Efficiency, AI and the need to optimize remote production capabilities are among the watchwords among editing and graphics vendors as the 2024 NAB Show approaches.
“Key trends in TV/video graphics include the need for greater efficiency, which is essential in enabling broadcasters to remain and grow more profitable,” said Carol Bettencourt, vice president of marketing for Chyron. “Accuracy is also vital. On the sports side, we’re seeing a trend toward even more rapid playout. And finally, an overarching trend is increasing interest in cloud workflows.”
That’s not all. “Remote collaboration continues to be a driving force within the video editing world, and really in the post-production world as a whole,” said Sarah Jones, senior technical solutions specialist for Blackmagic Design. “Producers and operators want to enable their teams to edit from any available system, from anywhere on the planet, while maintaining security,” added Ray Ratliff, Vizrt’s Product Evangelist, XR. “These requirements are driving cloud MAM and HTML client editing.”
Pushing the Boundaries
There’s also a growing demand for immersive experiences, which are driving innovations in augmented reality and virtual reality graphics, according to Daniel Evans, senior vice president of sales for Magnifi, a San Francisco-based developer of AI for broadcast technologies.
“Additionally, the rise of 4K and even 8K content is pushing the boundaries of visual quality,” he added. “Cloud-based editing solutions are gaining traction, enhancing collaboration and flexibility. Furthermore, AI-powered tools are streamlining workflows, from automated editing to real-time graphics generation.”
With changing viewer expectations and shorter attention spans, there is pressure to create visually captivating and easily digestible live sports events, says Steven Heimbold, CEO of Singular.live. “But it is also important to make the creation of quality graphics more accessible for all levels of sport, with solutions that offer fast onboarding and a great user experience,” he added.
At press time, many NAB Show editing and graphics exhibitors had not unveiled their plans, including Avid, although the company is implementing AI in many of its products, including ScriptSync AI in Avid Media Composer, which uses AI-enabled speech-to-text technology to generate transcripts and automatically align media clips to scripts and transcripts. Avid’s new Media Composer PhraseFind AI, likewise, also uses AI speech-to-text, letting editors search for clips using keywords, with automatic detection of 21 languages.
Blackmagic Design will showcase DaVinci Resolve Studio post-production software, the ATEM family of live production switchers, and Blackmagic Cloud Store, a storage that syncs and shares media with Dropbox and Google Drive.
“DaVinci Resolve is a complete post-production solution that lets everyone on a team work together on the same project at the same time,” Jones said. “Traditional editing has a linear workflow with each editor handing off to the next, introducing errors and mountains of change logs to keep track of at each stage. With DaVinci Resolve’s collaboration, each editor can work on the same project, in their own dedicated page with the tools they need.
“With the introduction of Blackmagic Cloud, editors, colorists, VFX artists, animators and sound engineers can now simultaneously work together from anywhere in the world,” Jones added. “Plus, they can review each other’s changes without spending hours reconforming the timeline.”
The Latest in AI
Perhaps no element of the content creation process has been impacted more by AI than editing and graphics, and advances in the technology will be omnipresent on the show floor.
Chyron’s booth will include a sneak peek at some of the latest graphics features the company has developed specifically for NBC Sports.
“Attendees will also see a beta version of PRIME 5 [Chyron’s live production engine] and how that robust platform is coming into its own as a mature offering,” said Bettencourt. Cloud-based workflows are also on deck. “We’ll also showcase PAINT 9.6, the latest iteration of our legendary illustrated replay offering, now with brand-new AI features including seamless telestration across camera angles,” she said. “Virtual Placement will be on display as well.”
New enhancements to the Magnifi platform enhancements include advanced editing and storytelling capabilities, multichannel audio ingest, frame-accurate scrubbing capabilities, and rules-based package automation, according to Evans. “Additionally, we will highlight new features such as ‘AI-enabled Ball Tracking’ and ‘Bulk Autoflip.’
Magnifi is also introducing what Evans calls “design system as a service at scale”—an AI solution seamlessly integrated into the design system using LLM and a botable image generation solution. “We will also be demonstrating how one of the premier Division I Athletics programs leverages this platform to modernize their creative workflows across video, marketing, advertising, and player commercialization efforts,” he added.
More Flexible Workflows
Singular will launch “overlays.uno,” which provides an optimized operator interface for Singular.live graphics.
“The Singular platform addresses the trend of accessibility by providing a low barrier to entry for users,” said Heimhold. “It allows content owners and creators to design and animate graphics, integrate data seamlessly, and enhance the overall production quality, contributing to engaging new audiences. Our cloud-based system saves hardware costs, supports agile workflows, and allows for customization based on specific requirements, which aligns with the industry trend towards more flexible production workflows.”
Vizrt will show how data-driven storytelling, XR and AR graphics, and virtual sets driven by its Viz Engine can create stunning visuals for covering important events. The company will also showcase tools for live sports production and analysis including Viz AI, Viz Flowics, Viz Libero, 3Play, Viz Arena, Viz Virtual Studio and TriCaster.
“With Viz AI, onscreen objects like cars or players can be tracked without multilayer tracking systems, eliminating complexity, and expanding the possibilities of sports analysis,” said Chris Black, global head of brand and communications/AI evangelist, who sees 2024 as a year packed with important broadcast-worthy elections and international sports events.
This fact “means those who provide coverage must be on top of their game to deliver information to a global audience beautifully,” he said.
To help broadcasters meet this goal, Vizrt will be showing how data-driven storytelling, XR and AR graphics, and virtual sets driven by its Viz Engine can create stunning visuals for covering important events. The company will also showcase tools for live sports production and analysis including Viz AI, Viz Flowics, Viz Libero, 3Play, Viz Arena, Viz Virtual Studio and TriCaster.
“With Viz AI, onscreen objects like cars or players can be tracked without multi-layer tracking systems, eliminating complexity, and expanding the possibilities of sports analysis,” Black concluded.
Register for the 2024 NAB Show, April 14-17 in Las Vegas at https://nabshow.com/2024/
