Sky Sports Rugby League touchscreen using KZ-VCS to drive EVS playback

Sky Sports have just launched their new video referee touchscreen system. This allows the referees to review footage from multiple cameras after any incident in the match.

The in-house team at Sky designed the touchscreen control system, running inside the Vizrt graphics engine using Kenziko’s Kontact(tm) touch solution. The referees can select video clips, scrub through them and switch between cameras at will, with the footage always reflecting the current timecode.

All the video clips are stored on EVS servers, and the Video Control System connects to them via RS-422, using standard protocols. The clips are fed through video inputs into the Viz engine. Video Control System plug-ins in the graphic scene allow the referees to control the playback, talking directly to the EVS control.

Kenziko are thrilled to have been involved in BBC World’s new interactive show ‘Outside Source’ which launches today at 18:00 GMT.

The BBC’s in-house design team used the Kontact(tm) touchscreen solution for vizrt to produce an ambitious touchscreen system incorporating headlines, still images, video clips, live video sources, social media and maps.

Outside Source makes use of a U-Touch touchscreen overlay which has been fitted over the BBC’s existing screen. Our Kontact(tm) solution allows the overlay to communicate with a Vizrt graphics engine over the internal network, and provides the designers with core touchscreen controls to handle common gestures.

Outside Source touchscreen being used by presenter Ros Atkins

Data for the screen is handled by Viz Content Pilot templates developed by the BBC’s own team.

We think Outside Source is a bold and ambitious use of touchscreen technology, and we’re proud to have helped the BBC achieve their goals.

Read more about this on the BBC Website.

While building touchscreen systems, something that we’ve been asked about on a regular basis has been controlling external video servers. Be they Quantel, EVS or BlackMagic, this is a common wish for broadcasters. Designers want to be able to trigger video systems just like they trigger any other element.

But it never seemed very easy. So we decided we needed to create an easy way to do this. We call it the Kenziko Video Control System, or KZ-VCS for short.

What is KZ-VCS?

KZ-VCS is a stand-alone Windows application which can control a huge range of existing video hardware. (any device which understands VDCP, Sony or BlackMagic protocols). It communicates with the hardware via an RS-422 serial cable (more on that later) and provides control via its own user interface, or via TCP/IP.

KZ-VCS can control the video server in all the ways you would expect – cueing clips, playback speed control, jog/shuttle and being able to jump to specific timecodes are all supported.

KZ-VCS is also a thumbnail generator. If used with a BlackMagic DeckLink card (not supplied) it can create custom size thumbnails automatically for a set of clips. NB: Thumbnails can also be generated within Vizrt using the Viz plug-ins, with no need for the BlackMagic card.

Thumbnails displayed in the KZ-VCS interface

In addition KZ-VCS comes complete with a set of plug-ins for Vizrt graphics engines which allow control of the system without the need for scripting. And of course the system can be controlled via scripting if desired. If you use another graphics system, you can still use KZ-VCS – please read on for more info.

How would I integrate KZ-VCS into my setup?

KZ-VCS can be installed on either your graphics engine PC, or on another PC on the same network – since it is accessed via TCP/IP these machines can physically be in very different places (and in broadcast we find that’s often the case).

The Video server(s) need to be connected physically to the PC running KZ-VCS using an RS-422 cable.

How do I control my video server from Vizrt?

Once the KZ-VCS plug-ins for Vizrt are installed the process of controlling the server is very easy. In general it’s simply a case of setting which control you want (play, pause etc.) and triggering that to happen when you want within your graphic.

It’s also possible to retrieve timecode and clip information either for display or scripting purposes.

I don’t have Vizrt. Can I use KZ-VCS?

Yes. Because KZ-VCS is an external system, any software which can communicate via TCP/IP can work with KZ-VCS. If you are interested in using KZ-VCS with another graphics system please contact us and we can get you up and running.

What video servers are compatible with KZ-VCS?

Because we’ve implemented two of the most common protocols, VDCP and Sony RS422, a vast range of video servers will work with KZ-VCS. As long as your server supports one of these protocols via serial RS422 then it should work fine.

In addition we have implemented the protocol for BlackMagic HyperDeck devices, so these are also fully controllable, providing a lower-cost solution.

Why would I choose KZ-VCS?

We believe KZ-VCS is the most flexible and cost-effective solution on the market. For information on pricing, or to get a trial version of the software please contact us.

For this year’s Xtra Factor, the production team wanted to add additional interactivity to the procedings, and the idea to use a touchscreen was born.

Using our Kontact solution, we were able to develop a multi-functioning touchscreen system for the show, as well as provide the physical touchscreen itself.

With some design help from our friends at Mammoth Graphics, we put together a solution providing access to tweets related to specific

contestants (derived from crowdburst), video clip analysis tools including playback control and telestration as well as the ability to show the results of twitter polls in realtime.

The launch show saw the touchscreen christened ‘WINKI’ with presenter Matt confidently using it throughout the show.

As well as the touchscreen, we also helped develop bespoke control systems for the main X Factor show, again providing integration with our crowdburst system to display tweets and judges heads representing how much they were being talked about on twitter.

We worked on the first studio touchscreen system for Premier League channel some years ago, so when DeltaTre won the tender to provide the graphics for the channel, they approached us and asked if we could help them build a state-of-the-art data driven system.

One of the key requirements of the new system was speed of access, so we initially focussed on integrating the stats feed (provided by Opta).

We were asked to provide a complete workflow for the touchscreen which comprised (in addition to our Kontact(tm) solution) bespoke operator interfaces and services for processing Opta data.

In addition Premier League channel needed social media tools to power their daily Fanzone show – watched all over the world, with a focus on viewer interaction, it was key they could get tweets to air as quickly as possible. To facilitate this they purchased Crowdburst, our tool for bringing social media data to screen quickly and easily.

We also provided a Piero integration, allowing the Piero system to be driven directly from the touchscreen.

TV2 Required an iPad-driven system for soccer analysis. Using our Kontact plug-ins for Vizrt, we were able to quickly add interaction to an existing line-up scene. Adding the ability to drag players to any location on the pitch, store preset formations and draw telestration (all in 3D perspective) we were able to deliver a useful tool for the presenters to use on air.

With some design support from Mammoth Graphics, we spent two days in the TV2 studios setting up the interactions. The in-house team were then able to add additional elements that they required before launching the graphics on air for the first time.

ChelseaTV wanted more tools at their disposal to provide in-depth analysis both pre- and post-match.

Pat Nevin uses the ChelseaTV analysis touchscreen

We developed this touchscreen using our Kontact tools, allowing presenters Pat Nevin and Jason Cundy to analyse video clips (with playback control and telestration), team formations with controllable camera angles, as well as fixtures, tables and player statistics.

With design input from Mammoth Graphics, the touchscreen was launched in September and has proven its worth already providing hours of content for the channel.

For the end of the summer transfer window, Sky Sports News wanted to launch a new ‘Transfer Centre’ show using a video wall controlled by their existing touchscreen.

We built the original Transfer Window touchscreen, and helped add functionality to control a separate graphics engine, allowing the presenter to control the graphics live.

Timescales were tight and we worked through the night to ensure the show launched as planned.

Sky Sports News were the first customer using our Kontact(tm) solution, and we’re proud to still be working with them, some years down the road.