Sony and University of the Arts London (UAL) have partnered on a specialist virtual production (VP) research stage, housed within the Fashion Textiles and Technology Institute (FTTI) at UAL’s new East Bank campus in London. This facility features Sony’s new crystal LED VERONA display to create a digital wall powered by Brompton Technology’s LED processing. UAL was the first worldwide to sign a deal to install the VERONA tech.
The East Bank campus is set to become a hub for research, innovation, creativity, and learning, driving collaboration between world-leading universities, cultural institutions, industry experts, and local communities. The VP stage will play a key role in advancing trans-disciplinary, practice-led research in virtual production (VP) and XR textiles and dress, offering a dynamic environment for experimentation and creative exploration.
The studio is equipped with a horseshoe-shaped Sony Crystal LED display that has a total size of 19.5m x 4m, made up of 312 Sony’s VERONA panels in two pixel pitches. The 8.5m wide middle section consists of fine pitch Sony’s VERONA 1.5mm pixel pitch panels, flanked by 11m of the 2.3mm pixel pitch panels, for a total resolution of 22,557,760 pixels.
Both screens integrate with Brompton Technology’s Tessera LED processors, with the primary screen running on four 4K Tessera SX40 processors, and the secondary powered by two additional SX40 units. The entire setup is managed by 12 Tessera 10G data distribution units.
The Tessera SX40 processors are designed to create accurate colour reproduction and real-time image optimisation, important for creating lifelike visuals in virtual production.
With the latest Tessera v3.5 software, content creators can unlock features such as Dark Time Insertion, which is designed to build on Brompton’s ShutterSync technology to improve viewing experiences for human audiences, not just cameras. Additionally, the Enable Brightness Limit feature allows users to cap maximum brightness in Global Colour.
The volume is further enhanced by technologies, including Vicon tracking systems, Lux Machina ARCA media servers and Arri Orbiter and SkyPanel lighting.
Chris Couzens, channel account manager, Sony Europe, said: “University of the Arts London selected our Crystal LED VERONA for their robust, future-proof technology, offering exceptional colour accuracy and detail. We’re proud to support UAL’s vision and can’t wait to see the groundbreaking research and creativity that will flourish with this new installation.”
Professor Jane Harris, director of UAL Fashion, Textiles and Technology Institute, commented: ‘’This ecosystem of technology, with Sony’s Crystal LED wall powered by Brompton Technology processors, will unlock a new world of opportunities in the research of VP/XR textiles and dress.”
She continued: :”This facility, funded by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council CResCa (Creative research capability) Award, is the first of its kind in the world, and will enable researchers to forge new paths for digitally rendered textiles and dress, with the aim of working towards real-time scenarios.’’
Marcus Saunders, associate director, technical resources, UAL, added: “We already knew that with the technical capability and extensive experience within cinematic volumes for ICVFX, Brompton would be a natural choice for our virtual production research volume, however, what became quickly apparent is that when you are in uncharted waters, you also need a partner that is ready to explore the frontier with you. Brompton have been exceptional in their response to the technical challenge of blending two adjacent, yet different Crystal LED VERONA pixel pitches, ensuring that our colour pipeline works seamlessly and looks stunning in-camera.”
