FOR-A Europe is launching a new solution that it says makes high-quality live augmented reality production a practical proposition for broadcast, corporate and events applications.
The solution, named Koala, can be clipped onto any camera to instantly deliver orientation data, without the need for calibration, targets on the walls or ceiling plus a spotter camera mounted alongside the production camera. For rental companies, there is no need to hold stock of expensive specialist equipment that may have low utilisation, said FOR-A.
The standard Koala generates high-precision pan and tilt information, along with zoom and focus settings from digital lenses or through external encoders, added the company. The primary application will be for cameras on tripods, but the solution can also be used to generate XYZ positional information when used on a crane.
The unit is completely self-contained and delivers the tracking data – in the industry-standard FreeD protocol – over Wifi. It can also be connected to the graphics engine over ethernet or serial port.
“Augmented reality is getting very popular for events and presentations, alongside the growing use in live broadcasting,” said Fabio Varolo, sales manager at FOR-A Italy. “Koala is going to be transformative, because it is simple to implement, needs no calibration, and is very cost-effective. Now you can create stunning live content with virtual environments, quickly and easily.”
