companion products which entaillicensed functional and connectivity optionscan be used to extend the capabilities ofViz Ardome.Viz Ardome Key Features:• Large-scale media asset management• Multi-user interface allowing simultaneouswork production• Archive capabilities including configurablemetadata, search, policies and work flows• Rich feature set for production of newmedia – mobile, broadband, etc• Drives incremental revenue from repurposingof content• HD support including integration withleading video servers and craft editors• Large tool set for proxy video browsing,logging and editing• Flexible configuration and customizationoptions and Open APIs• Desktop video editing in low-res, with timecode accuracy• Integrates with Vizrt’s non-linear editingtool, Viz NLE, for adding graphics to videos• Traffic systems integration• Newsroom systems integration• Delivery to a variety of play out servers• Access restrictionsViz Capture ENABLING INGEST AND OUTGEST.Viz Capture is a tool for digital contentacquisition from video tape recorders orfrom live feeds. The Viz Capture GUI allowsfor remote ingest from live, tape based andvideo server. It produces frame accuraterecordings that can be fetched whilst datais still being recorded and simultaneouslyallows the editing of such data during ingest.It also supports batch-ingest from Video TapeRecorders (VTR), Copy-to-Tape functionality,and multi-channel play-out.Viz Capture provides open interfaces forintegration with media management solutions,ensuring simple integration with newand existing workflows. Viz Capture cannotify other systems of actions, performed bysending XML formatted events to interestedparties. Viz Capture can be integrated with VizDart to ensure efficient resource allocationand router control.Viz Dart THE DIGITAL AUTOMATED recording tool,Viz Dart, has a web based interface forhandling recording of video from a widerange of live and feed sources and makingit available for immediate use. It provideseasy drag-and-drop style graphical editingof scheduled recordings. Viz Dart is capableof automatically ingesting from any numberof video servers and media channels into amulti-server environment; for replay and editingon demand.Supported video server protocols:• VDCP• MVCP• AMP• Vortex• Quantel• Omneon API• CORBASupported video routers, including:• Nvision NV9000 • Quartz Q16XX• Grass Valley 7000 • Utah 300 and• Philips Jupiter Aurora versionsCart machines, such as Sony Flexicart orOdetics Cart machine, can be integratedto automate and visualize bulk ingest ofarchived or purchased material.Viz Media Porter MEDIA INGEST from desktop PCs is handledeasily with the Windows-based applicationViz Media Porter. Viz Media Porter allowsfor importing video clips into the Viz Ardomesystem from devices such as P2 and XDCAMcameras as well as card readers. Viz MediaPorter is useful in production environmentsthat require high-speed workflows, such asnews production, where a wide range of usergroups need to import material directly fromtheir workstations and have the imported materialrapidly available to other users. As partof the upload process, metadata is addedto clips that are being imported. When thematerial is imported, it is saved as an item inthe Viz Ardome archive.Viz Media Porter can also be used to browsethrough clips that are on the devices attachedto the workstation, or that are queued to beimported, and can be used to create mergedclips for importing.The workflow is simple and clear, while keepingthe complexity transparent for the user.The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 105

Video serverfor ingest andplayoutMedia Asset ManagementViz Video Engine is a flexible video servercapable of dual channel ingests and playsout. The solution allows to implementserver-based ingest and play out operationsfor a broad range of video formats. In atypical environment Viz Video Engine willnormally be used in combination with oneof Vizrt’s media asset management systems,either Viz Ardome or Viz Media Engine.A COST EFFECTIVE video server that is easy toimplement and still powerful enough to takecare of all professional ingest and play outneeds, is what Viz Video Engine is all about.By relying on conventional PC hardware andWindows as an operating system, Viz VideoEngine integrates into existing Vizrt installationswithout effecting the complexity andmanageability of the system.THE INGEST AND PLAYOUT application VizCapture and the scheduling system Viz Dartcan be used as a front-ends to control theViz Video Engine solution. Viz Video EngineFLEXIBLEViz Video Engineis a flexible videoserver capable ofdual channel ingestand playoutwas developed to integrate into the Vizrtproduct suite and to give extra flexibilityto the video workflow. Alternatively, anyprogram that can take advantage of VizVideo Engine’s command line interfacecan be used as an optional front-end.AS CONTROL SOFTWARE for the MatroxX.mio HD and SD multi-channel video andaudio I/O cards, Viz Video Engine is capableof dual channel HD/SD ingest and broadcast-qualitydual channel play out.Viz Video Engine supports scrubbing,gap less (back-to-back) play out andingest for all supported formats, and theVertical Interval Time Code (VITC). VITCis supported both for ingest and play out,meaning that analog formats with slowtape speeds can now benefit from a higheraccuracy than with linear time code (LTC).This makes Viz Video Engine an extremelycompetitive and compact solution for allvideo server needs.Viz Video Engine Supported SD formats are DV and IMXwith• DNxHD (VC3) • IMX50• DVCPRO25 • DVCPROHD• DVCPRO50 • YUV 4:2:2• IMX30uncompressed• IMX4030 and 50 mbits:• VC3• AVG-Intra• DV at 100 Mbits• MPEG-2 I-frameSupported HD formats are:at 100 Mbits• YUV 4:2:2uncompressedViz Video Engine key features:• Two SD/HD channels for input or output• Supports 16 channels of 24 bit embeddedAES audio per port• Back-to-back play out and ingest for allformats• Features extended resolution for preservationof VBI lines• Support for the Material eXchange Format(MXF)• Scrubbing support• VITC support for both ingest and play out• RAID-5 setup with 700+ GBViz Video Engine functions asa control software for the MatroxX.mio HD and SD multi-channelvideo and audio I/O cards.The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 107

Lightning-fast videotranscoding & advancedkey frame extractionMedia Asset ManagementViz Media Processor is the tool of choicefor broadcasters requiring instant desktopaccess to low resolution copies of videocontent.Faster than real-time transcoding incombination with on-the-fly key frameextraction and self-contained file servingdelivers a true all in one browse complementto DV-based video productionenvironments.Viz Media Processor is a software-basedtranscoding solution for video transcodingand advanced keyframe extraction.It runs on standard PC servers and isdesigned to provide faster than real-timetranscoding from high-res to low-res whilstenabling automatic technical compliancesuch as black frame and noise detection.TRANSCODING starts as soon as the firstframes of high-resolution content are availableand runs in parallel with the ingestprocess.This software solution represents radicalsimplifications and cost savings comparedto traditional video-based transcoding andkey frame extraction solutions.TOOLSLet Viz MediaLogger handle youradvanced archivelogging. Read moreon next page.WITH SIMULTANEOUS key frame extractionand adaptive scene change detection,Viz Media Processor includes its ownqueue system for resource allocation. Thequeue combines priority rules with optimaluse of processor power, network utilization,and video source capabilities. Forexample, browse priorities can be basedon clip length, asset name, time of day, ora combination of these. Data Sources anddestinations include FTP, HTTP or files. Datais streamed through the Viz Media Processorwith no limit imposed on the size of thevideo clips.Viz Media Processor The Viz Media Processor can be configuredto use the following input and outputformats:• DV25• DV50• DV100 (HD)• DVCPRO25• MPEG-1• MPEG-2• IMX• MPEG-4• MXF• AVC-Intra• VC3Keeping track of actual media is a keyissue in any media asset managementenvironment. Viz Media Logger allowsthe input of descriptive information forreuse, search and auditing capabilities.Viz Media Logger Cataloguers, archivists and journalistsare able to add, edit and delete descriptiveinformation about media files and/orparts of them, right down to a single frame,through an extensive set of metadata fields,individually tailored to client specifications.The possibilities for this metadata collectionare endless, with forward looking clientsusing the facility to record individual aspectsof ingesting news and sports events to enableinstant recalls on demand.Viz Media Logger is a powerful PC based applicationthat has a straightforward graphicaluser interface giving access to the media aslow-resolution video. The application alsodisplays key frames, which gives an overviewof the video content and metadata in theselected media clip.With Viz Media Logger, media is organized indescending levels of clips, scenes, shots, andfinally, key frames with individual key framesforming the lowest media level.Time is money. Staying competitivein the marked requires a constantdelivery of breaking news.The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 109

SportsSportsBroadcastingRedefinedVizrt takes sports seriously. That’s why our products aremade for the fast pace of sports-related broadcasts. Even though thesetting varies from project to project, the common goal is the same:making the most out of the available content.Vizrt is constantly looking for new ways of adding value tosports-related content. Together with our customers we develop newproducts and workflows that help you excel at your game.To provide you with the most comprehensive software and hardwarepackage, Vizrt Sports has also teamed up with leading playersin the sports broadcast sector. In cooperation with developers andmedia houses from all over the world, we create systems that caterto the dreams of the most demanding sports enthusiasts. In front ofthe screen, as well as in the stadium.The acquisition of LiberoVision adds an extra dimension to yourpre-game, half time, in-game, and post-game analysis. Supportingseven different sports, Libero Highlight offers the market’s mostsought-after 3D replays, , while the brand new Libero Playbookmakes the same tools available during the game itself. In addition,Libero Offside elegantly visualizes any disputed offside decisionin soccer.Our portfolio also consists of 2D to 3D Conversion DeveloperStergen, taking you to the next level of sports broadcasting.Setting up an extensive sports archive. It may all begin witha live broadcast, but the story continues long after. New Sports TVchannels, online video, as well as Internet sites focusing on mobilemedia content are boosting the demand for material covering pastevents.See BundeSliga case study on p. 95 – 101Did you know that all of NASCAR’s……mobile video content is handled by Vizrt? So is the 2011 Cricket World Cup and Norwegian TV 2’s sports content.The PGA Tour Android application also uses the Vizrt Viz Media Engine to power their mobile video offering.The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 111

Hands-on sportsanalysisSportsFully acquired by Vizrt, LiberoVisionprovides integrated hardware and softwareproducts to generate unique imagery forseveral types of sports broadcasts. Despite itsrelatively short history, the Swiss companyhas received a series of prestigious awards.Why? Because LiberoVision is the globalleader for 3D virtual sports enhancements.Based on existing TV images only, LiberoHighlight and Libero Offside generate theperfect perspective for analyzing interestingor controversial scenes. The vision is toprovide sports fans with unlimited insightsinto sport games. Our newest product isLibero Playbook, offering 3D game analysisin less than 60 seconds. Broadcasters aroundthe world, such as ESPN, NBC, BBC, ZDF,Sky Italia, and Televisa use LiberoVision toenhance their sport analysis. LiberoVision’stechnology is available for football, Americanfootball, basketball, ice hockey, baseball,rugby, and handball.Remote Productions. Libero Highlight,Libero Playbook and Libero Offside comeas one-box-solutions for easy integrationinto your remote production. No additionalinfrastructure is required inside the stadium.All processing is image-based. Thanks tofull integration with EVS protocols, setuptime at the stadium is less than 30 minutes.Synchronized camera feeds available atyour remote production make selection andpreparation of LiberoVision clips as easy aspossible.Studio Productions. Is access to a multilateralfeed the only option in your studio?Or do you only have a clip compilationANALYSISGet thequarterback’sperspective in themoment of the pass.Read moreon p.115available? No problem for Libero Highlight.Thanks to a full image-based processing,Libero Highlight is a perfect tool for studioproductions. Use any source (EVS, Quantel,tape, …) and a clean signal as input and generateperfect 3D flights and perspectives fromyour headquarter. Setup time is below 30minutes and production teams are impressedby the ease of integration. The new LiberoPlaybook also opens up for making deeperanalysis part of the ongoing game itself.Depending on your setup, basic annotationsfrom our selection of in-game analysis couldgo live on air in as little as 30 seconds, perfectright after a short commercial break, or whena player in down injured.Interactive Shows. Use our interactivetelestrator in combination with LiberoHighlight to make your analysis showeven more dynamic. Empower your expertwith an intuitive tool and increase theinvolvement of your viewers. Enhancingyour expert’s explanations with numerousfeatures and drawings is not only of greatillustrative value for your viewers, but alsoprovides an additional element for youranalysis show.Content Sponsoring. Embedding virtualadvertisements into the generated contentprovides an excellent opportunity for yourcommercial partners to place their brand.Content sponsoring allows for the placementof tied-to-pitch advertising banners in a perspectivelycorrect and unobtrusive way. Theadvertisements are perfectly embedded – forexample placed on the pitch – and will notaffect your viewer’s perception of the scene.Libero Highlights Libero Highlight offers a wide range of 3Danalysis tools that will bring your sportsprogram to a new dimension. With LiberoHighlight, TV viewers will get unprecedentedinsight into controversial or tactically interestingsports scenes. Based on the existingTV images only, Libero Highlight generatesarbitrary virtual camera images that appeardeceptively realistic. Seamlessly combineeye-catching 3D replays with powerfuldynamic telestration to enhance your sportsbroadcasts. It does not require any additionalinfrastructure in the stadium makingit suitable not only for hassle-free remoteproductions but also for fully-featured studioapplications. An interactive telestration andannotation system combines the full flexibilityof Libero Highlight’s 3D scenes with an intuitiveinteractive user interface for TV experts.Key Features• Realistic 3D replays indistinguishable fromTV cameras• Novel perspectives for bringing viewersinside the game• Ultimate insights using powerful telestrationtools• Intuitive interactive interface for live gameanalyses• One-box solution for easy productionintegrationLIBEROHIGHLIGHT Libero Offside Libero Offside resolves the emotional offsidequestion by a 3D flight onto the offside linewithin seconds after the incident. LiberoOffside is based on the well-established,Emmy nominated 3D sports analysis technologyof Libero Highlight. Its slimmer designallows for an incredible turn-around time ofonly few seconds, still providing the stunning3D analysis flight from its bigger brother. Gobeyond the classical offside line to a conclusive,realistic, 3D linesman’s perspective. Usethe eye-catching and decisive offside view asinstant replay during the game. Making thisview even more spectacular, Libero Offsideprovides a full 3D flight into the linesmanangle.No additional infrastructure is required onsite except the LiberoVision system includingthe software installed. The fully image basedsystem relies only on the video streams of thecameras already in the stadium.Key Features• Instant 3D replays• Linesman’s perspectives• Conclusive offside reviews• No additional infrastructure required instadium• Fully image-based processing• Spectacular 3D flight onto the offside lineLIBEROOFFSIDE Libero Playbook The all new Libero Playbook is a brand newstripped-down version of Libero Highlight,offering 3D game analysis in less than 60 seconds.Is your broadcast about to go to commercials?Is the game suddenly interruptedby injury or a time-out, or the referee needsa minute with his assistants to decide on adifficult call? Now you have the tool to tellthe stories – as the game unfolds – at yourfingertips. Depending on your setup, in-gameanalysis could now go live on air in as littleas 30 seconds. LiberoVision’s powerful 3Dannotations works in the same way as LiberoHighlight, seamlessly combining your camerafeeds to generate that world-famous flow.Explain the X’s and O’s in prime time, creatinga special bond with your die-hard viewers.The major annotations are included in LiberoPlaybook, such as arrows, player perspectives,player and ball movements, etc. The productworks with American football and basketball.Key Features• In-game 3D replays• Turnaround time: 30-60 seconds• Fast playbook analysis• Remote operations only• Works with American Football andbasketball1. MOVE PLAYERS AROUND withLiberoVision’s analysis tool, perfect forillustrating different tactics.2. EXPLAIN WHY by highlighting individualplayer actions.3. RESOLVE disputed offside calls instantly.1 2 3Taking integration to a new level. Integration with Viz Engineand Viz Trio means Vizrt already supports bringing Libero Highlight clipsinto your Vizrt workflow. You can have your talent start the analysis froman iPad running Viz Anchor, for instance discussing crucial aspects of thegame when the analysis is paused in a revealing birds eye position. Asof September 2011, we also offer an interactive studio application allowingyour Viz Engines to interactively show arrows on the field, highlightcertain players, and explain their movementThe Vizrt Catalogue 2011 113

Vizrt and LiberoVisionanalysis tools takecentre stage at 2011Stanley Cup Finals7 Sports – Unlimited PossibilitiesSportsBy combining the 3D perspectives of Libero Highlight withadvanced annotation and Vizrt’s graphics, you can reviewinteresting scenes in all aspects and from all angles.As the hockey world fixes its eyes on thefinal act of the NHL season – the StanleyCup Final between the Boston Bruins andVancouver Canucks – the Zürich-basedsports analysis company LiberoVision playsan important role in illustrating to viewersthe many why’s and how’s tied to playerdecisions.Now fully part of the Vizrt workflow andsupporting seven different sports, includingLiberoVision provides a unique,tactical perspective that helps us takethe audience inside the glass and givethem the best seat in the houseSam Flood / Executive Producer / NBC Sports & VERSUSsoccer, American football and ice hockey,the award-winning Libero Highlight one-boxsolution allows broadcasters to producerealistic 3D replays without the need foradditional infrastructure.– Based on nothing more than your existingTV images, Libero Highlight instantlygrabs the viewer’s attention and lifts sportsanalysis to a whole new level, says JuliaVogel, Sales and Marketing Director atLiberoVision.– LiberoVision’s patented image processingtechnology instantly transforms thecamera feeds into realistic 3D representationsthat allow viewers to essentially flyover the playing field to review key momentsin the action from the best possible perspectives.In the US, NBC Sports and VERSUS, both membersof the NBC Sports Group, are using Libero Highlight for3D replay analysis during the best-of-seven games final.In Canada, The Sports Network (TSN) is using LiberoHighlight’s interface to visualize tactical aspects of thegame. TSN is Canada’s leading, English-language sportsTV channel.– LiberoVision is a great tool that better allows usto tell the story of the event, says Sam Flood, ExecutiveProducer, NBC Sports andVERSUS.– It provides a unique, tacticalperspective that helps ustake the audience inside theglass and give them the best seatin the house.VERSUS has been usingLibero Highlight for live, on-airreplay analysis of its gamessince the 2010 NHL playoffs.Before this year’s Stanley CupFinal, NBC featured LiberoHighlight during its 2010Vancouver Olympic Gameshockey coverage and for the 2010 NHL playoffs. TSN areprimarily using Libero Highlight for post-game analysisand various shows tied to the Stanley Cup Final.– LiberoVision’s realistic 3D support for analyzingkey moments of the game, changing from one camerato another while always keeping the essential playersclearly visible, is a great example of how broadcasterscan now highlight game-changing decisions betterthan ever before, says Paul Graham, VP and ExecutiveProducer, TSN.Libero Highlight has already been well received bybroadcasters around the world. The software has beenused at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, other high-profilesoccer events, for NFL and NCAA football, Major LeagueBaseball, NHL hockey games, as well as NBA and NCAAbasketball coverage.American FootballGet the quarterback’s perspective in the moment of the pass, while trackingthe wide receiver before catching that 40 yards pass. Then move intothe bird’s eye view to explain to the viewers dynamics behind it all.BaseballSwitch from thebatter’s viewto a bird’s eyeperspective tosee the outfieldplayers adaptingto the expectedball, or visualizethe ball track ofa home run byLiberoVision’s 3Dball track.BasketballOffer the viewerthe eye-catchingplay maker viewin the momentof the pass,a 3D-flight ofKobe’s air-jumpto the basket,or the bird’s eyeperspective tosee the tacticalsetup of theteams.HandballOffer the viewerthe eye-catchingplay maker viewto visualizepass options,fly around theshooter witha spectacular3D perspectivechange, orreveal tacticalformations andmovements.FootballLibero Highlight makes it embarrassingly easyto explain to a fan exactly what his defendersdid wrong when conceding that fatal goal. Oruse Libero Offside to resolve the controversialoffside situation live on-air within seconds.HockeyTrack the puck tohelp viewers seewhere it is, moveplayers to showtactical variations,or highlighta critical action inthe slot area.RugbyTrack the runof a player toa try, show theball trajectory ofWilkinson’s conversionin 3D – orresolve a forwardpass decisionwith the arbitrarycamera view.The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 115

Enhancing the gameexperienceSportsViz Arena enables broadcasters to superimposestatic and animated 3D graphicsover the live coverage of a sports event. Thesolution ensures that the graphics remain inplace, regardless of camera movement. Theresult is a holistic video experience in whichthe 3D graphics appear to be part of the livecoverage.To achieve this, Viz Arena fully utilizesthe creative functionality of Viz Artist: 2Dand 3D real-time graphics, text, video,logos, images, and animations can be superimposedon the live video feeds, enrichinginformation and creating an enhanced look.LIVE-EVENT TRACKING. Viz Arena candisplay real-time distance, height and velocitymeasurements on grass, track, snow,water, and in 3D space. Local terrain maps,on a small or large scale, can be overlaid toshow the detailed contours ofa surface area.This is particularly useful for eventswith no standard field layout, such as skijumping or golf. Similarly, team badgesand sponsors’ logos can be laid down ona surface over which players can walk.Alternatively, a virtual foreground objectcan be keyed onto the video coverage andplayers will appear behind or in front ofthe object, making it an integral part of thevideo experience.IMAGE-BASED TRACKING. Using a cleanvideo feed, with at least two visible straightlines, Viz Arena can simulate camera trackingin real-time. The system recognizes thepattern of the pitch, creating the modelinstantly. This makes it possible to applygraphics to the field without mechanicaltracking heads. Therefore, to generate theirown virtual graphics in-house, all thatGAMESChannel 10 Australiaused Viz Arenaand immersivegraphics for their2010 coverage ofthe CommonwealthGames. See video onvizrt.com/newsbroadcasters need is a video tape of a sportsevent. This functionality allows them toinclude virtual sports graphics in their programmingwithout investing in a traditionalcamera-tracking system.The tracking data is linked to recordedvideo material. By using a fast DDR, thedirector can overlay virtual graphics, inreplay, seconds after an event takes place.Image-based tracking can also be usedto compensate for cameras on unstableground, or cameras with a very high zoom.The image recognition system corrects themechanical tracking data, thereby creatinga steady result.VIRTUAL ADVERTISING. Viz Arena candisplay advertisements on billboards, in aplaying field and/or around the edge of aplaying field, as well as overlaying a newor animated commercial over an existingadvertisement.TYPICAL USE. Viz Arena is widely used forlive coverage of many major sporting events.Graphics show up-to-the-minute details,vital both for viewers’ interest and for advertisingopportunities.MULTIPLE MODELS in one control application.Viz Arena can have multiple calibrationmodels in one control application.For instance, horse racing might have onemodel for the grandstand straight, one forthe final straight and a third for the stalls,displaying horse names and jockey colors.When the main switcher moves from camerato camera, the control application switchesto the corresponding model instantly. Ifmore than one camera is needed in a location,extra cameras can share the modelwith the main camera.Viz Arena Key Features• Dynamic, correct-perspective graphicaloverlays for every playing area• Virtual advertising, game analysis andimage insertion• Pattern-recognition system for graphicsoverlay, without any camera-tracking data• Easy and fast registration of both the fieldand the position of the camera• Lens and field calibration in a fast onetimeprocess• Real-time distance measurements andobject placement during live action• Customized plug-ins for every type ofsports event• Velocity estimation and heightmeasurement• Recording of camera-tracking data forimmediate play and replay• Optional scoreboard module, based oncharacter recognition, enables synchronizationof broadcast clock with officialscoreboard• High-resolution camera tracking for pan/tilt/zoom, and focus for up to 16 camerasThe Vizrt Catalogue 2011 117

Simple stepsto stardomArtTrCertificationThe Certification Program is offered worldwide torecognize the quality and level of all Vizrt softwareusers. Our certified professionals are growing andwe look forward to expanding our community further.Our plan is to offer a certification program for allour software.The Viz Artist exam is a bundled package of scenes and instructions issued from thetraining center via ftp. The examinee has a one-month period to complete instructions andreturn for examination.• A person having passed this exam should be able to creatively design in Viz Artist,execute large portions of a project and have good knowledge the software’s capabilities.The final content will demonstrate a high level of knowledge and organization skillsusing Transition Logic, Scripting and Technical Design setup.• The completed exam product will confirm that the candidate can take a project fromcreation of an idea to a set of graphics ready to be controlled by either Viz Trio and/or VizContent Pilot and understand how solutions can be executed in a larger team togetherwith designers, IT personnel or programmers.The Viz Trio exam is a multiple choice online exam that requires the monitoring of a Vizrtrepresentative. Each student has 60 minutes to complete the exam. To pass this exam a usershould have:• A high level of understanding in relation to the operations of Viz Trio.• A high level of understanding of Viz Trio operator’s role in relation with other integratedsystems used for content creation, output and graphic design.Certify Today! Contact us at training@vizrt.comI think that to be professional one alwaysneeds an academic evaluation, plus it raises ourself-esteem and serves as recognition in ourprofessional environmentHugo Meza Yañez / Head of Graphics / Canal 13 / ChileThe Vizrt Catalogue 2011 119

Hugo Meza YañezHead of Graphics / Canal 13 / ChileHugo started in 1987 with electronic graphics forCanal 13, a television station located in Santiago.Since then he has initiated great change in a multitudeof Chilean media industry related fields.Education: Graphic Design at the University of Chile.Viz Guru is a training event designed to accommodate all advancedtraining courses combined with one day of inspiration of the “Latest &Greatest”. This is a one day presentation where participants will have theopportunity to discover what’s hot in the Vizrt world, take a close lookinto new projects, new plug-ins, and Pixel FX.Viz Guru – bringing thecommunity togetherViz Guru events are five-day advanced training events held by Vizrt.The event is a chance for Vizrt’s community of top users to cometogether, share knowledge and enjoy local activities. Hugo Meza Yañezattended the latest Viz Guru in Santiago. This is how he feels the Guruhas helped him out.The Guru event is designed to make the best even better, creating aworldwide community of Vizrt users not only for communication andrelationship benefits but also to recognize their level of expertise. Sincethe first ever Viz Guru event in Dubai, late November of 2008, Vizrthas hosted 15 Gurus in 13 countries and the community of Viz Gurus iscontinuing to grow! We hope to expand the Gurus even more frequentlyover the next coming years in order to develop a global community ofsuper users.Typically our Guru’s have been focused on advanced Artist training, byoffering Viz Artist designers new features and power user practices inViz Artist 3. Guru lessons have included Viz Scripting, interactive scenedesign, advanced Transition Logic, and data pool. We look forward toexpanding these super training events to cover the whole range of VizSoftware.All Gurus come with a variety of training material, bonuses and giveaways.T-shirts, kits, training dvds are all part of the training extravaganza,plus everyone receives a Guru attestation! In particular participants canalso take any certification exam for free two months following any Guruevent.How long have you been using Vizrt software?– I have been working with the Vizrt platform since 2005, designingand creating all the graphic material for the production ofprograms, weather, sports, and news shows.Could you give us a brief description of how you startedusing Vizrt software and how it is being used at themoment?– In preparation for the implementation of HD television here inChile, Canal 13 decided to implement a new system for automatedgraphics production. Vizrt software was chosen. We used TransitionLogic to switch graphics within Trio, and CG automated the I-Newswith Air Control and Pilot.– Using Viz is a constant learning process each broadcast day, allgraphics are made and aired with Vizrt, supplemented in some caseswith Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects, 3DMax and others.Why did you attend the Viz Guru in Santiago?– It’s an excellent opportunity to meet other Viz users that havetheir own specialty and use the products in a different way than me.It is these different perspectives on the software that give me insighton how to use the software differently and broaden my knowledge.It is also good to know the new versions of tools or plug-ins that canbe used to help improve graphic design.Have you attended any other Vizrt training events?– Yes, I have been to other training events, and they have alsobeen great. I have had the honor of having very good coaches atthese events, which has encouraged me to take more personal training.This said, Viz Guru is more advanced and specific compared toViz training.You are now in the process of taking the Exam Certificationin Viz Artist, why do you want to get certified?– The purpose of the certification is because I think that to be professionalone always needs an academic evaluation, plus it raises ourself-esteem and serves as recognition in our professional environmentViz Guru training participants are essentially requested through invitationonly. Nevertheless, to be apart of these events and increase your skillpresence as a designer you can always request invitation to a Guru inyour area at training@vizrt.comThe Vizrt Catalogue 2011 121

ArgentinaChinaHong KongJapanNorway / BergenRussiaSwedenThailandAmericasUSA Inside SalesUSA Mid WestVizrt USA West CoastAv. Gral. Indalecio Chenaut1730 – 2do “A”,Ciudad Autónoma deBuenos Aires,Argentina, C1426DINPhone: +54 (11) 47792276Pedro SugastiPSugasti@vizrt.comAustraliaSuite 2, Level 7, 56 ClarenceSt, Sydney NSW 2000,AustraliaPhone: +61 (0)2 9299 9886Fax: +61 (0)2 9279 1880Glenn Bailey+ 61 4 0011 4040GBailey@vizrt.comAustriaVizrt Austria GmbH,Husslstraße 29a-c,6130 Schwaz, AustriaPhone: +43 5242 73225Fax: +43 5242 73225-50Christian HuberCHuber@vizrt.comArmin KaltenhauserAKaltenhauser@vizrt.comRoom 901, 9/F,T1 TEDA Times Center, No.15 Guanghua Road, ChaoYang District,Beijing, 100026 ChinaPhone: +8610 85886156/57Fax: +8610 85886195Lear TseLTse@vizrt.comEast Asia6 Fl, No. 52, Lane 2,Chung Shan N. Rd. Sec. 6,Shih-Lin, Taipei 111,Taiwan (R.O.C)Tel: +886-2-2834-1825Fax: +886-2-2836-2662Jason KuoJKuo@vizrt.com+886-961-053-810Berend van SantenBSanten@vizrt.com+852 6296 1807Ayo LeeALee@vizrt.com+82 10 4524 97389/C, Lockhart Centre,301-307 Lockhart Road,Wan Chai, Hong KongPhone: +852-2877-2322Fax: +852-3005-4783Berend Van SantenBSanten@vizrt.com+852 6296 1807IndiaVizrt India Private Limited,1301-03, Devika Towers 6,Nehru Place,New Delhi-110019, IndiaPhone: +91 11 46625000Fax: +91 11 41004015Kevin OakleyKOakley@vizrt.comIndonesiaKompleks De Latinos,Buenos Aires – Serpong,Blok I1/7 Tangerang,Jakarta, IndonesiaPhone : +62818153363Fax: +6281284099447Taufik iman (iiq)TImam@vizrt.com1.1.3 Level 9 AIG Bldg.Marunouchi, Chiyoda.Ku,Tokyo, 100.0005 JapanPhone: +813 5288 5366Fax: +813 5288 5353Hiroshi HasegawaHHasegawa@vizrt.comKoreaHan Hwa Obelisk, Do HwaDong 555, Ma Po-Gu, SeoulSouth Korea, 121-779Phone: +82 10 4524 9738Ayo LeeALee@vizrt.comLatin AmericaEllauri 710 apt. 501,11300 MontevideoUruguayPhone: +598 (2) 7105691Pablo GoldszeftPGoldszeft@vizrt.comNordre Nøstekai 15011 Bergen, NorwayPhone: +47 5523 0025Fredrik GunnestadFGunnestad@vizrt.comSvein JohansenSJohansen@vizrt.comNorway /OsloGrev Wedels plass 50151 Oslo, NorwayP.O. Box 432 Sentrum0103 OsloPhone: +47 950 73 440Tom HandegårdTHandegard@vizrt.comNorway /TrondheimVisiting address:Havnegata 9N-7010 TrondheimNorwayPostal address:Postboks 1271 SLUPPEN7462 TrondheimPhone:+47 911 76 535Peder DregePDrege@vizrt.comMilashenkova Str. 18Moscow, Russia 127322Phone: +7 (495) 639 0230Andrey ZelenkovAZelenkov@vizrt.comSingapore97A Siglap Road Singapore455890 SingaporePhone: +658 1616 755Darryl LeeDLee@vizrt.com+65-8161-6755Berend Van SantenBSanten@vizrt.com+852 6296 1807South AfricaVisiting address:Unit G1, Pinewood Square,Pinewood Office Park,33 Riley Road,Woodmead, 2191Postal Address:Vizrt SAPO Box 71117Bryanston 2021Phone: +27 (11) 2349976Fax: +27 (11) 2349732Visiting address:Färögatan 33,SE-164 51 KistaSwedenPostal address:Kista Science TowerSE-164 51 KistaSwedenPhone: +46 8 522 277 00Fax: +46 8 52227789Henrik NordströmVP MAM SalesHNordstrom@vizrt.comCharlotta NilssonExecutive VP MAMCNilsson@vizrt.comSwitzerlandRoute du Stand 64CH-1260 NyonSwitzerlandPhone: +41 22 365 75 00Fax: +41 22 365 75 05Martin BurkhalterMBurkhalter@vizrt.com99/9 CentralChaengwattana OfficeTower, 14th FloorMoo 2 ChaengwattanaRoad, Bangtalad PakkredNonthaburi 11120ThailandPhone: +66 2 101 0790Fax: +66 2 101 0786Hubert Oehm+66 2 101 0782HOehm@vizrt.comUKVizrt UK Ltd.1st floor, Building BEaling Studios, Ealing GreenLondon W5 5EP, UKPhone: +44 20 8280 0410Fax: +44 20 8177 0305Tech Support phone:+44 208 280 0411Rex JenkinsRJenkins@vizrt.com352 7th Avenue, 14th FloorNew York, NY 10001, USAPhone: +1-212-560-0708Fax: +1-212-560-0709Isaac HerslyPresidentIHersly@vizrt.comDavid JorbaSVP OperationsDJorba@vizrt.comXimena AranedaVP MAM OperationsXAraneda@vizrt.comPhone: +1-239-597-2045Bonnie RawsonBRawson@vizrt.comUSA South1904 Monroe DriveSuite 240, 30324 AtlantaUSAPhone: +1 646 502 4696Chris BlackCBlack@vizrt.com+1 646 201 32762010-07-08 11:33 EDT1019 Meadow StreetCologne, MN 55322USAPhone: +1 952 466 2691Bill AndersonBAnderson@vizrt.com4223 Glencoe Avenue,Marina Del Rey, CA. USAPhone: +1 646-701-7098Craig LaliberteCLaliberte@vizrt.comReach uswherever youare in the worldThomas NestmannTNestmann@vizrt.comBangladeshEast EuropeIsraelMiddle EastThe PhilippinesSpainVizrt Dhaka, MohakhaliTower 2nd Floor 82,Mohakhali CommercialArea, Mohakhali,Dhaka-1212, BangladeshPhone: +88029884236Fax: +88029883930Md Momenul Islam Milton+8801713093640MIslam@vizrt.comTel: +40 (21) 3302191Fax: +40 (744) 181924George MoraruRegional ManagerGMoraru@vizrt.comMariusz KobusSales EngineerPhone: +48 22 4091575Mobile: +48 605626211MKobus@vizrt.comVisiting address:Shefayim CommercialCentre – 3rd floor, Shefayim60990 IsraelPostal address:P.O.Box 10, Shefayim,60990 IsraelPhone: +972 54-4955228Fax: +972 9 955 2239Ofra BrownOBrown@vizrt.comOffice # 1502, 15th floor,Al Shatha Tower,P.O. Box 502472, DubaiPhone: +971 4 365 4650Fax: +971 4 368 8498Ian DaviesIDavies@vizrt.comVizrt Philippines,Composite Technology Inc.4th Floor The West WingBuilding, 107 West Avenue,Quezon City 1104The PhilippinesPhone: +632 411-07-47 to49 +632 411-50-32 to 33Fax: +632 411 07 46Nicholas ChanPhilippines +63 921 7630796Malaysia +60 16 4908852NChan@vizrt.comCedaceros 115-B Madrid 28014SpainPhone: +34 913 600 562Fax: +34 913 694 398Pablo Herrero Delavenaypherrero@vizrt.comYan HeydlaufYHeydlauf@vizrt.com+33 6 19501981The Vizrt Catalogue 2011 123

The Vizrt Catalogue / 2011With Vizrt, a user’s onlyreal limit is his imaginationSheila Paras / Head of Creative Imaging / GMA News / The Philippinestwitter.com/vizrt facebook.com/vizrt www.vizrt.comCopyright © 2011 Vizrt. All rights reserved. No part of this software, documentation or publication may bereproduced, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, translated into any language, computer language, ortransmitted in any form or by any means, electronically, mechanically, magnetically, optically, chemically,photocopied, manually, or otherwise, without prior written permission from Vizrt.The specifications are subject to change without notice.