TORONTO, CANADA,— After Bell Media – CTV’s iconic morning television show “Canada AM” signed off after 43 seasons, it’s new refresh, “Your Morning,” had big shoes to fill. With new talent, a fresh take on current events, and millions of loyal fans to impress, “Your Morning” strives to produce an engaging show each and every day that lives up to its famous predecessor. That’s why, when designing the show’s new studio before its official premiere in June of 2016, Bell Media – CTV consulted with Advanced to build, design and install an immersive video wall that would capture and hold the attention of its viewers.
More details from Advanced (www.advanced-inc.com):
“Bell Media – CTV contacted us to help design a video wall that would bring a unique and fresh look to the new show,” said Advanced President David Weatherhead. “We first helped them to determine exactly which type of display technology would be best for their filming style, and then we built a stunning plasma display that is truly one of the most interesting video walls on television.”
Before selecting a display to install, Advanced tested several models in CTV’s studio. Since “Your Morning” uses many “off-axis” shots — opposed to shots captured solely from straight ahead — the video wall had to have extremely small bezel to appear seamless on television. After extensive testing, they concluded that the Plasma technology proved to be the best option, with the smallest bezel of 2.7mm. “Plasma display technology allows for really great off-axis viewing, which is important for the immersive experience that they sought to create through the display,” added Advanced Vice President of Engineering Kevin Linton.
After the decision was made, Advanced installed an Orion display, made up of 24 panels in a 3×8 panel configuration to enclose the set behind the studio’s central table and chairs. The display offers the producers the option to broadcast one unified graphic, or split the separate sections into three different graphics. The middle, right and left side wings can be divided into 2×3 and 3×3 panels, respectively, which allows producers to flank the center panel’s content with accompanying graphics, like logos or text.
And, in addition to the stunning display that’s seen on television, Advanced installed four Orion panels behind the video wall to serve as back-ups in the event that any of the front panels need replacing. “Over time, a display’s color naturally shifts, causing color balancing to become a little more complicated if a new panel needs to be installed,” explained Linton.
“Since having a unified color balance is imperative on television, we installed spares that run the same content as the front panels and degrade in color at the same rate,” he continued. “Now, if a panel needs replacing, they are ready-to-go without having to take a new panel out of the box and carefully color balance it to match the rest of the wall. This swap-spare functionality really comforts the producers, and provides them with serious peace-of-mind.”
Advanced also installed 28 custom-designed mounts that help to achieve tight seams in between each display panel, causing the panels to appear closer together within the display. Additionally, during the installation process, Advanced worked diligently to ensure that the set’s new LED lights provide ambient lighting, but do not interfere with the quality of the picture. After the video wall was installed, the team performed one final broadcast color balancing test to make sure that it looked perfect on camera.
“The video wall truly turned out to be a fantastic addition to the show,” Linton concluded. “Between the small-bezel Plasma technology, and the custom-built mounts, we were able to really achieve a spectacular final product. ‘Your Morning’ certainly achieved what they had hoped to with this investment.”
