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Augmented reality graphics, virtual sets and large video walls made of multiple high-resolution LED displays continue to be hot items for local stations looking to step up their studio presentation technology.
CBS News and Stations is now using large AR/VR sets for daily news coverage in eight markets, after launches at KCAL Los Angeles and KTVT Dallas-Ft. Worth last month. Other CBS stations using the AR/VR sets, which employ curved green-screen backgrounds that extend onto the floor to display sophisticated 3D virtual environments, include San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver and Miami.
Meanwhile, Gray Media Fox affiliate WVUE New Orleans is making heavy use of LED displays in its new facility that went on-air in May. WVUE’s new home along the I-10 freeway has two separate studios, each with large LED walls, green screen and dedicated control room, to produce a robust mix of news and lifestyle programming. The WVUE studios also produce sports-focused content for Gulf Coast Sports and Entertainment Network, Gray’s BSN [broadcast sports network] that carries New Orleans Pelicans games and other local professional sports like rugby across 11 Gray stations in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
Incremental Improvements
While complete studio overhauls like the ones at CBS and Gray are exciting, most stations are looking to take smaller bites of the AR/VR apple, according to Gary Levitt, VP of sales and marketing for FX Design Group.
Levitt says FX Design isn’t getting many requests to replace a hard set with a virtual set but instead is