keywords: scaleable, virtual, virtual scenario generation, television, video production
Start Date: 1 November 1995 / Duration: 22 months
[ contact / participants ]
Building real scenarios for TV programmes is currently one of the most important parts of the total production costs for TV companies. Changing a scenario is an extremely expensive and time-consuming activity. For this reason, TV scenarios are static by nature and usually do not change during the life of the programme. Important space resources must also be allocated during the life of the programme and afterwards in order to store items (wood, furniture, etc.) for subsequent reuse where possible.
Virtual scenarios are the most promising technology to address the problem. Nevertheless, current approaches are very expensive, are complex to implement and are currently tailored for large TV companies. There is no existing solution for local TV companies or video production companies, which usually have fewer resources than the larger companies.
The market for virtual scenarios is clearly defined and has a strong potential taking into account the needs of TV companies and video production companies, especially needs which are foreseen in regard to interactive TV, interactive games, etc. The development of authoring tools to produce content for the future high-speed networks will be instrumental in determining the future competitiveness of European Industry in this field.
The objective of MAGIC is to provide local television companies and small production companies with a real industrial virtual scenario-generation tool that will enable them to produce virtual sets in-house at an affordable cost. The system will also be usable in larger companies.
The project will create an industrial software platform for real-time integration of live video and computer-generated imagery. The system is designed to fit into the digital high-speed network-based video production/post-production environment foreseen for the future.
MAGIC is designed as a scaleable range of software tools for implementing virtual scenarios using a common user-interface. The final product (hardware and software) will meet the following requirements. It will be:
Maximino ALVAREZ
METACORE SA
Huelva 8
E-28002 MADRID
tel +34/1 413 72 12
fax +34/1 416 99 14
E-mail: max@metacore.es
MetaCore - E - P
HITEC - GR - P
DUVIDEO - P - P
Tele5 - E - P
Silicon Graphics - USA - P
MAGIC - 20877, December 1995
please address enquiries to the ESPRIT Information Desk
html version of synopsis by nick.cook@newcastle.ac.uk