PLG creates eSports content from new virtual studio with Blackmagic Design solutions

Magia nera URSA Broadcast G2 Blackmagic cameras and ATEM Constellation 8K mixers are the backbone of the workflow in the new virtual studio at PLG, a company specializing in video game and eSports content.

IL PLG new UBMS-integrated facility is 10,000 square meters in size and includes an adaptable virtual studio with a variety of green backgrounds and presenter stages, allowing it to move quickly from one production to the next.

Parecchi URSA Trasmissione G2 units record the images in the studio, each equipped with a Mirino di Blackmagic URSA Studio. The live signals are then transmitted via SDI connections to various virtual environments created with Unreal Engine. Arnor Jonsson, product and production director at PLG, considers “it’s imperative that live and virtual content are stitched together seamlessly in these content packages; both the brands and the gamers watching expect the highest production values.”

This flexible approach has recently materialized in a format around a fighting video game: “For a recent competition we designed a dynamic environment based on the game that players were battling in and placed our presenters and the commentary desk into the heart of the event, all in real time. Footage from the studio had to be crisp, with plenty of detail to maintain the authenticity of the presenting team’s segments within the game.”

Blackmagic ATEM at PLG

The core of the production room consists of an ATEM Constellation 8K mixer e un Pannello Avanzato ATEM 2 M/E device, which allow the PLG team to process sources in a variety of formats and stream live multi-layered compositions including game footage, stats, studio content, and signals from players in different locations around the region. In addition, the mixer’s multiple banks provide the ability to reduce latency, while the chrominance compositor is used to combine studio elements with the virtual environment.

These are not the only Blackmagic solutions involved in production: “In order to create exciting shows that give audiences the full gameplay experience we rely on features such as SuperSource, which helps us bring lots of elements onto the screen simultaneously. Blackmagic’s DeckLink I/O cards are also a huge element in our content design, providing the foundation for overlays and bespoke brand components for our clients,” Jonsson stresses.

The studio has been in operation for some time now. The experience couldn’t have been better, as the product and production director concludes: “The solution’s modular nature has dramatically simplified how we transition from one production to the next, making it easy to reset studio acquisition for the next show, and then we can quickly upload the graphics and backdrops needed. Major brands already know that the future for their marketing lies in online and gaming platform content, and our facility gives us a huge advantage, not only in terms of speed but also in broadcast grade production values.”