The deal is the second biggest in Vizrt's history, and will be carried out over Q3 and Q4 of 2005.
Based in Norway, Vizrt (www.vizrt.com) specializes in realtime 3D graphics. The HD system will be used for breaking news graphics, maps and template graphics, all which will be accessible through an Octopus newsroom system. Producers will be able to access animations and template files created in any of the broadcast centers through constantly mirrored graphics file servers permanently connected to one another across the globe.
"Vizrt have set the standard for realtime 3D news graphics throughout the world," says Nigel Parsons, managing director for the new channel. "A forward-thinking new channel like Al Jazeera International can really benefit from the efficient graphics workflow Vizrt's template and mapping system provides. We can generate a large volume of consistently high-quality graphics to enhance our constantly changing news agenda and still allow our talented designers to create genuinely original animations, because the more routine graphics are all derived from pre-designed templates."