Germany – Record-breaking German singer Helene Fischer hosted her annual Die Helene Fischer Show at the end of 2024, with a host of guest stars and a total of 21 separate LED surfaces all powered by tvONE’s Green Hippo Hippotizer Media Servers.
A total of nine Hippotizer Boreal+ MK2 and two Hippotizer Tierra+ MK2 Media Servers were specified to run 21 LED surfaces, alongside two Hippotizer Play licenses to manage the systems. The content primarily consisted of pre-rendered visuals, provided by Gravity Germany, which were designed for the multitude of performers.
“The video materials were delivered as individual loops, which were then programmed and assembled within the Hippotizer Media Servers,” says Christian van Deenen from trust.event group, which specified and supplied the Hippotizers. “Throughout the show, more than 1.5 TB of data was played back, consisting of nearly 1,100 clips. There were numerous loops and effects required, with short reaction times, but the Hippotizer system’s flexible VideoMapper and Mask tools proved to be outstanding features, enabling quick and efficient responses to the production’s requirements. Many adjustments could be made directly on the Hippotizer, saving significant rendering time.”
The main Hippotizer system comprised of five main servers and five backup servers, ensuring redundancy and reliability. An additional Hippotizer Boreal + MK2 was used to provide content to the OB van, which enabled flexible playback for various audience screens. In total, the system handled 24 outputs and executed a comprehensive pixel mapping setup.
Taking place at the sprawling Messe Düsseldorf, the jaw-dropping stage design by production designer Florian Wieder of Wieder Design LLC consisted of two kinetic LED portals, which were constructed using 5.9mm and 3.9mm LED panels. The rear LED portal measured 35m x 9m and could be split in the middle, to cater for grand entrance moments. The front LED portal, with dimensions of 17m x 9m, was rigged to allow for vertical movement, adding dynamics to the stage.
Each of the side stages featured an LED backdrop measuring 22m x 9m, built with 3.9mm pixel pitch panels. In addition to an LED floor mounted on a kinetic lifting platform, the stage also included eight kinetically movable LED columns and eight mobile LED cubes, which could be freely positioned for the range of performances and stagings.
“The biggest challenge was the tight schedule and the large number of acts,” explains van Deenen. “To manage the volume of titles and the associated data efficiently, we had to work effectively, which also shaped the requirements for our server setup.
The Hippotizer system proved to be flexible, fast, and reliable, while also delivering the performance required to handle the number of outputs and pixels that needed to be played back.”
Multimillion-selling artist Fischer, whose album Farbenspiel is the most downloaded in German history, is regarded as one of Europe’s most loved performers. Each year, Die Helene Fischer Show is one of the country’s Christmas programming highlights and broadcasts on multiple TV stations over two nights. Guest performers for the most recent show included British superstar Robbie Williams, and German singers Nino de Angelo and Ayliva.
trust.event group was asked by Raphaël Demonthy from Sunrise Studios GmbH to consult on the video technical elements of the show, as well as the planning of the media screens and the role of the technical planner between the set/lighting design and the technical supplier.
The media server system, supplied by trust.event group on behalf of ICT AG, was operated by Sebastian Huwig. The LED equipment was also supplied by ICT AG. The Technical Manager was Christian Buschhoff, with Technical Production Management by Sebastian Pichel. Overall production was by Michow Concerts with Kimmig Entertainment GmbH in charge of TV Production.
Credit: © Sunrise Studios GmbH
