FX Design Group

Gains in tech and drops in prices are pushing more broadcasters to adopt video walls in their studios, but stations are learning that designing a digital set also means adopting a different mindset. Pictured: This XR Studio for ServusTV in Salzburg, Austria, is driven by Ross Video’s Voyager and Lucid control system to simplify workflow. Voyager is built on the Epic Unreal gaming engine for hyper realistic rendering.

NAB attendees with their curiosity peaked by ChatGPT had loads of AI-related questions for vendors and the cloud, virtual production and FAST channels dominated other conversations in the annual Las Vegas convocation. Pictured: Brainstorm combined camera feeds from talent in front of a green screen and an LED wall into one screen (upper right) at its NAB booth.

Video walls continue to dominate studio design trends in the U.S. with ever-broader use framed by the “warmth” of natural materials and local personality. Abroad, newsrooms have been more embracing of the virtual reality sets of which domestic broadcasters are still wary. Above, FX Design Group designed and installed the KHON Honolulu set, which features large video walls.

Executives from ABC News, Fox Owned Stations, WCBS New York, News 12 and FX Design Group took the measure of remote production’s changes on the industry in a NewsTECHForum panel this week. While traditional studio and field reporting are returning, permanent workflow adjustments are also settling in. Above (l-r): Glen Dickson, Jacques Natz, Fabian Westerwelle, Peter McGowan, Mack McLaughlin and Erik Smith.

Executives from ABC News, Fox Television Stations, WCBS and FX Design Group will look at how widespread remote production has charted a new path forward for news operations at TVNewsCheck’s NewsTECHForum on Dec. 14, presented in-person at the New York Hilton and virtually. Register here.

Recent supply chain issues notwithstanding, newsrooms are embracing LED video walls for their dropping prices, ease of use and improved quality over older, LCD options. Above: WRDW Augusta, Ga., included a large video wall in its new facility, designed by FX, that it moved into earlier this year. (Source: WRDW)

COVID-19’s social distancing requirements won’t have a lasting impact on studio design and trends like video walls are expanding, vendors say. But remote production has compelled them to offer simple-to-use at-home kits until COVD abates. Above, Devlin Design Group recently delivered the set for the new studio at the Tennis Channel. The set uses LED displays surrounding the studio. The Tennis Channel can use the same set for different programs since the LEDs can display “graphic wallpaper” that can be customized.

Despite pushing newsrooms temporarily into mostly remote production, set design vendors say COVID-19 won’t have a lasting effect on where sets were heading before the pandemic. They say viewers are likely to see more LED panels and walls, virtual sets and augmented and virtual reality usage in news studios. Above, for the TF1 broadcast news studio in France, Planar delivered a 750-square-foot curved video wall.

Having well-designed lights has impact beyond lowered operating costs due to reduced power consumption and how good the lights make the talent look. LED technology is now in its third generation, so many of its previous kinks have been worked out. The latest LED lights communicate wirelessly, are “perfect” when it comes to the color rendering index and handle a range of color temperatures. Above: The athletics broadcast studio at University of Louisville has a PrimeTime GUS 51 LED Fresnel as well as MSLED 20 XB2, MSLED 40 XB2 and 1SLED XB2 lights. Source: PrimeTime.