CNBC has completely refurbished its studio at its European headquarters in London, including a huge LED video wall, more cameras, more space, and power-saving LED lighting, writes David Fox.
The new Barco 12-metre LED curved video wall, one of the largest in Europe, plus multiple LED visual displays (including a touch-screen area), show off the new graphics and visual tools it is using to enhance how it presents the key facts in its business stories.
Having chosen LED for its video wall, it also chose the technology for its lighting, from Litepanels, and reduced its energy consumption for studio lighting by 89%.
“We have created a state-of-the-art environment totally geared to enabling our journalists to tell compelling stories about business and the global economy in real-time. As part of the redevelopment, we decided to equip the studio with a new lighting system,” explained Lloyd Stacey, CNBC’s Supervising Studio Director for EMEA.
“The quality, flexibility, and, above all, the energy efficiency of Litepanels lights had greatly impressed us when we first saw the products and immediately arranged for an on-site demonstration. The impressive energy savings and flexibility with which Litepanels managed to handle our tight delivery schedule made the decision easy for us,” he added.
In all, CNBC installed 88 1×1 LED production lights. “Since the 1×1 panels are almost flat, even with the limited space on the studio ceiling, which had been the source of complications in the past, was no problem. In addition, the installation of the lights was quick and easy.”
It is using different 1×1 models to provide the right lighting atmosphere for various studio situations. Using 5600K 1×1 flood panels, for example, the curved video wall can be illuminated with direct, bright daylight-balanced light. This means that the cameras can shoot presenters from any angle. In contrast, the faces of the presenters sitting at the anchor desk are illuminated with flattering soft and warm light using 1×1 Bi-Color floods (as in the picture left – photos by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images). The LED lighting is also suitable for HD, giving the faces real depth, and minimizing impurities.
The studio, which is now 40% larger following the refurbishment, also has ten cameras (under robotic control – see our previous story), including ceiling-mounted cameras that give a 270º view of the set.
The extra space means that CNBC has been able to integrate its online and on-air teams, and its Digital Desk is now part of the network set, to enable journalists to interact with viewers using CNBC.com, blogs, websites and newswires in real-time). “We’re incorporating viewer opinions, tracking websites and editorial comment on relevant subjects. We will also show our TV audience what the key digital discussions are, which will help us further analyse reactions to news events,” said John Casey, CNBC’s Vice President of International News & Programming. There is also a new studio desk with enough space for a six-person debate.
