Sky Sports' Interactive Coverage Using Pixel Power

Sky Sports Active, the interactive sports service from the UK's satellite broadcaster, uses a network of Clarity graphics systems from Pixel Power, a developer and producer of SD and HD broadcast graphics systems, news production workflow tools and live interactive content, for its access screens.
Thanks to Pixel Power's Control Toolbox it is simple for the Sky team to create attractive and easy to navigate screens, which can be updated under the pressure of, live broadcasting.
On a day with multiple sports events, such as Champions League football, Sky Sports Active allows subscribers access to any of the games being played. When the viewer presses the red button they go to a video menu screen showing live thumbnails of each feed, together with continually updated scores. This video menu is now created and displayed by the Clarity graphics system and updated live via Toolbox.
Jeremy Worthington of Sky Sports Active said: "Toolbox means we can create the buttons we need for each session, quickly and simply. It greatly reduces the possibility of errors in the interface design, and our operators can set up precisely what they need for each event, using standard templates prepared by our graphic designers. For our viewers it is the way they navigate to the game they want, so it has to be clear, simple and utterly reliable."
James Gilbert, Managing Director of Pixel Power, said: "This is a perfect illustration of the way that graphics systems will be used in the future. It is far more than just adding text to the screen: this application brings multiple video windows into a template design that can be easily customised to match the precise requirements of the day. It can be set up in moments using a simple user interface, and once created runs completely automatically."
Sky Sports Active uses this system each time they cover multiple games in this way: as well as the Premier League, it is also regularly used for Champions League football, cricket and NFL. Sky has three Clarity systems dedicated to Sky Sports Active and currently 28 Clarities in total.
Further information is available at: www.pixelpower.com.
(KMcA)