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The Backstreet Boys perform at Sphere in Las Vegas, where Disguise technology powers the venue’s large-scale visual content (Image: Sphere Entertainment)
The Backstreet Boys perform at Sphere in Las Vegas, where Disguise technology powers the venue’s large-scale visual content (Image: Sphere Entertainment)

Live Entertainment: Sphere And Disguise Deepen Technology Partnership

The companies will jointly develop next-generation video playback technology and workflows as Sphere prepares to expand beyond Las Vegas.

Sphere Entertainment and visual technology company Disguise have signed a multi-year agreement to jointly develop new technology for Sphere’s live productions and future venues.

Disguise has worked with Sphere since the Las Vegas venue opened in 2023, supplying media servers and software used to process, synchronize and play back visual content in real time for concert residencies and corporate events.

The expanded relationship moves beyond supplying existing technology. Sphere and Disguise will work together on new systems and workflows designed specifically for the venue’s unusually large-scale video requirements, with a focus on accelerating video playback capabilities.

Sphere will also become the first partner to bring Disguise’s next-generation technology to market.

Building for more Spheres

The development work comes as Sphere Entertainment prepares to take the venue concept beyond Las Vegas. The company has announced plans for Sphere venues in Abu Dhabi and National Harbor, Maryland.

Ryan Dolan, Sphere’s executive vice president and head of event and interactive technology, said every artist who has performed at Sphere has used Disguise technology. The companies now plan to develop future iterations of the production technology that can help support Sphere’s expansion into additional markets.

Disguise’s involvement with the venue dates to its opening production, U2 Achtung Baby Live at Sphere. That production used 23 Disguise GX 3 media servers, each equipped with 30 TB of storage, to handle content for the venue’s interior LED display.

The companies did not provide technical specifications or a timetable for the next-generation systems being developed under the new agreement.

Disguise CEO Fernando Küfer said the partnership builds on three years of development work between the companies and will focus on expanding Sphere’s video capabilities.