NVIDIA Quadro Digital Video Pipeline Drives Real-Time 3D Broadcast Production From Start to Finish

Complete Solution Enables Live Action 3D Acquisition, Graphics Compositing in 3D, Real-Time Encoding


LAS VEGAS, NV--(Marketwire - April 12, 2010) - NAB 2010 (LVCC South Hall, #SL 5629) -- Leading the next wave in broadcasting, NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) today unveiled its new NVIDIA® Quadro® Digital Video Pipeline, a turnkey system which dramatically simplifies and accelerates the production of live 3D broadcasts.

The Quadro Digital Video Pipeline solves the complexity of acquiring, processing and delivering both traditional and 3D content by leveraging NVIDIA graphics processing units (GPUs). Integrated into a flexible, reliable and cost-effective computer system, the NVIDIA Quadro Digital Video Pipeline delivers advanced capabilities from production start to finish.

  • Acquisition: ingests four HD-SDI feeds (or two stereoscopic 3D feeds) simultaneously, using the GPU to debayer raw camera data in real-time, so directors see the highest quality, color corrected images.
  • Processing: renders and composites real-time 3D graphics, virtual effects and transitions to create the most engaging programming.
  • Delivery: outputs right eye and left eye HD-SDI streams with audio, for immediate previewing and broadcasting.

With support for both DirectX and OpenGL, software developers and solution integrators are building sophisticated solutions on this flexible platform.

Brainstorm Multimedia (Booth #SL5329), Vizrt (Booth #SL5408), and Weather Services International (WSI) (Booth #SL5116) are broadcast graphics innovators working closely with NVIDIA to deliver 3D production workflows using the Quadro Digital Video Pipeline. These partners provide solutions for enhancing live, on-air broadcasts with computer generated graphics, virtual sets and augmented reality.

"The Quadro Digital Video Pipeline delivers the essential technology to revolutionize live 3D production," said Paul Lacombe, president at Brainstorm America. "Working with NVIDIA, we are delivering solutions to customers such as ESPN who will define the future of live 3D sports broadcasts."

"NVIDIA Quadro is the processor of choice for our 2D and 3D graphics generation systems," said Gerhard Lang, chief engineering officer at Vizrt. "The new Viz Engine adds support for the NVIDIA Quadro Digital Video Pipeline, and the direct access to the NVIDIA GPU gives us the ability to render more intricate 3D scenes at a higher level of detail without additional latency."

"Delivering the highest quality on-air weather graphics and visualization would be impossible without NVIDIA technology," said Bill Dow, vice president and general manager, Media Division, WSI. "Our TruVu Max real-time weather rendering system currently utilizes Quadro technology, and the Quadro Digital Video Pipeline will enable us to integrate four video feeds into the broadcast, a unique capability used to broadcast breaking weather reports."

"Broadcasters who have experimented with 3D, quickly discover how ridiculously hard it is to get it right," said Jeff Brown, general manager, Professional Solutions Group, NVIDIA. "Compared to traditional broadcasting, there are exponentially more things that could go wrong. The Quadro Digital Video Pipeline is designed to hide that complexity, and let broadcasters focus on producing truly breakthrough programming."

The NVIDIA Quadro Digital Video Pipeline fully enables 3D workflows by processing simultaneous right eye and left eye video streams in real-time. Additionally, by pairing this pipeline with NVIDIA 3D Vision active shutter glasses, broadcast operators and directors can preview stereo 3D content at full resolution during production.

For post-production of 3D content, video professionals can edit with Adobe Premiere Pro CS5, which is accelerated by NVIDIA Quadro GPUs. A variety of plug-ins for 3D capture, compositing, and encoding enable an integrated workflow.

NVIDIA is demonstrating its new 3D Digital Video Pipeline platform as well as Adobe Creative Suite at NAB 2010, booth #SL 5629, located in the lower South Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center, from April 12 to 15, 2010.

Pricing and Availability
The next generation of the NVIDIA Quadro Digital Video Pipeline is available now from NVIDIA Quadro value added resellers, including PNY. For more information, visit: www.nvidia.com/quadro/dvp.

Follow NVIDIA Quadro on Twitter: @NVIDIAQuadro.

About NVIDIA
NVIDIA awakened the world to the power of computer graphics when it invented the GPU in 1999. Since then, it has consistently set new standards in visual computing with breathtaking, interactive graphics available on devices ranging from tablets and portable media players to notebooks and workstations. NVIDIA's expertise in programmable GPUs has led to breakthroughs in parallel processing which make supercomputing inexpensive and widely accessible. The company holds more than 1,100 U.S. patents, including ones covering designs and insights which are fundamental to modern computing. For more information, see www.nvidia.com.

Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements as to: the benefits, features, impact and capabilities of NVIDIA GPUs, Quadro professional graphics and the Quadro Digital Video Pipeline are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: development of more efficient or faster technology; design, manufacturing or software defects; the impact of technological development and competition; changes in consumer preferences and demands; customer adoption of different standards or our competitor's products; changes in industry standards and interfaces; unexpected loss of performance of our products or technologies when integrated into systems as well as other factors detailed from time to time in the reports NVIDIA files with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2010. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on NVIDIA's website and are available from NVIDIA without charge. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, NVIDIA disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

© 2010 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, and Quadro are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability, and specifications are subject to change without notice.

Contact Information:

For more information, contact:

Mark Priscaro
NVIDIA Corporation
(408) 486-2438
mpriscaro@nvidia.com

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