RT Software Integrates AJA Corvid 88 for 4K Real-time Broadcast Graphics

RT’s real-time 3D graphics supported BT Sport’s live UEFA Champions League launch coverage in mid-September. The coverage started on 15 September when BT Sport broadcast eight games from match day one, including fixtures for Manchester City and Manchester United. As well as the main programming, ‘The Goals’ show was also broadcast, in which high profile guests brought viewers the goals and match action as it happened.

Former UEFA Champions League winners Steven Gerrard and Rio Ferdinand appeared with BT Sport’s presenter Gary Lineker in the studio. The specially designed graphics included a detailed, night-time 3D map of Europe. The camera could move over the map close to the host venues, showing models of the stadiums at each host city.

Team formations using glass fronted slates rose from the floor, presenting each player’s performance statistics, plus larger slates comparing two opposing players with action shots. BT Sport could tightly integrate data such as the player stats from an external source, allowing the graphics to tell the audience a story.

Mike Fredriksen, commercial director, RT Software described improvements to the quality and level of realism of real-time and real-life effects for viewers through techniques such as physically based rendering, which enhances the textures with special lighting effects. Fresnel reflections were used to give realistic reflections off of the glass surfaces as the VR camera moved. This allowed reflections in the virtual graphic to move across the surface as the camera angles changed. Real studio objects such as the presenter’s desk were applied to the reflections using an environment map, based on a 3D visualisation of the real scene created with a 360-degree still camera.