White Paper: Brainstorm Guide to Understanding XR Production

Virtual production is here to stay, and while the digital age has driven profound changes in how television was produced and consumed, the traditional way of doing business in television has been seriously impacted because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Broadcasters and production companies must work ever harder to attract and retain viewers; however, the current situation also raises opportunities for virtual production, from remote shooting to virtual events.

One of the balancing acts that broadcasters and content providers over the world have to manage is that of costs versus capabilities, and nowhere is that currently more evident than in the use of Virtual Reality (VR). Virtual studios become more appealing because of the democratization of the virtual technology, and the availability of powerful enough hardware at a price point that not just the big broadcasters can afford.

Although virtual sets and even Augmented Reality (AR) have been around for decades now, the new developments on rendering technologies like PBR, real-time Ray Tracing, or the arrival of game engines such as Unreal Engine, brought a new era to virtual production. However, the concept has also diversified with the arrival of new display technologies like LED videowalls, that provide alternatives to the traditional chroma keying.

Amazingly enough, semantics are important in this matter, as many authors and vendors are including concepts that often only describe partial aspects of VR. CLICK HERE to download the latest White Paper from Brainstorm, which aims to shed some light on the concepts, the possibilities these technologies provide for virtual production, and the pros and cons of each approach.