Videowalls on New Entertainment Tonight Set Use Vista Systems' Spyder for Image Processing

	Entertainment Tonight set with Vista Systems Spyder X20 image processor

There's a Spyder on the new Entertainment Tonight set, and everyone has welcomed its arrival. Vista Systems' Spyder X20 image processor is key to manipulating the content on two videowalls, which form part of a new look for the syndicated CBS show that made its broadcast debut in 1981.

More than 10,000 episodes later Entertainment Tonight is television's longest-running daily tabloid entertainment news show. It refurbished its set in Studio City, California over the summer opting for a new color scheme, rebranding, and two big videowalls -- a significant step up from individual plasmas and LEDs previously used as displays. The new set went live at the end of August.

Video Visions, Inc. of Trevose, Pennsylvania, specialists in videowalls and large-screen displays, was charged with creating the show's new videowalls, which showcase branding elements, produced content, Twitter images, and show graphics. The 18-panel Christie videowall forms the primary backdrop seen in shots of the set; a nine-panel 3x3 Salitek videowall is positioned stage left.

"From our point of view, Vista Spyder has the ability to stitch together content in a unique, seamless canvas and composite multiple video layers on both walls," says Video Visions' systems engineer Jeffrey Pasternak. "We have used Spyder in several studios -- CCTV [China Central Television] in Washington, D.C. and other CBS installations. It's our cornerstone. Spyder is the most reliable solution on the market right now, as far as I'm concerned."

Pasternak finds Spyder to be "rock solid" -- an important quality for a daily show like Entertainment Tonight. "Spyder does what it's supposed to do, day in, day out," he reports. Behind the scenes Spyder integrates with multiple playback systems and a Grass Valley switcher. The user interface is High Resolution Systems' UDC Spyder Touch touch screen controller.

He notes that "working with the Vista team" is another reason to choose Spyder for installations such as this. "Victor Vettorello and the crew are always great, and they went to Studio City to train the end users. Vista Systems is a manufacturer that stands behind its products."