In Broadcast - April 2020 - 48

48

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 10 - Issue 4 | April 2020

InStudio

LiveU, 5G and remote production:
where are we at with these two trends
and what it means today with the
COVID-19 reality?
By Ronen Artman,
VP of Marketing...

T

here are two clear trends that
have risen to the fore over recent
years and months in which LiveU has
been, and is, heavily involved: the
emergence of 5G, its role and ongoing
development; and remote production.
Now with the COVID-19 pandemic,
both are coming to the fore with
organisations looking for ways to keep
the communication going from a virtual
standpoint.
Here we take a look at LiveU's role
in the ongoing development and
testing of 5G across multiple verticals
at a global and EU level and a previous
remote
production
deployment.
Finally, we'll discuss the reality facing
the industry with the growing need for
live virtual events.
Real-World Impact
Looking at 5G, in the US, LiveU
and AT&T teamed up for live news
and sports broadcasts, testing the
real-world impact and performance
enhancements 5G technology has on
live broadcast video production using
LiveU units. This was illustrated last
year in a 5G-based production of the

NBA Summer League. Elsewhere,
LiveU has participated in 5G tests and
events with other leading operators,
including Vodafone in Italy and KT
Corporation in South Korea. Also
in South Korea, for example, LiveU
successfully broadcast live to five
countries around the world the 100th
anniversary orchestra tribute to
the provisional government via SK
Telecom's 5G wireless network.
We
recently
announced
our
increased
collaboration
with
leading European partners on
5G Infrastructure Public Private
Partnership (PPP) projects, testing
and validating content contribution
and media production use cases over
advanced 5G Release 16 testbeds.
The EU projects' goals are to provide
the broadcast community and
other verticals with insights into 5G
performance in real-world scenarios.
The projects are funded by Horizon
2020, the biggest EU Research and
Innovation program.
LiveU is a technology and use
case partner in 5G Tours and in
5G Solutions, where it also serves

LiveU's Chris Perry (bottom left) on StreamGeeks: How covering COVID-19
has changed the way we broadcast

as the leader of the Leaving Lab
project
media
working
group.
Both projects test and analyse 5G
performance KPIs, including media
use cases related to LiveU 5G bonding
technology. Participants include some
of the largest cellular operators and
cellular equipment manufacturers,
broadcasters, non-media verticals
partners, as well as AI and other
technology partners and researchers
and academics. The core 5G
technologies being validated include
network slicing, New Radio (NR),
low latency, edge/cloud computing,
SDN/VNF, service orchestration and
more, bringing the 5G vision closer to
realisation.
Remote Production
In terms of remote production and
live streaming successes, 2019 saw
us partner with all-things-cycling
production company Cyclevox, who in
turn works with long-term OB partner
WilkieTV. Cyclevox was set up by
Founder Anthony McCrossan in 2007
and has a long-established relationship
with British Cycling (BC). Through that
relationship, when it came time for
BC to review the way it covers cycling
after the last Olympics, Cyclevox
began looking at how it could use
cellular networks, rather than RF/fibre
connectivity, to provide a far more
dynamic and cost-effective approach
to the live coverage of cycling in the
UK.
After having successfully trialled
LiveU, Cyclevox was commissioned
to produce exclusive coverage of the
British Cycling National Circuit Series
(crit racing). Each of the nine events
was live streamed, with remote studio
commentary, live interviews and

onsite presenting to offer incredible
production value with Cyclevox
working with WilkieTV to do so.
The remote team was able to turn up
onsite and go live without needing an
OB truck or broadcast infrastructure
at the event. The ability to "untether"
and allow camera operators to roam
freely streamlined the camera plan
and crew, as one camera can cover
multiple areas. The presenting team
could visit the pits, fan zone, start line
or VIP areas and do interviews, live
links or gather additional shots without
needing to worry about RF links, range
or cabling.
Maintaining Connections
So, what now with the social
distancing
limitations
facing
organisations worldwide? Our teams
and partners are supporting our
customers to help them stay connected
and keep communicating with their
viewers and communities. The very
nature of LiveU's cellular bonding
technology and remote at-home
production solution enables companies
to stream live their event with the
minimum number of personnel onsite
using only cameras and the field
units. Production, contribution and
distribution can all be managed back
in the studio with Precision Timing™
ensuring automatic multi-camera
synchronisation. We're seeing a
variety of use cases, from churches live
streaming their services on YouTube
and live rock concerts streamed to
fans over Facebook to broadcasters
covering the public's appreciation of
healthcare staff from their balconies.
Stay healthy everyone. Hopefully,
we will return to the days of a live
audience soon!
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