Sky Italia and Vinten Radamec race against time for Formula 1 season coverage

Vinten Radamec has supplied a range of equipment to Sky Italia for a new dedicated Virtual Reality facility. The studio, one of the six Sky Italia facilities based in Milan, has been kitted out with three of Vinten Radamec’s Quattro SE encoded pedestals alongside three of the company’s Vector 750i pan and tilt heads — a choice for large camera combinations where virtual or augmented reality is required.

The project began in February in the studio originally used to cover the Winter Games in Sochi. One month after the Games ended, Vinten Radamec’s key distributor in Italy, Trans Audio Video (TAV), installed and integrated the systems. Sergio Brighel, TAV, said: “Sky Italia planned a major transformation for the studio which was to be dedicated to providing coverage of both the Moto GP and Formula One championships. It was a race against time to get the refurbishment completed and the new equipment installed before the start of the motor sports season.“

“The dedicated virtual and augmented reality studio is now up and running, enhancing Sky Italia’s programming and adding a further dimension to its outstanding sports coverage.“

The design of the large studio was based on the success of one of Sky Italia’s smaller Virtual Reality enabled studios that had previously been equipped with two of Vinten Radamec’s robotic FHR-35 heads.

Sergio Brighel, TAV continued: “At 100 square metres, the small studio also had dedicated VR capabilities. However, due to the space limitations it was more static. Sky Italia took the decision to design a bigger, entirely VR studio that had space for the pedestals to move around on the floor, which would increase the creative element of its AR applications.”

This is the sixth Sky Italia studio that has been equipped with Vinten Radamec’s broadcast solutions by TAV. Karen Walker, product director, Vinten Radamec said: “TAV has had a great working partnership with Sky Milan for several years and this recent project demonstrates both the strength of their relationship and the high performance of our robotic solutions. We are delighted that our equipment is in action and helping to add a dynamic edge to the channel’s thrilling live programmes.”