Given the immense talent of the athletes at the XXXIII Olympiad, we witnessed numerous sporting feats. But the achievements were not limited to the field. Those who watched the Paris Olympic Games on Eurosport enjoyed an enriched experience thanks to behind-the-scenes advances at the Warner Bros. studios.
Recently remodeled, the three Eurosport studios in Boulogne that broadcast the games blazed new trails in TV technology. Designed and installed by Arkrys, in collaboration with Georges Krystkowiak (Director of Photography) and Baptiste Arnaud-Benaïs (Gaffer), along with the Technical Director of Eurosport France, Florent Marquer, the fully automated studios aired coverage from all the Olympic sites with ten commentary positions embedded in a virtual setting.
The lighting setups in the studios were controlled by the ChamSys MQ250M Stadium console, along with two GeNetix 10Scene Gateways and two 10Scene Wall Plates. The performance of ChamSys products made the transition to automated lighting seamless for Eurosport. The new lighting setups featured a wide range of impressive features, including easy preprogrammed settings for greater speed, remote troubleshooting capabilities, and a media player and pixel-mapper in MagicQ.
"The ChamSys solution allowed us to benefit from a high level of interoperability and take control of the equipment at any time," explained Baptiste Arnaud-Benaïs. "By installing MagicQ dongles on two terminals on the sets, we could fully leverage the range of ChamSys solutions at an appreciable price/quality ratio."
Thanks to their augmented reality features, the revamped studios are capable of delivering large immersive live broadcast images.
Lighting on “Set A,” the largest, is 100% automated with 60 moving heads. All these LED projectors are remotely operated by the MQ250M Stadium console.
In the smaller B and C studios, lighting is triggered with the 10Scene Wall Plates, with preprogrammed settings. This eliminates the need for a console operator at all times. Operators use the 10Scene Wall Plates for instant access to presets with no risk of changing any settings. On set C, the media player and pixel mapper of the MagicQ console allow for pixel-by-pixel control of the light strips.
The XXXIII Olympiad was definitely exciting, with 329 medal events and two new sports, breaking and kayak cross, making their Olympic debut. The Eurosport broadcast was as interactive and bright as this sporting celebration.
