NVIDIA's Quadro Digital Video Pipeline Enables Easier Live 3D Broadcasting

NAB 2010 has kicked off in Las Vegas, bringing the world's focus yet again on the 3D universe. NVIDIA has shown interest in the format before, with the company's 3D Vision technology enabling gamers to experience all sorts of new depth on all sorts of new gaming titles. But of course, just satisfying gamers who yearn for 3D isn't enough.

Now, the company is getting into...broadcasting. An odd choice, it may seem, but actually, it makes sense. NVIDIA has had success in unusual ventures before, with their technology helping to map out oil and gas exploration when not being used to push pixels in the latest titles. Today, the company announced that their Quadro digital video pipeline would enable live action 3D acquisition, graphics composition in 3G and real-time encoding.


This could mean huge things in the future for 3D sporting events, game shows, and anything else that could be shot and broadcast live in 3D. The possibilities are nearly endless, and with the market just now catching fire, it's a good time to get in. NVIDIA's solution is attractive due to its turnkey nature, and it also supports both DirectX and OpenGL in order to give developers even more flexibility with implementation. Will the future 3D broadcasts you watch on ESPN 3D have NVIDIA someone along the line? If this is any indication, it looks like the answer may be "yes."

NVIDIA Quadro Digital Video Pipeline Drives Real-Time 3D Broadcast Production from Start to Finish

Complete Solution Enables Live Action 3D Acquisition, Graphics Compositing in 3D, Real-time Encoding

NAB 2010, LAS VEGAS (LVCC South Hall, #SL 5629) — April 12, 2010 — Leading the next wave in broadcasting, NVIDIA today unveiled its new NVIDIA® Quadro® Digital Video Pipeline, a turnkey system which dramatically simplifies and accelerates the production of live 3D broadcasts.

The Quadro Digital Video Pipeline solves the complexity of acquiring, processing and delivering both traditional and 3D content by leveraging NVIDIA graphics processing units (GPUs). Integrated into a flexible, reliable and cost-effective computer system, the NVIDIA Quadro Digital Video Pipeline delivers advanced capabilities from production start to finish.

·         Acquisition:  ingests four HD-SDI feeds (or two stereoscopic 3D feeds) simultaneously, using the GPU to debayer raw camera data in real-time, so directors see the highest quality, color corrected images.
·         Processing: renders and composites real-time 3D graphics, virtual effects and transitions to create the most engaging programming.
·         Delivery: outputs right eye and left eye HD-SDI streams with audio, for immediate previewing and broadcasting.


With support for both DirectX and OpenGL, software developers and solution integrators are building sophisticated solutions on this flexible platform.

Brainstorm Multimedia (Booth #SL5329), Vizrt (Booth #SL5408), and Weather Services International (WSI) (Booth #SL5116) are broadcast graphics innovators working closely with NVIDIA to deliver 3D production workflows using the Quadro Digital Video Pipeline. These partners provide solutions for enhancing live, on-air broadcasts with computer generated graphics, virtual sets and augmented reality.

 “The Quadro Digital Video Pipeline delivers the essential technology to revolutionize live 3D production,” said Paul Lacombe, president at Brainstorm America. “Working with NVIDIA, we are delivering solutions to customers such as ESPN who will define the future of live 3D sports broadcasts.”

 “NVIDIA Quadro is the processor of choice for our 2D and 3D graphics generation systems,” said Gerhard Lang, chief engineering officer at Vizrt. “The new Viz Engine adds support for the NVIDIA Quadro Digital Video Pipeline, and the direct access to the NVIDIA GPU gives us the ability to render more intricate 3D scenes at a higher level of detail without additional latency.”

 

“Delivering the highest quality on-air weather graphics and visualization would be impossible without NVIDIA technology,” said Bill Dow, vice president and general manager, Media Division, WSI. “Our TruVu Max real-time weather rendering system currently utilizes Quadro technology, and the Quadro Digital Video Pipeline will enable us to integrate four video feeds into the broadcast, a unique capability used to broadcast breaking weather reports.”

“Broadcasters who have experimented with 3D, quickly discover how ridiculously hard it is to get it right,” said Jeff Brown, general manager, Professional Solutions Group, NVIDIA. “Compared to traditional broadcasting, there are exponentially more things that could go wrong. The Quadro Digital Video Pipeline is designed to hide that complexity, and let broadcasters focus on producing truly breakthrough programming.”

The NVIDIA Quadro Digital Video Pipeline fully enables 3D workflows by processing simultaneous right eye and left eye video streams in real-time. Additionally, by pairing this pipeline with NVIDIA 3D Vision active shutter glasses, broadcast operators and directors can preview stereo 3D content at full resolution during production.

For post-production of 3D content, video professionals can edit with Adobe Premiere Pro CS5, which is accelerated by NVIDIA Quadro GPUs.  A variety of plug-ins for 3D capture, compositing, and encoding enable an integrated workflow.

NVIDIA is demonstrating its new 3D Digital Video Pipeline platform as well as Adobe Creative Suite at NAB 2010, booth #SL 5629, located in the lower South Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center, from April 12 to 15, 2010.

Pricing and Availability
The next generation of the NVIDIA Quadro Digital Video Pipeline is available now from NVIDIA Quadro value added resellers, including PNY. For more information, visit: www.nvidia.com/quadro/dvp.