Last February 10th 2022 Inglobe Technologies was declared winner of the NPO 3FM Challenge, winning the chance to develop a pilot project for the Dutch radio with the goal to transform the live box used for live music performance, into a virtual set with the characteristics of being expandable and immersive.
In November 2021 MediaMatters announced this new innovation challenge involving NPO Innovation (the innovation department of the Dutch public broadcasting organization NPO) and NPO 3FM, a public radio station in The Netherlands.
After the initial proposals received from 34 companies, only the best 5 were invited to pitch in Hilversum, where the radio station is located. The winner has been awarded € 35.000 to do a pilot at the radio station.
NPO 3FM was looking for innovative and creative solutions, including those that use AR, to enable new ways of visualization in the field of live music performances. They asked that the submitted solution should make performances feel dynamic, authentic and attractive for performers and audience, and appealing to share.
According to NPO Innovation, “The quality of the challenge entries was very high. Inglobe’s solution came closest to the objective of the challenge: how to make the performances in the 3FM Livebox more dynamic and therefore more attractive for both audience and artists.”
Inglobe presented a solution based on its brand new Metastudio platform, a system designed to take advantage of the radio/TV studio space without the need of adding green screens or other expensive solutions like LED Walls.
Metastudio leverages Augmented Reality and Real Time tracking in order to create a hybrid environment where physical performances can be integrated into a virtual set extension with potentially infinite settings.
Thanks to Metastudio, NPO 3FM will be able to create virtual set extensions around the performers as well as to include virtual characters into the stage that may impersonate hosts, guests or even DJs. Other than just enhancing live music performances, Metastudio will provide tools and presets to manage a wide variety of use cases, including interviews, DJ sets and even Quizzes.
Inglobe’s Virtual Production division is working hard to deliver solutions that will allow broadcasting companies to bring the Metaverse into broadcasting, in order to provide a superior experience to the audience.