Moov brings Wimbledon Broadcast Services’ new virtual set to life with InfinitySet

All rights holders used the virtual studio during the tournament to broadcast live interviews and programs

Moov, a UK-based sports and event graphics company, has again used InfinitySet, the realtime 3D graphics solution, to provide Wimbledon Broadcast Services (WBS) with a new virtual set and the most advanced Augmented Reality features currently available using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine.

The main goal was to recreate a virtual garden on an outdoor rooftop that simulates the actual garden of the Wimbledon building, where players could sit and be interviewed by broadcasters from around the world, offering new ways of interacting with the audience, thus enhancing the storytelling capabilities during the recently completed edition of the tournament, taking advantage of the endless possibilities offered by Brainstorm’s virtual technology.

Created around a chroma key studio, Wimbledon’s new virtual set expands the available space beyond its physical boundaries, employing a technique called set extension, which allows new virtual spaces to be created around a small real set, in effect creating a 360º circular studio. This also allows for alternate camera shots, more space to add infographics and, of course, greater Wimbledon brand presence. InfinitySet brought added value in its flexibility to change, adapt and make last minute adjustments.

The studio has several Sony PTZ cameras and to ensure quality output each camera was paired with an InfinitySet system with Unreal Engine and Black Magic’s Ultimatte chromakeyer. In addition to providing an indoor option during rainy weather outside, the studio was also used extensively at the end of the day when it was either too cold or too dark to conduct outdoor interviews. The studio was available to all rights holders during the tournament, with several Eurosport regions among the most prolific users of the studio, conducting interviews with players in person and sometimes also via Zoom. Among the dozens of TV channels that also used the virtual set for their interviews and live connections were TV Globo, Movistar +, CCTV, Sky TV, Sports TV, NHK, Super Sport, Star Sports, ESPN, Tennis Channel and, of course, the BBC.

David Alexander, Brainstorm’s commercial director, adds: “Along with Paul Vanlint of Storm Broadcast, our distributor in the UK and Ireland, we have worked with Moov on many projects, but what they have done on Wimbledon 2023 is on another level! Moov has a very talented team who know our products inside out and how to get the most out of their many features and capabilities, whether it’s InfinitySet or Aston, our graphics system, or even Neuron, which integrates graphics and their management into NRCS systems. We are delighted that Moov has once again used InfinitySet, our flagship software, for such a prestigious and world-renowned sporting event as the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament”. 