Interactive graphics add sizzle to Portuguese election coverage
Feb 4, 2011 2:33 PM
For Portuguese broadcaster RTP’s coverage of the nation’s presidential election last month, the presenter used an iPad as a remote control to launch virtual graphics.
Three Portuguese TV stations turned to software house wTVision to provide on-air graphics solutions for the Jan. 23 presidential elections in Portugal.
The focus of coverage was interactivity. Both RTP and TVI wanted to find a way to deliver their content in a way that gave their anchors full control over what was shown and when it was presented to viewers. A variety of functions and technologies were used to make the coverage run smoothly.
At RTP, the presenter used an iPad, which served as a remote control to launch virtual graphics. The iPad also gave the presenter full access to election data before it went to air. This technology allowed the presenter to control graphics directly from his hand and start and stop graphics without interrupting the flow of the presentation.
At TVI, wTVision implemented a touch screen, giving the presenter a way to control the graphics shown in full screen on an LED wall and, in some cases, in virtual format with a simple touch.
The interactive approach adopted at RTP and TVI offered the stations the advantage of providing graphical previews and data on interactive devices. This gave presenters advance knowledge of the information to be displayed in on-air graphics. This allowed for richer commentary from the newscasters who could make more informed remarks on what the data meant.
Election data was fed to the systems and displayed in real-time via on-air graphics. Several pieces of data, including race projections, results by district and comparisons with previous elections, were presented.
Designers at wTVision also designed all election graphics for Porto Canal, a metropolitan channel serving Greater Porto, Portugal.
For the three TV channels, wTVision provided a full solution, including technology implementation and operation.
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