Live news TV stations often feature a full studio in the background, full of journalists, researchers and technicians working away while the show in question is broadcast. In a video released last night, Fox News revealed they have taken this common setup to a whole new level by equipping one production team with a number of gigantic tablet computers - a move that has already attracted equally bemused, amused and impressed reactions among tech journalists and social media commentators.

In the video embedded below, Shepard Smith explains the reasoning behind the unusual new studio space, dubbed the 'Fox News Deck'. It's an attempt to 'revolutionise' broadcast television, given changing patterns in viewer behaviour. Using 55 inch tablet computers ("BATs - big area touchscreens), the journalists or 'information specialists' in question will be able to put the likes of social media feeds and information on screen immediately. Smith himself will use a motion controller to take command of a giant 'video wall'.

Techcrunch, meanwhile, has confirmed that the computers in question are Microsoft tablets running Windows 8. The screens cost over €5,000 each, so it will be a while before they're readily available for consumers.

You can see the studio in action below: