Pixel Power graphics systems showed the Scottish referendum unfolding live for STV

More than four million Scots voted last 18 September on the future of Scotland as an independent nation from the United Kingdom, a referendum that featured graphics created specifically for this occasion by the English specialist Pixel Power, integrated with the STV network's database and whose information could be controlled by the presenters on second screens in real time with a tablet application.

Scotland's constitutional referendum, celebrated the past 18 September, in which more than four million Scots decided in a vote whether or not they wanted to remain linked to the United Kingdom, It was an event followed all over the world, with constant coverage produced by STV in Glasgow and available on the UK's ITV network, in which graphics tools to show the results played a special role in the live monitoring of the vote count.

Pixel Power, specialist in the development and production of graphic systems for broadcast and data integration, has been the supplier chosen by STV to especially create the graphics in which the results of the vote were captured as they became known and which were shown on the plasma screens of the network's set..

The Pixel Power Clarity graphics system that this station usually uses was expanded for this occasion with two Clarity 3D engines, one dedicated to on-air graphics and lower thirds of the screen, and another linked directly to the network's database that was shown on second displays and that the presenters controlled with a dedicated Windows Surface Pro tablet.

To generate this visual image, Pixel Power's creative services team previously worked with STV's graphic designers to create the information templates, as well as developing connection interfaces to the STV database, to the Avid iNews network and tablet, using the Pixel Power Toolbox control panel, a software application that accelerates the creation of custom connectivity.

Sam Dornan, channel operations manager de STV, has assured that “the production team was delighted with the graphic output and the ease of management of the system developed for the night of the referendum, since it has allowed them to have full control of the graphics, of its editing and preview, with simple browser access to the templates to insert them into the informative pieces. Pixel Power has developed tools that responded exactly to what we needed and, the most important thing, “We had the critical information on the screen with a direct communication flow with our audience”.

For your part, James Gilbert, CEOo de Pixel Power, has explained that “when broadcasters have large one-off events, as in the case of this referendum, They have to be absolutely sure that the results are correct on air and can be easily interpreted by viewers. Our graphic systems are easy to adapt and integrate with other news production equipment and systems for live communication workflows, interacting with screens and with the audience”.