Orad Hi-Tec Systems today announced that Turner Sports deployed its real-time 3D graphics solutions to — among other things — transform the full moon into the Turner logo, enhance hazy mountains, and create virtual scoreboards on the skyline of Phoenix, all during four days of TNT’s NBA All-Star Week coverage this month.
“This is our second year working with the Orad graphics solutions during NBA All-Star Week, and I have to say the effects were incredible, a complete success,” said Jordan Shorthouse, art director for Turner Sports. “In my view, virtual enhancements are the future of broadcast because the more we learn about their use, the better we get, and the more we can do. Viewers enjoy being entertained, and the sophisticated effects we create using the Orad systems are great entertainment.”
Turner relied on the Orad 3DPlay solutions to enliven the entertainment experience for viewers throughout the four-day NBA All-Star broadcast. For example, to orient viewers to host city Phoenix, Ariz., Turner relied on shots taken from the 22nd floor of a downtown building. Unfortunately, real-life views of the outlying Phoenix Mountains were disappointingly hazy and washed out. To compensate, Shorthouse found stock images of the mountains which were then enhanced using Orad’s 3Designer and dropped into shots in real-time using 3DPlay. The result was so realistic it amazed not only viewers but also the Turner director.
Turner also used the Orad solutions for the virtual inclusion of scoring updates and promos on the sides of prominent buildings within the skyline. And one night, when a cameraman noticed an especially beautiful full moon over the city, Orad solutions enabled the moon to be both repositioned into the shot and redesigned so that it morphed into the TNT logo before viewers’ eyes.
“Orad’s advanced technology and capable customer support allowed Turner to realize graphic effects that are beyond the capabilities of any other platform or broadcaster,” said Avi Sharir, CEO and president of Orad Hi-Tec Systems. “The high reliability and versatility of the Orad solution surpassed Turner’s requirements, enabling them to create broadcasts that run smoothly and are entertaining.”