Virtual Spectator Wins Prestigious UK TV Award

Virtual Spectator Wins Prestigious UK Television Award

Leading sports animation company Virtual Spectator this week won the Sports Innovation Award category in the prestigious UK Royal Television Society (RTS) 2002 Royal Television Sports Awards.

The award was won in conjunction with Virtual Spectator's UK television production company, Chrysalis, for its production of the Channel 4 World Rally Championship.

RTS judges said "The winning entry's stunning and superb graphics with imaginative use of time lapse reinvented the race."

Normally during a rally, cars leave starting points at five minute intervals, which means when watching coverage filmed from say a helicopter, it is difficult for the viewer to determine which car is in the lead.

Virtual Spectator's challenge was to develop a graphics programme that would give the viewer a high-degree of realism when watching the rally. To do this, at the end of each rally segment, Virtual Spectator created a time-shift so it appeared as though all cars started together, which made for more realistic and exciting viewing.

Virtual Spectator Chairman, Neville Jordan said " We've been delivering TV graphics that have transformed the television viewer's experience of World Rally Champs for around two years now and it's great to be recognised for our creativity in delivering a product that has been so popular with rally fans. I'm delighted that our creative and technical team has won such a prestigious award."

Winning the award in its first year producing the World Rally Championship for Channel 4 was also well-received by Chrysalis Television.

Chrysalis Television Managing Director Neil Duncanson said "To win such an award in our first year on Channel 4 is great news for the team. We've worked very closely with the Virtual Spectator guys to produce a system that really adds value to the World Rally programming and its audiences. It's a powerful tool and I think it can only get better as we move forward."

The Royal Television Society holds several awards evenings, where winning is one of the pinnacles of broadcasting achievement. Awards are made annually for excellence in television programmes, journalism, sport, education, design, technology, craft and design and student video.

About Virtual Spectator International

Virtual Spectator International developed the world's first 3D animation technology for live sports - perfect for all visual media. As well as providing 3D graphics for the last two America's Cup regattas, Virtual Spectator technology has also been used in three round the world yacht races, two world circumnavigation attempts and the international television coverage of the World Rally Championship since 2000.

Consumers around the world use Virtual Spectator International's technology to watch and interact with their favourite sport, via the Internet or television. Virtual Spectator International is also a vehicle for multinational businesses, internet companies and sports sponsors to develop their brand presence and maximise their sports sponsorship investment.

How does Virtual Spectator work?

Virtual Spectator works by taking data from GPS satellites and processing it through 3D animation software to produce real time 3D graphics. It allows the user to interact with the sport, when and where they want to, by choosing different camera angles; reading streaming text; reviewing race statistics and on-line action replays.

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