CBS 4 Indianapolis debuts new set with layers of LED, scenery
By Michael P. Hill
WTTV, Nexstar’s CBS affiliate in Indianapolis, Indiana, has debuted a new set that combines wraparound walls with freestanding structural and technology elements to create a flexible and open space.
Like many recent Nexstar sets, the primary anchor desk is centered in a corner of the studio with floor-to-ceiling seamless 3.9mm pixel pitch LED video walls from Neoti’s LE Series meeting at a 90-degree angle in the corner.
The corner, however, is dominated by a two-faced LED column that runs the same height of nearly 10 feet, breaking up the two walls on either side and providing a key focal point between anchors on two shots, giving the station the opportunity to showcase its logo and “Your News Now” branding prominently but in a twist on the typical centered branding location.
This column features 1.8mm pixel pitch UHD Series LED from Neoti.
Camera left of the anchor desk, which is fronted with additional video panels, is a 3×3 55″ Philips video wall mounted inside of a double internally-lit curved frame structure that looks a bit like an upside-down “U.”
This same element is repeated camera right in a wider format that frames out a 4×2 55″ Philips array which uses a TVOne Coriomaster wall processor with the LED display layered behind it. Both of these video walls are positioned so that they can be used in a variety of ways, including both from the anchor desk, in tosses or in standup shots.
An additional venue is found in a corner created to help disguise the studio entrance that features a freestanding, wild monitor unit.
Continuing on past this space is another corner configured as a weather and traffic center that includes a presentation pod and a background featuring a stylized city roadmap and CBS-eye.
Four additional wall-mounted panels and another large-scale video wall of 49″ displays are used in this space for weather and traffic maps with a frame wrapping the space.
These back-lit structures are positioned in front of the structural walls that wrap around the set and are finished in a variety of ways — including faux stone or brick, blocky textural panels, backlit panels and the occasional solid wall.
Digital Video Group worked with the station on additional studio technology upgrades including Philips, Sharp and NEC displays.