Animator nets huge Italy deal

By CHRIS BARTON

Telecom Italia has bought 20,000 copies of Virtual Spectator to distribute free to its subscribers for viewing the America's Cup over the internet.

The deal follows three other promotions for the New Zealand developed 3D animation software which is enjoying a surge of European interest since Prada's Luna Rossa made it to the finals.

"Virtual Spectator as a brand is getting huge visibility up there," said director Craig Meek.

The Telecom Italia promotion begins today with an advertising campaign in daily newspapers. It is joined by a separate promotion for 6500 free copies by Italian newspaper La Stampa and a double-page spread advertisement in Spanish sports daily Marca for 1000 copies.

Fiat has also bought 500 copies of the software to give to its staff for viewing the Cup via its company internet.

Since its birth at the beginning of the Louis Vuitton challenger series, Virtual Spectator - developed by Dunedin-based Animation Research and Auckland multimedia design firm Terabyte - has covered more than 200 races and gathered 70,000 users in 73 countries.

In recent weeks more than 7000 Italians have downloaded copies, which cost $US9.95, for the finals.

Mr Meek said internet service providers such as Telecom Italia had woken up to the benefit of the software - keeping their subscribers online for the two hours or so it takes to complete a race.

Because the races are archived, the technology also enables avid Italian yachting fans to replay each day's racing. But Mr Meek is betting many will be getting up at 2 am to watch the action live.

The rapid deployment of the software has been made possible by developing a downloadable - rather than CD-Rom-based - version specifically for the finals.

Mr Meek said Virtual Spectator had also developed a full Italian language version and had brought in Spanish, French and Italian race commentators to provide the live scrolling text commentary.

The TV version of the software, used to provide supplementary 3D animations of the live TV coverage of the races, has also had a makeover.

As well as showing more rigging detail on the yachts and more course background including islands, buoys and the committee boat, Animation Research has cracked "the vexing problem of live animated waves."

Executive director Ian Taylor said that level of detail would be possible in future versions for internet users with top-of-the-line PCs and fast connections.

He also saw a bright future for the software incorporated with pay-per-view digital TV coverage of sport. Mr Meek confirmed Virtual Spectator was in talks with Sky TV about a possible local trial.