There’s only one place you can find the Eiffel Tower on the BVE showfloor, and it’s on the stand of a good old British company, too.
Exhibiting with Vitec Videocom, camera tracking specialist Ncam is demonstrating the power of augmented reality (AR) technology by overlaying the iconic building onto a neighbouring stand. This all sounds like good fun, but broadcasters are increasingly turning to AR to jazz up their live news and sports coverage.
“A lot of broadcasters like the idea of not fixing AR in one room but having the freedom to move between different studios and even outdoors,” says Richard Hingley, Ncam account manager. “This also enables them to use AR in a more innovative fashion.
There are more than 50 Ncam systems installed worldwide, among them new sales to Major League Baseball (MLB) and CNN.
“The versatility to move the system between cameras is also very attractive to broadcasters,” adds Hingley.
Among users is BT Sport, which is using the tech to augment its UEFA Champions League coverage. The broadcaster is using three cameras – variously on a rolling jib, a Steadicam, and a robotic dolly – to deliver informative, entertaining and immersive graphics.
While the kit at BVE is the latest 2016 model, with refinements to the graphic interface among enhancements, the company is reserving major developments for later in the year. It will, for example, have another graphics partner on board and has something else up its sleeve too.
“Because of Ncam’s stereoscopic approach we know the distance of points and therefore depth,” was all Hingley would be drawn on. The tease.
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