Vizrt Unveils Virtual SloMo Solution and Partners with Grass Valley

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Vizrt Ltd. unveiled for the first time a solution to synthesize high-speed sports footage from standard-rate TV cameras. The image-based solution is running within Libero Highlight, Vizrt’s best-of-breed 3D sports analysis system. The Virtual SloMo effect can be applied to any available television camera feed and, hence, offers completely new flexibility to create high-speed, high-quality footage for sports replay and analysis, not only from your OB van, but also from your studio environment.

Other highlights from this year’s IBC show were:
•   5 new sports
•   File-based workflow
•   Integration with GrassValley’s K2 server and replay system
•    New effects for Libero Highlight

5 new sports: Tennis, Cricket and more…
This year, LiberoVision expands their sports portfolio significantly by doubling the numbers of sports available to produce the well-known 3D analysis clips and camera flights. Beside the former sports football/soccer, American football, basketball, ice hockey, baseball, rugby and handball, Libero Highlight can now be used additionally for tennis, cricket, volleyball, beach volleyball, field hockey, Australian and Canadian football.

File-based workflow
The upcoming Libero Highlight version will ease the studio integration, as both ingest and output can now be performed via baseband video (SDI) or file transfer. Libero Highlight operators can choose video files from a media asset management system (MAM) like Viz Media Engine, directly load them into Libero Highlight and create stunning highlight clips including unique 3D effects. This allows for an easy integration of Libero Highlight into any tapeless studio environment.

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Grass Valley K2 integration
At the same time, the integration of Libero Highlight with Grass Valley’s K2 Summit media server and K2 Dyno replay system was demoed for the first time at IBC. The full integration of the two systems allows generating the 3D analysis clips both in remote and studio productions, even if only a multi-lateral feed is available from an event.

Grass Valley K2 Dyno S Controller

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The Grass Valley K2 Summit® 3G media server combined with the K2 Dyno® replay system is a powerful, cost-effective video replay solution addressing the needs for replay control and highlight generation in file-based live productions. The K2 Summit 3G and K2 Solo™ media servers can be integrated into the K2 Dyno™ Replay System, with functionality controlled by the K2 Dyno Replay Controller. Content management of the system can be managed by the K2 Dyno Production Assistant, providing a centralized view of all content on multiple K2 systems with high-resolution browse, enhanced metadata management, playlist generation and playout capability, and powerful rules-based file management.

With the Grass Valley K2 integration, Libero Highlight can continuously monitor all available cameras in the stadium during a live game. For generating a specific 3D analysis clip, an operator chooses two or more cameras and builds the 3D effect or transition between the cameras to tell the story in the most effective way. After adding graphics effects such as player markers, arrows or a virtual player run, the rendered clip is either sent back to the K2 Dyno replay system where it is available for replay or highlights or played out live from Libero Highlight.

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Telestration can also be accomplished very fast by looping video from the K2 Dyno through the Libero Highlight system. Using the tight integration between the two products, Libero Highlight directly controls the K2 server and is able to do live processing of the video so that sports presenters can give in-game analysis and break-downs.

“With the power of Grass Valley combined with LiberoVision’s unique 3D replay technology, we have created an extremely capable sports analysis replay solution that can’t be matched” remarked Petter Ole Jakobsen, CTO Vizrt “This is the perfect solution whether in the OB van or in the studio.”

Vizrt also recently introduced a file-based ingest and output for Libero Highlight to be used in studio applications. Libero Highlight operators can choose video files from a media asset management system (MAM) like Viz Media Engine, directly load them as clips into Libero Highlight and create the 3D effects. After rendering the files, they are sent back to the MAM system for further use. This allows for an easy integration of Libero Highlight into any tapeless studio environment.

Enhanced Virtual Run and other new effects
Besides new sports and more versatile production integration, the new Libero Highlight contains a number of new annotation effects: The Virtual Run, a unique eye-catching effect that allows letting key players run along their upcoming path in a 3D freeze frame, has been a big hit at this summer’s major sports events and aroused great feedback among the viewers. The new Libero Highlight will feature interesting extensions with a strobe effect and a moveable run option. The latter is especially beneficial for what-if analysis to compare actual and ideal running paths. Other new functions include a player grow and player dissolve effect. The zone focus brings a dynamically changeable focus to sports analysis mimicking altering the depth-of-field during a replay, thus focusing the viewers’ attention to a specific group of players. The 3D wall effect places a textured wall at any location on the playing field allowing for highlighting screens in Basketball, for example.

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About Grass Valley
For more than 50 years, the Grass Valley name has been synonymous with innovation, leadership, and performance. Our full range of solutions and services is unmatched in the industry, leveraging the economies of scale of the IT industry with our proprietary core knowledge of media processing and storage. Grass Valley customers include most of the world's leading broadcasters, teleproduction facilities, and service providers, as well as independent video professionals who rely on our products to cover the world's most high-profile live events, as well as to benefit from efficiencies in day-to-day operations. When you’re watching news, sports, or entertainment programming—whether on a TV, the web, or a mobile device—you’re watching Grass Valley at work in today's connected world.

About Vizrt
Vizrt offers a new vision for content creation and delivery with an end-to-end solution from ingest to visualization. Our solution combines Vizrt’s true 2D/3D graphics tools with Curious Software’s World Maps and Ardendo’s Asset Management. Running on non proprietary software, the combination of these unique cutting edge products ensures a seamless workflow from conception to multi-format distribution.
Vizrt’s product suite is used by the world’s leading broadcasters including: CNN, CBS, Fox, BBC, Sky, ITN, ZDF, Star TV, TV Today, CCTV and NHK. Also, many world-class production houses and corporate institutions, including both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, utilize Vizrt solutions.

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