IBC 2017: Mo-Sys, Grass Valley produce AR, VR solution in integrated broadcast camera
Mo-Sys Engineering and Grass Valley have teamed up to produce a broadcast camera with integrated optical tracking technology. Visitors can see the new camera in operation at IBC 2017 from 14th to 19th Septemberon the Mo-Sys Future Zone stand – Hall 8, stand G03, and at Zero Density – Hall 7, stand K31.
AR and VR technology manufacturer Mo-Sys, known for its many innovations, and Grass Valley, known for its broad range of solutions for the broadcast industry including a line-up of cameras, are debuting a fully optimized solution by incorporating Mo-Sys’s StarTracker tracking technology with Grass Valley’s LDX Series Cameras.
“Providing an integrated camera system to support live productions with augmented reality and virtual sets removes the complexity of such application and therefore it will improve the business model for augmented content in live productions,” says Marcel Koutstaal, VP of cameras, Grass Valley.
When making live augmented reality and virtual studio productions, the alignment between the camera and the tracking solution is vital. Any tolerance between these two elements will instantly break the fragile magic of virtual studio productions. “By teaming up, we make sure that the magic continues and can steam ahead to the next level with this integrated solution,” says Koutstaal. Through the development of the new built-in StarTracker, Mo-Sys and Grass Valley have given the industry its first broadcast camera featuring integrated optical tracking.
Mo-Sys turned the industry on its ear with the advent of StarTracker by literally eliminating the “black art” formerly associated with camera tracking technology, thus single-handedly enhancing the industry’s acceptance of virtual studio solutions. Now, through its alliance with Grass Valley, another breakthrough is realized by putting tracking technology inside the camera. This significantly diminishes setup time and complexities by removing the need for bolt-ons and additional cables, as well as offset and weight considerations, making StarTracker ideal for SteadyCam and hand-held applications.
“Mo-Sys is on a journey to simplify and innovate augmented reality and virtual studios,” says Michael Gleissler, Mo-Sys CEO. Through this collaboration with Grass Valley, a leading broadcast camera manufacturer, we continue our quest to make camera tracking systems simpler and more accessible than ever before.”
StarTracker is an optical camera tracking system that looks at identical retroreflective stickers (stars) that are randomly applied to studio ceilings or lighting grids. No additional structures are required. StarTracker provides unlimited freedom of movement while still ensuring accurate real-time position, rotation and lens data.
Grass Valley’s LDX 82/86/86N Series cameras have been adapted to include the StarTracker system. The LDX Series cameras combined with Grass Valley’s XF Transmission, consisting of the XCU (eXchangable Control Unit) Universe XF base stations and the XF Transmission Direct IP interface, provide power and synchronization internally to the StarTracker system. The camera tracking data goes directly into the XCU in the control room via the camera’s Hybrid fiber cable. From there, it can be interfaced over IP to the virtual studio system, such as Zero Density, an innovator in its own right by employing a gaming engine to its renderer, changing the efficiency, photo-realism and flexibility of augmented reality and virtual studio rendering systems.