FEED Winter 2020/21 Newsletter

COMPLETE PRODUCTION IN THE CLOUD Now shipping, Viz Vectar Plus offers a range of innovative software capabilities including NDI®- based audio application interconnectivity, multiple version programme output and remote operation. It can also integrate multiple video conference call applications as live sources without worrying about connectivity. It supports a combination of virtual and hardware sources, such as PTZ cameras connected over NDI, as well as software and hardware control panels operating across various networks. Since it can be installed on- premises using a standard PC with the necessary performance requirements, it’s also available as a virtualised package that runs in private or public cloud environments that support GPU processing. As the world of live production is moving by necessity to a more remote model, this IP-based system is emerging at the perfect time. Ruiz describes Square One as a service company focused on advanced IP solutions. “We had some remote production experience with equipment from manufacturers like Aviwest or LiveView, and they were good, but this is not just a different level, it’s a different game,” he enthuses. “The Vizrt model is so powerful and flexible that we even manage to provide real-time cloud editing, advanced sound management, GFX integration, ultra-low latency for monitoring clients and a cool bunch of smaller features to meet customers needs. You can deploy an environment to meet the production’s requirements in an hour.”

RED BULL The versatility of the Viz Vectar Plus system was further apparent when towards the end of March, long-time client Red Bull asked Square One for help with a project based on a spin-off of its very successful Batalla de los Gallos franchise. “It’s an international freestyle rap contest,” explains Ruiz. “Talent and technicians from all around the world needed to be ‘delocalised.’ Contributions were produced at home with PCs from contestants, hosts and judges, while all the technical and editorial

crew interacted though different instances deployed in the same Virtual Private Cloud on AWS.” Each of the Red Bull Batalla de los Gallos Exhibición 2020 episodes involved one host, with eight contenders and three judges. “All of them were interacting,” says Ruiz. “Before each show, we had a couple of days of testing with the guys for connections, for computer and for audio. There were big [technical

WE ONLY HAD 72 HOURS TO SET UP THE VIRTUALISED ENVIRONMENT ON THIS SHOW

quality] differences between contestants, depending on the gear they had at home and we tried to make it more similar by sending them all the same USB microphones.” While the video set-up was relatively simple, the audio was much more complex. “In our TVE production, we used the virtual audio software panel in Vectar, but for this experience we took the audio out to a digital audio workstation, so the audio technician was working on a separate instance on the same virtual network,” says Ruiz. “We had to move to a more complex set- up to have more control over the mix-minus and synchronisation of external music. That was the most complex part of the production.”

feedmagazine.tv

Powered by