In Broadcast - August 2013 - 30

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

WWW.INBROADCAST.COM | ISSUE 22 - AUGUST 2013

N E W S

InFOCUS

Camera Links Moving Ahead
Lighter, Faster, More Productive
What was once the domain of engineers and skilled technicians operating out of specially equipped
news trucks can now be handled by a field reporter and cameraman out of a small, minimally
outfitted vehicle…

By Adrian Pennington

howing just how prevalent and
reliable wireless links have
become, two innovations compete
for an IBC Award this autumn. Fox
Sports in Australia developed a
helmet camera for use by batsmen
and wicket keepers, using wireless
HDMI, with signals converted and
relayed by transceivers carried by
the umpires, to give cricket fans an
idea of what it feels like to face the
world’s best bowlers.
It goes up against, the BBC
coverage of the 13,000km, 70day Olympic torch relay. Providing
pictures of every runner in the relay
was a communications challenge
involving technical partners including
Bradley Engineering, Cobham,
LiveU and Mobile Viewpoint.
“Today it is far more common to
ﬁnd very capable, high performance
devices priced at a level that many
can afford,” says Teradek’s Director
of Marketing, Michael Gailing. “Gone
are the days where only the largest
productions could afford the best
devices around.”
As with many high tech devices,
miniaturisation is occurring and with
that comes low power requirements,
which allows users to use their gear
for extended periods in locations
they otherwise may never have been
able to reach.
“With the democratisation of top
market technology, the

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major hurdles are trying to overcome
the limitations inherent in wireless
technologies, such as interference,”
Gailing says. “This also goes handin-hand with broadcast distance,
which is becoming more valuable
as video professionals ditch their
HDMI and SDI cables.”

Mark Anderson,
Marketing
Operations Manager,
Vislink

links are
“…RF incredibly
now
robust, thanks to
years of product
development

”

Obviously the freedom to ‘go
anywhere’ is important as it
enables producers to follow action
as it happens, which can greatly
enhance sporting, event or news
coverage. Cobham Broadcast’s
Broadcast Systems Director, Stuart
Brown spots an accelerating trend
in the use of wireless technology
to provide on-board coverage

Wireless links such as BSI’s Real Freedom Camera Back Transmitter
offer up roving shots

for motorsport and boat racing
events as well as new point-ofview coverage for team sports like
soccer and cricket.
“RF links are now incredibly
robust, thanks to years of product
development in a mature market,”
says Mark Anderson, Marketing
Operations Manager, Vislink.
“What’s more, users have come to
understand exactly how to get the
best out of them, which has made
the management of larger events
– while not routine – considerably
easier than they were some 10
years ago when these links ﬁrst
came to market.”
For live coverage, cellular-bonding
technology is being integrated into
the workﬂow of the camera. “In the
ﬁrst phase, we’re seeing a cameramounted unit but development is
underway to offer a fullyintegrated live camera
solution with full
functionality of the
uplink interface via
the camera itself,”
reports Ronen Artman,
VP Marketing, LiveU.
“The main technical
hurdle is congestion
in heavily crowded
areas and areas
with poor cellular
coverage. This is
where advances
in RF technology
come into play.
LiveU’s external
Xtender antenna,
Verizon's 4G LTE modem and JVC’s
GY-HM650 offers live HD video

which can be integrated as part
of existing SNG or ENG trucks,
combined with LiveU’s LU-Lite
encoder on a 1RU rackmount, or
tripod-mounted, connected to
backpack and handheld units
(up to 300 metres away), offers
greater resiliency and performance
in crowded demonstrations,
sports stadiums.”

Stuart Brown,
Broadcast Systems
Director, Cobham

“…The freedom
to ‘go anywhere’
is important as it
enables producers
to follow action as it
happens

”

Anderson notes that the
accelerated selloff of spectrum by
governments means broadcasters
have to be smarter about the way
they use the space available to them.
“Managed properly, narrowband
gives you the option to push more
than one video channel in the
traditional 10MHz slot,” he says.
“With advances in compression
and encoding it is now possible
to deliver two or more broadcast
quality video feeds where once only
one was possible.”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

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