The opening show of the FISU World University Games is a high-energy production designed to set the tone for the entire tournament. Capturing the attention of a global audience with a vibrant blend of live performance, dynamic lighting, and large-scale video, to welcome and excite athletes and guests. The ambitious production was broadcast live on German television and streamed internationally, requiring absolute reliability and seamless integration. At the heart of the visual system was AV Stumpfl’s PIXERA media server platform, chosen for its stability, flexibility, and ability to meet the complex demands of the opening ceremony show.
The ceremony was produced by Gerdon Design, who created the video package for the event. Media server specialists Bildmaschine GmbH were brought in to provide and operate the playback system, ensuring the delivery of all visual content was handled faultlessly. It marked the first collaboration between the two companies, providing Bildmaschine with the opportunity to demonstrate AV Stumpfl’s PIXERA capabilities in a high-pressure international broadcast environment. “From a technical and operational perspective, our top priority was ensuring reliable operation of the entire system. The rehearsal period was relatively short, which meant we had to work very efficiently. The show combined both live-rendered Notch content and pre-rendered video, with frequent adjustments right up to the last minute,” explained Pascal Genzel from Bildmaschine. “We needed to react quickly to these changes and implement them seamlessly without compromising stability, and PIXERA gave us the confidence and the tools we needed to deliver under pressure”.
The system design was centred around a container housing four PIXERA clients and a Barco E2 screen management system. Two director servers, including a backup, and four playout servers were deployed to guarantee redundancy and stability. The LED infrastructure was equally ambitious, with a main LED screen measuring 13,522 by 1,536 pixels and six 360-degree LED towers, each with a resolution of 2,016 by 1,344 pixels.
The operator workspace was located in the stadium stands opposite the stage, where Bildmaschine managed the PIXERA manager computers and a NAS system that also provided access to Gerdon Design for last-minute content adjustments. Using PIXERA’s Watchfolder function, new content delivered to the NAS was automatically imported and updated on the clients, ensuring smooth integration of changes.
The show was driven primarily by timecode supplied by the broadcast OB truck. PIXERA’s advanced timecode functionality, including the use of hot zones, was crucial in keeping the timelines clean and synchronised, allowing complex sequences to remain perfectly in time. Additionally, two live camera feeds were integrated directly into the PIXERA clients and interacted with Notch blocks to add dynamic, real-time elements to the show. Other advanced features, such as Screen Groups and Layer-Reference Resources, simplify the process of mirroring or repositioning content across specific LED screens, a task that would otherwise be time-consuming and prone to errors.
PIXERA’s preview function proved essential. The ability to begin programming and validate visuals looks before all screens were fully installed saved considerable time during the limited rehearsal period. “Being able to see exactly what we were programming before all the LED walls were even built saved us a tremendous amount of time,” said Genzel. “It really gave us an edge in such a compressed schedule.”
PIXERA’s clear graphical user interface and intuitive 3D programming environment were praised as outstanding, particularly when working with the 360-degree towers. The option to view cue lists via the web interface was also highlighted as a major operational advantage. Despite the demanding technical environment, the opening ceremony was delivered without compromise. For Bildmaschine and Gerdon Design, the use of PIXERA ensured that even under tight schedules and constant change, the show remained synchronised, stable, and visually compelling. “PIXERA gave us the reliability and flexibility to focus on the creativity of the production rather than worrying about the system,” concluded Genzel. “For us, that’s what makes it such a powerful tool.”
