wige SOLUTIONS uses Ventuz for Broadcast Graphics at 24h Race

It is a season highlight and an event of enormous proportions: the annual 24h Race at the famous Nordschleife at Nurburgring, Germany. Four days of celebration, 180 cars, up to four drivers per team, and 24 hours on the road – tough and exciting for everyone involved, including wige SOLUTIONS, technical service provider of the Nurburgring for 35 years. This year, the team was able to simplify their job by using the Ventuz software suite to translate the complex racing information into compelling broadcast graphics for TV and online streams.

Searching for the Right Broadcast Graphics Solution

wige SOLUTIONS was responsible for the entire content from all cameras around the track and the visualization of the racing data. With 180 vehicles, this is a challenging task. “Racing is not like any other sport”, said Marcel Hermel, Motion & Realtime Designer at wige SOLUTIONS. “Each of the 180 cars is its own universe with number of laps, lap times, drivers, pit stops and everything else. Additionally, all cars need to be put into the context of the race with comparisons and projections. Our custom control software is hard at work, and we need a flexible and reliable broadcast graphics solution to visualize the data. Ventuz is the perfect match for us.”

During their long history of motor sports, wige SOLUTIONS has used a wide variety of pipelines. From the earliest font generators to market leaders in real-time 3D broadcast graphics and even custom products, everything has crossed the company’s path. Today, Ventuz is the solution of choice at wige SOLUTIONS for a number of reasons, as Marcel explained: “We have made many changes to our control software which collects and calculates all the racing data. Ventuz was easier to integrate than its competitors and has a very transparent pricing structure, because there are no additional plug-ins. We also use it in our events and installation department. Of course, if the customer requires a different tool, we will comply. But if we have the choice, that choice is Ventuz.”

Full Package for More Than one Race

At the 24h Race, this resulted in a consistent broadcast graphics package including lower thirds, leader boards, title graphics, intermediate results and the like. The wige SOLUTIONS design team prepared all templates and adapted them on-site for different broadcasting requirements. The content was then streamed to international TV stations, fan TV at the location and a number of sources on the web. wige SOLUTIONS also provided an additional set of graphics for RTL Nitro. When it comes to design, Marcel can identify a specific trend: “Our customers increasingly ask us for cleaner graphics with less gradients. Also, animations have become quite important, which is great news for us, because animating graphics is a joy in Ventuz.”

Next to the 24h Race, wige SOLUTIONS also uses Ventuz for the VLN Series at Nurburgring, a racing event that is especially popular on the web with over 250.000 streaming viewers. Furthermore, the team takes Ventuz on the DTM Series tour across Europe and to games of the football club 1. FC Köln. “I see Ventuz as an essential part of our future”, said Marcel. “It not only covers most of our graphic needs in all different areas, but it also allows us to grow and stay flexible in a market that is driven by technological developments and innovations.”