Vizrt

Bayerischer Rundfunk Creates Realtime 3D Maps for Live, Interactive Touchscreen with Vizrt Workflow

While BR has been a long-time user of Vizrt’s Viz Curious Maps, the network recently added other Vizrt products, including: Viz Curious Maps Editor (CME), Viz Artist, Viz Engine, Viz Trio, and an interactive whiteboard display, to give its maps an enhanced 3D look and get them to air in realtime. By adding Viz Engine to Viz Curious Maps, BR can now “render” or immediately generate both 2D and 3D maps as well as the most complex 3D animations and send them to air instantly.

“Vizrt is giving us a fresh, creative new way of producing and presenting maps, graphics, and animations that make our live reports much more dynamic and informative,” said Michael Engl, BR’s Project Engineer. “Viz Artist takes 2D Curious Maps and transforms them into 3D maps and animations. Viewers can not only see a place in 3D, they can ‘fly through’ its terrain.” These maps can also be developed into graphical video sequences using BR’s two new Viz Trio live graphics systems.

“Instead of being limited to 2D maps that were time-consuming to produce, we’re now able to create visually compelling 3D maps - even moments before the live newscast,” Engl continued. “And since we’re able to get higher quality maps on air faster, our graphics team is more productive and creative than before.”

Thanks to Vizrt’s interactive whiteboard display, BR presenters can interactively change the way the maps and videos are displayed simply by touching the screen’s surface while they are giving their live report. The interactive whitboard system was configured by placing a U-Touch interactive touchscreen over a 42-inch Panasonic display.

Prior to selecting the Vizrt product line, BR’s Head of Design Wolfgang Bergmair had been searching for innovative on-air presentation systems and was impressed by Vizrt’s proven, end-to-end workflow. BR chose Vizrt after seeing Vizrt demos, as well as reels from prominent European broadcasters, such as Italy’s Rassegna Stampa and Germany’s N24 networks. Both networks produce similar live, interactive graphics presentations using Vizrt technology.

About Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR):

Headquartered in Munich, Germany, BR employs approximately 3,300 employees and produces programming for many broadcast outlets from three studio locations across Germany. Besides the flagship BR network, BR produces Bayerisches Fernsehen (Bavarian Television) and the educational channel BR-Alpha; and contributes programming to ARD, ARTE, 3sat, Phoenix, and KI.KA, among other major German networks.

About Vizrt:

Vizrt creates leading-edge content production tools for the digital media industry - from award-winning 3D graphics & maps through integrated video workflow solutions and online publishing tools.

We propose a new vision for content creation, management and delivery with an end-to-end solution from conception to multi-format distribution. Through constant innovation and a good measure of fun, we create software and services that push creative boundaries and develop new ways of telling stories.

Vizrt's product suite is used by the world's leading broadcasters and publishing houses, including: CNN, CBS, Fox, BBC, Sky, ITN, ZDF, Star TV, Network 18, TV Today, CCTV, NHK, The Globe and Mail, The Telegraph, and Welt Online. Furthermore, many world-class production houses and corporate institutions, including both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, utilize Vizrt solutions.

Vizrt is a public company traded on the Oslo Main List: VIZ, ISIN: IL0010838154.