NVIDIA Quadro Digital Video Pipeline Drives Real-Time 3D Broadcast Production from Start to Finish

Complete Solution Enables Live Action 3D Acquisition, Graphics Compositing in 3D, Real-time Encoding

NAB 2010, LAS VEGAS (LVCC South Hall, #SL 5629) - April 12, 2010 -Leading the next wave in broadcasting, NVIDIA today unveiled its new NVIDIA® Quadro® Digital Video Pipeline, a turnkey system which dramatically simplifies and accelerates the production of live 3D broadcasts.

The Quadro Digital Video Pipeline solves the complexity of acquiring, processing and delivering both traditional and 3D content by leveraging NVIDIA graphics processing units (GPUs). Integrated into a flexible, reliable and cost-effective computer system, the NVIDIA Quadro Digital Video Pipeline delivers advanced capabilities from production start to finish.

• Acquisition: ingests four HD-SDI feeds (or two stereoscopic 3D feeds) simultaneously, using the GPU to debayer raw camera data in real-time, so directors see the highest quality, color corrected images.
• Processing: renders and composites real-time 3D graphics, virtual effects and transitions to create the most engaging programming.
• Delivery: outputs right eye and left eye HD-SDI streams with audio, for immediate previewing and broadcasting.

With support for both DirectX and OpenGL, software developers and solution integrators are building sophisticated solutions on this flexible platform.

Brainstorm Multimedia (Booth #SL5329), Vizrt (Booth #SL5408), and Weather Services International (WSI) (Booth #SL5116) are broadcast graphics innovators working closely with NVIDIA to deliver 3D production workflows using the Quadro Digital Video Pipeline. These partners provide solutions for enhancing live, on-air broadcasts with computer generated graphics, virtual sets and augmented reality.

"The Quadro Digital Video Pipeline delivers the essential technology to revolutionize live 3D production," said Paul Lacombe, president at Brainstorm America. "Working with NVIDIA, we are delivering solutions to customers such as ESPN who will define the future of live 3D sports broadcasts."

"NVIDIA Quadro is the processor of choice for our 2D and 3D graphics generation systems," said Gerhard Lang, chief engineering officer at Vizrt. "The new Viz Engine adds support for the NVIDIA Quadro Digital Video Pipeline, and the direct access to the NVIDIA GPU gives us the ability to render more intricate 3D scenes at a higher level of detail without additional latency."

"Delivering the highest quality on-air weather graphics and visualization would be impossible without NVIDIA technology," said Bill Dow, vice president and general manager, Media Division, WSI. "Our TruVu Max real-time weather rendering system currently utilizes Quadro technology, and the Quadro Digital Video Pipeline will enable us to integrate four video feeds into the broadcast, a unique capability used to broadcast breaking weather reports."

"Broadcasters who have experimented with 3D, quickly discover how ridiculously hard it is to get it right," said Jeff Brown, general manager, Professional Solutions Group, NVIDIA. "Compared to traditional broadcasting, there are exponentially more things that could go wrong. The Quadro Digital Video Pipeline is designed to hide that complexity, and let broadcasters focus on producing truly breakthrough programming."

The NVIDIA Quadro Digital Video Pipeline fully enables 3D workflows by processing simultaneous right eye and left eye video streams in real-time. Additionally, by pairing this pipeline with NVIDIA 3D Vision active shutter glasses, broadcast operators and directors can preview stereo 3D content at full resolution during production.

For post-production of 3D content, video professionals can edit with Adobe Premiere Pro CS5, which is accelerated by NVIDIA Quadro GPUs. A variety of plug-ins for 3D capture, compositing, and encoding enable an integrated workflow.

NVIDIA is demonstrating its new 3D Digital Video Pipeline platform as well as Adobe Creative Suite at NAB 2010, booth #SL 5629, located in the lower South Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center, from April 12 to 15, 2010.

Pricing and Availability

The next generation of the NVIDIA Quadro Digital Video Pipeline is available now from NVIDIA Quadro value added resellers, including PNY. For more information, visit: http://www.nvidia.com/quadro/dvp.

About NVIDIA

NVIDIA awakened the world to the power of computer graphics when it invented the GPU in 1999. Since then, it has consistently set new standards in visual computing with breathtaking, interactive graphics available on devices ranging from tablets and portable media players to notebooks and workstations. NVIDIA's expertise in programmable GPUs has led to breakthroughs in parallel processing which make supercomputing inexpensive and widely accessible. The company holds more than 1,100 U.S. patents, including ones covering designs and insights which are fundamental to modern computing. For more information, see http://www.nvidia.com.