Where vision meets transformation
As one of the country’s most influential broadcasters, SKAI has long championed innovation, from adopting 16:9 early on to pushing high definition production into the mainstream. Their next step required the same pioneering spirit: creating an immersive 360° LED environment fit for XR driven storytelling, while keeping reliability at the heart of every production.
SKAI’s plan was ambitious. The broadcaster wanted a studio that could support a bold new visual identity and give producers the freedom to blend physical and virtual worlds seamlessly. Their previous setup, built around Barco rear‑projection cubes and Encore Gen 1 processing installed in 2007, had served impressively for almost 20 years without interruption. That reliability gave SKAI the confidence to take the next step with Barco’s newest generation of image processing technology.
The challenge was clear: a compact studio space, complex LED surfaces including a full 360° wall plus a floor, and a demanding XR workflow that required pixel‑perfect precision across every frame.
Tight spaces, big ambitions
Space constraints were the project’s biggest technical hurdle. Rear projection cubes required substantial depth. Telmaco engineered a complete rethink of the studio layout, opting for front service LED walls that could be mounted close to structural surfaces and free up valuable production floor area.
Achieving perfect color alignment between the main wall and the LED floor added further complexity. The floor surface introduced different reflective characteristics, so Telmaco’s engineers fine tuned color accuracy across all angles and lighting conditions to ensure a seamless visual experience.
Encore3 making it all work – flawlessly
To make it happen, SKAI turned once again to a trusted long‑term partner, Telmaco, and to the visualization technology they had already depended on for nearly two decades: Barco.
Telmaco’s role spanned the full lifecycle: concept design, verification, mechanical engineering, installation, testing, commissioning, and activation. The team executed a carefully planned transition from the old system to the new Barco‑powered setup with minimal downtime.
To manage the entire LED canvas – including XR backgrounds and live sources – Telmaco deployed the Barco Encore3 presentation switcher. Building on SKAI’s trusted experience with the first-generation Encore systems, the Encore3 offers the processing power needed to handle massive pixel loads while combining multiple sources as picture‑in‑picture layers on top of real‑time XR content.
An EC‑30 control unit provided operators with intuitive hands‑on control through the familiar Barco Event Master workflow, supported by a dedicated desktop server running Barco’s event‑management software.
The integration of the XR platform required meticulous color calibration and system alignment. Telmaco’s expertise in Barco presentation systems ensured that live and virtual elements blended naturally, delivering a polished, high‑impact visual result on air from day one. Producers could switch, blend, layer, and adapt content instantly; crucial for news, live debates, and fast‑paced entertainment formats.
A TV studio ready for tomorrow
The transformation reinforced SKAI’s leadership in the Greek media landscape. With a fully modernized 360° LED environment, the broadcaster now benefits from higher visual quality, greater storytelling flexibility, and a production workflow designed for continuous evolution.
The combination of Barco processing and Telmaco integration ensures that SKAI’s studio is not only ready for current XR and AR formats but is also equipped to adapt as broadcast technology advances.
