Virtual studios for TV productions-limits and chances

Abstract

Virtual Studios as they are used today for professional TV productions can be seen as being just add-ons to state-of-the-art broadcast technology and devices. As a consequence, there are a couple of restrictions concerning different aspects (e.g. positioning and orientation in the studio) that make Virtual Studio productions complicated and expensive. However, they also offer a wide range of new visual effects and new ways for TV shows that often come up while playing with this technology. Further research can help to overcome the problems of the current architecture and thus Virtual Studios can be an important base for steps towards the digital revolution of broadcast business. The article provides a brief overview of the technology being used so far. It highlights its problems and benefits and gives examples of different TV shows that take advantage of the special features of Virtual Studio systems. Finally, it mentions related research areas.