Located in the Mont-Mégantic National Park in southern Québec, the ASTROLab offers visually rich interactive presentations designed to engage and educate visitors about astronomy. When the ASTROLab upgraded its theater to 4K projection last year, it turned to the ProPresenter live presentation software from Renewed Vision to provide smooth and reliable playback of video and images from the center’s vast media library.

The ASTROLab hosts thousands of visitors every year in its 95-seat auditorium for informative presentations about cosmology, space exploration, light pollution, and more. While portions of the sessions are pre-scripted and delivered linearly, what sets the ASTROLab apart from other museums and astronomy activity centers are its human interaction and audience participation. A live, on-stage presenter is teamed with an operator who controls multiple computers and AV components to trigger supporting images and video—including visuals from telescopes and probes around the solar system—in response to visitor questions.

Related: Christie Mirage Projectors Power 8K Visuals at Mexico Science Museum

Two years ago, the ASTROLab began a project to upgrade its production and presentation capabilities to 4K. To realize its vision of delivering a high-impact visual experience, the ASTROLab required a software solution that would allow it to quickly recall video and images from its large collection of media files and present them on the theater’s 27-foot by 18-foot screen.

“The solution we had before was not up to the task of showing all of this multimedia at 4K resolution at 60 frames per second the way we wanted,” said Guillaume Poulin, a science communicator and technician at the ASTROLab who helped design the theater’s new workflow. “We needed software that let us categorize our content library, then during presentations, let us quickly select a media file for immediate display with super-smooth 4K playback and transitions.”

Poulin’s research led him to Renewed Vision’s flagship software. “ProPresenter is the only software we found that could do what we wanted in full-frame-rate 4K,” he said. “It lets us go into our very large library, select the appropriate media related to attendees’ questions, and put it on screen quickly and smoothly. And it handles cross-fades between videos and images beautifully.”

The ASTROLab runs ProPresenter on a Mac Mini computer with a Blackmagic eGPU graphics accelerator. The system’s HDMI output is run through a Teranex Mini converter that transforms the signal to 12G-SDI for routing with a 40x40 Blackmagic Design Smart Videohub 12G. Dante Virtual Soundcard software brings eight-channel uncompressed audio from ProPresenter onto the theater’s audio-over-IP network, where it is picked up by a Biamp sound processor.

The ASTROLab’s ProPresenter-powered 4K playback has impressed both Poulin and his audience. “Visitors are often blown away by being able to immediately see visual resources for the answers to their questions,” he said. “For example, they might ask about a particular black hole or nebula, and within seconds there’s a corresponding image on the screen—sometimes even before they finish asking the question.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the temporary closure of the ASTROLab, Poulin used ProPresenter to conduct streamed presentations from home. He received questions from the public via Facebook Live, and used ProPresenter to show corresponding media much as he would have in the theater. The ASTROLab facility has subsequently reopened to the public with reduced attendee capacity, and Poulin plans to add a second instance of ProPresenter in a smaller theater at the nearby Mount Megantic Popular Observatory when it too reopens.

Overall, the theater’s 4K upgrade has significantly increased the ASTROLab’s presentation quality and made its educational experiences more engaging. “Having very gorgeous images helps instill visitors with a deeper appreciation of astronomy,” Poulin said. “Being able to display very high-resolution visuals, such as those from the Hubble Space Telescope, is very powerful. It’s amazing the impact that can have on our visitors, and ProPresenter is an important part of that.”

The What: Renewed Vision has released an update to its flagship ProPresenter live presentation and production software. ProPresenter 7.1 adds new live streaming and recording capabilities that benefit customers immediately amid today’s restrictions on in-person gatherings while furthering Renewed Vision’s goal of expanding the software into an all-in-one live production and streaming system.

The What Else: ProPresenter 7.1 enables users to choose any one of the software’s multiple simultaneous output screens and stream it live using the RTMP protocol, record it to disk, or do both concurrently. The live stream can be output directly to a social media platform, CDN, dedicated streaming platform, or private server for audience consumption. Users can record or stream an existing, locally displayed screen or craft an additional ProPresenter screen tailored specifically for streaming with a logo bug, additional branding and more.

Version 7.1 also brings file-based recording to ProPresenter 7. The selected screen can be recorded to disk with a choice of compression formats including Apple ProRes, H.264, HEVC (H.265), and HAP, subject to codec availability on the user’s host system. The screen’s alpha channel is preserved when recording to a compatible format such as ProRes.

Related: The Technology Manager's Guide to Distance Learning and Streaming

“We had already planned to add live streaming to ProPresenter 7 at some point in the future, allowing users to easily reach online and mobile audiences without the need for a separate encoder,” said Brad Weston, president, Renewed Vision. “However, with the current state of the world making streaming more important than ever before, we adapted our roadmap to quickly help our customers meet this increasing demand. Our overarching vision is to evolve ProPresenter into an all-in-one production, presentation, and streaming studio, so rather than serving as a playout and graphics source for other production tools in the chain, it becomes the only tool that customers need. The new features in 7.1 are a significant step in that direction.”

The Bottom Line: ProPresenter’s functionality and intuitive interface allow for users to combine video, images, and text into dynamic, engaging live media experiences for worship services, concerts, conferences, sporting events, and broadcast programming. Version 7.1 augments these capabilities with live RTMP streaming for reaching audiences outside venue walls, and recording to disk for subsequent post production or distribution.

ProPresenter 7.1 is available immediately as a free upgrade for users on active ProPresenter+ software update and service plans—including all ProPresenter 7.0 users who received one year of ProPresenter+ as part of their purchase—and as a paid upgrade for users of earlier ProPresenter versions.

The What: Renewed Vision has announced the availability of ProPresenter 7, the latest version of its flagship live presentation and production software for sporting events, broadcast studios, houses of worship, concerts, and conferences. The first major upgrade of the software in five years, ProPresenter 7 adds support for advanced multiscreen presentations, an improved user interface, and a simplified pricing structure. Renewed Vision (Booth SL7427) will demo ProPresenter 7 at the 2020 NAB Show, taking place April 19-22 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

[Renewed Vision Scoreboard, PVP3 Media Server Software Boost Fan Engagement at University of Kentucky]

The Whaty Else: Pro Presenter 7’s multiscreen innovation is powered through a new Announcements Layer, which allows ProPresenter 7 to display different presentations at the same time on different outputs. With multiscreen support, one ProPresenter 7 installation can create a three-screen edge blend, populate IMAG screens and other stage displays, and feed announcements to lobby screens without the need for external image splitters.

The updated Stage Display has its own editor window with a built-in multiviewer to monitor all display outputs. ProPresenter 7 supports SDI and NDI outputs, and automatically detects outputs without restarting for easy setup and configuration.

With a darkened look for easier viewing and operation, the new interface offers a streamlined user experience. From one screen, users can monitor upcoming slides, access and organize all media assets, create playlists, preview any output, and control video playback. ProPresenter 7 has also optimized its search function for more efficient song selection, and slide notes have been redesigned and move to the bottom of the screen.

An all-new editor offers improved functionality to produce better visuals in less time, with dynamic text scaling and linked text boxes, enhanced guides and rulers, data-driven text boxes for countdowns, adjustable shapes with color gradients, and more. ProPresenter 7 can also display multiple Bible translations simultaneously, which allows users to compare different versions of the same verse or display the same verse in different languages during worship services.

Developed at the same time as the Mac version, the Windows version of ProPresenter 7 is 64-bit native for improved performance, stability, and integration with Mac systems. Seat licenses work for both Mac and Windows-based systems, and can be disabled and re-enabled on a per-computer basis.

“Our new multiscreen output ProPresenter 7 is a game changer for live events,” said Brad Weston, president, Renewed Vision. “We’ve made it easy and affordable to create multimedia presentations with different content on multiple screens. Plus, it’s easier than ever to create and organize content with our redesigned interface.”

The Bottom Line: With its new pricing structure, ProPresenter 7 is a complete, integrated solution with no separate modules—a first for ProPresenter that creates an entirely new value proposition. Customers purchase seat licenses for each presentation computer. With ProPresenter 7, Renewed Vision is also unveiling ProPresenter+, an annual option that offers software updates and new functionality to customers in shorter intervals.

ProPresenter 7 is also available as a free download. The free version is not intended for use with an audience, as the output will have a watermark, but it allows users to build shows and presentations that can be transferred to the licensed presentation computer. 

The What: At NAB 2019, Renewed Vision will debut live production enhancements for two of its flagship applications, PVP and ProPresenter Scoreboard, serving a broad global customer base across the broadcast, sports, and commercial AV markets. Renewed Vision will demonstrate both systems at its new South Lower Hall booth location (SL7427).

The What Else: Renewed Vision continues to enhance its PVP3 multi-screen media server, video processor, and screen control solution for live production environments with the release of PVP 3.3. Available for download in early April at the company’s website, the PVP 3.3 release now supports:

• “Key and fill” capability for SDI outputs
• Video input crosspoints
• Per-layer content masking
• Custom content cropping

Video input crosspoint capability is of particular interest in dynamic live production environments, by allowing users to reference an input slot on cues. “With this important update, our customers can quickly make any changes to an input slot, with automatic updates to cues that reference the input action,” said Brad Weston, president, Renewed Vision. “We are also excited about our per-layer content masking, which allows our customers to apply dynamic alpha effects to video by binding two layers together.”

Users will also now be able to review entire outputs on external displays via expanded preview capabilities. The PVP 3.3 release retains all enhancements in the previous 3.2 software, including synchronization, control, and management functions, along with increases in I/O signal density, simultaneous 4K/1080p playback from the same workstation, and NDI support for IP-networked environments.

First introduced in 2016, ProPresenter Scoreboard is a multi-sport score presentation software platform used widely in high school, college and professional sports, as well as youth league organizations. Multiple, independently controlled areas of the screen integrate scores, live video feeds, pre-recorded video, targeted advertisements, player profiles, dynamic statistics, externally sourced data, and more into immersive visual productions that enrich storytelling, engage fans, and drive revenue.

Renewed Vision will unveil the following new ProPresenter Scoreboard enhancements at NAB:

• Custom scoring logic, clocks and timers to create scoreboards for user-defined sports
• Display multiple matches on the same output
• Live StatCrew and MLB data support
• User interface enhancements to accelerate live production workflows

“Scoreboard can now support three or more wrestling matches on the same scoreboard, for example—all of which can be controlled independently over the same output through a browser-based, remote control system,” Weston said. “It’s just one way we continue to make life easier for our customers, and will allow them to show more content than before without complicating the workflow.”

The Bottom Line: Building on Renewed Vision’s 18-year experience in working on live events, fixed installations, and video-based sets, PVP3 has been designed to power any production with video displays of any type, size, and resolution. ProPresenter Scoreboard combines Renewed Vision’s visually rich outputs with robust features and tailored user interfaces purpose-built for driving advertising-enriched, video-based LED scoreboards. 

PVP 3.3 and the enhanced ProPresenter Scoreboard are available immediately. 

A new dual-LED display solution powered by Renewed Vision software is now driving all scores, player statistics, live video, and instant replays for women’s sports at Memorial Coliseum, home of the Kentucky Wildcats NCAA women’s basketball team. Formetco Sports, the systems integration division of LED display maker Formetco, Inc, managed the custom design and integration of the end-to-end systems inside the gymnasium on the campus of University of Kentucky in Lexington.

Formetco Sports installed Renewed Vision’s ProPresenter Scoreboard and PVP3 multi-screen media server software to drive game-day displays on two new Formetco displays: A 60-by-30-foot Formetco LED video scoreboard, and a 3.5-by-100-foot ribbon board. The integrated Renewed Vision workflow interoperates with existing control hardware and software, including Stat Crew, a scoring and statistics application from CBS. The Renewed Vision workflow also utilizes NDI IP video networking to deliver multiple video and data signals from a single network interface, and eliminate multiple SDI components and cabling from the infrastructure.

“As replacements to older scoreboards and monitors that had reached end of life, our major, turnkey scoreboard upgrade dramatically enhances the fan experience for those attending these University of Kentucky women’s games,” said Todd Heller, Formetco’s vice president of digital products. “What’s remarkable is how seamlessly and cost-effectively the Renewed Vision product suite works within the university’s existing video infrastructure to drive content to our displays.”

The main LED video scoreboard—a video wall filling one side of the gym—primarily receives live video feeds and instant replays from a production switcher and instant replay systems in the existing control room. PVP3 arranges each display into zones earmarked for certain content, such as advertising, game stats, and crowd prompts like “Great Play,” “Match Point,” or “Ace.” With strict rules prohibiting the display of moving video during game play, the PVP3 user interface adds value by allowing operators to switch from moving to still imagery with a single click.

The ribbon board, which runs 100 feet along a wall opposed of the main LED video scoreboard, primarily displays statistics and scores for women’s basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics.

Renewed Vision Workflow

The workflow utilizes ProPresenter Scoreboard to ingest scoring, game clock, and in-progress game data in real-time from a Daktronics scoreboard console/controller, as well as XML-formatted player data, live and recorded video, and other sources for big-screen LED display. ProPresenter Scoreboard expands the video playout, graphics and CG text, and other live presentation capabilities inherent in the ProPresenter media presentation software on which it’s based.

The PVP3 media server ingests the data from ProPresenter Scoreboard and combines it with live and/or recorded video, backgrounds/stills, and other visual content. PVP3 operators can also harness its more sophisticated video toolset, including digital video effects and graphical transitions, and manage control functions. This includes adjusting brightness, and switching displays on and off.

Furthermore, PVP3 enables composition of dynamic, multi-layered high-definition presentations that can be custom-tailored for playout to each Formetco screen with enormous, creative latitude. According to Heller, the integrated Formetco and Renewed Vision solution is UHD and HDR-capable, allowing operators to present higher resolution content at any time.

Scoreboard and PVP3 reside on the same Mac to further streamline the infrastructure, and all video, text, data, and other media content move in and out of the two Renewed Vision systems via an NDI IP-based video network. NDI’s cost-effective networking requires only a standard gigabit Ethernet connection, eliminating the need for costly and cumbersome SDI routers, switchers, and cabling.

“Scoreboard and PVP3 deliver the dynamic presentation capabilities needed while remaining intuitive for non-technical operators,” said David Porter, multimedia producer with Formetco Sports. “Their approach and support for leading pro video standards enables seamless interoperability with the University of Kentucky’s existing video control room infrastructure, while leveraging off-the-shelf Mac computers to cost-effectively host and operate the Scoreboard and PVP3 software. These benefits, along with NDI integration, streamlined the installation process while saving the University of Kentucky a considerable amount of money.”

The What: Renewed Vision has released a new version of its ProVideoPlayer3 (PVP3) multi-screen media server, video processor, and screen control solution for live production environments. Now available for download at the company’s website, the PVP 3.2 release centralizes playback functions to a single workstation, simplifying live production operations for today’s largest broadcast and commercial AV events. The software also adds powerful new synchronization, control, and management functions that further elevate its price-to-performance ratio.

The What Else: PVP 3.2 retains all enhancements introduced in the 3.1 release, including support for the industry-standard DMX512—A lighting control protocol and an integrated HTTP control server for improved data management and integration. PVP 3.2 amplifies the overall value proposition for customers with the ability to synchronize SDI feeds across multiple outputs, while simplifying how users manage effects and transitions in dynamic live productions.

“PVP 3.2 builds on the stable foundation of our best-in-class engine with substantial new playback features and benefits that add signal I/O density and centralize operations to a single workstation,” said Brad Weston, president, Renewed Vision. “It is now possible to play back and frame-synchronize multiple 1080p60 or 4K SDI outputs from one machine. We’ve already seen PVP 3.2 projects with 12 1080p60 outputs and a 4K output off of the same single machine.”

PVP 3.2 also strengthens its effectiveness for live productions by integrating network triggering for backup instances. This effectively adds a redundancy layer with seamless backup protection while in midst of a big event.

“Renewed Vision has consistently improved stability with each PVP release, and we have reached a new level in PVP 3.2,” Weston said. “That said, when the unforeseen should occur, our customers can retain the efficiency of single-machine operation while also achieving redundancy through network triggering that seamlessly triggers backup machines throughout the event.”

While centralizing operations to a single machine is the main value proposition of PVP 3.2, Renewed Vision has also responded to rental market requests to simplify license use across different workstations. The latest release allows users to transfer licenses between machines using a USB dongle without online activation and deactivation. This is especially useful for PVP3 customers working in rental and touring environments as it puts customers in control of their own license management.

The Bottom Line: Well suited for both fixed and event-based applications in markets including broadcast, corporate events, concert staging, and many other professional AV verticals, PVP 3.2 empowers users to design and deliver rich visual experiences spanning multiple interactive, resolution-independent displays. The new playback, control, and stability benefits of PVP 3.2 complement the extensive communications and control advances introduced in PVP 3.1; as well as other foundational features of PVP. These include direct SDI outputs, interactive screen control functionality, an enhanced low-latency video playout engine, and the integration of NewTek’s Network Device Interface (NDI) technology for live, IP-based production workflows.

Building on the global popularity of the NBA, the new NBA 2K League brings together two teams of professional e-sports athletes that use specialized gaming controllers to move NBA-Star Avatars—passing the ball and making the shots—on a virtual court. For live and on-demand audiences watching on the Twitch.tv online network, Renewed Vision’s PVP3 media server and screen control system has amplified the visual excitement and fan engagement by powering NBA 2K’s dynamic, multiscreen experience.

In a typical NBA 2K match, the two teams sit center stage at a large round console, with five players on either side. Each player controls game play while watching the virtual game on their individual monitors. Live camera head shots of each player are shown on large LCD displays above each player to inform studio and online audiences.

Throughout the game, PVP3 powers multichannel delivery of high-resolution video presented across the LCD cluster and several large LED video walls. The unique experience, created by MEPTIK, an Atlanta-based experiential design studio, is produced on a 7,433-square-foot soundstage at Brooklyn Studios. The NBA 2K League’s inaugural season began in May, with games scheduled every weekend through September.

Renewed Vision’s PVP3 is invaluable to the high-quality, multichannel content delivery and presentation for each game. Its video engine allows multiple channels of video and graphics to reliably display as separate, jitter-free images on individual or groups of monitors, as well as a single, continuous image that fills the video walls and display clusters.

“We chose PVP3 because it has the power to output a high volume of high-resolution content, with the flexibility to creatively compose the layout of the displays, all virtually on the fly,” said Nick Rivero, MEPTIK’s co-founder. “Considering its power, PVP3 is unusually user-friendly, to the point where we could set up a full turnkey system to playout an elaborate multiscreen experience, and then turn over the daily operations to users. In this workflow, users can simply ‘take the ball and run with it,’ without any further technical support from us. Compared to the other high-end broadcast servers we considered, PVP3 was a fraction the cost, and its price point fit really well within our production budget.”

According to Rivero, PVP3 offered a significant operational advantage through native integration with the studio’s HD-SDI infrastructure and workflow. This ensured interoperability with a Ross production switcher, high-end Sony cameras, live graphics systems, and a house router.

With 20 HD-SDI connections available, PVP3 ingests four live video feeds originating from both the gaming system and camera shots. The system is then used to mix and map live content with pre-rendered content, and output 12 channels of video to the various on-set displays including a 20-foot LED video wall on each side of the stage.

To power the operation, PVP3 is installed on an Apple iMac Pro, connected to two Sonnet SE Thunderbolt 3 chasses, and outfitted with five Blackmagic Duo 2 cards. An Elgato Streamdeck triggers cues within PVP3 of various scenic changes, each with a clearly labeled button. Some of MEPTIK’s experience-driven designs include pre-rendered overlays and graphical elements, such as sponsor logos, ads, and player statistics, composited with the live video feeds dynamically in the PVP3 system.

“Since we needed to train a three-person crew to take charge of the entire PVP3 operation, it was essential for this system to be extremely intuitive to learn and user-friendly to use,” Rivero said. “Over the years, our firm has used PVP for a variety of installations, each time implementing it in new and innovative ways. This really speaks to its power, flexibility, and versatility—something that Renewed Vision is able to deliver at a much lower price point than its competition, without any adverse effect to quality and performance.”