According to Blackmagic Design, An XR production studio on the third floor of the Hilton Tokyo uses numerous Blackmagic products, including URSA Mini Pro 12K cameras, Smart Videohub routers, HyperDeck Studio 4K Pros, ATEM switchers, etc. The studio was constructed and is operated by AV/IT system integrator Vega Project Co., Ltd.
What is Vega Project?
Vega Project is a systems integrator that mainly does business in Asia, focusing on the development of AV/IT infrastructure for offices and conference rooms. In addition, the company researches cutting-edge technologies such as XR and tests new devices. The facility in the Hilton Tokyo in Shinjuku that the company worked on in 2022 supports online, hybrid, and in-person events simultaneously with a combination of an XR studio on the 3rd floor and a giant LED system installed in the event venue on the 4th floor. The company is responsible for the production and studio operations of large-scale events that span both spaces of the facility.
Daisuke Kuroda, studio operator and technical assistant at the company, commented as follows:
When new XR-related devices are released, this team tests how they can be used, and also shoots, edits, and distributes video content such as interviews at the request of partner companies.
Nicholas Bockman, technical director at the company, explained the Hilton Tokyo studio as follows:
Through an introduction from the BCCJ (British Chamber of Commerce in Japan), we got the opportunity to set up a studio at the Hilton Tokyo and do business with them. Working with the Hilton Tokyo and the in-house team, we plan events and manage the AV systems at the studio and event venues.
The Chrysanthemum Room on the 4th floor is equipped with one of the largest curved LED displays in a hotel in Japan, and it is possible to live stream from this studio to the venue.
The facility is equipped with an ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K switcher, Smart Videohub 12G 40×40 router, URSA Mini Pro 12K, two URSA Mini Pro 4.6Ks and multiple Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras. Additionally, it uses SmartView 4Ks and SmartScope Duo 4Ks for monitoring, as well as multiple HyperDeck Studio 4K Pros and DeckLink capture cards for playback and recording.
One way that global corporate clients can use the studio is to shoot videos and then distribute them to their offices around the world, added Mr. Kuroda.
In addition to the studio, we also have a studio in Nihonbashi with a similar equipment configuration, though it is mainly used for research and development. We own a total of about 30 Blackmagic Design cameras.
The company has also built a mobile production kit, which is a cart equipped with a SmartView 4K, ATEM Mini Extreme ISO and a MultiDock recorder. All of the video-related equipment is Blackmagic Design products, and in addition to the cart, the mobile production kit also comes with three Pocket Cinema Cameras. This mobile kit is useful when there is not enough equipment or when shooting interviews in a hotel suite.
One of the biggest advantages of Blackmagic Design is that it allows us to flexibly incorporate easy-to-use, high quality cameras into our systems at a budget that is friendly to small and medium-sized businesses, comments Mr. Bockman.
Blackmagic products also allow us to develop production systems that can be used outside the studio, providing kit for a wide range of applications at a very reasonable price.
Many of the Blackmagic products talk to each other and sync settings directly together. When I’m building a system for a client, it’s great to have the whole system built on Blackmagic – it just clicks into place when you plug it in and it just works straight away – you don’t have to worry about it working.
