Vista Spyder X20 on E! News Set

When E! News, the nightly entertainment newsmagazine on E! Entertainment Television, hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Guiliana Rancic, expanded to one hour and introduced a new set design, the network selected a Vista Spyder X20 video processor to meet its new and extensive graphic needs.

The new set features two large NEC monitor walls: one 3 x 4 and one 3 x 3 in slightly curved configurations, and a bank of three more NEC monitors adjacent to the anchor desk. It also boasts 103" and 85" plasma screens, two vertical NEC monitors, three 3 x 1 windows and two 1 x 3 windows.

"We used to have a smaller set with fewer video elements, but now the Spyder X20 0808 allows us to do a lot more visually in the new, expanded space," states Brian Quacquarini, director of live event operations for Comcast Entertainment Group. "The Spyder X20 is a nice storytelling tool that gives us the ability to change the look of our set without having to change set pieces."

"We needed a solution to feed these monitors live video, pre-recorded packages, graphics, and stills," Quacquarini continues. "We also wanted the ability to change the look fluidly, to resize and fly images from one monitor to another. We saw the Spyder X20 at the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) show and knew it would be the perfect solution for the new set where the walls act like storytelling devices. We produce daily content and want the displays to capture the viewer's attention."

Quacquarini reports that the operators learned how to use the Spyder X20 very quickly and are now quite proficient with it. "The Spyder X20 has eight outputs, and we use one output per display. What's great about this video processor is that even though our set's walls are separated, we can feed the entire display one contiguous image; we design all the artwork with the set pieces and their locations in mind. In a live scenario, you want something that's stable and user-friendly, and Spyder has been perfect for us."

Quacquarini also praised the Spyder X20's router and external DDR control. "You can quickly access files and backgrounds and change the look of the set instantly. It's also a multi-format device handling both HD and SD. It's been just great."