TKT1957 interview with Ofir Benovici, CEO at Zero Density.

– When was your company created? What led to its establishment?

Ofir: I joined the company in January so I was not part of the company from its inception. The company was founded in 2014, and the two founders of the company are still the main pillars of the company today. They are involved both in the strategic directions and the day-to-day operations of the company. As a newcomer to the company, having people who know the ins and outs is helping me to have a softer landing.

I think that the main reason for the establishment of Zero Density was because the team saw a big gap in the virtual production world. The team realized that broadcasters wanted to have better storytelling tools. At the time Zero Density was founded, however, broadcast graphics weren’t optimized to create a high-performing, visually appealing environment. Meanwhile in the world of video games, engines were delivering photo realism that was far better than anything that was available in the broadcast domain. When Zero Density identified this gap, they made a decision to take the greatness of the photo realistic game engine and mix it with tools relevant for the broadcast community.

By doing that, Zero Density came to the market with solutions that were by far better than anything else out there. I can vouch for this because at that time I was working for a competitor and I remember when they presented their solution for the first time, we were light years behind and there was really no way we could catch up. From that point on, the innovations they came up with was really a breakthrough. The notion of using video game engines became a way of recognizing exceptional virtual production in the industry.

– What are the key products of Zero Density now? Which are you focusing on? What are their main possibilities? And what are their advantages to the customers?

The company mainly offers solutions revolving around virtual production. The main solutions we offer involve virtual studios because this was where the company started from, we also offer augmented reality graphic solutions and solutions for video walls and Extended reality (XR). These are a family of products based on a common technology.

Our products include:

• Reality Engine – our Unreal Engine-native software platform which includes a real-time node-based compositor and animage-based keyer. Reality Engine has been used by some of the biggest broadcasters in the world for everything from Eurovision to Olympics sports coverage.
• TRAXIS talentS – our award-winning AI-powered markerless tracking system that can identify people inside a 3D virtual environment without any wearables.
• RE AMPERE – our powerful workstation, designed for virtual studio, AR and XR productions.

– Who are your major clients and in which sphere of media production are they involved?

Most of our customers are broadcasters, though we do have customers in the corporate and educational system. And since the company operates globally, we cater to the needs of prime broadcasters worldwide like CNN and TV Globo in Brazil all the way to some regional, local and domestic broadcasters. If you look at the offerings that are unique to Zero Density, the range of solutions is created in such a way that we can accommodate the requirements of high-end networks and broadcasters worldwide but we can also be relevant for local stations globally.

– What distinguishes Zero Density from its competitors?

What sets us apart from others is that firstly, we pioneered the idea of using video game engine as the renderer for our solutions which has allowed us to provide a rich and appealing environment and visual content that you could not possibly achieve with any other kind of solution. Also, the years of experience that was gained by the company and the intimate knowledge of the ins and outs of this engine on one hand and on the other, the years of experience gained by the individuals of the company in understanding customer needs and how to mesh the developments of new products with those needs answers how Zero Density has set itself apart.

From a workflow point of view, when we merge the customer requirements with our experience, it allows us to get a compelling solution in terms of quality, ease of use and integration into the virtual world.

– How did you make the decision to join Zero Density? What are your key roles and functions to the company?

The decision was quite easy. All through my career, I have been in the media industry. While I was in the university I was a freelance photographer and I have been in the graphic domain for more than 20 years. When the opportunity for Zero Density presented itself –with the history that I had with the company, because I had always followed the company since the day it was established and I had personal relations with the founders– it was an easy decision to make because I felt I found a home.

Also the company is very positive and forward-thinking, always trying to create innovations and technologies that were not possible before. So the combination of the technological side and the people side was another thing that drew me into Zero Density.

– Can you tell us what the company’s plans are for the foreseeable future? 

Though we are not going to disclose our plans in detail, what I will say is that there is a lot happening and NAB is going to be very exciting for us. We are planning to take the company to the next level and much more will be coming out of the Zero Density factory. What that entails, I cannot disclose as of now. When we are ready to share we will tell you more.

– Where is the Research and Development arm of your company located?

The headquarters of the company is located in Izmir and that’s where most of the development happens but we are now extending our developmental capabilities to other locations as well.