The Look Future-Proofs Post Production Pipeline with Grass Valley Rio 8K

As consumer investment in 4K and HDR-enabled television sets rise, there is pressure on broadcasters and content providers to invest in and produce programming in higher resolution formats, including HDR, 4K and 8K. With the push from studios to deliver more high-end, big-budget television series in 4K and HDR, the newly upgraded Rio suites allow The Look to significantly speed up its 4K and HDR pipelines to meet this demand.

“Evolving to support Dolby Vision and future-proofing our facility to prepare for 8K is a key part of our strategy as we deliver the high-end results clients expect from The Look. Rio helps us meet all of these requirements and more while delivering flawless quality with fast turnaround of HDR deliverables,” said Thomas Urbye, chief executive officer and senior colourist at The Look. “Our clients increasingly expect all episodes in a series to remain live right up to final delivery. With the upgraded Rios we can play 4K video in real-time and share any project to any machine in just a few seconds using Rio Connect. Grading can now happen without any rendering, so clients don’t have to wait to watch clips. With nearly the entire pipeline going through Rio, we can now meet even the tightest deadlines.”

With a Dolby CMU box, timeline trim passes can easily be made for multiple display devices with all information stored in a single XML, which accompanies the master files. All parameters can be controlled from Grass Valley’s Neo panel with frame and shot analysis choices that also facilitate faster workflows on projects with long timelines. The Rio toolset also enables The Look’s colorists to finish projects with an intuitive feel. Rio Connect eliminates the need to move huge files between systems, saving time and money.

Katsushi Takeuchi, vice president and general manager, Editing Systems, Grass Valley, said: “Rio is a hallmark for the highest quality post production and finishing – from its real-time performance to its complete, integrated toolset and ultra-fast workflows. The Dolby Vision and color grading enhancements were fundamental to The Look, making it an attractive solution for its studio that enables them to deliver top-level quality for major projects. The Look is a perfect example of how Rio enables post houses to meet the need to evolve their workflows in a changing mediascape and we are proud to support them in delivering the highest standards.”