The Growing Need for Remote Links

  • By David Kirk

The Growing Need for Remote Links

Contributing Editor David Kirk reports on the current trends in IP-linked remote OB production…

The past 12 months have seen a lot of product refinement in the remote broadcast links category, with increasing support for high dynamic range production, work-from-home broadcasting and the gradual popularisation of citizen journalism. IP-linked remote OB production was expected to grow strongly in importance during 2020 but that development was delayed by postponement of many sport and stage events. This review concentrates on what has actually been introduced in the past year rather than what will roll through if or when ‘the new normal’ means 8K and beyond.

ABonAir’s NEW AB4000 is a 4K/UHD full HDR professional wireless video link designed for use in studio, stage or OB over ranges of 1000 feet. Features include wireless optimized H.265 codec, Integrated Intercom, RCP for all major brand cameras, (Sony, Panasonic, etc.) tally light, pan/tilt/zoom and more. The AB4000 supports 4K, 1080p, 1080i and 720p video formats, it provides support for HDR10 and HDR10+ and has 12G-SDI and HDMI 2.0 connections. The system is designed to operate over 5Ghz unlicensed frequencies and has extremely robust link utilizing a per-pixel acknowledgment algorithm where both transmitter and receiver can send and receive data and control information. 

AviWest’s bonded cellular technology is now integrated with CyanView’s RCP multicamera control panel. “Recently, our solution was used at a charity event at Seminole Golf Club near West Palm Beach, Florida,” says CTO Ronan Poullaouec. “Because of Covid-19, the event only featured four golfers, six handheld cameras, and zero caddies but it went a long way toward satiating the thirst for live professional sports. The event also showed that remote workflows are possible for golf, as it was produced at PGA Tour Entertainment’s facility 250 miles away”. 

Comrex has released firmware version 4.5p2 for its line of IP audio codecs. It simplifies CrossLock connections between the Access MultiRack and earlier Comrex IP audio codecs. Firmware v4.5p2 also replaces an older Adobe Flash-based GUI with an HTML5 web-based GUI as the default user interface. Access MultiRack is a 1 RU rackmount multi-channel IP audio codec which can handle up to five full-duplex IP audio connections simultaneously. It is compatible with all Comrex IP audio codecs as well as the FieldTap smartphone app. Two identical streams can be sent through separate networks (redundancy mode) or the network bandwidth of multiple networks can be combined (bonding mode). Each codec can deliver and receive four contact closures as well as sending ancillary data.

Dejero has introduced a Windows-based addition to its LivePlus series of mobile news apps. LivePlus for Windows allows anchors and journalists working remotely over a wired or wireless broadband connection to transmit live video while simultaneously receiving two return video and/or teleprompter feeds, all with a laptop. The new app is designed to transmit a live stream of up to 20 Mbps at a latency as low as 0.8 seconds. Connection can be to a portable telco hotspot device or a suitable mobile phone. “LivePlus for Windows is an addition to the LivePlus toolkit that makes the home studio set-up even simpler for journalists and presenters, needing less equipment and minimizing costs,” said Yvonne Monterroso, Director of Product Management at Dejero. Reporters can receive up to two return video feeds simultaneously through the app which can be used for teleprompting, as well as for program video delivered via a Dejero CuePoint return server installed at the station. The app supports a laptop’s internal camera, an external USB webcam, or connection of an SDI or HDMI camera, presenting a ‘camera preview’ tile on screen as a confidence monitor.

LiveU has introduced a native 5G production-level field unit for live news and sports coverage. The LU800 supports up to four frame-synced feeds using IP bonding of up to 14 connections with up to 4Kp60 10-bit HDR transmission as well as up to 16 audio channels. “With the return of live sports, 5G is expected to play a significant role in live production and contribution, comments LiveU’s CEO, Samuel Wasserman. “The LU800’s smart 5G-bonding technology enhances the sustainability of video quality in sports stadiums and other venues, taking advantage of the increased bandwidth, lower latency and greater speeds offered by 5G networks.” LiveU now offers a complete contribution, production and distribution system. The unit’s multi-camera production streams are fully managed by the LiveU Central cloud-based management platform and automatically fed into LiveU Matrix IP content management and distribution. 

Magewell’s new Ultra Encode universal live media encoders  feature H.264 and H.265 (HEVC) video compression for live streaming delivery, letting users choose their preferred balance between broader viewing device compatibility and higher quality/bitrate efficiency. The new encoder is compatible with a range of streaming protocols including RTMP, RTMPS, RTSP, RTP, HLS, and SRT (Secure Reliable Transport, developed and open-sourced by Haivision). Configurable presets enable easy streaming to YouTube Live, Facebook Live, Twitch or custom targets, with select protocols allowing simultaneous streaming to multiple destinations. “While our Ultra Stream encoders continue to be extremely popular for users with fairly straightforward live streaming needs, integrators and high-end production professionals may require advanced capabilities such as additional formats or protocols and higher bitrates,” comments Magewell CEO and CTO Nick Ma. “Ultra Encode delivers these enhanced features in an exceptionally versatile platform that is ideal not only for live streaming but also for other professional applications such as AV-over-IP and local or remote production.” Ultra Encode HDMI and Ultra Encode SDI offer a choice of HDMI 1.4a  or 3G-SDI input and loop-through interfaces. Both models can encode and stream content up to 1080p60 at up to 16 Mbps. The Ultra Encode HDMI also accepts 4K HDMI inputs, down-converting them automatically to HD. Embedded audio is complemented by line-level analog audio input and output connections. The encoder can be configured and controlled through a web browser or via HTTP-based APIs.

Quicklink’s ST500 (Studio-in-a-box), is a compact and portable, all-in-one solution for receiving professional broadcast contributions without the need for on-site technical expertise. The solution is designed to be easily transported to a remote location to achieve the most professional remote contribution possible. Ideally suited for HD studio broadcast contributions where there are limited on-site technical resources available. The camera, lights and audio can be controlled from any Chrome browser using the Quicklink Manager Portal to ensure the highest quality, in frame broadcast content is received. The central operator fully manages the broadcast and can choose both file recording as HD-SDI and live output to air. Also available as a 1U unit, the ST150 gives the flexibility to use your own camera, monitor, lighting and other setup. This is ideal option when putting together your own setup.

Teradek’s Bolt is a low latency (less than 1 millisecond) wireless video link that transmits uncompressed 1080p/60 4:2:2 video up to 600 metres over the unlicensed 5 GHz band. Three Bolt versions are available, defined by their transmission range in feet (300, 600 and 2000). All models are multicast-capable, supporting up to four receivers. Features include timecode and metadata pass-through. Integrated 3D LUTs output custom graded video. 


Custom LUTs can be loaded via the Bolt Manager and selected on individual Bolt receiver OLED screens. Real-time cross conversion can be performed from HDMI to 3G-SDI, or vice versa. All Bolts include real-time standards conversion of resolution and/or frame rate control within the receiver. Among recent upgrades, Broadcast mode (for Bolt 4K MAX) allows an unlimited number of paired receivers to be used.

TVU Network’s TVU Anywhere SDK is a free software development kit for the TVU Anywhere live IP video streaming app. It is intended for developers involved in app creation for live video production. Viewers can also become citizen journalists and serve as an extension of a station’s reporting force, using the app to cover local news or events.

Beyond broadcast news, sports franchises can allow lfans to become part of the action by transmitting live footage through their app from home, social gatherings, or inside the venue for game-day scoreboard display or live programs. Live transmissions are compatible with TVU receivers and servers, as well as cloud-based services such as TVU Producer, TVU MediaMind and TVU Transcriber. “Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, use of our TVU Anywhere app to share live video from at-home contributors and reporters has simply exploded,” says Matt McEwen, Vice President of Product Management. “The use of remote production will only continue to grow, and live video is a key part of that workflow. Our new TVU Anywhere SDK provides developers with a simple and affordable way to help media companies, sports organisations and other content creators to generate more content from more people faster, which leads to more viewer engagement.”

Vitec claims its MGW Ace Encoder to be the world’s first HEVC/H.265 hardware encoder in a professional grade portable streaming unit. Applications include live news broadcasting, point-to-point contribution of HD video, and live streaming from or within sports venues.

The encoder can handle up to 16 channels of audio as well as time-synchronised playback. It accepts 3G-SDI, HD-SDI, SD-SDI, DVI, HDMI and composite video as well as analog and digital audio (embedded and discrete). An on-board hardware scaler can be used for real-time downscaling, cropping and frame-sampling. A built-in video matrix enables routing of video sources to both the HEVC and H.264 compression cores for simultaneous H.265 and H.264 streaming over IP or DVB-ASI output. Zixi stream protection technology is included, designed to protect video, audio and metadata on networks with up to 30% packet loss or data corruption.