FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
- An exchange platform to discuss top technology trends affecting the media and broadcast industry including VR/AR applications
- Industry leaders gather at Volucap Studio, continental Europe’s first commercial video studio for high-resolution 360°/VR/AR/MR production
- ARRI lends its expertise in camera systems and lighting equipment as well as workflow solutions and professional services
July 2, 2019; Potsdam, Germany – The broadcast and media industry is experiencing a period of extraordinary innovation. In order to professionally encounter and better understand the highly topical trends of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) content production for HD and beyond for the broadcast industry, ARRI and the volumetric studio, Volucap, organized the second International Broadcast Day at the Babelsberg Studios in Potsdam, Germany. This unique gathering which provided a platform for exchanging knowledge and experiences on future key technologies with industry leaders, took place from June 26 – 27, 2019 in the FX Center and the state-of-the-art Volucap Studio with camera and lighting solutions as well as system services from ARRI. Experts from around the world joined the ARRI and Volucap teams for one and a half days of keynotes, presentations, and workshops with a special focus on discussing opportunities, applications, and constraints of VR and AR affecting media today.
Dr. Joerg Pohlman, member of the Executive Board at ARRI, and Sven Bliedung, CEO at Volucap, opened the event by welcoming the group. Pohlman expressed his enthusiasm for the event: “With the advent of ‘intelligent LED lighting’ comes enormous technical and creative potential, also in terms of connecting these lighting and camera systems. At ARRI, we are very excited about this potential and welcome the opportunity to use the Broadcast Day as a platform to exchange ideas with other international professionals and to discuss future applications for the broadcast industry.” Bliedung, as well, identified the importance of the event: “The broadcast market is currently undergoing an extremely exciting change. New digital tools that engage tomorrow's audiences are the key to keeping future viewership. The International Broadcast Day unites the most important pioneers and presents a broad outlook on the new technological possibilities. We are surprised at the interest in volumetric captures and think that this event will open many important doors for the use of volucaps (volumetric recordings of actors) in broadcast media.”
The morning session of the event comprised of presentations by top keynote speakers, all of whom are high-profile experts in their fields: Lorenzo Zanni, Head of Insight & Analysis of IABM, Muki Kulhan, Executive Digital Producer & Creative Tech Analyst and member of the IBC Content Steering Group and Assessor of Innovate/Immerse UK, Richard Mills, Technical Director Sky VR Studios UK, Hassan Kiyany, member of the VR/AR Association Middle East, and Frank Govaere, VFX Supervisor UFA Technology & UFA LAB. Lorenzo Zanni from the IABM opened this segment of the event, informing the group: “Media companies are transforming into a media factories—with a focus on optimized workflows, data, automation, and cloud services. AI is also becoming more important, also acting as a driver for increased cloud adoption. VR brings with it many opportunities, even though consumer adoption has been slow. According to our research, some of the challenges to be addressed include storytelling, deployment costs, and the business models supporting the technology.”
The afternoon was spent in detailed, rotating workshops lead by four expert workshop facilitators: Bruce Devlin, Vice President Standards SMPTE, Peter Neumann, Product Manager and Senior Software Engineer at nablet, Thorsten Mika, General Manager and Founder of TrackMen, and Hermann Popp, Project Manager for Advances Development at ARRI. Paul Flemming, Head of Project Team, Stefan Soellner, System Solution Officer, and Dennis Jackstien, all from the ARRI System Group, led a discussion on lighting for HD and beyond. ARRI’s Markus Duerr, Product Manager Camera Systems at ARRI, and Andy Hayford, Business Development Manager at ARRI, updated their groups on various trends in camera technologies while Hermann Popp held a discourse titled “MXF Live over IP—safe, fast, and transparent from set to post.” Finally, Sven Bliedung and Thorsten Schimmer, Project and Event Manager at Volucap, gave a workshop on VR, AR, MR, and 360° workflows in practice, citing the volumetric capturing capabilities of the Volucap studio.
ARRI’s expertise in HD and 4K/HDR camera systems, lighting, postproduction, and rental guarantees a deep understanding of the broadcast and media production environment in its entirety. The cross-disciplinary capabilities ARRI offers sets the company apart from its competition. The ARRI System Group provides turnkey lighting solutions for tomorrow’s production infrastructures. ARRI’s LED lighting products feature high light output, great color rendition and tunability. They facilitate efficient studio operation and have a long-life span offering broadcasters the opportunity to save energy without sacrificing lighting quality. The ARRI Multicam System, utilizing the AMIRA and ALEXA Mini cameras, links a variety of components together giving program makers greater flexibility and tailor-made solutions to meet their very individual needs.
The Volucap Studio proved to be the perfect, state-of-the-art location for the event. ARRI is a shareholder in the Volucap Studio which is the first high-resolution, volumetric production facility dedicated to film and TV applications of its kind internationally. Recently opened in 2018, the Volucap Studio, located in the Babelsberg Studios in Potsdam, Germany, represents the next generation of 360° VR/AR production facilities supporting the trend for enhanced interactive and authentic content experience. Using Volucap’s unique 360° dynamic stage lighting system, people and objects can be scanned three-dimensionally, creating hologram-like representations that can be processed like computer-generated models. Immersive and interactive video with 360°/VR/AR functionality is a form of content that goes far beyond of today’s companies live and streamed 2D productions.
For more information about ARRI’s services and solutions for the broadcast and media industry, please visit: www.arri.com/broadcast
Pictures: ARRI/Thomas Kierok
Caption 1: Dr. Joerg Pohlman, member of the Executive Board at ARRI, welcomes the audience to the International Broadcast Day 2019; an event organized by ARRI and Volucap
Caption 2: Keynote speakers at the International Broadcast Day 2019. From left: Sven Bliedung, Hassan Kiyany, Richard Mills, Muki Kulhan, Joerg Pohl (Director of the System Group at ARRI), and Lorenzo Zanni (not pictured: Frank Govaere)
Caption 3: Stefan Soellner on stage at the lighting workshop during the International Broadcast Day 2019
About ARRI:
Arnold & Richter Cine Technik (ARRI) is a global company within the motion picture media industry, employing around 1,500 staff worldwide. The company was founded in 1917 in Munich, Germany, where the headquarters is still located today. Other subsidiaries exist in Europe, North and South America, Asia, and Australia.
The ARRI Group consists of five business units: Camera Systems, Lighting, Media, Rental, and Medical. ARRI is a leading designer and manufacturer of camera and lighting systems for the film and broadcast industry, with a worldwide distribution and service network. It is also an integrated media service provider in the fields of film post- and coproduction, international sales, as well as equipment rental, supplying camera, lighting, and grip packages to professional productions. ARRI Medical focuses on the use of core imaging technologies for surgical applications.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has recognized ARRI’s engineers and their contributions to the industry with 19 Scientific and Technical Awards.