Gearhouse Broadcast delivers Moscow studios and remote production for Brazil’s Globo

The Brazilian rights holder commissioned Gearhouse to provide it with TV equipment rental, systems integration and local tech support services for its studios in Red Square, where it has concentrated its main production facilities around the World Cup. The two studios are connected by fiber optics links to Globo’s Free TV and Pay TV broadcast centres in Rio de Janeiro, so that its programming can be cut together remotely by its production crews back in Brazil, and thus achieving significant efficiency savings.

Within the main studio is a complex VR environment that is being used to illustrate the six daily network news shows and two weekly programmes aired live from Red Square. The studio has no physical scenic elements, and the presenters interact with a variety of 3D and 2D graphics elements that cover the main events for each day of the tournament. The graphics are created daily in Rio, so as to always maintain a fresh look, and are exported to Moscow through a robust data pipe using file acceleration protocols.

To bring Globo’s creative vision to life within a VR space has taken careful planning and even required the installation of two specialist high-resolution large LED screens that feature a fine 1.2mm pitch. Stype camera tracking technology is being used to provide the lens and positional data for the cameras, which is then fed into Avid’s Maestro Graphics solution along with the video output of the 6 camera set up to create the VR environment.

“In the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games, Globo surprised everyone with its studio in the centre of the Olympic Park, featuring virtual and AR graphics that were both informative and eye-catching. As you’d imagine, this is a huge event for Brazilians, and it’s important that we deliver to our viewers a visual experience that represents a substantial evolution from the Rio 2016 design,” said Jose Manuel Mariño Globo’s Director of Technology for Sports. “We were very impressed with the level of detail Gearhouse went into with its initial proposal. It also has a proven track record when it comes to delivering remote production solutions at high profile events like this.”

Ed Tischler, managing director of Gearhouse Broadcast UK said: “On this project we’ve assumed the role of technical partner to Globo, bringing together industry-leading technology and expertise to deliver cutting-edge studio build, graphics and remote production solutions. Our relationships with manufacturers, access to kit and skilled personnel combined with the ability to get large shipments in and out of challenging locations has proved key to successfully delivering this project.”

About Gearhouse Broadcast

Gearhouse Broadcast is one of the world’s leading and most innovative broadcast services providers. It supplies technical facilities, crew and services to capture the world’s most watched live and near live content from iconic events such as the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics, to popular entertainment programmes such as The X Factor and I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.

It delivers services including project solutions, outside broadcast, equipment rental, systems integration, RF, equipment sales and event communications to the world’s most respected broadcasters, production companies and rights holders. With offices in the UK, France, Australia, USA, Germany and Qatar - and a fleet of HD and 4K OB trucks in Australia and the US - Gearhouse Broadcast can meet the most complex broadcast requirements locally or on location anywhere in the world.