144 square meters of LED walls decorate the RTL news studio
by Bernhard Herrmannarticle from the archives of
RTL wants to set new standards with a future-oriented news studio. After the extensive studio relaunch in the Cologne broadcasting center, the four formats “RTL Aktuell”, “RTL Nachtjournal” as well as “Point 6/7/8” and “Point 12” will broadcast from a shared studio. Instead of virtual green screens, there are now 144m² high-resolution video walls.
(Bild: Creative Art Production)
Content of this case study:
From the outside, the RTL broadcasting center in the former trade fair building in Cologne-Deutz may breathe the spirit of the 1920s with its facade in the style of brick expressionism. However, inside you will find the most modern broadcast technology. The most recent example of this is the new news studio, which officially went into operation on September 4th and which we were able to see at the end of July.
Anyone who uses the entrance to RTL Deutschland from Charles-de-Gaulle-Platz first enters an impressive, glass-roofed mall. Over a length of around 110m, visitors and employees walk through the middle of the forest-like passage, which is framed by office windows on the right and left. At the end of the mall, an escalator leads from the main entrance to the reception.
In the new studio room, the 108 ARRI LED spotlights hanging on several ceiling trusses are striking. 50 S60-C, four S30-C and 54 L7-C were installed. The daylight white LED light is brilliant, but at the same time the headlights generate hardly any heat, so that the room requires almost no cooling in a climate-friendly manner. At eye level, the large LED video walls, including a 27m² curved LED video wall, are dominant. The quality of the images and graphics visible in the television studio looks like exhibits in an art museum. Only when you approach the reading distance can the individual LEDs be seen with a distance of 1.2mm. Paul Hering, head of studio and outside production, comes in and explains the studio setup.
The four hanging, movable and rotatable LED walls, each measuring 3 × 1.7m, have a pixel pitch of 1.2mm and weigh a total of around 4t. The ultra-thin LED video wall system is suitable for stable and reliable continuous operation and has been optimized for image quality according to the latest HDR and 4K standards. With advanced motion correction and nanosecond response times, the LEDs’ internal on/off cycle is extremely short. Using a precise color management system, after the video is decoded by the LED control system, a secondary filtering display algorithm is added, and each LED of the display undergoes 16-bit color correction point by point, the manufacturer explains.
The left side of the studio is surrounded by a curved LED video wall 10m long and 2.7m high, and with the LED screens on the outer walls, a total of 144m² of display space from Leyard was installed. (Bild: Creative Art Production)
The LED walls can be configured into different imaging levels in just a few minutes, but can also be connected together seamlessly and with pixel precision to form a continuous screen up to 12m wide. This means that a tailor-made multimedia information environment can be created within minutes with every program change. Stage Kinetik installed the process and control of the video walls hanging on the ceiling and those standing vertically on the floor in the studio using a remote control. On the outer walls of the studio, LED walls with a pixel pitch of 7.8mm complement the central high-resolution imaging. In addition, the left side of the studio was framed with a curved LED video wall 10m long and 2.7m high. Two additional mobile, computer-controlled monitors in vertical format complete the setting. Some standard configurations are already preset, the others can be programmed and saved. The dynamic system supports a variety of format-specific dramaturgies.
The studio is equipped with 143.91m² of LED surfaces and a total resolution of 34,169,088 pixels and, when all electronic components from lights, LED walls to monitors and cameras are under full load, has significantly lower power consumption than the old green screen studio .
The manufacturer of the LED modules assembled as surfaces is Leyard Germany. In the direct visual impression and on the monitor of the electronic cameras, all the colors used on the LED walls look brilliant. White shines white everywhere, and black is generally seen as black – and not as dark gray. Color gradients with RTL colors are displayed without streaks or flickering. By using cameramen on the studio and remote cameras, any moiré effects that may occur can be eliminated immediately by changing the focal length. In addition, all cameras are equipped with global and rolling shutters.
The new studio offers the presenters a real news studio. “RTL Aktuell” as well as the “RTL Nachtjournal” and the RTL magazines “Point 6/7/8” and “Point 12” are saying goodbye to the virtual green screen. An open, 360-degree playable area with freely movable LED walls and a curved video wall offers presenters new opportunities to explain complex topics, present statistics or conduct interviews. You can move freely in the room and actively guide the audience through the topics of the programs. The walk-in real set makes the news presentation more approachable and easier to understand. The focus is on the content, the authentic, clear communication of information with a person at the center of the studio. This means interviewees can also feel more comfortable in a real set. In the tables, the room colors of the respective program are repeated as a color gradient on the front towards the viewer.
The LED walls are displayed from the picture direction. (Bild: Creative Art Production)
The flexible studio architecture enables set elements to be assembled into new configurations using high-precision, robotic drive elements and adapted to the program flow around the clock.
The formats “RTL Aktuell”, “RTL Nachtjournal”, “Point 6/7/8” and “Point 12” are each presented from a specific standard configuration and retain their distinctive look. There is a minor renovation between the two morning programs (Point 6/7/8 / Point 12) and between the evening programs (RTL Aktuell / RTL Nachtjournal). The separation of magazine and news goes hand in hand with the times of day morning, midday and evening, where the color moods in the studio also change from lighter to darker colors. With the daily news program “RTL Aktuell” from 6:45 p.m. to the “RTL Nachtjournal” the color in the studio changes from light to dark blue. The midday podium will be swapped for a large bar table for presenters and guests.
“I’m particularly pleased that by moving away from the green screen we’re getting a so-called ‘real studio’,” says “Point 12” presenter Katja Burkard about the new studio. “We strive to be truthful every day, and this also means that our studio is approachable and realistic. I’m also thrilled that our set elements are movable. We broadcast from a space that is as flexible and dynamic as our topics. In other words: Our studio fits the times!”
RTL anchorman Peter Kloeppel adds: “The large, open space gives us presenters more opportunities to convey the sometimes very complex information in the news even more clearly than before. Above all, I’m looking forward to the fact that the studio allows more freedom of movement during the presentation. In doing so, we offer viewers a new, attractive and varied news experience – and we have decades of news experience as a foundation.”
The four hanging, movable and rotatable LED walls, each measuring 3 × 1.7m, have a pixel pitch of 1.2mm, are suitable for stable and reliable continuous operation and have been designed for image qualities according to the latest HDR and 4K Standards optimized. The configuration of the walls can be adjusted in a short time or can be connected together to form a continuous, seamless screen 12m wide. (Bild: Creative Art Production)
Paul Hering, head of studio and outside production, about the new news studio
What technical innovation lies behind the modular structure of the new studio?
Paul Hering: An innovative spatial transformation is possible through complex combination options of the four freely movable, hanging LED walls on the ceiling, the three freely movable LED walls on the floor, the two freely movable news table variants and the freely movable sofa platform . With only a short conversion time, several programs with very different requirements and looks can be produced every day within a single studio. The very high-resolution LED technology also makes the studio future-proof.
How long did it take to renovate the studio?
Paul Hering: The actual installation of decoration, LED and stage technology only took a few months. A major challenge, however, was the coordination of the timing of the installation phases, as not all trades could work at the same time. In addition, already installed LED walls or completed decorations could not be endangered by work in the ceiling. In addition to the technical conversion, a lot of time was necessary for planning, preparing and commissioning the technical infrastructure. However, the lion’s share of the project time requires rehearsals and training, because this permanent installation has to run reliably every day. Through complex, precise simulations of camera settings and LED displays of all shipments during the planning phase, the time between installation and actual samples was significantly shortened.”
To what extent do content, design and technology intertwine in the new studio?
Paul Hering: The special feature in the design is a combination of HiRes LED for motifs and supporting LowRes LED (“Ambient”) on the walls. This ensures a studio in which there is not a single line of sight without LED walls. This means we can cover the studio completely thematically – if the content is appropriate – and move around freely. Editorial, moderation and direction can support stories or explain complex connections, from a single photo or graphic to a fully atmospheric studio. A decisive advantage over the virtual set is that we have much more freedom with movements and camera settings in the studio, without losing the ability to change thematic images throughout the studio at the push of a button. In order to support this freedom in the narrative, we also use significantly less camera robotics than in the green screen studio.
The new studio architecture requires smaller and larger renovations. To what extent is the transition to a multifunctional set also a challenge for the studio crew?
Paul Hering: The challenge in the new architecture is the major renovations between certain shipments. Larger and smaller decorative pieces must be assembled and dismantled in a coordinated, safe and yet quick manner. Also new is the use of motorized stage technology, which supports the studio crew in quickly converting, but also requires trained, safe handling so as not to endanger people and technology. In the event of an accident, there are backups of the contents and an emergency power supply with generators for all electrical and electronic systems. We rely on cameramen and the highest possible technical quality in the new RTL studio.
