In Broadcast - November 2015 - 28


28

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 5 - Issue 11 | November 2015

InStudio

Keeping Augmented
Reality Real
Augmented reality is now an affordable actual real world deployable technology,
says Nic Hatch, CEO, Ncam Technologies...

A

ugmented reality has been
around for 20 years or more,
but only now is the technology finally
powerful enough to make it a practical
and affordable technique.
Today, augmented reality is used
for sophisticated graphics in shot, for
set extensions to make a small studio
look much bigger; and increasingly for
digital product placement.
While the focus is often placed on
the graphics engines which create the
virtual world and augments the studio
or location shots, there is another and
equally important component required
for a convincing result. If the real and
the virtual are to match precisely, and
if the virtual elements are to remain
stable whatever the camera does,
then the graphics engine has to know
precisely what the camera is seeing at
all times.
In the past this has been the limit
on creativity. The camera has had to
be locked off, or its movement has
been limited. Systems needed complex
set-up and alignment procedures, and
any drift during a shoot has meant
that the recording has to stop and
the cameras re-aligned. The limits on
what could be done with augmented
reality, particularly in live and as-live
television, were too restrictive for
directors to take it up.

Our solution allows free movement
of the camera, with virtually
instantaneous set-up and no need for
visible targets on or around the set
or location. These allow directors and
camera operators to do anything with
the pictures, even with hand-held
camera moves.
Sensors
The latest generation of tracking
technology aims to eliminate the
time penalty while maintaining a high
degree of accuracy. Part of this is to
eliminate special markers which need
to be mapped, and to use identifiable
naturally occurring elements in the
studio or venue itself.
The Ncam solution, for example, uses
a small bar which fits underneath the
camera. Although it contains a number
of sensors it is relatively compact, and
has no real effect on the weight or the
balance of the camera. The sensors
scan and map the scene instantly.
Once set, the bar delivers positional
and rotational data in a constant
stream to the graphics system. Zoom,
focus and iris information is extracted
directly from the lens and added to the
data stream, which goes down a single
Ethernet cable so does not affect the
operation of the camera, even if it is
handheld or Steadicam.

Ncam's
positional
sensor bar
technology

BT Sport
Augmented
Reality shows
map fixtures

Because it is tracking a large number
of fixed objects, the Ncam bar provides
positional information in three
dimensions, plus tilt, pan and roll. The
accuracy of placement is the same
whether the camera is fixed in place,
on a jib or handheld.
In Use
Sport is perhaps the most compelling
genre on television and, inevitably,
broadcasters
have
looked
to
technological innovation to give them
the edge, to make their coverage the
one consumers will choose. Investment
in advanced technology will be repaid
by bigger audiences and therefore
higher advertising revenues.
As such, one of the first adopters
of the Ncam Live system was US
broadcaster Fox Sports. VP of Graphics
and Technology, Zac Fields said: "We
use Ncam in our studio every single
day, on almost every show that we
produce in the studio such as Fox
NFL Sunday, Fox Sports Live and
MLB on Fox. Recently it pioneered
in-perspective wind graphics, first for
the NFC championship and then on the
Daytona motorsport.
"We have three units: two on jibs and
one on a Steadicam," he explained.
"With broadcast, the biggest hurdle
with any technology used on air is that
it must work 100% of the time and in a
live environment."
Following suit, and as the exclusive
UK broadcaster of the UEFA Champions

League and UEFA Europa League, BT
Sport has also upgraded its studio to
add augmented reality capabilities.
This included the installation of Ncam's
Live tracking systems on: a rolling jib,
a Steadicam and a robotic dolly.
The jib allows free movement around
the studio, as well as high beauty shots
which include an intricate night-time
3D map of Europe with models of the
stadiums in use, all generated in RT
Software's graphics engine. The map,
and other graphic elements, must
be rigidly locked to the live camera
outputs.
"We wanted to push the creative
boundaries with our UEFA Champions
League
coverage,"
said
Jamie
Hinghaugh, COO of BT Sport.
"That is why we have invested in
Ncam's technology. The response
from our audience has been fantastic
around our augmented reality
offerings."
Ncam's tracking system is unique in
achieving absolute precision in camera
location, through all six degrees of
movement: XYZ position in 3D space,
pan, tilt and roll, so even handheld
cameras can be precisely tracked,
instantly, requiring no time consuming
pre-calibration of the studio.
The Ncam multi-sensor bar on the
camera also integrates with the lens
so zoom and focus are captured and
streamed to the graphics engine,
ensuring the real and virtual elements
match precisely.
http://www.inbroadcast.com http://sport.bt.com/sport-football/news/bt-sport-europe-all-you-need-to-know-as-gary-lineker-joins-champions-league-team-S11363985585092 https://vimeo.com/107334721
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of In Broadcast - November 2015
