KPEDU Media School Takes The Lead With Virtual Studio Implementation

KPEDU Media School in Kokkola, Finland, recently invested in a future-driven virtual studio infrastructure to lead the education of new broadcast and media talents in the region and beyond.

The whole virtual studio was implemented as a turn-key solution by Broadcast Solutions Nordic, a branch of Broadcast Solutions Group.

The main task in delivering a virtual studio environment to KPEDU Media School was to provide the students with the latest media production technology and elevate them to be the next media professionals. On a broader scale, the virtual studio is already part of a development program to boost the local community and economy. Therefore Broadcast Solutions Nordic designed and delivered a 50 sqm virtual set, covered by four PTZ cameras mounted on robotic systems by Technopoint. The virtual production runs with Zero Density’s Real-time Broadcast Compositing System Reality Engine, leveraging Zero Density’s Reality Engine AMPERE workstations.

Kari Kaasinen, Project Manager at KPEDU, stated: "In projects, you have to be innovative. And I really feel we are on the sharp edge of the arrow now, using the virtual studio and the Zero Density technology. Our students and the whole region will deeply benefit from this cutting-edge technology."

Part of this EU-funded project is the goal to use the virtual set for product presentations and workshops of nearby companies to support the local business community. The virtual studio’s overall goal is simplicity and easiness of use. KPEDU's focus is to teach the students the insights and knowledge of the latest broadcast and media technologies, enabling them to start a career in the media business. The whole setup focuses on the Reality part, the virtual side of production, and aims to make virtual productions simple and easy to understand, not only to teach staff but to innovate and lead the development.

Broadcast Solutions acted as an overall partner in delivering a turn-key solution that included systems integration, implementation, and training, plus providing predefined sets for the Reality Engine. The stage for the presenters is a 50 sqm green box covered by four motorized Panasonic UE 150 PTZ cameras. Three PZT cameras are mounted on Technopoint Totem height elevation columns, one of them running on a 10m floor track, adding even more flexibility to the setup. One PTZ camera is static but also controlled with the same Technopoint centralized control system.

The heart of the setup is two Zero Density Reality Engine AMPERE workstations that do all the processing. The AMPERE workstations are a Zero Density development ensuring a high level of processing power and fail-safety. Each AMPERE workstation takes care of the complete rendering and compositing workflow of two PTZ cameras. Reality HUB is controlling the whole thing and makes daily operations and creating playlist and workflows easy to understand.

After the system implementation, the Broadcast Solutions engineers trained the KPEDU staff and students to work independently and self-reliant with the system. This took a very short time, keeping in mind the initial goal when executing the design and implementation of the system. Ease of use and fast learning curves are essential to KPEDU and the success of the whole project. Shortly after finishing the project Zero Density launched their own online learning platform, Zero Density Academy, with the KPEDU teams being one of the first users. Zero Density Academy will be a big help for KPEDU teachers and students to be always up-to-date with Reality. It is also easy to go back to basics and quickly refresh your memory about a particular feature or workflow.

broadcast-solutions.de