Studio 4 at RTL: A Flagship Project for Integrated Broadcast Technology

* This article is originally published on film-tv-video.de website. (in German)

In RTL’s new green screen studio, KST Moschkau integrated automation technology with CamBot, robotic pedestals from Blackcam Robotics, the Kairos platform from Panasonic, and virtual studio production platforms from Zero Density.

New Systems, New Opportunities

“The switch to IP-based infrastructure and increased automation naturally raised some initial questions,” says Paul Hering. “The introduction of CamBot automation in particular brought new challenges for our operators. But over time, we were able to dispel all reservations. Today, there is broad acceptance of the new systems,” Hering explains. “Our operators are now very happy with the setup because they see the new possibilities this type of control unlocks — including opportunities for personal development among our camera crew.”

Virtual Studio Production with Zero Density

RTL adopted Zero Density’s virtual studio production platform more than five years ago. The reasons were varied — but above all, the system’s quality won them over.

Hering explains: “With this system, we get soft contact shadows, excellent lighting, impressive shadow rendering, beautiful textures, and realistic global illumination — in short, a seamless interplay of light and color. A major advantage of Zero Density, and by extension Unreal Engine, is the global marketplace, where you can find and download a wide range of assets, including 3D objects, materials, and characters. Also important is the broader talent pool, because Unreal Engine is so widely used, it’s much easier to find freelancers compared to more niche, proprietary systems. And since we’re always looking for fresh talent, that opens up more opportunities for us.”

Another standout feature Hering highlights is the keyer: Zero Density uses a different keyer — not a traditional chroma keyer that removes specific colors, but a pixel-accurate method that compares the current image to a reference background and generates the key based on differences. This avoids the typical chroma keying issues and results in extremely precise compositing.

He also experiences a practical benefit. With Zero Density, generating realistic ground shadows, for example, is especially straightforward.

Axel Moschkau emphasizes another crucial aspect — the seamless integration of Zero Density with CamBot and other systems: “Ideally, the technologies we install don’t function as isolated, parallel components running independently of each other. Instead, they are deeply interconnected. A great example is that when we perform a camera movement using a robotic pedestal, that alone is just one motion. But if we can simultaneously rotate the virtual set and adjust the lighting atmosphere, the resulting depth and realism increase dramatically — all triggered by a single action, the same ‘push of a button.’

This is precisely what excites us about these types of projects: the ability to harness integrations across different technologies and significantly boost the overall efficiency of high-investment systems.”

Zero Density develops virtual production and broadcast graphics solutions trusted by the world’s leading broadcasters — including ABC, CBS, Charter Communications, FOX, The Weather Channel and Univision. Its flagship platform, Reality 5, powers real-time virtual studios, augmented and extended reality productions, and on-air graphics. Complemented by the Traxis tracking platform and EVO engine hardware series, Zero Density’s end-to-end ecosystem gives production teams the tools to realize their most ambitious creative visions in real time, without compromise.