It seems apt that in the same issue where we’re featuring a show that has claimed the Guinness World Record for the largest LED screen [all praise Adele and her creative team, p28], we’re also exploring the topic of video processing – with Rob Fowler, Director of Business Development at Brompton Technology, discussing the history of the field and speculating on what the future might hold for LED in the live events space.
Established in 2012, Brompton has become one of the dominant names within video processing, with the company’s technology being deployed on a wide range of significant projects, from high-end Hollywood films to music videos, showcasing how much LED has been embraced by these worlds. For TPi readers, however, the name Brompton will be synonymous with powering the LED screens on some of the largest productions in the live events space.
“We’ve had a grandstand seat to the progression of LED within live events,” began Fowler, musing on how we’ve seen a dramatic increase in the pixel density of LED used in live events. “When we started, you’d see a pixel pitch of somewhere between 7mm to 15mm for live events. Now we’re at a stage where acts like Ed Sheeran are using 5mm products for stadium shows,” he commented, also referencing Adele in Munich, which featured 28 Brompton processors to power the LED wall.
“We are seeing bigger and bigger fine pitch LED walls on tours and shows, and with more pixels, comes a need for bigger canvases, which puts the onus on both media server manufacturers and LED processor manufacturers like Brompton to come up with elegant solutions.”
One talked about solution to the increased pixel counts of big screens is video over IP solutions like SMPTE 2110 for the distribution of those high bandwidth video signals. Dealing with massive walls is one of the main drivers for the creation of Brompton’s upcoming SQ200 processor, which can deliver 100 Gbps Ethernet connectivity to support 8K at 60fps (and above) and 12bpc over a single cable. There is also a second 100 Gbps Ethernet input for a fully redundant video-over-IP network, meeting the requirements of Brompton’s most demanding customers.
At the time of announcement of the SQ200 at ISE, Chris Deighton, CTO and co-founder of Brompton Technology noted that the company “always seeks to do more than just check boxes – our aim is to deliver products that address the needs of the real world and that are future-proof to ensure great return-on-investment for our customers,” he added. “SMPTE 2110 is one way of driving very large screens.”
However, at time of writing, it’s not a very plug and play solution. “For this reason, we will continue to support the new 8K variants of baseband standards like HDMI and Displayport which are well understood and well suited to live events,” he stated.
“We are also cautiously optimistic about the new IPMX video over IP standard which it’s hoped will combine some of the plug and play ease of use of standards like HDMI, with the advantages of ethernet cabling that benefit SMPTE 2110. IPMX, which is being developed by AIMS, an alliance of manufacturers looking to produce an open standard protocol, could be the missing link to allow widespread adoption of video over IP in live events.”
This topic of collaboration continued with Fowler explaining the importance of having good relationships with all the other parts of the video ecosystem. This includes not only all the leading media server and video switching manufacturers but, more importantly, the manufacturers of the LED panels. “For Brompton to be compatible with an LED panel, it must have a Brompton card built into it, so in many ways, the LED manufacturers are both our customers and partners,” he explained.
“This is why we have an office in Shenzhen where many of the most well known LED manufacturers are based and our engineers often visit the likes of ROE Visual, INFiLED, Absen and our many other partners in the region. We have been fostering even closer links with these partners as we see it as essential to delivering the products our mutual clients will demand in the next few years,” Fowler said, explaining that in recent years the company has had more of an ongoing dialogue with content creators.
“Many creators have crossed over from live events into the virtual production space and they have been particularly interested in the Brompton colour management options, which become highly valuable when using LED on camera. Our ability to forensically control colour really sets Brompton apart from other off-the-shelf processor options,” he enthused.
This increased importance of things like colour management and artefact prevention via the suite of camera syncing tools are also being considered more in the live events space – especially with more cameras on the LED screens on stage. This can be for IMAG, streaming services, cinematic versions of shows like we saw recently with Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour or people in the crowd creating and sharing their own records of performances.
Looking to the future, Fowler introduced a new term to us called “digital scenography”. He elaborated: “It’s a term I first heard used by Nick Hunt from Rose Bruford College back in the early Noughties to describe the used of LED and video as backdrops,” he added, explaining how inspiration was taken from theatre.
“I think it neatly sums up the immersive way that designers are now creating entire environments on stages and with that comes an increasing need for really accurate control of all the parameters of the imagery that is placed on those screens, because in many ways that now is the show. As well as creating environments, we are also seeing this new type of show where LED is at the forefront,” concluded Fowler, citing ABBA Voyage as a prime example.
Video processing is an element of the live events landscape that will take the medium of LED in a new direction and, in turn, contribute to bringing productions into a new era.
Words: Stew Hume
Photos: Ralph Larmann
