Christie Digital is showing a multi-camera virtual projection system at NAB 2026 that runs multiple camera tracking solutions at once, positioning projection-based backgrounds as an alternative to LED walls for in-camera visual effects.
Key points:
Christie Sapphire projectors drive the system in place of LED panels.
Multiple camera tracking solutions run simultaneously, creating an agnostic workflow.
Vizrt and WePlay Studios are partners on the integration.
We previewed Christie's virtual projection system ahead of NAB alongside Kino Flo, ASSIMILATE Live FX, and Sim-Plates. The NAB 2026 booth demo expands that earlier preview with a working multi-camera tracking workflow and a clearer picture of where projection fits next to existing LED stage pipelines.
Pulling Focus on the Workflow
Chris Barnett, Virtual Projection Architect at Christie, walked through how the dual-camera tracking workflow lets two cameras pull from the same projected environment without forcing the production into a single tracking vendor.
According to Barnett, the system supports multiple tracking solutions simultaneously rather than locking productions into one stack. That makes it compatible with existing virtual production pipelines, so teams using their preferred tracking, engine, and rendering tools can plug projection in without rebuilding the workflow. The demo runs in partnership with Vizrt and WePlay Studios.
Color and Moiré
Because the camera is photographing projected light rather than a grid of pixels, Christie's virtual projection setup sidesteps the moiré patterns that can show up when a camera sensor's pixel grid interacts with an LED wall's pixel grid.
Barnett also points to color accuracy as a reason productions are evaluating projection. Without the discrete sub-pixel structure of an LED panel in frame, the captured image reads closer to a traditional photographed background, which matters for skin tones and fine detail in close-ups.
Stacking and Screen Gain
The system uses projector stacking together with screen gain as part of how it puts a projected background on camera.
Barnett frames stacking and screen gain as design choices the stage makes to deliver a usable on-camera image, with the specific configuration tuned to the room and the shot rather than fixed across every setup.
Space and Projection Types
Barnett also covers the space requirements for projection-based stages and how different projection types fit different stage geometries, which is the practical question for any facility weighing whether to add projection alongside or instead of LED.
That tradeoff matters because projection stages have different throw-distance and ceiling needs than LED volumes. The session frames it as a choice productions make based on the stage they have and the look they need, not a wholesale replacement of one technology with the other.
Paramount Use Cases
Barnett identifies Paramount as a customer with use cases for the multi-camera virtual projection system, citing the studio in the chapter on early adoption.
