Leipzig, Germany — Multimedia visual production house LUPIXX GmbH tackled a combination of AR, large-format LED design, and synchronized playback for this year’s Goldene Henne entertainment gala, harnessing the power of Green Hippo Hippotizer Media Servers.
The televised production, broadcast by MDR, celebrates Germany’s entertainment movers and shakers. It returned with a bold visual overhaul combining cinematic content and intricate LED mapping. For the first time, it also featured a breathtaking large-scale AR opening sequence and three additional AR-enhanced performances.
The team at LUPIXX delivered the show’s high-octane video design using Hippotizer Tierra+ MK2 and Boreal+ MK2 Media Servers, showcasing the creative and technical muscle behind one of Europe’s most-watched live events, with millions tuning in from home. LUPIXX produced bespoke visuals that supported both the show’s stage architecture and its diverse lineup of performers.
“Our goal was to keep the visuals dynamic and diverse while enhancing every moment for both the in-house audience and the millions watching on TV,” says Aleksei Shkurdov, Video Engineer and Server Operator at LUPIXX. “This year’s addition of augmented reality brought new creative possibilities — and the Hippotizer servers gave us the flexibility and power we needed to make it all happen.”
The complex stage featured a primary kinetic LED wall with a resolution of 8192 x 1664 pixels, accompanied by an oval and eight rectangular screens, 16 LED strips totaling 8860 x 1280 pixels, and a circular floor-mounted LED screen at 2688 x 2688. Sixty additional LED strips surrounded the stage, each with up to 1152 pixels in height, creating a vast network of displays that required pixel-perfect mapping and synchronization.
“With so many screens in play, precision was essential,” explains Shkurdov. “The Hippotizer VideoMapper feature was critical in routing signals to every element of the setup, allowing us to align all the different resolutions and aspect ratios with total accuracy.”
To handle this extensive visual infrastructure, the LUPIXX team deployed two Tierra+ MK2 Media Servers for AR generation and two Boreal+ MK2 Media Servers for main content playback, alongside backup servers for full redundancy. The Hippotizers were supplied by ICT and Trust, two longtime collaborators on major German live productions.
“The Tierra+ MK2 provided the processing headroom we needed to generate and composite AR content in real time,” Shkurdov continues. “Meanwhile, the Boreal+ MK2 handled playback of multiple high-resolution video layers and simultaneous 4K outputs with complete stability. We ran four 4096 x 2160 outputs at once without any issues.”
The LUPIXX team’s workflow relied on smooth coordination between video, lighting, and tracking systems. grandMA3 light consoles were used for show control, ensuring seamless communication across departments and consistent show cues.
“Hippotizer’s synchronization features made it incredibly easy to keep all the servers aligned,” notes Shkurdov. “We were managing more than 3 TB of video content, so reliable sync was essential. The software handled it beautifully — no lag, no frame drops.”
Another major time-saver was the native playback of NotchLC video in the latest Hippotizer version. “In previous years, we had to convert large video files into other formats before importing them,” says Shkurdov. “Now we can play NotchLC directly, which preserves image quality and eliminates a step from our workflow. When you’re working under live TV deadlines, that’s a huge advantage.”
The team also made extensive use of Hippotizer’s layer-based architecture, which allowed them to adjust visuals on the fly, blend multiple content sources, and make real-time tweaks to match the lighting design and live performances.
All video content was custom-created for the show by Vlad Befus, Saskia Olma, and Andrey Pokrovskiy, with each piece designed to complement a specific artist and song. The content ranged from sweeping digital landscapes to abstract, rhythm-driven animations, giving every performance a distinct identity while maintaining visual coherence across the broadcast.
“Our visual approach is always about supporting the story and emotion of the music,” says Shkurdov. “We never want technology to dominate — but with Hippotizer, we know the technology will work so seamlessly that we can focus purely on creativity.”
The show’s visual achievements were the result of tight collaboration between LUPIXX’s video team and the event’s broader creative crew. Credits include Video Operator Enrico Walther, Tracking Technician Hannes Kleinteich, and Server Operator Aleksei Shkurdov.
“With Hippotizer, we can push creative and technical limits confidently,” concludes Shkurdov. “It’s the backbone of our workflow — one that lets us deliver complex, cinematic visuals that work perfectly in both the live environment and on TV.”
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