Solving the Connectivity Challenge in Virtual Production: Lessons from Sony at Pinewood Studios

Virtual production has transformed filmmaking and broadcast workflows, enabling studios to blend physical and digital environments in real-time. But behind the impressive visuals and LED volumes lies a growing technical challenge: managing the increasing number of high performance systems required to make these environments work, with precision.

The Hidden Challenge Behind Modern Virtual Production

Rendering engines, camera tracking systems, media servers, production control software and creative tools all need to work together seamlessly. Operators must be able to access and control these systems instantly, with the ability to switch between them multiple times during a single production if necessary.

For many studios, this complexity creates operational bottlenecks; workstations can become tied to specific physical locations, system access can be limited, and scaling infrastructure to support new workflows becomes increasingly difficult. Existing point-to-point KVM systems can struggle to keep up with the growing, more technically advanced requirements of operators.

To support modern production environments, studios are turning to IP-based infrastructure to centralize system access while maintaining the performance required for high-resolution, low-latency video workflows.

Inside Sony’s Virtual Production Setup

At the Sony Digital Media Production Centre (DMPC) based inside London’s Pinewood Studios, the environment is designed to demonstrate and support the latest developments in virtual production technology.

Within this space, production teams interact with a wide range of tools and systems that power modern filmmaking workflows. This can be a particularly challenging environment where complex and fast-changing systems involving multiple high performance computers and displays, need to work alongside creative teams without delay.

Managing this complex ecosystem requires flexible infrastructure that provides seamless access to multiple systems, all without slowing operations down or limiting studio configurations.

To support its virtual production workflows, Sony deployed the multi award-winning ADDERLink® INFINITY range. This range of high performance IP KVM solutions enable the studio team to access and control multiple systems across the network from flexible operator locations, meaning they are no longer restricted to individual workstations.

Technical Solutions Specialist at Sony explained:

“The big amalgamation of software that we have that makes virtual production possible - we access through the Adder KVM systems.”

By centralizing system access and simplifying how operators interact with production tools, the studio can maintain a responsive workflow while supporting the technical complexity of virtual production environments.

If you are designing a new or expanding virtual production studio, reach out to our knowledgeable sales team for more information on how IP KVM can benefit you: https://www.adder.com/en/contact-hub

Discover the full Sony customer success story here: https://www.adder.com/en/resources/case-studies/sony