TF1 modernises its flagship news studio with Disguise
Broadcast
As France’s leading private broadcaster, TF1 set out to transform the way it brings daily news to millions of viewers. The vision was to create a studio that could immerse audiences through rich, dynamic visuals while giving production teams a more flexible and reliable workflow. To realise this ambition, TF1 turned to Disguise, adopting its GX 3 servers and Porta control system to power a new broadcast setup.
The challenge
TF1’s existing graphics infrastructure was struggling to keep pace with the broadcaster’s ambitions. The current system powering its LED displays was outdated, making it difficult to achieve the level of rendering quality expected by both creative teams and viewers. At the same time, editorial teams needed a way to build and manage playlists with greater speed and flexibility, ensuring they could adapt instantly to breaking news and evolving stories.
The project carried an additional layer of complexity: every existing graphic asset had to be rebuilt in Disguise, and the system needed to run reliably during live broadcasts each day, from morning through evening news slots. With an eighteen month window from kick off to go live, the timeline was equally demanding.
The solution
TF1 redesigned its studio in two phases. First, the physical environment was modernised with the addition of new curved LED walls and an LED floor. Then, the broadcaster replaced its legacy graphics system with a Disguise-powered workflow.
The new setup centres on three LED zones: a large curved wall with a resolution of 11,264 x 1,280 pixels, a second curved wall at 5,376 x 1,536 pixels, and a 1,920 x 1,080 LED floor. Four Disguise GX 3 servers manage playback, with two dedicated to the LED walls, one acting as a stage manager to coordinate the system, and one serving as a backup.
To meet the need for efficient playlist control, TF1 collaborated closely with the Disguise team to integrate Porta. The tool was customised to enable collaborative workflows between editors and visual mixers. Editors can prepare daily templates and imagery within Porta, while the visual mixer layers them with the regular show elements and plays them out during broadcast. This integration allows TF1 to move quickly from idea to screen while keeping day-to-day operations intuitive and reliable.
The results
At the end of 2024, TF1 went live with its new Disguise-powered studio for its flagship news programme. The transformation gave the broadcaster a more flexible, future-facing workflow while reducing the number of engines required to power its LED walls. Most importantly, it enabled the editorial and creative teams to deliver the immersive, high-quality visuals that TF1 had envisioned at the outset of the project.
For TF1, the project represents another milestone in the ongoing evolution of its news studios. By investing in immersive LED environments and a streamlined control system, the broadcaster has reaffirmed its position at the forefront of broadcast innovation.
With Disguise, we were able to replace our old system and achieve the flexibility we needed to keep our most important news programme running smoothly every day.
PO News – Live Production, TF1
