IBC Printed Guide - September 2014 - 14

www.inbroadcast.com PRODUCT GUIDE | Sept 12 - 16, 2014

The Future Of Wireless For 4K Broadcast
A lot has changed in a year. 4K was a big trend at IBC2013, but it looks set to be an even bigger
focus this time round and Vislink has a key role to play...
By:
Ashley Dove
General Manager

ven though most people
accept 4K delivery to the home
is still some way off, a number
of developments in the industry,
and competition from overthe-top players, mean it's now
increasingly important to get the
hardware in place that will make
4K transmission a reality.
Faced with spiralling data rates
yet dwindling spectrum availability,
the overwhelming feedback from
broadcasters is they now need to
do more with less, and are looking
for equipment that will let them
transmit higher quality video more

requires a bigger slice of spectrum
for transmission. However, as
spectrum is a finite resource,
this isn't always possible. To get
around this problem the industry
is taking steps to achieve more
with less, focusing on developing
new efficient coding standards like
H.265 and aiming to make existing
technology more versatile than
ever before. Vislink has a key role
to play in making this a reality, and
the spirit of helping broadcasters
do more with less is Vislink's focus
for this year's show.

Vislink's Advent ADM5100 half-rack
multifunctional encoder pairs with ND
SatCom's MF-TDMA SKYWAN 5G modem.

efficiently so as not to overwhelm
existing infrastructure.
With 4K firmly on the horizon,
efficiency has never been more
important. In today's content
driven world broadcasters want
to capture footage from a wide
range of environments, not just
a TV studio. To stay ahead of the
game they need to transmit video
from anywhere, whether that's a
remote location for a news event
or live from a race track. It's no
surprise the industry continues to
rely heavily on wireless equipment,
but the move to 4K presents its
own challenges. Broadcasters
are starting to shoot content in
4K where fixed infrastructure is
in place, which benefits from far
greater capacity and can handle
the increased data rates. However,
a more permanent solution will be
required before 4K transmission
over wireless becomes feasible,
without suffering from a drop in
video quality.
4K is roughly four times the
quality of 1080p HD, which

4K Challenges
But getting ready for 4K is just the
latest in a long line of challenges
faced by broadcasters. There's a
bigger threat they need to contend
with. As revenues are being
pinched by the rise of internet
players and viewers are looking
for more compelling television
than ever before, broadcasters
are faced with an uphill struggle to
deliver on sky-high expectations.
Today's viewers expect to feel like
they're part of the action when it
comes to live broadcast, which
relies entirely on the right shot
being shown at the right time.
Efficiency is important, granted,
as there's no room for distortion
and delay is not acceptable, but
ultimately it all comes down to
the equipment; capturing the
right image at the right time, then
reliability transmitting it from
anywhere.
Vislink Highlights
On the IBC2014 stand Vislink
will be showcasing the latest

The Gigawave MLV-HD3
with its modular design offers control
and camera data over existing TRIAX infrastructure.

addition
to
its
Gigawave
range, the MVL-HD3. A digital
receive unit that brings together
two-way diversity reception with
the capacity benefits of TRIAX
cabling, the MVL-HD3 makes it
far more efficient for broadcasters
to capture high quality video
from multiple receive sites using
a single camera unit. One of the
key benefits of the Gigawave
MLV-HD3 is its modular design;
both control and camera data
can be transmitted using existing
TRIAX infrastructure, which halves
the length of expensive cabling
required.
Vislink's NewSwift 2.4m 240
motorised
vehicle-mounted
system has also received a
significant upgrade ahead of this
year's show. Designed as a highly
customisable and lightweight
antenna, and available as either a
single or three piece carbon fibre
reflector, this latest upgrade means
the NewSwift can now be specified
to include auto-acquisition and
auto-tracking capabilities, thereby
maintaining a data
link
even
when
utilising
inclined
orbit
satellites.
It's
also
been
redesigned
to
support a wider range
of SNG vehicles
worldwide,
once
again
promoting
Vislink's end goal of
flexibility.
Vislink's partnership
with ND SatCom
is also going from
strength to strength.
The agreement has
led
to
joint
development of the
Advent
ADM5100,
a
new
half-rack
multifunctional
encoder, designed by
Vislink, that's paired

with ND SatCom's MF-TDMA
SKYWAN 5G modem.
The ADM5100 will see its
official launch at IBC2014, but
it is currently ready to ship and
initial orders are being filled. The
same modem is also available in
Vislink's range of ultra-lightweight
MSAT satcom terminals. The
partnership will also lead to further
joint development down the line
and Vislink's technology will be
integrated into ND SatCom's
hardware in the future.
Of course, once live footage has
been captured and transmitted,
it then needs to be run through
a video playout platform to let
broadcasters
pre-programme
clips, include ads, add channel
logos or adjust audio levels.
With the acquisition of Pebble
Beach systems earlier this year,
Vislink is now in a position to
provide broadcasters with the
whole package - from video to
playout, from side-line to TV set,
or as we like to call it, from scene
to screen.

Vislink's NewSwift 2.4m 240 motorised
vehicle-mounted system has received
a significant upgrade

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IBC Printed Guide - September 2014