Brompton Technology has been recognised by the Television Academy with an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Engineering, Science & Technology. The Emmy was awarded for its Tessera SX40 LED video processor, which has played a “crucial role” in the widespread adoption of LED screens for virtual production and elevated the storytelling process through its impact on how television programs are created.
The Television Academy named Brompton Technology’s founders Richard Mead (CEO) and Chris Deighton (CTO), alongside director of engineering Adrian Jeakins and engineering manager Evangelos Apostolopoulos, as the core team responsible for the Tessera SX40. Since its debut in 2018, the SX40 has been integral in the widespread adoption of LED for virtual production in the television industry, and has been used across many of the most popular and technologically advanced television series in recent years, including: The Mandalorian, House of the Dragon, The Book of Boba Fett, Westworld, Foundation, Our Flag Means Death, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, among others.
“The entire Brompton team is incredibly thrilled and humbled to receive such a prestigious award from our industry peers, and for the recognition of the vital role that LED processing plays for in-camera visual effects,” commented Mead. “It is a demanding medium that aims to recreate reality within a studio, and that is exactly the kind of challenge that Brompton Technology has always sought to meet. Our mission is to deliver the best possible image quality, breadth of functionality, usability, and reliability in every product we build.”
Emmy Award-winning lighting designer and virtual production specialist Peter Canning noted that in television and film, “it is all about getting the LED screen as close to reality as possible, which is where the Tessera SX40 is perfect. It is the one part of our pipeline which has never let us down”.
Since the Tessera SX40’s launch, the Brompton team has continued to develop a variety of improvements, available via free software upgrades, keeping ahead of the curve as the industry’s gold standard for colour accuracy and on-camera visual performance. As virtual production has become more widely adopted, specific features have also been designed to address common challenges facing directors and cinematographers. Some of the company’s key Tessera software features include ShutterSync, which allows the refresh of the LED screen to be tuned to the preferred camera settings; Extended Bit Depth, which improves the dynamic range and low brightness performance of LED panels; and 3D LUT import, for advanced colour control and grading. Together these continued advancements ensure the greatest possible flexibility and collaboration for the creative team, enabling them to focus on the storytelling rather than the technology.
The 75th annual Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Awards will be presented on October 18, 2023. For additional information and the full list of winners, please visit the Television Academy’s website.
Check out Installation‘s virtual production feature in the special AV/broadcast IBC special edition, available from August 30.
