In Broadcast - August 2014 - 50

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

WWW.INBROADCAST.COM | ISSUE 34 - AUGUST 2014

N E W S

InTECH

The Wireless Revolution Rolls On
New camera linking technologies enable ever more comprehensive
coverage of sporting events, entertainment and live news...

By Jim Evans
Contributing Editor

50

The technologies involved
in outside broadcasts and
newsgathering have advanced
massively in recent times. The
move to wireless links has much
to do with this and enables many
more possibilities for programmers,
directors and those at the business
end - the teams in the field or
at the event.
With every successive
international broadcast exhibition
comes more innovation and exciting
new products. IBC in Amsterdam
will be no exception. As reported
in these pages, there was much to
digest at NAB and Broadcast Asia.
Widely adopted by broadcasters
these technologies enable them
to provide ever-more elaborate
coverage for viewers across
the spectrum.

Ultra compact: the Cobham
Broadcast Nano HD TX

At BroadcastAsia2014 RF
specialist Cobham Broadcast
reported the sale of its Nano HD
TX wireless transmitter to Paciﬁc
Broadcast, a market leader in
the coverage of action sports,
specialising in surﬁng and other
water sports plus superbikes and
motocross. Based in Melbourne,
Australia, it provides innovative
OB and services broadcast
markets worldwide.
The company opted for
Cobham Broadcast's Nano HD TX
transmitter, billed as the world's
smallest HD COFDM transmitter,
as it is particularly suited to
such applications due to its light
weight, signal stability, range and
proven durability.
Pacific Broadcast's Managing
Director Matt Percy said: "Adding
the Nano HD TX to our portfolio
of leading technologies enables us
to capture live action sport from
innovative shot angles and points
of view that have been previously
unattainable. This opens up a whole
new range of creative options for

compelling storytelling."
The ultra-miniature Nano HD TX
is designed speciﬁcally for POV
and body-worn applications. With
proven Cobham COFDM and H.264
encoding technology, the transmitter
provides excellent image quality
retention over the wireless link and
supports composite, SDI, HD-SDI
and HDMI video input format.
Cobham Broadcast Sales
Manager (APAC) Sue Gilks said:
"The Nano HD TX enables a
cameraman to go further, faster -
and maintain a stronger signal - than
any small transmitter on the market.
It is purpose-built for live production,
especially sports. It has already
proven itself particularly adept at
water sports coverage and will be
used by Paciﬁc Broadcast during
major water sport competitions
throughout the world in the
coming year."
Coverage of motor sports is a
sector benefitting greatly from
wireless technology. This summer,
on-board race footage from Formula
E racing cars has been captured by
full HD cameras supplied by Vislink.
The system used was designed by
the group's Gigawave subsidiary,
and features an H.264 transmitter
with the capability to broadcast four
video feeds from the cars.

Gigawave's existing full HD micro
cameras with a 1/3" sensor will be
used on the Formula E cars

Utilising the technology behind
Gigawave's existing full HD micro
cameras that feature a 1/3" sensor,
bespoke designs have been created
to house the cameras for the
Formula E cars, with a minimum
of six positions being available
on every chassis. These include a
unique roll hoop mounted T-piece
design which has the forward and
rear cameras positioned directly
over the centre line of the car.
The entire system is powered by a

dedicated supply rather than using
the Spark-Renault power train.
Vislink's brands have been
involved in the coverage of highproﬁle sports events for decades.
This is particularly true when it comes
to their contribution to motorsports,
with Le Mans, the DTM and WRC to
name a few receiving the beneﬁts
of Vislink's expertise. Add to this
a longstanding relationship with
MotoGP, where the Gigawave brand
not only provides on-board systems,
but is also the ofﬁcial supplier of all
RF, and it is clear that Vislink will be
more than capable of meeting the
demands of this unique new brand
of motor racing.
Over 25 cameras and solid-state
recorders from Camera Corps
captured the excitement of 2014 Isle
of Man Tourist Trophy motorcycle
races during the two-week event.
Working in close partnership with
North One Television for ITV 4,
Camera Corps provided a wide
range of specialised equipment
including forward and rear-facing
motorcycle-mounted cameras,
approach and recede kerb-cams
and various high-level wideangle cameras around the course.
Multiple HD on-board mini cams
also provided driver's-eye views of
Mark Higgins' record-breaking lap
of the course in a Subaru WRX STi.
"The TT is one of the most
challenging and exciting events in
the annual sports calendar," said
Barry Parker, Commercial Manager
of Camera Corps. "The races are run
over a 37.5 mile Snaefell Mountain
Course through winding mountain
paths with tight bends, bumps and
jumps, in a series of six motor-cycle
races and two sidecar races.
"The Camera Corps special
cameras team also worked
alongside North One Television
and the TT organisers prior to this
event to develop guidelines covering
the attachment of cameras and
recorders to the bikes. This included
sending dummy units in advance
to all the teams as well as making
pre-event team visits, which are
greatly appreciated and prevent any
surprises on site especially when
time is a premium. It also allows
us to refresh the relationship with
riders and teams.
"The bikes get smaller with every
passing year which encourages
us to continue our own technical
and operational innovation. With
finite resources you have to be
selective. We aim to cover the top
ten riders in each race which vary
in length from a single 37 mile lap

Camera Corps technology was
deployed at this summer's Isle of
Man TT Races

for electric bikes to six laps for the
Senior TT which was won this year
by Michael Dunlop."
The summer sporting event that
attracted most viewers and mega
global media coverage was of
course the FIFA World Cup ﬁnals
in Brazil - Another opportunity for
the broadcast industry to showcase
its technology and its skills.
ABonAir's wireless broadcast
systems covered the World Cup
throughout the different stadiums
across Brazil. ABonAir's wireless
broadcast systems enabled camera
teams to transmit broadcast
sessions directly from a camera to
a media centre (or production truck)
over the air without the restrictions
of cable connections.
With tens of thousands of on-site
viewers (and their mobile devices),
live RF cameras, hi-powered
radio microphones and constant
wireless communications in each
tournament, FIFA venues were
extremely crowded RF environments.
Despite the challenges of wireless
congestion and interferences,
ABonAir delivered quality coverage
and reliable wireless performance
throughout the four weeks.
ABonAir's recently introduced
MIMO, or Multiple-Input-MultipleOutput radio and modem
architecture, allows simultaneous
transmission of two data streams
via two radio transceivers each
over two antennas. Combining all
four signals into one RF stream in
the receiver improves on the SNR
(Signal-To-Noise) ratio, producing
better coverage and link stability.
Eran Igler, ABonAir CEO notes,
"The MIMO value-added effect
for broadcasting is noticeable in
crowded events and locations like
sport stadiums, churches, and city
streets. When using the existing
CONTINUED ON PAGE 52

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