HACKENSACK, N.J.—LiveU has released details of the first large-scale deployment of its AI-driven LiveU IQ (LIQ) technology at a global, multi-venue sporting event, the Winter Olympic Games.

During the games, broadcasters relied on LIQ to dynamically manage connectivity in some of the most demanding live production environments – from crowded arenas to remote mountain venues. Around 60% of supported sessions were transmitted using LIQ, achieving over 36% higher average bitrates and enabling consistent 4K and HDR coverage, at scale. Broadcasters were able to confidently rely on IP contribution as a primary workflow, supporting both traditional broadcast and digital-first distribution strategies.

More than 980 LiveU units were deployed by broadcasters from 37 countries, delivering over 15,000 hours of live broadcast and a total of 134TB of live video across nearly 12,000 live sessions, underscoring the industry’s accelerating shift toward IP-based production models.

Unlike traditional IP bonding, LIQ uses AI-driven predictive congestion management and real-time network analysis to optimize transmission paths dynamically. This capability is particularly critical at major global sporting events, where thousands of competing devices, fluctuating network conditions, and geographically dispersed venues can challenge transmission stability. By anticipating network congestion and adapting in real time, LIQ enables broadcasters to maintain premium video quality even in highly complex, bandwidth-constrained environments.

“The Winter Games marked a pivotal moment for LiveU,” said Ophir Zardok, head of sports strategy & business development, LiveU. “This was the first time LIQ was deployed across a global sporting event of this magnitude. The results validated our vision for AI-driven connectivity – delivering significantly higher bitrates while maintaining rock-solid resiliency across thousands of live transmissions. For broadcasters operating in remote, high-density and multi-venue environments, that level of performance changes what’s possible.”

Cloud and remote production workflows were used by rights holders and broadcasters to centralize operations and streamline multi-platform distribution. Solutions including LiveU Studio, LiveU Matrix and LiveU Record supported flexible production models while reducing on-site crew requirements. LiveU’s on-site and remote support teams ensured seamless deployment and operational continuity throughout the event.

Austria’s national public broadcaster ORF deployed 23 LU800 units across Milan and Cortina, equipping 17 camera crews positioned throughout northern Italy. LiveU's longstanding local partner, ETAS High-Tech Systems GmbH, provided the units and the local support.

Christian Zettl, TV production manager at ORF, said, “The LiveU deployment gave us maximum flexibility and optimal conditions for bringing the Olympics into our viewers’ living rooms as comprehensively as possible, while also contributing to significant savings in production costs. We primarily used the LU800 units for interviews and playouts, but also for transferring our footage from helmet cameras and for broadcasting scheduled interviews with up to three cameras.”

“What we’re seeing is a fundamental acceleration toward intelligent, IP-based production,” Zardok added. “Broadcasters are no longer asking whether IP can handle premium live sports — they’re asking how far they can scale it. As we look ahead to the upcoming world football championship in the Americas, we expect this momentum to grow significantly.”

For more information, please visit www.liveu.tv

This is the third in a multipart series by broadcast historian and former TV Tech Technology Editor James O'Neal.

Part 1
Part 2

With the introduction of increasingly better and more reliable transistor types during the 1960s, broadcast television equipment steadily moved away from large and power-hungry vacuum tube designs to transistorized versions. The introduction of the integrated circuit also played a role in miniaturizing gear and making it more reliable.

Camera Imaging devices also improved, with the Plumbicon and other tubes beginning to rival the performance of the much larger image orthicons. Color cameras shrank in bulk and weight—from units requiring several persons to lift and racks of support equipment—to models that could be carried by a single person (with support electronics contained in a separate package, usually in the form of a backpack).

CBS Laboratories created such a device as early as 1968, the Minicam VI. RCA ushered in the era of self-contained portable cameras with the release of the TKP-45 in 1974. Video recorders also became more compact, with Ampex introducing a portable version of its “quad” machines, the VR-3000, in 1967. This rather revolutionary recorder was deemed “portable” in that its 55-pound load could be managed by one person and powered by batteries.

With this miniaturization of cameras and recorders, it was just a matter of time until someone decided to pair them and go out and cover a news event. Just who, when, and where this initial “modern” ENG initiative took place will likely remain a mystery; however, by 1974, at least several broadcasters and a couple of major networks were quietly trialing ENG.

Project X: ‘Anyone Talking About It Will Be Dismissed'
Nashville’s WLAC-TV (now WTVF) was one of these early electronic newsgathering adopters, and in mid-1974 launched a secret project to construct the first ENG vehicle in that market. According to one member of the engineering team who took part in the initiative, none of the personnel involved were allowed to reveal to other station members or others what they were working on, under the threat of instant termination if there was a leak of information.

“Station management really wanted to beat the competition,” said Butch Smith, one of the six or seven WLAC-TV engineers assigned to the project. “We were told by the station’s director of engineering, Ralph Hucaby, not to reveal anything about what we were working on, under penalty of dismissal from employment.”

Smith said that work on the ENG unit took place in a locked area of the station’s basement and due to its secretive nature, one of the construction team dubbed it “Project X.”

“I’m not 100% certain when we went on the air with our first live transmission from the van, but construction started sometime in July and it took us three or four months to complete,” said Smith. “We beat the other Nashville stations considerably.”

According to Smith, the station selected Ikegami HL-33 cameras for the project, but after more than half a century, he is uncertain about the video recorder used. He recalled that, as the van was equipped with a 2-GHz microwave transmitter, a majority of the stories covered went live.

“We had a receive site on top of the high-rise Life and Casualty Insurance Company tower building, as they owned the station then. This was a 33- or 34-story building, and we could go live from just about anywhere around Nashville.”

The NAB Show That Heralded in the ENG Era
A year later, interest in ENG had increased to the point that the April 1975 NAB Show offered its first “workshop” on the subject, with show organizers not really prepared for the number of individuals who decided to learn about the new methodology. As the post-show issue of Broadcasting magazine headlined it, “ENG is SRO at NAB.”

“If you're not already into electronic newsgathering, get your toe in the water," declared Julius Barnathan, ABC’s then-vice president of engineering operations, and one of the workshop’s presenters. (Another was WLAC-TV’s Ralph Hucaby.)

Broadcasters, eager to learn as much as they could about ENG, stood three-deep at the rear of the room, and according to Broadcasting, “completely lined the side walls and were crouched or seated on the floor in front of the stage.”

Another presenter, Thomas M. Battista, vice president and general manager of then CBS St. Louis O&O, KMOX-TV (now KMOV), described that station’s ENG experimentation, observing that in addition to benefiting local news coverage, it also served as a pilot program for CBS’s eventual foray into ENG.

He noted that with ENG, KMOX-TV had covered 20% more stories in March 1975 than in the same period a year earlier. Battista stated that the number of technical personnel involved in news coverage at his station shrank from 56 to 50. (WLAC-TV’s Hucaby reported that he expected his station’s expenditure of $300,000 (almost $2 million in today’s money) would be fully amortized in six years.)

“If you put together a good system and come up with better news programs, you'll make loads more money and won't have to worry about the cost," said Battista.

If that weren’t enough inducement for attendees to start budgeting for ENG equipment—of which there was plenty at the show—ABC’s Barnathan offered two other incentives.

“The first key to ENG is the ability to ‘go live,’” he said. “The second is ‘to save your ass late in the afternoon.’"

(As an historical note, a few years prior to the KMOX-TV O&O implementation, the CBS network had trialed electronic technology as an alternative to news film, equipping a few two-person crews with either CBS Laboratories Minicam VI's (introduced in 1968), or the slightly later Norelco PCP-90 three-tube cameras and Ampex VR-3000 backpack two-inch quadruplex videotape recorders, introduced in 1967).

This approach, the use of traverse-scan videotape recording, allowed the field-generated tapes to be played directly on conventional studio VTRs. The camera/VTR package could scarcely be considered portable, however, with the recorder weighed more than 50 lbs. and the camera, along with its backpack support package, tipping the scales in excess of 40 pounds.

The technology did offer one real advantage for the network, though, as it allowed reporting and transmission of news in locations where no film processing was available. NBC also experimented with a similar equipment package, but declared that while it gave “excellent results,” the camera/VTR combo was “too bulky and heavy to replace 16mm film cameras.”)

How Best to Go ENG—‘Flash Cut’ or Phase In?
Likely as a result of the workshop, and perhaps out of a desire to provide better news coverage and save some money in the process, more and more stations followed Barnathan’s admonishment and dipped their toes in the (ENG) water.

One of those stations taking Barnathan’s advice was KGLO-TV (now KIMT) in Mason City, Iowa. David Ostmo, the Sinclair Broadcast Group’s regional engineering director, and based in San Antonio, Texas, got his start at the small market Iowa station and recalled his experiences with the Akai handheld cameras and reel-to-reel recorders being used by KGLO-TV.

“They were looking for a less-expensive way to do news coverage,” said Ostmo. “Film and processing cost a lot and around 1974, they had acquired an Akai VT-150 camera and a half-inch VTR. We would bump the half-inch tape across three-quarter (U-Matic) for editing, but sometimes we would play the half-inch directly to air.”

Ostmo recalled that even with the acquisition of the ENG gear, KGLO-TV continued to capture news events on film.

“The image was so much better with film at that point in time, and they shot the important stuff on film even though there was latency in getting it processed and edited,” he said. “The film processor wasn’t that old when I was there, so I imagine they were still amortizing it. I’m not sure when they went completely to ENG. I left in 1978 and they were still shooting some film.”

Jay Ballard, who began his broadcast engineering career at Boston stations WHDH-TV and WBZ-TV, also recalled the substandard video quality experienced in many early ENG implementations.

“Early ENG quality suffered, as the equipment was not designed for broadcast use, noting in particular the single- or two-tube cameras placed into service at some stations. “Some chief engineers complained that they did not produce ‘broadcast quality’ news footage; however, their objections were overruled by the immediacy permitted by electronic newsgathering means.”

Ballard, who eventually moved to Washington’s NBC O&O, WRC-TV, and then to NBC network operations in New York, recalled that while NBC did experiment with ENG, the network initially shied away from taking it mainstream.

“The big swing to ENG at NBC occurred when the Vietnam War ended in 1975,” he said. (Secretary of State Henry) Kissinger called a press conference and the networks elected not to carry it live. CBS scooped everyone by shuttling the (ENG) tapes they made over to their M Street operation and playing them to that network ahead of everyone else.

Ballard recalled that in the wake of the CBS scoop, other networks quickly began to take ENG’s immediacy much more seriously.

“Shortly thereafter, PCP90 portable cameras and VR-3000 backpack VTRs showed up in Washington. Later, two-piece cameras from Bosch Fernseh and Ikegami were shipped down from New York. NBC spent a ton of money on ENG.”

Ballard noted that even with this initial 1975 push to join the ENG club, the big transition began the following year at the political conventions and the arrival of a three-tube camera with image quality matching that of much larger studio models.

“For NBC, ENG really began with the 1976 Democratic Convention in NYC,” he recalled. “RCA had just announced the TK-76 one-piece camera, and with a portable Sony U-matic recorder, the transition was underway.”

Breaking Away From Film
Despite the immediacy that ENG brought to reporting, as pointed out by Ostmo, image quality wasn’t always that great, and many stations (and networks) still clung to news film. There were also other reasons for retaining film-based operations.

For the networks and some of the larger television stations, craft union jurisdiction quickly became an issue in attempts to transition away from news film.

“Back then, a network film crew consisted of five people — a photographer, a sound person, an electrician to handle the lighting, a producer, and of course, the on-camera talent,” observed Ballard. “It was a mix of IBEW or NABET and IATSE people.”

George Lemaster, who worked at NBC’s WRC-TV in Washington in the mid-to-late 1970s, recalled union jurisdictional issues there.

“At NBC in 1975, news from the field was still mostly done on film,” said Lemaster. “You had union (IATSE) cameramen who were experienced and good at what they did. The ENG crews were made up of NABET people who eventually took control of the event capturing. There were, of course jurisdictional issues. Eventually, some of the IATSE camera operators converted to ENG positions, new to electronics, but they sure knew how to shoot news footage.”

Lemaster explained that this transition was a learning experience for both film camera operators and station engineering personnel-turned-camera-operators, but once the dust settled, the initiative paid off in much faster turnaround of news stories.

Another reason for easing into ENG, rather than flash cutting, was the not inconsequential expense involved in the purchase of color film processing equipment as local stations — following the lead of networks — began to convert from monochrome to full-color operations in the late 1960s and early 70s. A color processor could cost in the tens of thousands (more than $100k today), and these large investments needed to be amortized.

Some stations, however, opted to move completely from film to tape almost overnight. Tulsa’s KOTV was one of these. Lemaster, who worked in the station’s engineering department prior to his move to Washington’s WRC-TV, recalled the Oklahoma station’s transition.

“George Jacobs, the director of engineering at Corinthian Broadcasting, which owned KOTV then, decided to just ‘zero out’ the station’s photochemical budget for one year and use that amount to purchase ENG equipment,” recalled Lemaster. “That was in 1975, just before I went to NBC in Washington.

Jacobs purchased several Sony VO-2850 U-Matic machines, a Sony editor, two Sony DXC-1600 single-tube color cameras and recorders, and a CVS 504 timebase corrector needed to air the video from the (helical scan) VTRs.

“KOTV was a non-union house and this was a ‘cold turkey’ conversion," Lemaster said. "One day we were doing film and the next day, tape. The film editors transitioned over to editing tape.”

Lemaster recalled that in spite of the differences in technology, the changeover went fairly smoothly. However, after some two decades of post-war II television, use of news film was so entrenched, some felt it would never be completely displaced by ENG.

“Will ENG ever replace news film?” Hugo Bondy, chief engineer at Atlanta’s WAGA-TV asked rhetorically in a 1976 SMPTE presentation on ENG. “Ever is a long time and I’m not that much of a ‘seer,’ but I am not holding my breath yet. Film footage will, undoubtedly, shrink. A year ago, I would have said 40%. Now? Who knows, perhaps it will drop to 20%.”

Bondy opined that until a self-contained “camcorder” the size and weight of then-current 16-mm film cameras was developed, “the total reliance on 100% ENG is risky,” explaining that some breaking news events such as a large fire ruled out the laying cables from camera to truck, or getting camera and VTR operators with their heavy equipment close to the scene of action.

Wane Caluger, who spent a large part of his engineering career at Nashville’s WSM-TV (now WSMV), recalled that his station had a slightly different reason for continuing with legacy film operations.

“The guy running the station’s film processor had worked side deals with several area high schools to process their sports footage, so the processor kept going,” said Caluger. “The dual tape/film operation probably went on for four or five years.”

THE ENG Floodgate Opens
Despite poor image quality, jurisdictional issues, prior investments in film technology and general skepticism surrounding wholesale technological switches, there was no turning back, once cameras and recorders were placed in the hands of news crews.

The real genesis of what was to be called “ENG,” may be traced to St. Louis’s KMOX-TV (now KMOV).

The station is regarded as being first in the nation to completely move into the modern era of ENG, doing so at the behest of its then-owner, CBS. The network used the O&O in a pilot project to evaluate technology for expediting the airing of news events. KMOX-TV began its initial experimentation with ENG gear in February 1973, using Akai portable gear, and the results were so gratifying that use of film ended completely in mid-September of the following year.

By that time, KMOX-TV had purchased three Ikegami HL-33 cameras, modified three Chevrolet vans to accommodate microwave gear and provide additional power for lighting gear and an IVC video recorder and support electronics. Crews were also provided with Sony VO-3800 portable U-Matic VTRs. An ENG operation center and editing bays were added at the station. (After editing on the helical scan VTRs, recordings were transferred to 2-inch quad tapes for playback in newscasts.)

In a special report on the KMOX-TV ENG project published in the July 1975 issue of Broadcast Engineering magazine, the station’s news coverage was reported to have increased by 20% since going ENG, and that interest in the initiative had brought inquiries from broadcasters as far away as Japan, Canada and Great Britain. (At the time of the article’s publication, 21% of CBS affiliates had begun to move into ENG, and the number was expected to grow to 37% by the end of 1975.)

With KMOX-TV credited as the first all-ENG operation in the country, it’s then vice president and general manager, Thomas Batista, prophetically stated in the report: “I have a feeling we won’t be the last.”

(The fourth and final installment of this history of electronic newsgathering will trace the impact of emerging technologies and their role in shaping today’s ENG operations and practices.)

(In Part 1, published in the August issue, James O’Neal traced the origins of ENG. In Part 2, he examines the shift from traditional film to electronic methodologies in capturing news events)

Even in television’s infancy, broadcasters realized that merely reporting news events from a studio setting provided little in the way of engagement with their viewing audiences. Almost from the time that radio moved out of the starting gates, “man-on-the-scene” reporting—enabled by access to a well-established network of telephone circuits—became a standard ingredient of newscasts.

Some radio reporters developed a knack for creating very good “word pictures” of what they were witnessing in connection with breaking news events, with this practice developing into something of an art form by the 1940s. (Recall Edward R. Murrow’s reporting of live events as war broke out in Great Britain, which began with “This Is London” and included the warbling of air-raid sirens and other wartime sounds.) The best the few television stations in operation during World War II could do was to augment the reading of news service copy with a map indicating combat locations.

The Roadblocks
While pioneer television broadcasters longed to emulate the immediacy and spontaneity in on-the-scene reporting provided by their radio counterparts, the physical size, weight and electrical power consumption of TV gear precluded such operations. The equipment in use in the medium’s formative years was also finicky. An image orthicon camera required several minutes for warm-up and alignment. (Even the initial network reporting of the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy was via a “bulletin” slide and a newscaster voiceover as studio cameras had been switched off and couldn’t be forced into immediate operation.)

Another factor limiting coverage immediacy was connectivity. Unless a common carrier (regional or national telecom) had already established coaxial cable or microwave linkage close to the area of interest, or a clear microwave path existed between the news scene and television station or mountaintop transmitter site, “live shots” were not possible.

On-the-scene video recordings were not really an option, either, as first-generation VTRs were large and heavy on power consumption (think multiple racks of vacuum tubes), making even the recording and delivery of tapes back to the station or network by a courier equally prohibitive in terms of spontaneity in news coverage. Even with the time required for chemical processing and editing, it was faster and less complicated for television broadcasters to send a crew with a 16-millimeter sound-on-film camera to a news scene.

However, by the mid-1960s, aided by the advent of better and more reliable solid-state devices (especially transistors), broadcast equipment manufacturers were beginning to show (and deliver) a number of smaller and less power-consumptive counterparts to the vacuum-tube-based designs that had launched the postwar television industry. This technological shift was especially noticeable as the second generation of videotape recorders started to appear, with VTR pioneer Ampex beginning to shrink the size and weight of its machines by replacing vacuum tubes with transistorized circuitry.

An Early ENG ‘Van’ Experiment
One of Ampex’s videotape recorder developments apparently caught the eye of someone at Triangle Publications, a major Philadelphia-based broadcast group that operated stations in multiple markets. The new Ampex machine—the VR-660—was released in late 1962. Despite its small physical size (about 30 by 18 by 15 inches) and a price tag about one-quarter that of the “quad” machines then in use by broadcasters, it delivered video also as good as the quads.

The VR-660, along with a “miniaturized” television camera from consumer/industrial electronics company Sylvania, provided the basis for experimentation by Triangle with videotape as an alternative to film for capturing news events.

During the mid-1960s, the group trialed an early iteration of single-camera no-frills completely electronic newsgathering. The experiment was conducted at Triangle’s New Haven, Conn., station, WNHC-TV (now WTNH), and at its Altoona, Pa., property, WFBG-TV (now WTAJ). Other Triangle stations may have also participated in the trialing, but after 60 years and multiple station ownership changes documentation is scant.

The compact size and reduced power requirements of the VR-660, along with the availability of a self-contained vidicon camera—a Sylvania vidicon model designed for industrial applications and providing “FCC-legal” EIA RS-170 sync—allowed Triangle engineers to create a small, easily maneuverable mobile unit that would be the forerunner of ENG units emerging a decade or so later.

The vehicle selected for the experiment—a Chevrolet ½-ton “panel truck”—was not much larger than automobiles of the era, allowing it to be easily driven and parked very close to events being covered. The greatly reduced power requirements of the solid-state gear selected for the project also negated the need for prearranging AC power drops necessary to meet the demands of that era’s conventional television mobile units, with their large, vacuum-tube-driven image orthicon cameras and racks of support electronics.

All gear in the Triangle vehicles—camera, recorder, video monitor and a small audio mixer—was easily powered via a 1-kW DC-to-AC inverter driven by a 24-volt battery charged from a second generator driven by the vehicle’s engine.)

Ready at a Moment’s Notice
Triangle’s modifications also included the cutting of a 3-foot hatch into the top of the vehicle and adding a support platform below for the camera operator, so that if time was of the essence, coverage of a news event could begin immediately without unreeling cables or setting up the camera “on sticks.” Due to the portability of the gear and the vehicle modifications, the operator could also record events while the van was in motion.

Rather curiously, there was apparently no attempt to incorporate microwave gear to the van’s equipment package to enable live transmissions, though at least one manufacturer was offering small, solid-state microwave links designed specifically for such applications. (By the mid-1960s, Microwave Associates (later M/A-COM and now MACOM) touted “lunch-box-sized” transmitters consuming a mere 50W that were intended “to bring live TV field coverage within range of every broadcaster.” The company even offered a small camera as an “accessory.”)

Although the Triangle newsgathering vehicle design was revolutionary, its use was rather short-lived. (When the author joined the WNHC-TV staff in 1970, the early ENG experiment was just a distant memory among some of the older staffers.) This was likely due to a number of factors, the greatest of which was the inability to easily edit the videotapes produced.

While the VR-660 utilized 2-inch videotape, its recordings could not be played back by conventional “quad” broadcast VTRs due to differences in head scanning. (In the interest of simplifying design and operation, the VR-660 incorporated a helical tape scan as opposed to the transverse scanning used in larger machines.) To edit recordings, stations either had to purchase a second VR-660 (around $14,000 in 1965; more than $140,000 in 2025 dollars) or transport the 100-pound machine from the van to the TV studio for dubbing the video to conventional “quad” VTRs that did provide editing capability.

Another major factor that possibly sidelined this early ENG attempt was the widespread conversion to color television broadcasting taking place in the 1960s. The initial Ampex VR-660s lacked color capability, and there were no small or easily portable color counterparts to the Sylvania camera at the time of the Triangle experiment. (Ampex did eventually add both color and editing features to the VR-660, but by that time, Triangle stations had moved away from ENG and into 16-mm color film for capturing news events.)

Although this very early foray into electronic newsgathering ultimately went nowhere, it doubtless captured the attention of others in the industry (the June 1965 issue of Broadcast Engineering magazine featured a cover story account of the WFBG-TV implementation). It was only a matter of time, along with the creation of equipment better suited to task, before the Triangle experiment would be repeated by others.

(The next chapter of this series tracing ENG’s history examines the beginnings of electronic newsgathering in its modern form, along with its early rollout at both station and network level.)

{Part one of a two-part series.]

The public’s interest in viewing distant “breaking news” events was stoked more than 100 years ago by the French Pathé motion picture company, with that organization producing and distributing the first “newsreels” to European movie houses in 1909 and in the United States two years later.

These short presentations of major news developments allowed audiences to experience such events in greater detail than the still images that appeared in newspapers and magazines. By the 1930s, a few specialty movie houses catered to serious “news junkies” by offering only newsreels running on a continuous basis, a precursor to the 24/7 schedule initiated by CNN in 1980.

Television news coverage, and the immediacy that comes with it, ultimately spelled the death knell of the theatrical newsreel, with the final installment coming from British Movietone News in May 1979 (U.S. newsreel production had ceased some 12 years earlier).

With this background, and the rise of numerous successful television entities that do nothing but broadcast news, it’s interesting to trace the evolution of “on the scene” television newsgathering and the technological developments that have now made it possible to capture and transmit live video from anywhere in the world.

Early Attempts
After a century, it’s sometimes a bit difficult to establish the true origin of many technologies and events—witness the competing claims for the invention of the telephone, radio, aviation and others. However, a very strong claim for priority in ENG exists for Schenectady, N.Y., TV station WRGB, which at the time of the history-making event operated under radio station WGY’s call sign.

WGY was owned by General Electric, and its wizard of combined electrical and mechanical engineering, Ernst Alexanderson, had begun experimentation with television around 1926. He succeeded in developing a 48-line mechanical system, and with it, broadcast the first televised drama, “The Queen’s Messenger,” in September 1928.

Alexanderson had also devised a portable version of his equipment, and in the previous month transported it to the New York statehouse in Albany to televise Gov. Al Smith as he accepted his nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate on Aug. 22.

This first-ever bit of televised “breaking news” was reported to have been clearly received on the handful of television receivers that existed then. (Alexanderson later continued his television research independently of WGY, with the experimental call sign W2XCW. This pioneering station later became WRGB.)

Claims might be made by fledgling U.K. and German television operations in connection with the televised coverage of horse racing and the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympic Games, but these are better characterized as live coverage of sporting events, not breaking news.

A priority claim for the first electronically televised breaking event has to go to NBC and its 1939 experimental television station, W2XBS (later WNBT and now WNBC), which in November 1938 broadcast live the burning of an abandoned New York City building, and a few months later, covered the opening of the New York World’s Fair, with President Franklin Roosevelt, New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia and RCA President and CEO David Sarnoff all appearing before the camera.

ENG in the Postwar Television Boom
However, it was not until the end of World War II in 1945 that television began to be taken seriously by the general public and receivers started appearing in homes in substantial numbers. During this period, early TV broadcasters began to emulate their radio counterparts by increasingly taking programming out of the studio and into real-world environments, including live coverage of breaking news.

Credit for the first live coverage of a breaking “hard” story by television likely goes to Los Angeles station KTLA, which, not long after exchanging its experimental call sign W6XYZ for the commercial call, took its mobile setup to the scene of a massive explosion at a city electroplating plant. The Feb. 20, 1947, incident killed 17 people and damaged 11 nearby buildings beyond repair. KTLA microwaved video from the scene to its transmitter location atop Mount Wilson for retransmission to the few hundred TV sets then in use in Los Angeles.

KTLA also gets the honors for the first continuous television coverage of an evolving event—the attempted rescue of a 3-year-old girl who had fallen into an abandoned well. The station’s coverage of this 1949 event spanned nearly two days in April.

KTLA also wins—hands down—the honors for development and deployment in 1958 of the first helicopter television broadcasting platform, the “Telecopter,” which was the brainchild of the station’s chief engineer, John Silva.

Silva first experimented with a “tethered” configuration for video delivery, and with the success of this arrangement shifted to a “wireless” version, employing a special mobile microwave transmitter and non-directional antenna package built by General Electric.

The antenna was hinged so as not to impede helicopter landing operations, stowed horizontally until the aircraft was in flight. It was then dropped to a vertical position beneath the craft, radiating equally well in all directions. Signals could be easily tracked from an elevated receiving dish.

(As an historical note, Silva was not the first to transmit video from an aerial platform. Near the end of World War II, the military experimented with drone operation using early RCA camera gear, and in 1955, NBC used a Goodyear blimp to transmit portions of the Jan. 1 Tournament of Roses parade; however, Silva was the first to deploy a helicopter in an ENG application.)

Homegrown Equipment
KTLA was certainly not alone in devising methodology for airing news events as they happened. By the late 1940s, RCA was offering a two-camera “remote” unit in its catalog of TV-specific equipment, and a number of stations either purchased such ready-made products or “rolled their own” in an attempt to supplement studio programming.

And while these smaller mobile video origination platforms could be used in coverage of a scheduled news event, spontaneity was not their strong suit, as external electrical power was required, necessitating the pre-ordering of a power company “drop,” or running heavy cables to a suitable AC source.

However, by 1952, engineers at Washington, D.C.’s CBS affiliate, WTOP-TV (now WUSA), overcame this limitation with the creation of a one-camera vehicle (a modified passenger car) for event coverage. (As little documentation survives, it’s possible that the network may have been involved in the project, as CBS was then part-owner of WTOP-TV.)

A surviving photo (on the cover) shows the unit in operation, with CBS newsman Walter Cronkite describing a news event as technicians operate an RCA camera and microwave transmitter. Power demands for this gear would have been minimal compared to those required by vans with multiple cameras, monitors and other origination equipment, and could have been met by an auxiliary AC generator driven by the car’s engine.

Despite the efforts of station and network engineering teams in devising smaller and less power-consuming mobile video origination platforms, throughout most of the postwar first three decades, the favored methodology for capturing most news events for television broadcast remained the 16-millimeter motion picture camera, due to its small form factor, ease of handling and portability.

(The next part of this series will examine the initial attempts at breaking away from news film as solid-state equipment began to replace vacuum tube-driven broadcast gear.)

Techniques used in newsgathering have changed substantially in the past 20 years, and the same is true for live production. The same mobile technology that shapes what we carry in our pockets has made it faster and easier than ever to cover a breaking news story across town.

News and live-production operations have embraced mobile technology with a vengeance, and it is now widely used across the industry. And every year at the NAB Show, there are sleeker, faster and more capable products.

Staying Connected
Everything hinges on the word “faster,” as we want our news to be right now. The broadcaster who wins the “right now” race is probably the broadcaster that gets the most views.

“With the proliferation of news websites, apps, and social media, audiences expect updates to be shared almost in real-time,” said Matt Scully, director of product management at Dejero. “For film, television and commercial production, teams can leverage a reliable, ultra-fast connection to enable real-time collaboration with dispersed teams and accelerate delivery of content from the set directly to post-production, regardless of location—thus reducing the number of people required on set, and unlocking huge cost-savings.”

Scully pointed out that Dejero’s EnGo 3x with GateWay mode lets news crews broadcast breaking stories, quickly transfer files to prepare and upload packages while in the field, and set up high-bandwidth access points for multiple devices.

With the ability to get signals on the air quickly comes an increasing number of signal sources. Selecting among sources that grow in number can quickly cause a broadcaster to outgrow its source switcher, so TVU Networks will be showing its new solution: TVU MediaHub. MediaHub accepts various input formats ranging from SDI, NDI, SRT and TVU Grid to YouTube and more. It can scale and direct outputs to multiple destinations in formats such as RTMP, HLS, TVU Grid and Facebook. MediaHub can be scaled up or down as needed, and charged by the minute as it is used.

“We’re eager to see how this platform will enable content creators and broadcasters to innovate and engage their audiences in novel, exciting ways,” said Paul Shen, CEO of TVU. “MediaHub is a portal to endless broadcasting possibilities.”

Election Coverage
LiveU will be at the NAB Show demonstrating techniques for election coverage, as well as the company’s latest cloud remote production and sports workflows. The LiveU booth will also host several sessions from leading LiveU EcoSystem partners covering a range of contemporary use cases and workflows, including cloud-remote production, content aggregation and AI-augmented production.

“This will be a record-breaking year for live IP-video, with a very strong roster of global sports events, dozens of elections and other high-profile events all contributing to its growth,” said Steve Wind-Mozley, chief marketing officer at LiveU. “Everything we will showcase at the NAB Show is designed to shorten workflows by reducing complexity and effort, and to add efficiency.”

Virtual studios can make a small space seem much bigger—and the same space can be news one moment, the weather report next and sports after that. Making it all work seamlessly in a live production is the key to virtual production.

ENCO will highlight its Qimera live virtual production and augmented-reality solution for broadcast and production studios. Qimera simplifies the complexities of virtual studio production, enabling broadcasters and content creators to produce immersive content with ease.

“This year, we will highlight how broadcasters can utilize Qimera for augmented reality in addition to virtual production,” said Ken Frommert, president of ENCO. “We will also debut an AI-generated virtual anchor within a 3D space. This is an example of how Qimera blends the physical and digital worlds.”

ENCO will also debut enCaption Sierra, an automated turnkey encoding and captioning system, made possible through ENCO’s recent acquisitions of DoCaption, according to Frommert.

“There will be new features for Sierra that push the boundaries of what has been possible in captioning, and these will be announced closer to NAB. However, we are packing Sierra into an all-in-one system that includes a closed-captioned encoder along with live, automatic captioning software.”

Cloud Environment
EditShare will feature its cloud production and editing service called FLEX, including FLEX Cloud Edit and FLEX Cloud Sync. FLEX Cloud Edit provides media asset management, software-defined storage, and virtual workstations in a cloud environment provided by AWS. FLEX provides a completely open hosting environment, so users are free to use whatever editing software they prefer.

Collecting the news for a local station used to be done entirely in-house, using microwave trucks that beamed a narrow signal back to a dish on a tower at the station. Similarly, live production frequently used satellite uplink trucks to transmit a signal that was received on a big dish at the station—as much as possible, the signal and its processing was kept in-house. That way the engineering department and management could be sure that the station had as much control over the signal path as possible.

In the past 10 to 15 years, that has all changed. Now, news remotes usually use public cellular carriers to send the signals over the internet, often shipping them to cloud facilities for storage and/or processing. Today it is possible to produce a newscast in the cloud with only some anchor feeds coming from the station’s studio.

And don’t be surprised if even that changes in the next couple of years. 

Register for the 2024 NAB Show, April 14-17 in Las Vegas at https://nabshow.com/2024/

BOISE, Idaho–Before the DSLR revolution, working in news was a rite of passage for many videographers, myself included. While I began my video career at the local news station and spent four years learning the ropes, I eventually transitioned to indie filmmaking and more recently, commercials. 

Given my career trajectory, I didn’t expect to return to news 11 years later, but when I saw a job listing for a freelance videographer with the main requisites including a background in news and ENG style cameras, but specifically “no DSLR style cameras,” I was intrigued. The gig consisted of live shots and field interviews covering a trial, and even though it had been more than a decade since I did a live shot, I had done hundreds in the past and felt comfortable doing them again.

Trial Coverage
I ended up covering a six-week trial with the Blackmagic URSA Broadcast G2 camera by my side. At a base level, an ENG camera was needed for this workflow as internal audio recording via full-sized XLR inputs was a must for the stick mic, and an SDI output for the LiveU transmitter was also not up for negotiation. 

In addition, I knew the URSA Broadcast G2 would give me easy and affordable media options for recording (SD, CFast, SSD), plenty of external connection ports, and on top of the camera’s color being unbeatable, Blackmagic cameras have the best menu systems of anything I’ve used. Being able to jump through menus is very important when working fast in live news.

My lens was a Fujinon XA16x8A-XB4, and this is where the URSA Broadcast G2 really set things apart. One of the best things about using the camera is that its B4 mount creates an affordable opportunity to use some high-quality glass. The Fujinon is an 8-128mm parfocal servo zoom lens with a T/1.9 fixed aperture. It’s inexpensive (I bought it used), sharp, fast, clean and covers the sensor of the URSA Broadcast G2 in UHD mode.

All-Weather Gear
I was outside the entire six weeks, with the weather ranging from 19 degrees F with snow and wind, up to 85 degrees F with the sun beating down on us. The URSA Broadcast G2 never had a temperature issue, and I never had any problems with viewing the screen and EVF or getting proper exposure.  

In general, news happens fast and is unpredictable. Interviews are long and, on the fly, so you can’t afford to let your arms get tired. People get pushy, so you need to have a presence. A DSLR-style camera, while more than capable from an image/audio capture standpoint, is not advantageous in a news setting. 

Being able to shoulder a camera that has some weight to it, having a sharp viewfinder right at the appropriate eye level, and having all the controls accessible for changing settings without diving into a menu is imperative for a camera in an ENG environment. You only get one take, and I can’t pause the world and waste time diving into menus to change brightness or increase my audio levels. You need those controls accessible on the fly, and that’s right where they are with the URSA Broadcast G2.

For additional information, contact Blackmagic Design at 408-954-0500 or visit
www.blackmagicdesign.com.

U.K.-based NEP Connect has announced the delivery of 16 eco-friendly news gathering vehicles to U.K. broadcaster ITV. In February 2022, NEP Connect, part of the NEP Group global network, signed a multi-million pound contract with ITV, to provide its next generation of newsgathering vehicles for regional and national ITV News coverage. For more than a year NEP Connect engineers have worked alongside the technical experts from ITV’s news teams to design three types of state-of-the-art, plug-in hybrid news gathering vehicles, custom-built to serve ITV’s connectivity and sustainability needs.

Fourteen of the 16 vehicles are plug-in hybrids, offering 35 miles of zero-emission driving.  With two external plug-in points, the vehicles deliver both when they are in transit and when they are covering major stories using onboard batteries, rather than diesel generators powering the connectivity and production facilities. Although the two larger national events vehicles are not hybrid, they utilise battery power for the production and connectivity equipment, offering several hours of zero emissions news gathering operation.

Equipped with a clever combination of bonded 4G and 5G, Wi-Fi and NEP Connect’s Ka band satellite service on an iDirect platform using an NEP Connect 9-meter antenna hosted at MediaCityUK, the vehicles are now in the field serving ITV’s coverage of live breaking regional and national news across the country. The new eco-friendly units featuring NEP Connect’s industry-leading connectivity solutions were successfully used at the recent Coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey in London.

“The collaboration between ITV and NEP Connect has been hugely successful in developing and delivering this world-class fleet of vehicles,” says David Meynell, Managing Director, NEP Connect. “Sustainability targets were set by both companies prior to the build program, and these have now been proven in the field. We have delivered the greenest, most eco-friendly fleet of vehicles in the world covering breaking news, and we have an exciting five years ahead delivering excellence for ITV and ITN. I am immensely proud of everyone involved with this project.”

NEP Connect has provided dedicated satellite news gathering (SNG) services to ITV and ITN since 1993 and together they have covered some of the most dramatic breaking news stories of the 20th and 21st centuries, now including the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and the Coronation of King Charles III.

“ITV is delighted with the new hybrid vehicles and service that NEP Connect is providing for our regional and national News services,” says Paul Stevenson, Director of Technology and Technical Operations, ITV News. “The technology we developed together has now been proven in the field and it is exciting that we are operating with such innovative and forward- looking solutions. The teams at NEP Connect have delivered and the fleet will allow ITV to continue to lead the way in delivering breaking news coverage across the U.K.”

Jon Roberts, ITN’s Director of Technology, Production and Innovation, says: “ITN is delighted to deploy this new fleet of vehicles delivered by NEP Connect. They have already proved their worth on major news stories and special events, including being critical to the delivery of our coverage of The Coronation. These vehicles, based in London, Manchester and Malvern, will deliver both connectivity and a flexible, high-end live production capability for ITV National news. We look forward to continuing our successful relationship with NEP Connect over the coming years.”

DOHA, Qatar—TVU Networks is providing 24/7 on-site support servicing more rentals of live equipment than ever before to support broadcasters covering the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the company reported. 

Broadcasters from around the globe are on hand to deliver what is regarded by many as one of the most watched TV events worldwide. An important part of that coverage is capturing local sights and sounds, immersing audiences in the culture of the host nation. Of course, the main mission is to cover World Cup matches.

Each requires content not available from the international pool feed. To that end, broadcasters from multiple nations have commissioned hundreds of TVU One backpacks and a sizable number of RPS Link transceivers. TVU is also ensuring content comes from more than just the host country. Through an exclusive partnership with Total Media Cast, live fan zone feeds from around the world are being made available through TVU Grid, the company said.

“There has been an international investment explosion in TVU live solutions,” says Halid Hatic, TVU Networks vice president of media services. “Success after success naturally has broadcasters taking notice of how delay-free and problem-free TVU solutions are."

“Fox Sports, ESPN, CNN, the Alphabet Networks and hundreds of local TV stations have all been long-time North American customer, but now we’re very busy with customers from Korea, China, Japan, India, France, Germany, Australia, Israel, and many more," he continued. 

Company CEO Paul Shen described the situation as “a good problem to have.” 

“We collaborate with our customers so that we are in perfect sync, and in that way, there are no surprises. Despite our recent growth, every delivery is set in stone, and every order is filled,” he said.

More information is available on the company’s website. 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) have announced a joint memorandum of understanding with the Department of Defense to allow non-exclusive access to commercial spectrum at 2025-2110 MHz at 26 U.S. military sites. 

The bases were selected for their ability to provide streamlined access to spectrum used by broadcasters for electronic newsgathering and other purposes. DoD activities at these bases will include test and training missions to assure readiness and enable critical communications. 

The agreement follows nearly seven years of technical study, and laboratory and field testing. The memorandum of understanding is designed to ensure the coexistence of newsgathering and other broadcast operations with critical military training missions. 

The spectrum was identified for potential sharing in advance of a spectrum auction that the FCC conducted in 2014 that raised more than $44 billion by converting Federal spectrum to flexible commercial use. House Energy and Commerce member and vice chair of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, Rep. Doris Matsui (CA-06), led the effort that identified this spectrum.

The joint agreement demonstrates the commitment of broadcasters and DoD to advance both the nation's economic prosperity and national security interests, while maintaining public access to critical news and information provided by broadcasters, the parties said. 

"This innovative agreement between the DoD and broadcasters will enable important military communications and newsgathering operations to coexist by balancing ever-increasing demand for spectrum access,” said Robert Weller, vice president for Spectrum Policy at NAB. “America's radio and television broadcasters are committed to collaborative spectrum usage that best serves the interests of our country and the millions of listeners and viewers who depend on us every day. We thank the DoD and SBE for working with us to reach an amicable arrangement that ensures a sustainable model for frequency allocation.”

"Frequency coordination is one of the foundation pillars of the Society of Broadcast Engineers,” added SBE president Andrea Cummis said. “In addition to coordination among broadcasters in a market, the SBE has worked with commercial groups and government agencies in the past to minimize if not eliminate interference in the limited RF spectrum available for broadcast operations. This agreement provides our partners at the DoD and the NAB and the SBE the tools to ensure the public is best served through the shared use of this spectrum."

At a number of locations, broadcasters were able to identify "home channels" -- spectrum where DoD will have presumptive access, while some locations will require active coordination as is done at major media events such as the Super Bowl. The SBE has set up a national frequency management office headed by RJ Russell, national frequency coordination manager, at the Society of Broadcast Engineers to handle coordination requests. That office will ensure consistent analysis and response timing. Previously, coordination was handled at the local level.

The Society of Broadcast Engineers is the professional organization of television and radio engineers and those in related fields. The SBE has nearly 5,000 members in 116 chapters across the United States and in Hong Kong and Eastern Europe. There are also members in more than 25 other countries. 

For more information about the SBE, contact James Ragsdale, executive director, at jragsdale@sbe.org or 317-846-9000, or visit the SBE website, sbe.org.

HACKENSACK, N.J.—LiveU has announced the acquisition of its longstanding channel partner, Pacific Live Media ("PLM"). 

Chris Dredge, PLM's managing director, has been representing LiveU and its solutions for many years, supporting leading broadcasters, sports organizations, production companies and online media in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

The deal is part of LiveU’s strategy of getting closer to its customers in key markets that led to last year's successful acquisition of LiveU UK partner Garland Partners Limited. 

Samuel Wasserman, LiveU's CEO and co-founder, explained that “We're delighted to welcome Chris Dredge and the PLM team into the LiveU family. PLM has excelled in sales, service and support of LiveU’s customers in the region. With his deep technological knowhow and passion for LiveU, Chris has played a central role in growing our business. Our joint customers are some of the most innovative adopters of our cloud-based remote production workflows worldwide. This move will help us to maximize our business potential and expand our end-to-end offerings as live events come back in full after the pandemic, facilitated by the tremendous local service and support."

Over the last couple of years, LiveU has seen strong growth in the APAC region, especially in Australia, with increasing demand for LiveU cloud-based and hybrid live video solutions for news, sports and other live productions, the companies reported.

PLM was set up in 2016 as a specialist contribution vendor with the aim of helping customers with their live media projects and problems. LiveU selected PLM as their sole distribution partner for the Oceania region, having partnered with Chris for several years previously.

"We are truly excited to join LiveU! LiveU's best-in-class solutions have been the main growth engine for our company and coming together as one entity is the natural next step,” Chris Dredge explained. “LiveU's technology delivers on so many levels and, as a trusted partner, we have taken great pleasure in developing innovative workflows that deliver increased production efficiency as well as a superb viewing experience. We can't wait to see what else we can do to help customers with their live events, officially part of LiveU.”

WASHINGTON—Cable operators are telling the Federal Communications Commission to vigorously defend its conclusion that it can open up the 6-Gigahertz band to unlicensed mobile indoor WiFi without causing harmful interference with broadcast electronic newsgatherers (ENGs), which also use the band.

NCTA-The Internet & Television Association told the FCC in comments that broadcasters had not provided any credible evidence of harmful interference to mobile indoor operations. “The commission can easily dispel [the National Association of Broadcasters’] concerns,” it said, encouraging the regulator “to do so promptly to ensure that American consumers can benefit from the panoply of innovative services and applications that unlicensed access to the 6-GHz band will make possible.”

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in December upheld most of the FCC’s decision, but did say the agency had not sufficiently responded to a request from broadcasters that it reserve a sliver of the band exclusively for mobile licensees due to potential interference. It asked the FCC to make a better case.

NCTA's comments were in response to that court remand.

Petitioning the court to reverse the FCC’s decision were AT&T, Lumen Technologies, electric utilities, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International (APCO), and the NAB.

Broadcasters had argued for protecting ENG crews already using the band by reserving an 80-MHz sliver for them, saying there was too much risk of harmful interference to that ever-more-crucial service in a time of pandemic.

But FCC engineers concluded that the band could be shared and ENG (and utility companies) protected with the conditions the agency had imposed. All of the commissioners agreed, but at least on the point of a sliver for mobile licensees, the court did not.

NCTA said the FCC should be able to assuage the court's concerns given what it calls the “insignificant” risk of harmful interference. 

WATERLOO, Canada—The ascent by Spanish sports figure Miguel “Mikel” Angel Roldán of Spain’s most notorious summit, the Naranjo de Bulnes, was streamed live to viewers of multiple websites and social media platforms with a Dejero EnGo mobile transmitter and Dejero Cloud Server, the company said.

As Roldán scaled the mountain via its 1,650-foot vertical west-face wall, local production company JTM Broadcast captured and produced his progress. Roldán, who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) three years ago, undertook the challenge to raise awareness of the condition, which is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

For the production, multiple cameras were positioned in the harsh, remote environment of the climb. The Dejero EnGo mobile transmitter and Dejero Cloud Server simplified the multi-camera production.

Video and audio feeds from the three cameras that followed Roldán on the climb as well as feeds from a fixed camera and an airborne drone fed a wireless link to a video switcher. The switcher output fed a second wireless connection to the Dejero EnGo transmitter at the base camp. The unit delivered robust internet connectivity over cellular despite the challenging network coverage at the mountain location, the company said. 

The Dejero Cloud Server, used to publish live video streams in multiple formats to the web and mobile devices, delivered the content via RTMP to the Nire Stream distribution platform and ultimately to broadcasters and platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and a large-screen in Roldán’s hometown, it said.

“The most important feature of the Dejero equipment for me is its reliability,” said Javier Trifol, RF engineer at JTM Broadcast. “It has supported our productions perfectly since we purchased it last year, especially in locations with very little connectivity.”

“This ascent was the most technically complex challenge I have faced, and also the most rewarding job of my life. I did not take any backup equipment, which illustrates my confidence in Dejero.”

The Dejero EnGo uses Smart Blending Technology that simultaneously aggregates diverse wired and wireless Internet Protocol (IP) connections from multiple sources to form a virtual network of networks delivered as a single service, the company said.

More information is available on the company’s website.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—TVU Networks today announced it has partnered with video management and distribution software provider Vimond Media Solutions, bringing the Vimond IO cloud-native non-linear video editing tool to the TVU ecosystem where it can access live video.

With real-time access to live video, Vimond IO editors can begin editing before ENG crews return from the field to offload their footage to a server. The integration gives editors the same immediacy they enjoy with other TVU applications, the company said.

For example, using the TVU MediaMind platform, live video sources can be enriched with a variety of metadata automatically, such as the names of people identified by facial recognition AI algorithms or the types of objects in a frame.

If Vimond IO editors are producing a package on forest fires, they can create an alert that finds live footage of a forest fire from authorized sources. Using TVU MediaMind’s AI-driven metadata, Vimond IO editors can find other archived forest fire footage or expand their searches to include other parameters, TVU Networks said.

Vimond IO is a browser-based video editing and publishing tool that runs in the cloud. News and sports organizations can ingest video from live streams and file-based footage directly to Vimond IO, then publish to multiple social media and content management systems using a fast rendering engine, thereby reducing time to air, it said.

This content also can be sent to TVU Producer to be included in a mutli-camera live production, the company said.

WASHINGTON—The NAB has positioned itself against another proposal for unlicensed operations in the 6 GHz, this one submitted to the FCC by Facebook, Broadcom, Cisco, Intel and Qualcomm.

The new proposal, filed with the FCC on March 1, seeks for very-low power (VLP) unlicensed device operation in the 6 GHz band. VLP devices would comply with an out-of-band emissions level of -37 dBm/MHz at 5925 MHz and would prioritize operation in the channels above 6105 MHz before beginning operation below 6105 MHz.

In a filing from March 4, NAB stresses its concern that such a proposal could lead to harmful interference to licensed operations, including broadcasters’ ENG operations, as the proposal could see concentrated unlicensed operations in the U-NII-6 and U-NII-8 portions of the 6 GHz band, where ENG primarily operates.

“Given that local newsgathering has never been more important, the commission should be extremely cautious about increasing the risk for harmful interference to broadcast operations,” NAB said in its filing.

NAB says that the proposal acknowledges VLP operations in close proximity to licensed users could cause interference. The organization also says the proposal is inconsistent with the FCC’s previous order approving unlicensed operations in the 6 GHz band.

In that order, the FCC denied NAB’s proposal to limit unlicensed operations in 80 of the 1200 MHz of spectrum in the 6 GHz band, saying it would increase the likelihood of interference because unlicensed operations would be concentrated in fewer channels. While it disagrees with the ruling, NAB says that the FCC can’t at the same time reasonably conclude that VLP operations should be concentrated in the portion of the band used by broadcasters.

In the event that the FCC were to approve this proposal, NAB asked that the commission limit power levels to try and ensure licensed operations are better protected. It suggests authorizing a power level of no more than -15.5 dBm/MHz for VLP operations. At a minimum, NAB said, the FCC should constrain VLP operations to this power level in the U-NII-6 and U-NII-8 bands.

NAB also called it premature to expand unlicensed operations in the band until there’s experience with practical interference situations, which it said will be available in the near future.

The complete NAB filing is available through the FCC ECFS. 

SEATTLE—While citizens have had to spend much of the past year in place, broadcasters haven’t had that luxury. As a particularly news-filled 2020 gives way to an even busier 2021, well-equipped news production crews are on the constant hunt for gear that will help them cover the news while staying safe. 

LIGHTING

Strict observation of social distancing has had a particular effect on lighting for interviews according to Art Adams, cinema lens specialist at ARRI, who added that the company's new Orbiter is just the ticket for socially distanced interviews.

“Orbiter has the best color, and also gives you the best specs and flexibility,” he said. “It’s kind of a ‘Swiss Army Knife.’ You can use them for quick interviews, or for theatrical and motion picture effects, or for chasing the color of the sun.”

Because the Orbiter is a hard light, it’s necessary to soften its output. “Typically I might try to use Orbiter with a four-foot medium Chimera, even a six foot octagon, which is probably bigger than most people would carry,” Adams said. “You want to create a big, soft source. The smaller the light source is, the more the shadow matters. But the bigger the light is, the more forgiving it tends to be.”

Adams noted that sometimes shooting interviews is a volume business, where there’s no time to tweak lighting between sessions. “People come in, sit down, and 10 minutes later they leave, you don’t have any time in between,” he said. “So the softer the light source is, the better.”

Reporting during the pandemic is forcing ENG crews to spread further apart, according to Litepanels product manager Michael Herbert. “It’s making guys doing these interviews and doing the lighting setups for them, having an increasingly large need for adaptability,” he said. “You’ve got people sitting six or eight feet, or even more in other circumstances. It varies by state, by studio and by building almost.

“When redesigning a lot of our products with the output in mind, you want to have more than you need,” Herbert continued. “That way, if necessary, if you have to move your lights, if you have to move everything further apart, you can always crank the light up to compensate for that.

Litepanels had this in mind when developing the Astra, which looks like a typical panel light except for its Total Internal Reflection (TIR) lens system. TIR puts a lens on each individual LED.

“The lens grabs all the light coming off each LED and pushes it all forward within a 44-degree beam-angle,” Herbert said. "This means that from a relatively low power fixture, you get a really punchy light source.”

CAMERA SUPPORT

Keeping reporters and their subjects apart via social distancing has re-emphasized the importance of tripods when reporting in the field.

The pandemic has also accelerated the trend of the one-man-band reporter, according to David Sheppard, international sales, distribution and channel manager for Shotoku. “[Reporting] has been streamlined down to where one person has gone out with all the equipment, set it up and even done the interview as presenter,” he said. “And with Covid it’s kind of accelerated that trend.”

In response, Shotoku introduced two new lightweight tripods and fluid heads, the SX200 and SX260. “We’re the lightest in class with carbon fiber legs,” Sheppard said. “And it ships in its bag all assembled, so all you’ve got to do really is pop it out of the bag, put the camera on it, adjust the legs and you’re ready to go.”

The heads feature “Viscam drag” (the company’s continuously adjustable fluid drag system) on a stepped system for effortless and speedy drag selection, Sheppard added.

“We’ve engineered that feeling in these heads into the drag system that’s actually continuously adjustable,” he said. “It’s the same as our studio quality heads. There is no ‘1, 2, 3’... it’s infinitely adjustable. It’s got this nuanced control that people like.”

Jose Larios, sales manager for Libec Sales of America, said there’s been a lot of demand for quick deploying tripods, which led the company to redesign their T650 to the 650EX.

“It has a [sic] other features, including the sliding plate range,” Larios said. “You’re able to use the slide plate just like more professional video heads that allow you to counterbalance the weight by moving the camera back and forth.”

It’s also very quick to set up, Larios added. “You literally take it out of the bag; the pan handle is already attached to the head. When you deploy the tripod and head out of the carrying case, the head is already attached and a knob adjusts the pan handle into the position you want before using.”

Libec recently redesigned another of its quick deploying camera support system, yielding the TH-M monopod. “One upgrade is that the quick release can be attached and detached from the side,” Larios said. “And the new model allows the pole to be locked in not only a vertical position, but also on an angle.”

Kyle Dann, product manager at Vitec Production Solutions, part of Vitec Group plc, provided yet another reason to have a camera support system that’s easy to deploy. “Deployment speed is very important because it gives confidence if you’re quick and efficient in setting up the interview,” he said. “And saving time in setting up is important because it gives you more time to work on your lighting and get the interview done as quickly and efficiently as possible, while maintaining distance.”

Among Vitec's rapid deployment solutions is the Flowtec tripod and Sachtler aktiv head. “The SpeedSwap system delivers the fastest way to switch between tripod and slider and other support systems in seconds," Dann said.

POWER SUPPLIES

With fewer places to gather (particularly indoors) between live reports, news crews have also faced increasing challenges in maintaining charged power supplies.

“When Covid hit, we had an onrush of broadcast customers reaching out because they had to adapt to a relatively new workflow from an ENG standpoint,” said Steve Turner, product manager and senior manager of strategic relationships, Vitec Group plc. “What that meant was a lot of refreshing of old kits and ‘How can I make my life easier when I’m stuck in a news vehicle all day, without being able to go back to the station?’”

The company responded with the Anton Bauer Titon 240 battery, its highest capacity onboard battery, at 240Wh.

“Just for a ballpark estimate if your camera runs 25W—which is typical these days, even less—that’s about eight hours per battery,” Turner calculated. “So if you’re able to outfit a photographer with four batteries and a charger, then they are more than set for the day.

"All Titon lines now incorporate a smart USB, so it’s fully compatible with charging of cellphones, as well as the industry standard power tap for Anton/Bauer,” Turner added.

PAG takes a different path toward capacity through its PAGLINK technology, according to Bob Carr, sales director for PAG America. “Because of PAG’s linking technology, we can link up to eight 150Wh battery packs. So you’re talking about up to 1,200Wh of power.”

PAG battery packs are available in three sizes: 50, 99 and 150Wh. The first battery pack clips to the back of the camera, and one after another of the packs clip piggyback on to the one before it.

“You don’t have to put anything between batteries you want to link, just plug two or more batteries together,” Carr said. “The camera draws off the battery with the greatest charge. You always have the ability to hotswap as you shoot, so there’s no need to ever stop shooting.

“You could put a power hub in between any of the linked battery packs, which will allow you to have five more connection points,” Carr added. “They’re switchable so you can have five USBs, five V-taps, five LEMO two pins.”

New PAG batteries going forward will have the ability to be serviced and re-celled by major customers and regional offices.

Many reporters are now doing more of their planning and reporting from home or anywhere than at the station, forcing better preparation, according to Kevin Crawford, vice president for engineering at Frezzi.

To help news crews prep for longer workdays, Frezzi redesigned and retooled its FB240 240Wh battery pack.

“It’s designed to run all day without recharging, and has a power tap and an integrated USB tap to charge cellphones and other USB charged devices,” Crawford said. “They’re pulling other peripherals off of that FB240. It’s good to have that big bucket, because everybody’s going with LiveU's now, and all kinds of extra devices, so it’s good to have that big bucket.”

The new FB series of battery packs has a ruggedized case, which is serviceable and resistant to drops up to four feet, Crawford added. “That means if there ever is a problem, we could swap out the case. That’s a big thing. I think we’re the only ones in the industry to do that.”

WASHINGTON—It’s time that the FCC open up the floodgates of the 6 GHz band for unlicensed use, says a group of conservative leaders in a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. With the “underutilized” 6 GHz band available, the groups believe it would lead to technological innovation and wider, more efficient use.

The 6 GHz band is primarily used by broadcast ENG users and utility companies, who have raised potential interference issues that could occur to license users if such action were taken. However, the group’s letter says, “there are too many benefits to opening up this valuable spectrum to take these extreme warnings at face value.”

“Unlicensed spectrum brings immense benefits to Americans primarily through disparate swaths of radio spectrum in the 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, among others,” the letter reads. “It is a powerhouse for the U.S. economy, providing an estimated economic value of at least $500 billion a year and growing.

“We believe similar benefits will follow by permitting unlicensed use to share 1200 MHz in the 6 GHz band with incumbents.”

Chairman Pai has proposed allowing sharing of the band between incumbent and unlicensed users. Broadcasters, according to reports, have even conceded that some spectrum can be opened, but that unlicensed users should not be given to the ENG band.

“Although some incumbent users of the 6 GHz spectrum paint a bleak and fearsome picture of sharing this spectrum, technology already successfully in use can enable coexistence in the band,” the groups argue.

Organizations that signed on to the letter include the Center for Individual Freedom; Consumer Action for a Strong Economy; Discovery Institute; Innovation Defense Foundation; Innovation Economy Institute; Institute for Liberty; Institute for Policy Innovation; Less Government; Market Institute; and Taxpayers Protection Alliance.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—CP Communications has begun shipping the new ENG Cam STREAM streaming acquisition system and will make the public debut of the new package at the 2020 NAB Show, April 19-22 in Las Vegas, the company announced today.

The fourth system in the company’s Red House Streaming portfolio, ENG Cam Stream enables broadcast-quality production and bonded cellular streaming, providing connectivity to most locations, the company said.

“ENG Cam STREAM integrates everything that news teams and content creators need into a lightweight, turnkey solution at an attractive package price,” said Kurt Heitmann, CEO of CP Communications. “The system makes it much easier and more affordable to cover news wherever it happens, which is especially important in a year that includes our presidential election and the Summer Games in Tokyo.”

The new product supports one or two channels of live 1080p HD video, bonded cellular networking and IP streaming in a plug-and-play package. ENG Cam STREAM is quick and easy to set up, the company said.

With the turnkey offering, camera operators can quickly capture and stream live shots via 4G/3G, Wi-Fi or Ethernet to studio servers, social media sites like Facebook, YouTube and other URLs, CP Communications said.

ENG Cam STREAM ships in a single flight case. It includes Sony PXW-X400 XDCAM camcorder with up to eight embedded audio channels, a Canon 18x zoom lens and tripod. The package also includes an Elvid on-camera field monitor, Sennheiser ME67 shotgun microphone, Sennheiser MD46 ENG handheld microphone, and camera-mounted LED light kit.

The camera integrates a Mobile Viewpoint (MVP) Agile AirLink (H.265/H.264) encoder to harness the bonded cellular bandwidth of eight separate modems. Encoding components fit into a lightweight backpack.

More information is available on the CP Communications website.

More information on the NAB Show is available at nabshow.com.

Shooting for electronic newsgathering (ENG) is usually done on a tight schedule and requires mobility with equipment. The crew shows up to a location and usually has to be in and out quickly and efficiently. They could be moving to and from multiple locations each day and shooting many different places within one larger area.

This is separate from shooting in the studio. It is the practice of going out and gathering pieces for news stories, which can include more run-and-gun scenarios like capturing events, but also more sophisticated sit-down interviews on location. Lighting-wise, it is best to have a package that is mobile and versatile.

LIGHTWEIGHT AND TRANSPORTABLE

Most manufacturers that cater to ENG shooters try to make their lights as lightweight as possible. There are smaller fresnels and panels that are easily moveable and transportable. They also package them in cases that store more than one light, so you can carry multiples in one flight case or bag.

Companies such as Ikan, ARRI, Lite-panels and Nila have great kits that provide tools and accessories to change the quality, intensity, color and shape for what you need. A typical kit will come with two or three units and include barn doors, gel inserts and sometimes even soft boxes. Panels are great soft lights with inserts of diffusion that are interchangeable so the quality of the light can be affected easily without a lot of grip-page having to be built around the light. Usually ENG is conducted by one or two crew members, so building stands and large rags is usually not an option.

An important thing to keep in mind is having units that are bicolor. There are so many options now, and the LED units that can change between tungsten and daylight do a decent job of color accuracy. It is quicker than having to use a gel. Being able to dial specific Kelvin temperatures can allow the artificial lighting to blend with lighting in the environment that may be a little cooler than tungsten, but not quite true daylight and vice versa.

This helps eliminate the amount of units you need, if the ones you have naturally provide different color options. You don’t need to haul different kits for color with you to a job. LEDs not only provide the flexibility in color, but being LEDs you have battery-powered units and don’t have to rely on a location’s power situation. If you do need to run power from the location, LEDs provide a worry-free solution as they draw much less power than traditional tungsten lights. You won’t have to necessarily go check the breaker box when you are out shooting with limited time.

Utilizing the available light in a space is key to shooting ENG, but much of the time it’s not the most flattering light. A lot of public buildings have a lot of cove lights in the ceilings, which create a hard top light that isn’t consistent. When a subject walks around, they go in and out of these lights. Sometimes they won’t match in color because a bulb or two have been replaced.

ON-CAMERA LIGHTS

One of the things that constantly comes up in shooting ENG is the need to provide an eyelight, especially when faced with ugly top light in interiors. If you don’t have time to light an interview with units on stands and design the frame, you need a fast, easy light to serve as an eyelight. A good example is when interviewing someone inside for an event such as a conference. Having a small on-camera light is about as minimalistic as you can get and being bicolor will help it blend with the location lighting, unless of course you want it to feel like an on-camera light.

If the light is just to supplement what’s there and not draw attention to itself, having something that can be softened and match the ambient lighting color is best. One of my favorite small, mobile lights that could be used on camera is the Aputure M9. It’s dimmable and has both diffusion and color panels you can slide on easily.

Just as an AC on a film set has a run bag, an ENG shooter should as well. Aside from the light kit and camera case, a run bag can provide another opportunity to bring these smaller on-camera lights and accessories to help combat poor lighting situations. You can pack all your batteries, a few compact lighting options, light accessories, tools and more.

ENG shooting has become much simpler and painless with the latest in lighting technology. It’s now completely mobile and allows for more artistic tools that are compact, letting ENG shooters bring more equipment for endless creative possibilities.

Julia Swain is a cinematographer based in California, whose narrative films include “Killing Animals,” “Jilted” and “Cassidy Red.” She continues to shoot on a variety of formats, seeking to create compelling visuals for every story and brand. She can be contacted through TV Technology.

SEATTLE—News crews are always in a hurry, trying to be the first with a liveshot from the latest breaking story. Two critical pieces of gear that facilitate speed of deployment are tripods and battery packs and manufacturers are making pods and power supplies that offer new, innovative tools for news shooters.

“We really had news crews in mind when we designed our Flowtech tripods,” said Tobias Keuthen, global brand market director for Vitec Production Solutions Division. “Those are the ones who are really run-and-gun shooters. Our number one goal was ‘how can we minimize the time you need to set up your camera with tripod and the fluid head?’”

BEST PLACEMENT

The ideal tripod would have one central locking mechanism somewhere on the top of the tripod, to set up all legs at the same time, Keuthen said. ”That’s what we did with Flowtech; we have three levers at the top of the tripod that operate the three legs with three stages. And it’s very convenient because you reduce the amount of time you need to set up the tripod by multiple seconds, 10-20, down to a second or two.”

Development engineers from Vitec brands Sachtler and Vinten worked in concert on Flowtech. “They mixed their brain power and their ideas and developed this together,” Keuthen said. “We had to develop a whole carbon fiber factory because of the profile needed to house the wire system of this mechanical design.”

OConnor, which makes tripods and fluid heads known for more heavy payloads and accuracy than for speedy setup was not thought of as appropriate for Flowtech, even though it is part of Vitec.

“But in the months after launch of Flowtech, we saw in social media that customers of OConnor’s lighter weight 1030 fluid head started to buy the 100mm version of Flowtech,” Keuthen said. “So we produced an OConnor version of the Flowtech, and used that opportunity to refresh the 1030 fluid head itself, the OConnor 1040 system.”

SINGLE MOVEMENT DEPLOYMENT

Design and reliability make a tripod fast to use, according to Elisabetta Cartoni, owner and CEO at Cartoni SpA. “The tripod needs to be easy to deploy in a single movement,” she said. “The Cartoni SDS tripod is an excellent example of how design meets reliability.”

The SDS tripod legs can be released with a single lever, located on the middle of each leg. “We prefer having the lever located on the middle stage so that the upper stage is never out of reach, even in high mode,” Cartoni said. “Placing the release lever on the middle stage also distributes the locking force on the three sets of tubes better.

“Adjusting the spreader and folding the tripod also has to be fast,” Cartoni added. “On the SDS, the spreader will deploy the two telescopic stages with a single button, making very low shots possible. The tripod can be folded by pulling a single ring, which will also automatically retract the spreader so you can quickly move onto the next shot.”

Cartoni added that competitors who have tried to imitate Cartoni’s design often compromise the strength of the tripod.

“For example, tripod legs will and should always be stronger than the fluid head,” she said. “That’s due to the stress and payload the tripod must carry. Our SDS tripod is tested to support 132 pounds and thus, it easily supports our Focus 22 head at full load [49 + 13 pounds]. When you compromise the shape of the tripod, you compromise the strength of those legs and eventually, you will see them begin to slide and put your camera at risk.”

QUICK RELEASE

At the 2019 IBC Show last fall, Shotoku introduced the SX200 and heavier duty SX260 fluid head and tripod system. For rapid deployment, they have a very quick release mechanism on a two stage carbon fiber tripod, according to Graham Ramsey, sales director for manual and VR products, EMEA, the Americas, Shotoku.

“You turn the tripod 90 degrees and the legs deploy instantly,” he said. “And then you can lock them with a 90 degree turn the opposite direction, and then you open the legs and you’re set.”

In terms of the drag system and counterbalance system, those settings often need not be readjusted shot by shot if the payload doesn’t change, Ramsey said. But the new heads employ Shotoku’s Truebalance counterbalance system that will work from plus 90 to minus 90 degrees. It balances the camera perfectly, so the user can operate it anywhere in the tilt range.

”The drag system is a continuous drag setting mechanism called ‘Viscam,’ which we’ve been using for a long time on all our high-end, OB systems, EFP systems,” Ramsey said. “Now we’re putting it into our ENG system as well. It’s basically a multiplate design that works on the basis of increasing the cross sectional overlap area of the plate.”

Shotoku has manufactured the SX series from magnesium die cast rather than aluminum, cutting down on weight, according to Ramsey.

POWER SUPPLIES

Portable power makers have provided a smorgasbord of solutions for news shooters moving fast.

Anton/Bauer’s Product Marketing Manager Rich Mattina detailed a typical news assignment. “They’re waiting for events to happen, let’s say it’s a press announcement, waiting for a politician or somebody to come out and do a press briefing. Sometimes it’s an hour, two hours, three hours. So we’ve put USB ports on our Titon battery packs so that tablets and cell phones can be charged, and the 150W Titon can keep supplying power to the camera during the wait.”

Titon also comes in a 90W model that can be carried aboard a plane, and a 240W model when the pack has to operate for a long time, with accessories such as a portable light plugged in as well. The Titons are all available in Gold Mount and V-mount, and not only have the USB port but also P-Tap for lights and other accessories. With 10Amp draw at 14V, they’re designed for the typical news camcorder.

With the on-board LCD or through the viewfinder, the cameraman can monitor exactly how much runtime remains, down to the minute. Titon smart technology considers and calculates everything being powered, even devices powered by the high-speed USB and P-Tap, leaving the user free to focus on bringing back the story.

What differentiates PAG from other battery pack makers is the ability to link batteries, combining them for longer run life, according to Bob Carr, sales director at PAG America.

“Unlinked PAG power packs can be legally carried aboard airliners, then quickly relinked to provide the advantages of a single larger battery pack,” he said. “Up to eight PAG batteries can be linked at a time. Similarly, up to eight can be charged at the same time on a single charger.” The ability to stack PAG battery packs is built into the packs, requiring no adapter.

PAG battery packs are available in both Gold Mount and V-mount, and can be charged on other companies’ chargers. A new feature on PAG’s MPL50G battery packs is a built-in D-Tap output (12V), and a USB output unit (5V 2A), which can be swapped for other unit types: Hirose, Lemo and D-Tap.

Future PAG batteries will have the ability to be serviced and re-celled by major customers and regional offices, Carr said, which should cut down the amount of time a battery pack is out of service while being repaired. Major customers can keep track of their own repair cycles, and will be given the key, tools and testing equipment, and replacement cells.

Kevin Crawford, vice president of engineering for Frezzi, says many of his customers think bigger is better for power packs.

“Our FLB-240 can run a camera for two days,” Crawford said. “A lot of our local news crews use that because then they don’t have to carry multiples of smaller batteries, which speeds up the shoot. So you combine that, the lightweight draw for the lighting coupled with the high energy density batteries, you have a nice kit where somebody can go out and shoot for two days without having to do a recharge.”

Frezzi power packs are available in both Gold Mount and V-mount, and a fuel gauge. A smaller, FLB-100 is legal for airline transport. Thermal, over-discharge, overload, over-current protection is built in.

WASHINGTON—The NAB has done its homework on potential interference to electronic newsgathering services utilizing the 6 GHz spectrum band from unlicensed Radio Local Area Network Wi-Fi-type devices, and has provided that data to the FCC to advocate against uncoordinated unlicensed use.

In October 2018, the FCC proposed opening up the 1,200 MHz of the 6 GHz midband spectrum for unlicensed use. Broadcasters traditionally use the 6 GHz band for auxiliary operations, like sporting events, breaking news and special events.

The FCC has not officially voted on it, allowing for interested parties to provide comments. That is what the NAB did in a filing it sent to the commission on Dec. 5.

Writing that those proposing that the deployment of RLAN in the spectrum would have little to no impact defies “past experience and common sense,” the NAB provided the commission a report conducted by an engineering firm, Alion, that looked at the likelihood and extent of interference to ENG systems using three common ENG deployment use cases: indoor camera to indoor receiver; outdoor camera to news truck; and outdoor news truck to central receive site.

For indoor ENG operations, Alion found that interference could be expected 0.9% in best case scenarios and 95.3% in worst case scenarios. Outdoor ENG operations saw potential interference 0.4% to 66.9%. Finally, transmitting to a central receiver site, Alion reported that interference was predicted every single time.

“ENG systems are a critical component to public warning, newsgathering and content generation,” the NAB wrote, also pointing out that broadcasters have already loss access to channels at 2.5 GHz due in part to interference from 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi systems. “Based on that experience, we are certain that uncoordinated RLANs will cause interference to 6 GHz ENG systems.

The NAB does say that there is an opportunity to provide additional spectrum for Wi-Fi use in 6 GHz—Microsoft, broadband operators and wireless carriers are also seeking to utilize some, or in some cases all, of the 6 GHz spectrum—but that “it must not risk eliminating the non-common carrier mobile uses in the spectrum by allowing unrestricted, uncoordinated use, even if limited to indoor locations.”

Read the full ex parte filing from NAB here.

WAYNE, NJ (Sept. 19, 2019) – JVC Professional Video, a division of JVCKENWOOD USA Corporation, today announced KUSI, an independent television station owned by McKinnon Broadcasting that serves San Diego (DMA #29), has purchased 11 GY‑HC900 CONNECTED CAM 2/3-inch broadcast camcorders for ENG and EFP projects. Deployed in August, the new cameras are used to help produce 65 hours of news content per week.

The new cameras replaced 11 JVC GY-HM700 ProHD camcorders that had been in use since the station transitioned to HD production in April 2008. Fred Swift, KUSI chief engineer, said video quality was the main reason why the station upgraded to 2/3-inch camcorders in the field. “It’s substantially better,” he said.

In addition to its regular newscasts, KUSI produces a Friday night high school football wrap-up show, The Prep Pigskin Report, which offers highlights from about 36 games around the area. According to Swift, the GY-HC900 really shines during sports coverage. He also praised its low-light performance.

Another advantage with the new camcorders is the HD-SDI pool feed input, so photogs no longer need to bring an external device to the courthouse and other locations to record footage. “Being able to record a pool feed on your camera is pretty handy, and SD cards make it easy,” Swift added. “JVC really thought this through for news and included a lot of features. It is a professional camera.”

The new camcorders are paired with FUJINON 20x zoom lenses and protected by Porta Brace covers. While KUSI is currently using external video transmission systems in the field, Swift said the camcorder’s integrated streaming “looks enticing” for future use, possibly after 5G technology has been adopted in the region.

Both the GY-HC900 and GY-HC900ST studio model feature three 2/3-inch CMOS sensors to produce full HD images, plus an industry B4 lens mount and four-position optical filter. For ENG and other live applications, the GY-HC900 has built-in Wi-Fi, dual external antennas, streaming/FTP performance up to 20Mbps, and SMPTE 2022 forward error correction and Zixi error correction with ARQ for reliable transmission. Other features include dual SDXC card slots, three XLR inputs, 50 Mbps 4:2:2 10-bit recording, MPEG-2 recording up to 35 Mbps, and slow motion and HDR recording modes.

ABOUT JVC PROFESSIONAL VIDEO
Headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey, JVC Professional Video is a division of JVCKENWOOD USA Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of JVCKENWOOD Corporation. The company is a leading manufacturer and distributor of broadcast and professional video equipment, as well as D-ILA front projection systems. For more information, visit JVC’s website at http://pro.jvc.com or call (800) 582‑5825.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – April 18, 2019 – Cobalt Digital today announced its 9992-ENC series of HEVC/AVC/MPEG-2 encoders for openGear® frames received the Future Best of Show Award presented by TV Technology magazine last week at the 2019 NAB Show in Las Vegas, Nev.

Now in its sixth year, the Future Best of Show Awards at NAB program recognizes products based on innovation, feature set, cost efficiency, and performance in serving the industry. All nominated products are evaluated by a panel of engineers and industry experts, and are featured in a special Best of Show Awards Program Guide, which will be distributed digitally to more than 100,000 readers of seven Future publications.

“The program focuses attention on superb innovations in technology as seen around the million-square-foot exhibit floor of the industry’s top trade show,” explained Paul McLane, Future managing director, content for media technology titles. “The list of 2019 winners and nominees shows where media technology businesses are headed.”

“We are very proud to be recognized by TV Technology for our new 9992-ENC series of encoders,” said Chris Shaw, Cobalt executive vice president of sales and marketing. “We think it’s the Swiss Army knife of professional grade encoders, because it is flexible enough to be used in almost any broadcast application.”

A cost-effective choice for contribution, distribution, ENG, IPTV, and OTT solutions, the flexible 9992-ENC series offers customized I/O options and extensive audio support. It offers low-latency 8-bit and 10-bit 4:2:0 encoding, with optional license keys for HEVC and 4:2:2 encoding. Its pay-as-you-go licensing structure means users only pay for required features when needed. The 9992-ENC base model includes an 3G-SDI input, but can be upgraded to support four 3G-SDI (1080p60) signals or one 12G-SDI signal (4Kp60).

About Cobalt Digital
Cobalt Digital Inc. designs and manufactures award-winning edge devices that help live video production and master control clients transition to IP, 4K, HDR, the cloud, and beyond. As a founding partner in the openGear initiative and proud member of SMPTE, Cobalt also offers a best-of-breed interoperability platform that simplifies technological adoption. Distributed through a worldwide network of dealers, system integrators, and other partners, Cobalt Digital products are backed with a five-year warranty. Learn more at www.cobaltdigital.com. 

WAYNE, NJ (April 8, 2019) – JVC Professional Video, a division of JVCKENWOOD USA Corporation, has continued to develop its CONNECTED CAM family of products to create the most resilient video transport over the internet. CONNECTED CAM was launched last year with the GY-HC900, a 2/3-inch HD broadcast camcorder available in ENG and studio configurations. This year, the new 500 Series of 4K cameras bring CONNECTED CAM performance to compact camcorders. Plus, JVC is expanding its IP switcher line with the CONNECTED CAM Studio 6000S. JVC will demonstrate its CONNECTED CAM and ProHD products through April 11 at the 2019 NAB Show (Booth C4415) in Las Vegas, Nev.

The 500 Series cameras feature a 1-inch 4K CMOS imager and integrated 20x zoom lens with built-in ND filters and manual zoom, focus, and iris control rings. While the 500 Series records several native 4K UHD and HD file formats to SDHC/SXHC cards, the camcorders can also record to SSD (solid state drive) media in 10-bit ProRes 422 at 4K resolution and 50/60p frame rates. HDR and slow-motion HD recording provide additional creative flexibility.

To meet the varying needs of video professionals, JVC offers the GY‑HC500 base model, GY‑HC550 with advanced streaming and graphics, and GY-HC500SPC sports production camera. Both the GY-HC550 and GY-HM500SPC include integrated lower-third and full-screen titling options without an external CG. The GY‑HC500SPC adds score overlays for a number of sports, and works with Sportzcast Scorebot for automatic, real-time score updates. Plus, the GY‑HM500SPC is compatible with DV Sport and XOS Digital technologies for sports coaching applications.

CONNECTED CAM camcorders are designed to optimize both image processing and IP performance. All 500 and 900 models provide reliable 1080p streaming performance up to 20 Mbps with SMPTE 2022 forward error correction and less than 500ms latency. Some models also add Zixi™ error correction with ARQ for reliable transmission.

“Nobody beats JVC when it comes to connectivity,” said Joe D’Amico, vice president, JVC Professional Video. “Our cameras deliver exceptional imagery – and then deliver that imagery through flexible and reliable IP production workflows. JVC offers a true end-to-end solution with affordable cameras and components.”

Another part of JVC’s video transport workflow is its line of Bridge bonded cellular uplinks, which allow content creators to stream live programming with better reliability. Digital P Media, for example, uses five ProHD Portable Bridge cellular uplinks paired with 800 Series ProHD cameras to stream live coverage of the Fishing League Worldwide bass fishing tournament. Streaming live footage of the FLW Tour is a challenge because each event takes place on an expansive lake, and several lakes on the tour are notorious for poor cell service. The video production crew has been able to expand and improve its coverage – and even use their Portable Bridge units as hotspots, connecting their cell phones via Wi-Fi and using the Discord voice chat mobile app as an intercom system.

The most recent addition to the product line is the SFE-CAM Dockable Bridge, a Dual Link bonded LTE uplink that connects directly to 800 and 900 Series cameras for run-and-gun applications. An upgraded version of the ProHD Dockable Bridge introduced in 2017, it features Peplink’s patented SpeedFusion VPN Bonding technology to combine multiple cellular, wired, and Wi-Fi connections to create a robust and secure VPN connection.

All Bridge units, as well as other JVC IP-enabled cameras in the field, can be monitored and tracked with the ProHD Command Center. It provides a full screen, real-time map of all GPS-enabled resources, plus allows one-touch routing of live video to master control, websites, and social media platforms.

From studio and remote production to ENG, live streaming, and point-to-point HD contribution, the new ProHD BR-EN900 encoder is an important part of JVC’s end-to-end IP-based production solutions. The portable encoder provides broadcast-quality HEVC (H.265) encoding up to 1080p60 with 10-bit 4:2:2 sampling. Powered by an all-hardware compression chip, its dual encoding capabilities allow simultaneous H.265 and H.264 streaming to different destinations, such as hardware decoders and CDNs. When combined with JVC’s BR-DE900 decoder, which was introduced last year, the BR-EN900 delivers up to 50 percent bandwidth savings compared to H.264.

With JVC’s line of Studio portable live production and streaming systems, connectivity extends through the production process for broadcasters, schools, houses of worship, and governments. In Cleveland, for example, the ProHD Studio 4000 has provided Raycom Media-owned WOIO the tools to set its live coverage on its website, mobile app, and Facebook Live apart from the competition. The system is based in the newsroom and coupled with a JVC KY-PZ100 robotic PTZ network video production camera. Instead of just a live video feed, operators create scaled-down newscasts, complete with graphics, bugs, archival footage, live Skype feeds, and more.

The new CONNECTED CAM Studio 6000S promises even more functionality, with six IP inputs that support NDI® and SRT streaming protocols (as well as HD-SDI and HDMI sources). Other integrated features include an audio mixer, internal CG with templates, four layers of DSK, and clip store with playback. The Studio 6000S also offers features for live sports production, including automated multi-channel instant replay, slo-mo, and an integrated sports CG for scores and timers.

Since 2012, when JVC introduced the industry’s first professional camera with built-in FTP and Wi-Fi connectivity, news-over-IP has become a reality and live streaming has become more sophisticated. JVC continues to improve the IP performance of its products. For example, the company recently added Facebook Live integration to the GY-HM250, its most affordable streaming camcorder, to make it easier than ever to share live coverage on social media. With its catalog of affordable cameras and system components, JVC has created the most resilient video transport over the internet that can be scaled to fit the needs of any production facility, from broadcast news to PEG channels and houses of worship.

ABOUT JVC PROFESSIONAL VIDEO
Headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey, JVC Professional Video is a division of JVCKENWOOD USA Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of JVCKENWOOD Corporation. The company is a leading manufacturer and distributor of broadcast and professional video equipment, as well as D-ILA front projection systems. For more information, visit JVC’s website at http://pro.jvc.com or call (800) 582‑5825.

WAYNE, NJ (April 3, 2019) – JVC Professional Video, a division of JVCKENWOOD USA Corporation, has expanded its CONNECTED CAM product line with the 500 Series of streaming handheld camcorders, which are designed to optimize both image processing and IP performance. Introduced in late 2018, the three compact 4K cameras – the GY‑HC500 base model, GY‑HC550 with advanced streaming and graphics, and GY-HC500SPC sports production camera – will be demonstrated next week at the 2019 NAB Show (Booth C4415) in Las Vegas, Nev.

The new 500 Series cameras can record to SSD (solid state drive) media in 10-bit ProRes 422 at 4K resolution and 50/60p frame rates. The cameras also records several other native 4K UHD and HD file formats to support a wide range of workflows, and the GY‑HC550 adds MPEG-2 and MXF recording as well.

When paired with any ProHD Bridge product, all 500 models provide reliable 1080p streaming performance up to 20 Mbps with SMPTE 2022 forward error correction, low latency (less than 500ms), and return video and IFB. The GY-HC550 also includes dual external antennas with built-in wireless LAN, integrated GPS, and Zixi™ error correction with automatic repeat request (ARQ).

All 500 Series cameras feature a 1-inch 4K CMOS imager and integrated 20x zoom lens with built-in ND filters and manual zoom, focus, and iris control rings. For creative flexibility, the cameras record HDR footage in the HLG (hybrid log gamma) mode or 10-bit J-Log mode, and support 120 fps slow-motion HD recording.

Both the GY-HC550 and GY-HM500SPC include integrated lower-third and full-screen titling options for recorded or streamed video output without an external CG. The GY‑HC500SPC also offers professionally designed, high-resolution score overlays for a number of sports, and users can add logos or icons to customize graphics. Camera operators can update scores using a Wi-Fi connected smartphone or tablet, or receive real-time data automatically in venues where a Sportzcast Scorebot is integrated with the scoreboard. For coaches, the GY‑HM500SPC is compatible with DV Sport and XOS Digital technologies for critical video analysis.

“Connectivity is the foundation of JVC’s IP-based production solutions, and our new 500 Series cameras provide unbeatable production-over-IP workflow solutions with amazing images,” said Joe D’Amico, vice president, JVC Professional Video. “Broadcasters can use the GY‑HC550 for breaking news in the field without a microwave truck, then stream live coverage of a local sporting event including graphics without a production truck. News departments will be more mobile and be able to deliver more live content to their viewers than ever before with the affordable new 500 Series.”

Dual SDHC/SDXC media card slots offer redundant, relay, backup, and proxy recording modes. Other 500 Series features include a four-inch, high resolution LCD screen for menu navigation, LCOS viewfinder, dual XLR inputs, 3G-SDI and HDMI video outputs, and M.2 drive slot for external SSD recording. The cameras are expected to ship in June, with MSRP starting at $3,900 for the GY-HC500.

JVC will also demonstrate its GY-HC900 and GY-HC900ST CONNECTED CAM models at NAB. Both cameras feature three 2/3-inch CMOS sensors to produce full HD images, plus an industry B4 lens mount and four-position optical filter. For news-over-IP applications, the GY-HC900 has built-in Wi-Fi, dual external antennas, streaming/FTP performance up to 20Mbps, and SMPTE 2022 forward error correction and Zixi error correction with ARQ for reliable transmission. The GY-HC900ST studio camcorder, with full streaming and recording capabilities, integrates seamlessly with the JVC FS-900 camera module for an affordable fiber-based studio solution.

ABOUT JVC PROFESSIONAL VIDEO
Headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey, JVC Professional Video is a division of JVCKENWOOD USA Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of JVCKENWOOD Corporation. The company is a leading manufacturer and distributor of broadcast and professional video equipment, as well as D-ILA front projection systems. For more information, visit JVC’s website at http://pro.jvc.com or call (800) 582‑5825.

The 24-hour news cycle has meant that more and more content needs to be produced, presenting challenges not only in archiving and retrieval, but also in ensuring that the right clip can be found when it is needed. While electronic news gathering has been around for decades, today’s setup usually involves everything from a lone reporter and single camera to an entire crew on location. The latest developments in ENG tools empower news production teams by expanding the options in delivering content and metadata tagging.

“It is hard to walk into a TV station today that isn’t using some form of ENG or automation,” said Paul Shen, CEO and founder of TVU Networks in Mountain View, Calif. “It is now driven by on-demand technology and virtually all forms of distribution.”

SAME QUALITY IN HALF THE BANDWIDTH

The vast amount of content that news teams produce daily is placing increasing demands on bandwidth. In response, vendors showing the latest developments in ENG at this year’s NAB Show will focus on the role that High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC)—also known as H.265 and MPEG-H Part Two—will continue to play in production. This video compression standard, designed as a successor to the widely used AVC (H.264 or MPEG-4 Part 10), could be crucial given the vast amount of content produced that needs to be delivered over existing systems.

“From our perspective we’re really watching how HEVC is fitting in with ENG this year,” said Mike Savello, vice president of sales at LiveU in Hackensack, N.J. “You get the same quality in half the bandwidth, and this ensures a good picture where bandwidth has been the biggest challenge.”

STAYING CONNECTED

Whether it is local news or a network correspondent across the country or the world, teams in the field need to stay connected with the newsroom.

“Our focus is on the journalist working in the field,” said Mike Fass, vice president of broadcast operations at Gray Television, an Atlanta-based station group. “Nowadays they don’t spend as much time in the station, rather they have to work in the field, gather news and send it back on a steady basis. On top of that they are working solo.”

These demands require improved connectivity between the crew in the field and back at the station. “This is really important as it gives smaller teams the ability to cover the local community,” added Fass.

“You want to have your teams be as close as possible to the action and make the operation between the field reporting teams and the newsroom as seamless as possible,” said Kevin Savina, director of product strategy at Dalet, a provider of newsroom production software.

At the NAB Show, Dalet will show an enhanced version of the DaletOneCut news editing tool that offers a seamless editing experience, whether the content is located in an archive or the reporter’s laptop.

“We use the cloud to make that experience seamless and work even when you have very bad network conditions,” Savina said. “That is also one of the big topics related to ENG in general; making the field teams more efficient by using collaboration tools between those field teams and the central newsroom, and making the sharing of information and media as transparent as possible to the journalists.”

ENG can be a bridge not only between remote teams, but also with other new emerging technologies that are now being adopted by broadcasters.

“The industry is moving to IP, and we’re seeing the role that ENG is playing in being the bridge between video over IP and the cloud,” added Shen. “This is an important part of helping broadcasters make the transition to IP. We are building the workflow engine that can allow the broadcaster to evolve.”

WHAT ABOUT AI AND MACHINE LEARNING?

As more content is being produced it is creating new challenges for broadcasters to find those sequences that are necessary to creating a compelling narrative in news stories. Here is where advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning can help journalists sift through all the content.

At NAB, Dalet will highlight how its Media Cortex toolset can be used to enrich media workflow with AI.

“When you are implementing ENG workflows, you can have the teams on the field providing content back to the base, either as streamed content or as a file delivery of rushes, as a file delivery even of an edited package,” said Savina. “That can go through two types of AI. The first one can be automatic tagging to detect; for example, basic speech-to-text, to detect objects or themes inside the media that’s being loaded, so to have saving of the manual tagging that is required when you’re providing rushes to the central system. That’s one of the usages that we are seeing take off.”

AI and machine learning can be used to also help tag content with metadata as it’s created, giving journalists improved search capabilities with automatic recommendations of content relevant to the production of a story.

“It’s not just tagging, but it’s really helping the journalist with suggested content,” added Savina. “We see that use of AI in machine learning as being a growing opportunity in 2019, and we have new products around that in Media Cortex.”

It could even have a role to play in live news production as well.

“AI isn’t just aiding in the retrieval of pre-recorded content,” said LiveU’s Savello. “We’re seeing more and more demand for live content and if you’re a network with 200 or so affiliates, you need to sort through the content as it comes in and AI can be important in determining what is a priority.

“This will aid the speed of retrieval as the combination of AI and metadata will allow stories to come together so much more effectively,” Savello added. “The benefit that AI and metadata has in this context is simply too great a benefit for any production team to ignore.”

One other area where AI is already beginning to make a major impact is in handling what have been more mundane production tasks and making them easier to tackle.

“We’ve seen a lot of emphasis in automating closed captioning,” said Fass. “There is a real advantage in having machine learning handling auto transcription, and if the machine can do it that can be a huge time saver. Another facet is facial recognition so that AI can go through and find clips featuring a person—that is another task that takes so much longer if a person has to do it. If you’re looking for a specific sound bite, this will allow you to jump to a clip very easily.”

Another improvement in news production is coming from ENCO, which has been strengthening the integration of its MOM (Media Operations Manager) system with third-party solutions to streamline newsroom workflows. For NAB, ENCO will demonstrate a Media Object Server (MOS) interface and advanced newsroom computer system (NRCS) plug-ins that seamlessly bridge television news production and playout operations.

“Plug-ins for AP ENPS, Avid iNEWS and Octopus Newsroom allow journalists and news producers to access MOM asset libraries directly within their familiar NRCS user interface,” said Ken Frommert, President, ENCO. “This further enables users to incorporate MOM elements including graphics, audio and video into their scripts.” Rundowns are automatically synchronized with the MOM system, which can then be controlled by the NRCS via the MOS protocol to play out the assets.

Another company that has invested heavily in AI is TVU Networks, which introduced its MediaMind media supply chain concept at last year’s NAB. This year, it plans to show the latest developments in its AI-enabled platform.

MediaMind story-centric workflow is designed to simplify content creation, production and distribution while integrating automation, AI, streaming, 4G and 5G. “By automating and optimizing the media supply chain process, broadcasters can realize the benefits of taking raw content and re-using it across many platforms, programs and even organizations,” Shen said.

2019 AND BEYOND

News production could see other improvements this year and beyond, and higher speed mobile networks could play another significant role for news gathering teams.

“The evolution of 5G is going to bring new opportunities, but some challenges as well,” said Savello. “5G is going to be the next gamechanger, and alternative technology for mobile delivery will start to fall by the wayside.”

Another game changer could come on a different kind of field—namely the one in the sports arenas.

“Broadcast and production teams working in the sports arena are increasingly seeking a cinematic look and feel that cameras such as the Sony F55 or Venice deliver,” said Frank Jachetta, president of MultiDyne.

“Fiber-optic camera back systems exist to convert cinema cameras to live cameras for broadcast television or IMAG screens, while still retaining that dramatic feel that these cameras offer,” he added. “MultiDyne is addressing this trend with the SilverBack V cameraback transceiver. The same system addresses ENG requirements in a more basic configuration.”

For news teams these tools will allow them to do their job better, but in the end it is delivering relevant content to the viewer that is most important.

“It isn’t just ‘embrace it or be left behind,’ however; technology should allow you to do your job more productively,” said Fass at Gray Television. “It is too easy to get caught up in the technology, but at the end of the day it has to make the journalists’ job easier.”

Part Idiscussed the current state of ENG and the move to mobile journalism

Part IIlooked at Euronews’ adoption of smartphone newsgathering

Part III looked at how Euronews NBC adopted iPhone journalism

Journalism, even journalism principals, has always been closely tied to innovation, invention and technology. Pencils, for example, enabled far quicker, more accurate notetaking than quill and ink. Many reporters used to learn shorthand to achieve New York World publisher Joseph Pulitzer’s admonition that the three most important words in journalism are “accuracy, accuracy and accuracy.”

The telegraph did not just vastly increase the speed and span of news acquisition and delivery. It was a key factor behind the objective reporting concept, succinct writing and inverted pyramid/main-facts-first style because of the high cost/low bandwidth of telegraph transmissions—not to mention the business case for non-partisan reporting.

The telegraph also spurred the creation of the Associated Press wire service, whose reporters delivered the same, neutral story to all member newspapers whose news coverage was otherwise highly biased.

"AP’s Broadcast News Handbook" summarizes the history:

AP came into being in 1848 and pioneered the notion of using the telegraph to distribute news to more than one point simultaneously. The AP had decided from its birth that it would present the news fairly and impartially. Covering the Civil War was one of the first big tests for The Associated Press, and it was a trial of fire of “objectivity”—an AP invention which was still considered an oddity in those days.

SMARTPHONE ENHANCEMENTS

Since the Civil War, an unending string of technologies has enhanced newsgathering and delivery. Huge lead-casting Linotype machines, for example, replaced typesetting by hand. Decades later phototypesetting rendered Linotype obsolete.

(The main reason I was selected editor of my campus newspaper in 1967 was my pledge to switch production from hot metal typesetting to lower cost, higher print quality offset.)

Today journalism is in crisis partly because of technology. The profession needs to deploy new technologies to dig out of that hole, technologies such as smartphones to replace ENG cameras and IP cellular transmissions from the news scene to the newsroom and from the newsroom to consumers.

Which brings us to bonded cellular technology and how it might help save journalism. But first a look at other smartphone enhancements.

Smartphones without accessories can capture news video in a pinch. But to produce consistently high-quality video they need a little help from their friends, like grips, tripods, LED lights, external mics, apps like FiLMiC Pro, backup storage and batteries—plus, bonded cellular bandwidth boost.

The latter may be the smartphone’s best newsgathering friend. Bonded cellular technology is essential for consumer-grade smartphones—which only have single modems that connect them to cell towers—to fully replace ENG cameras that use microwave and satellite links and, sometimes, cellular bonding to link to the newsroom.

Just as the smartphone is a technological wonder, so is bonded cellular; just a lot less known. It’s about increasing the bandwidth between points A and B (A often being the field and B the station) by magically combining multiple cell phone connections, plus, on occasion, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, microwave and satellite links. Smartphone bonded cellular apps can combine as many as three signals while bonded cellular appliances used with ENG minicams can combine as many as 12 network links. (For example, LiveU’s LU600 unit can be configured to bond up to 12 links using internal and external modems, internal Wi-Fi and two Ethernet ports.)

Euronews, which claims to have cut the cord to ENG and SNG, supercharges its iPhone live shot transmissions using the LiveU brand app. Similar apps are marketed by Quicklink, TVU, LiveU, Dejero, AVIWEST and Soliton, to name a few.

Sadly, at the moment, bonded cellular technology is working more against smartphone newsgathering than for it. It’s true that the apps boost smartphone newsgathering performance. But higher-powered, bonded cellular appliances—used alone and as hybrids with legacy microwave and satellite—are helping extend the life of otherwise obsolete ENG camcorders and OB trucks. It’s acting like life support for the dying.

Smartphone bonded cellar should have been helping kill off microwave and satellite live trucks for journalism’s sake. Those dinosaurs on wheels—which are destined for extinction anyway— are hurting journalism two ways: 1) By diverting money away from reporting staffs and, 2) by abetting widespread coverage of low and no-news-value events.

FASTER, CHEAPER AND ONLINE

If journalism is to ever rebound, video newsgathering must be much cheaper, much faster and delivered primarily online. That’s not going to happen with expensive and wasteful legacy equipment, inefficient workflows and outmoded delivery methods.

Here’s what’s tricky. Bonded cellular vendors make most of their profit from those high-end appliances that prop up ENG. They have less financial incentive to push their cheaper smartphone apps as ENG/SNG replacements.

Although most bonded cellular vendors do quietly tout their smartphone apps and small appliances as replacements for ENG/SNG trucks, Saint-Grégoire France-based AVIWEST is using a bigger megaphone. In a 2016 webinar co-hosted with its U.S. distributor, VidOvation, the opening slide showed ENG and SNG trucks to be obsolete. VidOvation’s Jim Jachetta warned vendors who may feel threatened by bonded cellular, “if you don’t change or if you don’t adapt, someone will do it for you. Someone will drive you out of business.” Jachetta told me that many of his customers are already replacing their microwave and satellite trucks with at least, their ENG camera-mount appliances.

“Many VidOvation and AVIWEST customers have reduced or eliminated their satellite and microwave ENG trucks in favor of the AVIWEST bonded cellular and IP Uplink,” Jachetta said. “In other cases, it is taking a long time to convince them! They are used to traditional workflow and it is difficult to take on change.”

AVIWEST’s Florian Kolmer is even more audacious. He agrees that an important reason for television news departments to deep six their legacy live trucks is “to divert huge amounts of money from ENG trucks to reporters.”

“The only way for media to get more audience and survive despite reduced ad budgets is to have efficient workflows targeted to online media and have [many] more reporters in the field,” he said. “We have customers who moved away from ENG cameras, satellite and entirely rely on smartphones and MOJOPRO applications, both for live and editing. With the appropriate training for their journalists, it became very professional and viewers don't notice it is made with smartphones over bonded cellular.”

It seems that Kolmer, a techie, may care more about journalism than many news directors. Kolmer checked the important boxes: Bonded cellular can cut video production costs in order to hire more reporters and more efficient workflows can help video news providers cope with smaller budgets.

Which is what Deborah Turness is attempting with NBC’s Euronews. Can she succeed where many other attempts have failed to use technology to deal with the journalism crisis? One standout failure is the newspaper industry’s ill fated “pivot to video.” The lesson: amateurish, half-hearted attempts to stick video news online while laying off reporters had no chance of success.

“If you want to inspire some dark laughter among publishing types, just mutter the phrase ‘pivot to video,’ wrote Simon Dumenco in AdAge’s “Why the ‘Pivot to Video’ has Failed.”

According to the Columbia Journalism Review, “Hundreds of journalists have lost their jobs while shiny-object-chasing publishers are no closer to creating cohesive video strategies to replace the traffic those writers were producing. Publishers who pivoted to video have forfeited the majority of their hard-won native audiences in only a year of churning out undifferentiated, bland chunks of largely aggregated ‘snackable’ video. That’s no one’s idea of success.”

Deploying video and cutting the cost of producing that video needs to result in more boots on the ground, not fewer. It should result in more “shoe leather” enterprise reporting, not more mindless aggregation and endless tweeting.

NBC News Group Chairman Andrew Lack, who has strong journalism credentials, made it clear in a memo that he wants to expand newsgathering with Euronews, not cut costs to trim reporter staffs.

“We plan to marry the power of the NBC News brand and the talent of our people with a formidable news asset in Europe in order to create an international offering that will strengthen our news organization and change the landscape of international news,” Lack said. “By joining forces with Euronews and their nearly 500 journalists, our audience on the broadcast network, on MSNBC and our digital platforms will benefit from a greatly expanded news gathering capability.”

READING TEA LEAVES

It does not take a tasseographer reading tea leaves or a fortune teller peering into a crystal ball to divine where news reporting and presenting are headed, despite print and broadcast executives clinging to legacy workflows and technologies.

Clear news consumption trends:

• More video news, despite the print media’s calamitous pivot to video.
• More direct internet/OTT access to news, less demand for newsprint, broadcast, satellite and cable delivery.
• More nonlinear/on-demand access to news via the internet, rapidly decreasing preference for nonlinear/scheduled delivery via anchored news shows.
• Demand for more live and ultra-quick video reporting.
• Higher demand for real and vetted news, less demand for “fake” and hyped news.

Those television executives who seem to say, “I'll give up my OB trucks when you pry them from my cold, dead hands," may be taking their legacy equipment and workflows to the grave. There are simply too many internet news outlet startups and too many newspapers going online—all without making huge investments in traditional equipment and methods—for the television news golden age, now sputtering, to last another decade.

Linear video news delivery will make money, even if revenue flow continues to decrease, for the near, foreseeable future. There’s no reason to begin shutting down television news studios. But there are plenty of reasons to not put more money into them. Why NBC and Telemundo, among others, are investing millions on new, supposed “state-of-the art” news studios is baffling. Should the linear, broadcast model keep getting top priority and funding while digital, nonlinear delivery continues getting short shrift?

Consider one of several giant steps taken by the Swedish newspaper chain Mittmedia in connection with deploying smartphones and Bambuser’s low-tech, non-bonding, live video platform.

According to a Mittmedia press release, “All of the 550 reporters in MittMedia are trained to broadcast live—both in breaking news situations and planned broadcasts—and can therefore, with the aid of the hub, transmit with a range of different broadcasting tools. Among others; the app and the live video tool Bambuser Iris Reporter. During 2016 MittMedia had over one million live video streams.”

Good grief! A newspaper chain doing what Sweden’s local television news outlets should have done: Prioritizing online delivery and using smartphones with cheap streaming software instead of expensive mobile trucks that really aren’t all that mobile.

(Bambuser, however, may not be the newspaper chain’s best choice for live video. Sweden’s Bambuser does not do cellular bonding. The company is also weathering a serious financial storm despite the Associated Press being a financial stakeholder. A hint for MittMedia: replace Bambuser with a bonded cellular platform.)

Finally, a word about 5G. Won’t Bambuser be as good as today’s bonded cellular as 5G comes on board? In other words, will 5G kill off bonded cellular?

No, says Jachetta.

“5G is going to be quite different compared to 3G/4G: it will be deployed on higher frequency bands covering very small cells and not permeating into buildings,” he said. “It will also be more susceptible to obstructions such as buildings, trees, etc. Higher frequency bands typically support higher bit rates—this will be the case with 5G cellular. 5G will be a supplement to 4G and 3G. 5G will most likely not replace 3G/4G.

“It will be mostly deployed in places like stadiums or big venues, but it is not going to cover large areas or transmit long distances,” Jachetta continued. “It will not kill bonded cellular as most areas will be only covered with 4G and cellular networks usage is booming, so 3G is saturated for some time already and 4G is start to become saturated in many countries.”

On the other hand, in early 2017 Bob Kovacs—videographer, former Nextel engineer and TV Technology contributor—praised bonded cellular over microwave trucks for its “high-bandwidth return capability for cuing and IFB built into the system.”

In his article, “Bonded Cellular Shrinks as it Grows,” Kovacs wrote, “The big disadvantage of bonded cellular is that the digital link can vary widely from lousy to great—you might be sure you’ll get 20 Mbps, but find out that it won’t go higher than 3 Mbps.”

He added, “Bonded is quickly becoming passé, as wireless network speeds ramp up. 4G wireless networks are now common, and they theoretically have speeds as high as 100 Mbps.”

Two years have passed since Kovacs made that assessment and 5G deployment has begun. I asked him if he still thinks bonded cellular is still on the way out.

He does. Sort of.

“Bonding multiple wireless circuits results in a more reliable service, and that is always desirable,” Kovacs said. “That said, high speed circuits are continually getting more reliable, so the time may soon come when bonding gives you 99-percent reliability and not bonding gives you 97-percent. Is it worth the added cost and complexity to get the extra 2-percent of reliability?”

In any event, one way or another, 5G and bonded cellular are going to play key roles as smartphone newsgathering overtakes ENG.

MADRID—TRECE is a Spanish TV station that has recently renewed its image. We have simultaneously moved to new facilities located in Madrid, which now comprise two studios and a central TV control. In our previous setup, we used a Kroma digital intercom system with 14 user panels, connected to outside of the facility via an AEQ Systel IP 12 voice coordination system. The all-analog system was connected around a Yamaha 02R console.

In order to integrate the existing equipment into the new facilities, we acquired an AEQ CONEXIA matrix to manage the studios’ audio and intercom signals.

INTERCOM AND BROADCAST AUDIO WITHIN THE SAME HARDWARE

CONEXIA is a redundant and modular audio matrix that simultaneously manages audio for broadcast and four-wire intercom circuits. We have defined a structure comprising five 64-channel AoIP Dante modules, 12 four-dual-channel AES/EBU cards and two additional 8-channel modules for Kroma digital intercom panels. The included switching and processing capability sums more than 300 inputs and outputs.

The 14 series-4000 intercom user panels are reused and connected by digital link, while the new 16 series-8000 panels are connected to AoIP circuits. CONEXIA’s new acoustical design and audio processing—which includes dynamics, equalization and feedback control—provides improved voice clarity. Twenty-four matrix input and output circuits have been routed to two Systel IP VoIP systems and two STRATOS audio codecs for external intercoms.

Three audio circuits are not used for intercom: General purpose digital audio inputs and outputs in the CONEXIA chassis itself; Analog and digital circuits at the four NETBOX 32, which are Dante AoIP terminal devices featuring 16 analog inputs and outputs plus eight dual AES/EBU ones each, located in several locations at the studios; and Dante AoIP links with each studio’s mixing console.

For external communications, two Systel IP 12 systems are connected to external 4-wire inputs and outputs of the CONEXIA matrix. The operator establishes the communication to the remote peers using a Systelset+ terminal.

We have found that Systelset+ greatly simplifies operation, as it includes a small physical support and a wide touchscreen. This allows us to execute most of the commands and operations required during TV production coordination, where most of the calls are generated by ourselves. Simultaneously we can receive and route them using matrix circuits to either the sound mixing console or, more frequently, to a panel or panels group for internal studio communications.

We use this setup mainly to coordinate ENG devices through mobile phones. The journalists receive the program and command return via their earset, and the camera operator communicates using a 4-wire circuit through micro-headphones installed in the phone.

The audio and Intercom system has been enhanced for two studios and a central control. A high-availability audio router with large processing capability has been incorporated. Our existing AoIP terminals have been used to distribute inputs and outputs. The whole installation has been deployed using IP, unifying broadcast and intercom audio. The intercom system has been expanded using new panels while keeping the old ones, and the external intercom system has been enlarged by incorporating very intuitive, efficient and small-sized control terminals.

Daniel Cemillán is the technical manager for TRECE. He can be contacted atdaniel@trecetv.es.

For more information, visitwww.aeq.eu/products/conexia-1.

Part I discussed the current state of ENG and the move to mobile journalism 

Part II looked at Euronews’ adoption of smartphone newsgathering 

Part III

When NBC News International President Deborah Turness made her "cut-the-cord" declaration at the 2018 IBC Show in Amsterdam she provided scant details about what her network calls “iPhone Journalism.” Inquiring minds want to know. What smartphone-related hardware and applications are Euronews NBC using to replace conventional ENG cameras and live trucks?

According to Ilyas Kirmani, executive producer at NBC News International in London, Euronews is the largest network in the world to go all-in on smartphone newsgathering, aka video journalism, aka mobile journalism. Kirmani responded via email to a list of questions about the hardware and apps his network is using in lieu of conventional ENG camcorders and SNG trucks.

IPHONE VS. ANDROID

NBC apparently did not even look to European rival BBC for guidance. The British television news outlet began experimenting with one-man news teams in the early 2000s, long before Euronews took interest. BBC VJs first shot with small, prosumer, digital camcorders, then later with smartphones. But in the almost two decades since the BBC has kept VJs as supplements to, not replacements for conventional camera teams and ENG cameras. After putting a toe in the water, the BBC is now not much past the ankles, where Euronews is now up to its eyeballs despite being a video journalism latecomer.

The Lyon France-based network “supplies the entire kit including the phone, tripod, selfie sticks, Osmos, mikes, lights, Wi-Fi dongles, and laptop,” Kirmani said.

Kirmani said Euronews equips all video journalists with iPhone Xs (5.8-inch display, 12 MP dual rear/main wide-angle and telephoto cameras, 7 MP front/selfie camera.) Even though Android smartphones outsell iOS devices worldwide, the Apple camera phone is not just preferred by Euronews but by a majority of video journalists as well.

(Note: The iPhone is also the BBC’s camera phone choice. I personally use an iPhone. One drawback is Apple eliminating the 3.5 mm mic/headphone jack and providing only a single Lightning port for both charging and peripherals. As of last October the new iPads have a single USB-C jack instead of the Lightning connection. Go figure. Some day at least one smartphone manufacturer will offer a pro model with at least three ports, a bigger batter, a built-in lens adapter, and a heat sink for longer recording and streaming times. Heavier and a bit bulkier is no bad thing for news work. Current smartphones are too light to hold steady as it is.)

The Euronews iPhone Journalism kit includes two rigs: a one-handle Zacro brand (Japanese) and a two-handle Ulanzi (Chinese). The Zacro smartphone holder and tripod adapter is a very good buy, at about $13. Its clamp concept is quite secure—the tighter you twist the knob the tighter the grip.

The two-handle Ulanzi rig is also a great value, $20, delivered on Amazon. But, after testing one, I found the slider-style clamp does not hold a smartphone nearly as tightly as brands that use clamps similar to Zacro’s. It may be worth it to pay more if the rig is used for heavy duty news work, like the Shoulderpod X1 (Spanish)—$120 plus shipping and the iOgrapher (USA)—starting at $49.99 plus shipping. (There are lots of good rig choices on the market. (I built by own rig out of steel for about $20. It may not be pretty but it’s bulletproof.)

The Euronews kit’s Osmo-brand gimbal stabilizer works much its much larger Steadicam counterpart used with ENG cameras to smooth camera movement. Gimbals, though, may be overkill for most VJs.

Consider my experience with gimbals: Last year Euronews’s bonded cellular app provider, LiveU, was thinking about bringing back an updated version of its SmartGrip product which it had taken off the market. The company began testing two and three-axis gimbals to see if a gimbal function should be part of a new design.

I volunteered to runs tests and compare gimbal stabilizer performance with conventional, two-handle rigs. LiveU sent me the gimbals. For comparison I added a one-pound weight to a conventional rig to provide passive stabilization.

I concluded that gimbals are not well-suited for most news work, especially breaking news. They’re too expensive, too fragile, and too hard to set up. Besides, in most cases video reporters should be standing still while shooting, not moving, and only panning with purpose. Plus it’s not easy to pan gimbals.

Euronews seems to agree or, at least, may be having second thoughts about including gimbals in its kits. “When we first launched our shows, we wanted our correspondents to come live via Osmo or selfie stick,” Kirmani said. “We later determined this was not the best user experience for the correspondent or the viewer, so decided to have them all use tripods when coming live, unless there is something significant to show.”

That makes sense. VJ’s, working alone, have enough to do during a live shot without having the worry and strain of steadying a camera. Plus, jittery video makes encoders, like LiveU ‘s app, work harder, effectively reducing bandwidth and resolution.

PREFERRED APPS

Speaking of apps. Which ones are loaded on Euronews reporters’ iPhones?

“LiveU, Latakoo, Filmic Pro, Taggly, Gravie, Square fit, cut story, and facetime,” according to Kirmani.

Here’s what they do:

LiveU, of course, is the cellular bonding app. It’s their go-to app for all live shots. “Ninety-nine percent of our correspondent live shots come via LiveU on the iPhones,” Kirmani said. (For more about bonded cellular and 5G see upcoming part IV in this series.)

Latakoo is an Austin, Texas-developed app Euronews uses to transfer video files from the field to the station. As opposed to using something lighter duty, like Dropbox. That’s the so-called store & forward function. (Latakoo, at the moment, does not do live shots. But company president Jade Kurian, in an interview for this article, said they’re working on a live streaming app that should be available next year. “I think it will be a game changer,” she said.)

Tagg.ly is an app for quickly adding name, logo, location, and timestamp to videos prior to sharing on social media.

Gravie, in similar fashion, permits reporters to stick text and some editing and formatting, such as changing the frame format, on video clips in their iPhone’s camera roll. Another tool for use prior to uploading to social media.

Square Fit is a video app for whipping widescreen video clips into shape (literally) for posting on Instagram with its square-frame format.

CutStory. Again, another app to spruce up clips for social media. The reporter clicks on the social media choice (Instagram, Facebook What’s App etc.) and the app automatically trims it to a 1:1 or other social-compatible vertical aspect ratio and also meets the duration limit.

FiLMiC Pro is pretty much a consensus favorite shooting app among video journalists. Reporters can get by with iMovie, but FiLMiC Pro as its names suggests, enables VJs to shoot more like pro videographers. (If a VJ is shooting a piece just for social media FiLMiC Pro has a 1:1 aspect setting.)

GAINING EXPERIENCE

What about training? Euronews VJs needed to learn how to use the new hardware and apps.

It turns out that Euronews is not yet much into training, unlike some European stations— like the BBC in the UK and ARD-affiliated stations in Germany. They have comprehensive, ongoing employee training programs.) “They go through a two-day, in-person training course, and then the best training is practical, out in the field,” Kirmani wrote.

Euronews assumes many VJs already have some shooting and editing experience. Kimani says if a reporter has no proficiency there’s a Euronews team member to provide more training.

Even so, Euronews may need to substantially ramp up its training program if the network plans to pull off cutting the cord. At some point VJs need to learn how to film as well or better than videographers who only shoot and edit much better than editors who only edit. It’s a tall order. Instead of being jacks of all trades, masters of none, VJs need to become jacks of all trades, masters of all.

Less experienced VJs who don’t get sufficient in-house training should find their own online and in-person workshops, such as courses offered by mobile journalism professor Robb Montgomery, VJ guru Michael Rosenblum, (some online tips are free), and Mojocon founder Glen Mulcahy, among many others.

(Note: Rosenblum is in the process of training some 150 employees for the local tv station SoCal-1. “When we are done, SoCal-1 will be the biggest all VJ TV station in the world, and we expect, a model for the rest of the country,” Rosenblum says. “Many stations have one or two VJs, and play lip service to the concept. Here, it is all VJ all the time, and that is going to produce a very different on-air product.”)

(I also plan to offer advanced smartphone newsgathering workshops, especially in Germany for those who already have basic graining and some experience.)

GOING LIVE

Then there’s the matter of live reporting. It’s perhaps the main reason Euronews switched to iPhone journalism. The video news provider now has a substantial number of live-ready reporters dispersed across Europe giving the network far more opportunities to go live.

But danger lurks ahead. Giving a live-ready phone camera to a novice reporter is like handing Him or her a live grenade. There’s a substantial risk for serious technical and journalistic mistakes. Too many boo-boos could kill Euronews’s initiative.

Of course, most news stories are not covered live. Most of what VJs do is behind the camera, not in front of it. Besides live signals, cellular connections between the field and newsroom can transmit raw and edited footage. Which leads to another question I put to Kirmani: “How much/what percentage of iPhone journalists’ video is edited at the station?”

“Fifty percent is edited in the field vs station,” he replied.

Laptops loaded with Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro are included in the Euronews kit. But the high-end editing software seems like overkill for field editing. Programs like iMovie are much cheaper (some free), easier to learn and faster to use. Other lower cost, easier-to-use smartphone editing choices: Kinemaster, ViMoJo, and Lumafusion.

In any event, if half of Euronews’s packages are cut in the field, it’s a really good start for the network's cord-cutting initiative. The benefits of in-field over in-station editing are substantial. Above all, speed. No time is lost driving back to the station if the reporter edits at or near the news scene. It’s also much quicker and more bandwidth efficient to stream a 2.5-minute, edited package to the station than 20 minutes of raw footage/rushes. The goal—which mostly has old habits and traditions blocking the path—should be to edit almost all stories in the field.

Big question to Kirmani: “What are your biggest iPhone journalism hurdles yet to overcome?”

Interesting answer: “There are still interviews and stories that require traditional crews.”

Another oopsy!

Does that mean Euronews did not fully cut the cord, but merely stretched it?

At the very least NBC seems to have flipped the field, that is made ENG subservient to smartphone newsgathering. Made it second fiddle. Instead of video journalism being the backup, Euronews has at least put ENG under smartphone newsgathering’s shadow even if it’s not yet possible to completely cut the cord.

ENG will still not disappear overnight, especially given traditional television’s huge investment in legacy cameras and live trucks. In the late 70s, a at the birth of ENG, film did not vanish overnight either. But film’s demise was rather quick, at least in the states. In Europe it took about a decade.

But now Europe and Asia, arguably, are ahead of the U.S. transitioning away from ENG equipment and workflows. The fact NBC mostly cut the cord in Europe before doing in the states supports that perception.

NEWARK, N.J.—Panasonic today announced the AG-CX350 4K handheld camcorder designed for use at sporting and other live events as well as in newsgathering and IP production.

The camcorder, optimized for 4K/HD production, leverages an integrated lens and supports 4K 10-bit 60p capture, HDR recording and supports RTMP/RTSP/RTP protocol for live streaming as well as NDI|HX-ready IP connections (license required) for live switching with a production switcher, including the Panasonic AV-HL100 Stream Studio.

Weighing 4.2 pounds (body only), the CX350 uses a 1.0-type MOS sensor with about 15.03 megapixels in UHD/FHD. The camera can capture UHD (384x2160), Full HD (1920x1080) and SD (720x480).

The CX350 supports 10-bit 4:2:2 color sampling with ALL-Intra (400Mb/s) and LongGOP (150Mb/s) recording formats, which can be recorded in UHD at up to 29.98/25p and Full HD up to 59.97/50p. The camera also offers a 10-bit HEVC codec supporting UHD up to 59.97/50p with bit rates of 220Mb/s. The 10-bit HEV can be natively decoded and played by computers with 7th Generation or later Intel Core i7 CPUs. All formats and compression rates can be recorded to SD cards.

The camera’s integrated lens offers a wide angle of 24.5mm at the wide-angle setting with minimal distortion. It comes with a 20x optical zoom lens (24.5mm to 490mm). Panasonic’s Intelligent Zoom function supporting 35x for HD and 24x for 4K is available. Five-axis hand-shake correction is employed for both HD and 4K shooting.

Supported gamma modes including HD, SD, Filmlike, 1/2/3 Film-Rec, Video-Rec and HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) for HDR capture. Variable Frame Rate recording ranging from 1fps to 60fps is available for spots shooters. Super Slow motion can be achieved at 120fps/100fps (59.94/50Hz).

The AG-CX350 will be available in late February with a suggested list price of $3,995.

More information is available on the Panasonic website.

Part 1

Journalism, worldwide, is in crisis. The bottom of its nosedive is not yet in sight. There are far more reporter layoffs than hires. Numerous technologies—the internet for one—and revenue-sucking behemoths—like the Google/Facebook duopoly—are shaking up legacy means of newsgathering and distribution. Digital disruption is harming journalism far more than benefiting.

News delivery via newsprint is on death watch. On the TV side, linear news delivery via the news show format is dying more slowly, but surely. A dwindling number of airwave, cable and satellite news consumers are willing to tune in at a certain time, at a certain place, on a certain screen and patiently wait to get the news and entertainment they really want. No wonder internet/IP-centric technologies like video-on-demand, next-gen, over-the top (OTT) television will soon overtake certain-time TV. No surprise that broadcast giants are scrambling to deliver their information and entertainment wares through OTT.

Even though most news publishers and broadcasters have long been online, many of their web offerings are merely rehashed versions of their offline products. Being there is not the same as succeeding there. “Digital first” has really meant “print first” and “video last.”

The “pivot to video” has been a colossal failure for most newspapers. “Those who pivoted to video didn’t really understand how expensive it is to produce high-quality video if you don’t have the infrastructure necessary to support it,” said Trevor Fellows, vice president of digital strategy for NBC.

Of course, television news outlets already had infrastructures in place to produce online video—no pivot needed. But, pretty much across the board, that infrastructure consists of outmoded, ponderous, expensive equipment and workflows. Bottom line: neither publishers nor broadcasters, generally, are very good at producing online news video.

Because the web is 24/7, its news outlets need cheaper, more mobile newsgathering equipment and much faster, less expensive video production systems and methods. Legacy television stations can’t come close to meeting a demand for online news by taking reporters off the street. Some are laid off, others converted to so-called "multimedia reporters" who spend more time in the newsroom than in the field. Resorting to shameless aggregating and clickbaiting isn’t working either. New technologies and workflows need to not just improve news distribution but also the quality and quantity of news content.

Happily, there are glimmers of hope. One is NBC’s bold, plug-pulling move in connection with its recent partnership with Euronews. At the 2018 IBC Show in Amsterdam Deborah Turness, the new president of NBC News International at NBC News, announced their discontinued reliance on ENG cameras and SNG trucks. 

“We’ve cut the cord with cameras and trucks, and armed our network of 100 percent mobile journalists with iPhones, LiveU and Osmo,” she said about her remaking of Euronews. “I think we’re the only major  news operation to only deploy iPhones having cut the cord with cameras and trucks.”

Euronews may not actually be the first major news outlet to turn fully to mobile journalism. Last year New Delhi Television (NDTV) switched to a video journalism model where its reporters shoot and edit news video using Samsung smartphones, a change the press referred to as mojoification.

But what Turness is doing is a much bigger deal. Where financially troubled NDTV acted more out of desperation— to cut costs—NBC is acting more out of inspiration—to add speed and mobility. If successful NBC could hasten journalism’s snail’s-pace shift from ENG to smartphone newsgathering, a transition that will become as big or bigger than the pivot from film to ENG in the late 70s and early 80s. That film-to-ENG transition not only facilitated live reporting, but also sophisticated editing of news packages. It’s now something smartphones can accomplish with teeny-weeny appliances and cellular connections at relatively minuscule cost.

Savings could and should be used to put more, quick-reacting boots on the ground. Turness refers to her “small army of journalists” equipped with mobile phones. She calls it “real-time journalism” where “you can go places and engage with people with a mobile phone in ways you cannot with a camera person and a big camera.” “You disrupt the oxygen in the room when you enter with a TV crew normally,” she told IBC attendees. “When you go in with an iPhone you are small and quite innocuous.”

Taking another swipe at conventional ENG/SNG live reporting she said iPhone journalism “is a more authentic, transparent way of storytelling. Our reporters are not perfectly coiffed, standing on a riser with a light and a cable plugged into a truck. They are on the move, they take you with them.”

Turness told The Drum, a European marketing website, “When you look at television news as a product I feel it is looking very tired and out of step.” “While other news organizations have dabbled with iPhone journalism it’s often as a supplement when the other camera isn’t working”.

That supplement status is doing little to rescue journalism. Until smartphone newsgathering largely displaces ENG/SNG those outmoded technologies and workflows will continue wasting huge sums that could be spent to hire, train and equip mobile journalists thereby increasing the quality and quantity of video stories available to news consumers.

Turness may understand that smartphone newsgathering and ENG can no longer peacefully co-exist. The only way to take the handcuffs off smartphone newsgathering is to lay ENG/SNG technologies and workflow to rest and give them the honorable burial they deserve. 

Coming up, Part 2: Euronews’s iPhone Journalism: What Could Go Wrong?

WAYNE, N.J.—Independent cable TV station CN2 in Rock Hill, S.C., this summer acquired a JVCKenwood ProHD Portable Bridge bonded LTE hotspot for live news updates to its daily newscasts and website.

With the Bridge and the new BR-DE900 ProHD decoder, CN2 is delivering live material to viewers for the first time, said David Bain, technical manager, adding that the setup will likely be used later this month for live coverage of the Rock Hill Christmas Parade.

CN2, which is owned and operated by Comporium Communications, has two channels serving the tri-county area of York, Lancaster and Chester.

The cable channel produces a weekday newscast at 6 p.m. and “CN2 Today,” a daytime newsmagazine three times each week. Most live content is shared on the CN2 website.

For the parade, CN2 will record multi-camera coverage and edit footage in post to be viewed later. However, one camera will be paired with the Bridge to provide live coverage of the event on the CN2 website, said Bain. A similar setup was used for a recent school board debate.

The Portable Bridge streams signals from Connected Cam, 4KCam, ProHD and JVC PTZ streaming cameras. It uses Peplink’s SpeedFusion VPN bonding technology to combine multiple cellular, wired and Wi-Fi connections.

More information is available on the JVC website. 

With the passing of Joseph Flaherty, former senior vice president of Technology at CBS last month, I had the opportunity to discuss Flaherty’s life and professional contributions with a few industry leaders. One thing I learned seems particularly apropos to where the TV industry stands today.

While Flaherty is credited as perhaps the No. 1 broadcaster advocating for development and adoption of a digital high-definition television standard and a treasured right-hand man to former FCC Chairman Richard Wiley who chaired the FCC Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service at the time, another theme emerged as I spoke to various associates about Flaherty.

That trend was pegging film for termination in the television industry. As Bob Seidel, CBS vice president of engineering & advanced technology, who was mentored in his early career at the network by Flaherty, wrote in marking his passing:

“His [Flaherty’s] foresight led to the replacement of 16mm film to gather news, supplanting it with Electronic News Gathering (ENG), thereby eliminating the painstaking and time-consuming process of exposing the film negative, transporting the film to the station, developing the film and transferring the film to television.”

Even Flaherty’s advocacy of a new digital HD television standard was motivated in part by the desire to get film out of TV production with the goals of saving time, expense and effort to produce episodic television, I learned in my conversations.

[Read: Remembering Dr. Joe Flaherty]

The lesson for today that the television industry can take from Flaherty is: Don’t fear jettisoning the past and embracing the future—not recklessly, but with forethought, planning and purpose.

Who could imagine NTSC rather than digital HDTV in today’s living rooms across America? What Hollywood TV producer or station news shooter pines for the days of film?

We stand at the threshold of the next generation of television with countless opportunities within grasp and little certainty about which will prove to be winners, and which will end up as mere footnotes in some future Wikipedia citation.

Regardless of the uncertainty, however, now is not the time to cling to the past but to embrace change prudently and begin to carve out another successful generation for television.

LiveU has announced plans to expand its hybrid global IP satellite service, which works in combination with its HEVC bonding technology.

Increasing the range of options, the new solution, based on Eutelsat's KA-SAT, will allow customers to use satellite or cellular connectivity seamlessly, streamlining both the billing structure and workflow.

LiveU offer its customers in Europe Ka satellite airtime in combination with its current cellular roaming data packages. Using this hybrid solution, the connectivity choice is made automatically based on a combination of signal strength and cost-effectiveness. LiveU will be working with Eutelsat whose KA-SAT satellite wide beam footprint extends across Europe and parts of North Africa.

The collaboration utilises NewsSpotter, Eutelsat’s Satellite News Gathering (SNG) product. NewsSpotter provides native bidirectional IP connectivity, facilitating integration with modern news production and media content management workflows. LiveU’s LU600 HEVC solution is a fully bundled service with a single-point-of-contact for support and with a range of packages available.

“This is a truly integrated service offering, bringing together the best of both worlds via market leaders in their respective fields,” said Zion Eilam, regional VP sales (EMEA), LiveU. “Making this as seamless and effortless as possible for our customers was essential, ensuring that they can concentrate on bringing high-quality live content to their viewers. Partnering with Eutelsat has achieved that, complementing our existing hybrid Ku-satellite service solution.”

Gerry O’Sullivan, executive vice president, Global TV and Video with Eutelsat, added: “Undoubtedly the contribution market, especially news, has changed significantly in recent years, with speed of deployment and mobility – at realistic price points – increasingly taking centre stage. NewsSpotter was a clear response to that and this collaboration with LiveU is the natural next step.”

MONTGOMERY, ALA.—Whether it’s for a news photographer or MMJ, the GYHM660 is a one-size-fits-all option for Raycom Media. We’ve been buying JVC cameras for local ENG since 2013—and since that time, Raycom has purchased more than 400 GY-HM650 ProHD mobile news cameras. In 2016, we acquired the new JVC GYHM660 model, and already have more than 260 in use throughout our stations.

Headquartered in Montgomery, Ala., Raycom is one of the largest privately owned media companies in the United States. We own and/or provide services for 65 television stations in 44 markets across 20 states. About 40 of those stations produce local news.

MULTIPLE OPTIONS FOR LIVE

For us, the GY-HM660 is more than streaming live ENG reports. The vast majority of our stations use the camera to send raw clips back to the station via FTP. As a result, in-house personnel don’t have to wait for an MMJ to get back to the station. In the on-demand SVOD world, this allows us to access the content immediately and edit breaking news for broadcast or online use.

Between our JVC cameras, satellite trucks, microwave trucks, and more, Raycom wants to make sure our stations have multiple ways to go live. The GY-HM660’s built-in streaming with Zixi error correction is another tool in the box for us. Not all our stations have decoders, so not all of them use their JVC cameras for live ENG reports from the field. However, the FTP function works for everyone.

For the stations that do use the GYHM660 for live news-over-IP, the results have been very positive. In fact, our folks in the field love it because it doesn’t slow them down. A lot of our stations are very aggressive when using their JVC cameras for live ENG reports.

No matter how footage comes into a station, we use the Bitcentral Oasis asset management system as our landing platform. That way, everyone has access to the raw content. It makes us much more efficient.

Beyond the live ENG and FTP capabilities, our JVC cameras have been dependable in the field. As someone who had to use proprietary recording formats in the past, I think recording to dual SD cards is great. It’s easy to swap cards in the field or even pick up a new card at a local Best Buy. That kind of workflow has really proven its worth.

Our MMJs love the lighter weight cameras, while our more experienced photographers appreciate the improved low-light performance and integrated 23x Fujinon zoom lens. We get a lot of good, positive feedback from everybody.

Clint Moore joined Raycom Media in 2015 as the corporate news operations manager. He previously spent almost nine years as the news operations manager for WMC-TV in Memphis, Tenn. He can be reached atclintmoore@raycommedia.com.

For more information on JVC, visitwww.jvc.comor call 310-639-9000.

RIO RANCHO, NM--Lectrosonics has introduced its new Digital Hybrid Wireless microphone products designed to operate in the recently expanded 941-960 MHz U.S. frequency band. The products meet the FCC’s new spectral mask regulations, in effect since October 2018.

Intended for ENG, field/production sound, and other remote applications, the Lectrosonics product line includes: the SRc-941 dual-channel modular portable receiver, SMV-941 and SMQV-941 miniature belt pack transmitters, the HMa-941 plug-on transmitter, and HHa-941 handheld transmitter.

“We’ve received outstanding reports about rock-solid operation and excellent range in the 941 band from key beta testers who have used these products in a number of large metro areas,” said Karl Winkler, Vice President of Sales and Service at Lectrosonics, a developer of wireless microphone systems and audio processing products..

[Read: FCC Tweaks Wireless Mic Rules]

The specific tuning ranges for these products are 941.525 – 951.975 MHz, 952.875 – 955.225 MHz, and 956.475 – 959.825 MHz. Parts of these bands are shared with MAS (Multiple Access Systems) and some fixed microwave devices.

Lectrosonics’ new “941” transmitter models are functionally identical to the corresponding models in the UHF frequency blocks and bands except that they offer 50 and 100 mW RF power settings. The new transmitters also have a circular isolator in the output stage for additional intermodulation prevention, allowing closer spacing of RF carriers. And, all of the “941” units are compatible with accessories for the same models in different frequency ranges, including external powering, audio connectors, microphones, belt clips and mounting options.

While the 944-952 MHz band was previously reserved for use by licensed broadcasters for their Studio Transmission Links (STLs), some wireless microphones, and IFB systems, the FCC recently expanded the use of specific ranges between 941-960 MHz, as well as opening up this spectrum to Part 74 licensed wireless microphone operators.

ENG and mobile production crews can now access clean spectrum in this 941-960 band wherever they go in the U.S. Before doing so, operators should coordinate their frequencies with the local SBE (Society of Broadcast Engineers) office and select frequencies that are least likely to interfere with other licensees operating in the area.

Winkler added, “The availability of this newly expanded frequency band, along with increased eligibility, should really help those licensed wireless mic users who are feeling the spectrum crunch.”

LEXINGTON, KY.—WLEX-TV, the NBC affiliate in Lexington, Ky., has begun using a new mobile news vehicle from Frontline Communications with connectivity provided by Dejero CellSat, Dejero announced today.

Built upon a Chevrolet Traverse SUV, the station’s new remote vehicle does not require a specialized operator or pre-arranged satellite slot to contribute stories and live shots. “You simply put up the dish in case it’s needed, and it connects on demand –and only when the cellular signal alone isn’t strong enough,” says Sam Gordon, operations manager at the Cordillera Communications-owned station.

CellSat takes advantage of Dejero’s patented network blending technology to improve reliability with the combination of cellular connectivity and a Ku-band IP satellite link provided by Intelsat, the company said. If there is a falloff in cellular bandwidth, up to 7.5 Mb/s are available via satellite.

[Read: Dejero And Intelsat Partner On Video Transmission Solution]

“We have a full remote production facility connected directly to the studio, plus anyone can jump in and drive the SUV as there is no need for special licenses,” says Gordon.

Operators back at the studio can control the vehicle’s transmitters in the field, monitor and route incoming video feeds and view detailed performance data with Dejero’s cloud-based management system, the company said.

Having satellite connectivity available for times when cellular networks are congested proved useful for the station in December when it sent a crew to Nashville to cover college bowl play from Nissan Stadium.

“Although the Nissan Stadium in downtown Nashville, which usually has solid connectivity available, with somewhere around 70,000 fans, we figured that the cell networks could get overloaded—so we needed a backup. CellSat gave us the extra confidence that we wouldn’t lose connectivity during a live shot,” says Gordon.

SARASOTA, FL.—xG Technology—the provider of IMT Vislink live video communications products for the broadcast, law enforcement and defense—has announced a partnership with mobile broadcast vehicle provider Frontline Communications to deploy a customized newsnet electronic news gathering (ENG) vehicle for conducting on-site demos at broadcast client sites.

“It’s an excellent way for us to show how newsnet empowers broadcasters to maximize their coverage while fully leveraging their studio assets,” said John Payne IV, President of IMT USA. “Having multiple ENG points of view operate at the same time, and on the same BAS channel, while enabling a high-bandwidth IP connection with studio newsroom computer systems, is a game changer for the broadcast industry.”

[Read: Driving Station Workflows In The Field]

Vislink’s newsnet establishes a high-speed, bidirectional IP-based network that can optimize ENG field workflows and transmission by leveraging secure BAS spectrum that can be used without fear of contention, congestion or blocking, according to the company. Lower OPEX costs can result from greater workflow efficiencies and the reduced need for bonded cellular transmission.

The newsnet mobile demo site will be comprised of the mobile assets, a base station site (mobile COW), and the newsnet studio control system to provide the interface and control between the remote demo vehicle and the studio/field workflows.

SEATTLE—“I feel the need for speed,” touts one of the signature lines from the movie “Top Gun.” A TV news liveshot crew also feels the need for speed in getting a live-shot up and reporting.

Establishing pictures and sound and audio/video link back to the studio is just part of the challenge. There’s also getting camera support up, the talent lit and battery power up and running before the liveshot is ready for air. Equipment designers and manufactures have spent a lot of R&D building speed of deployment features into their products.

For its new flowtech 75, the Vitec Group repositioned all of the braking clamps to the top of the tripod allowing users to operate all tripod stages and brakes from the top of the tripod.

FAST & FLEXIBLE DEPLOYMENTS
A tripod is a must for most liveshots, where the field reporter may spend many minutes on camera, in split screens, answering questions from anchors back in the studio.

At the 2017 IBC Show, The Vitec Group plc launched flowtech 75, described by Global Product Marketing Director Tobias Keuthen as “a completely new tripod technology designed for extremely fast deployment.”

The company repositioned all of the braking clamps to the top of the flowtech 75, allowing the user to operate all tripod stages and brakes from the top of the tripod, according to Keuthen. “This makes it extremely fast to deploy and to adjust,” he said, noting that the company used feedback from a global focus group to determine that users didn’t want to bend down to operate the brake. This makes the flowtech 75 quick to set up, especially when encountering an uneven surface, such as stairs, where just a single leg can be lengthened. The new tripod is marketed under the Sachtler and Vinten brands.

Jose Larios, manager of sales and marketing at Libec Sales of America, notes that liveshots are often more than just deploying the gear once. In actual practice, there can be a series of deployments as news crew move ever closer to the middle of the action, as conditions allow. For these situations, Larios recommends Libec’s RSP-750MC, a carbon fiber tripod with a mid-level spreader that is easy to transport from one location to another with the camera still attached.

“Where most tripods have to collapse all the way when being carried, the 750MC is designed with rubber grips so you can basically carry it to another location, without having to pack it up and remove everything for a run-and-gun situation,” he said.

The Sprinter II tripod system from Miller solves the challenge of quickly setting up a tripod with its high speed, independent 2-stage dual leg locks. “The operator is basically going to stick his fingers into the locks, pull to release them, and lift the tripod up,” said Gus Harilaou, president of Miller Camera Support Americas. “This will deploy both the top and bottom sections with ease and quickness. Because of the dual lock, they don’t jam up, and the shooter can lock off and get his shot. If it’s something where they’re doing a sit down interview—where they’ll use just the top section of the tripod—they can just use the top lever to extend one section of the legs.”

For fast setups, Shotoku offers its SH100 tripod system. “The clamps are 180 degree turning, and they reach an end stop where they won’t collapse,” said Graham Ramsey, senior advisor at Shotoku Broadcast System. “That way you don’t have to keep tightening the clamping system to make sure you’ve got the tightest possible clamp. The way we set it up is to haul the system as a vertical unit when it comes out of the bag, untwist the three locks and let the legs drop, and then tighten the clasps one turn so that they’re fixed. Open the tripod and you’re ready to shoot. You can do that in a couple of seconds.”

Anton Bauer’s Tandem sits between the battery and the camera and powers the camera from mains, while charging the battery at the same time.

ILLUMINATING ADVICE
If the news crew could put the liveshot talent anywhere they wanted, lighting during the day might not be so important. But live-shot stand-ups are usually staged so the most visually interesting scene is over the reporter’s shoulder, no matter what kind of facial shadows that creates. So quick-deploying lights are a must.

This is a direction Litepanels has been moving toward, according to Alan Ipakchian, product marketing manager. “We’re steering a lot of our effort to maintain the lightweight form factor that will allow the light to be powered from battery.” The company recently introduced its Gemini 2x1 panel softlight, capable of accurate, agile full spectrum daylight and tungsten lighting as well as any color off the color wheel.

Battery-powered operation is crucial because it eliminates the amount of time consumed to run AC cabling, according to Ipakchian. “When we’re running on an Anton Bauer-like Cine musical X battery, you get the full punch of the Gemini,” he said. “Some other lighting fixtures, when they’re running on a battery, reduce the fixture’s output by half.”

Some of the most dramatic breaking news live-shots are in extreme storm coverage. Trying to protect light fixtures in those conditions can be time-consuming, if not futile. “In the case of our StarMaker IP65 fixture, the very best thing about this fixture is it’s IP65, which means it’s weatherproof,” said Jose Maria Noriega C.A.S., CMO at Fluotec. “It can be used, for example, by the Weather Channel covering a hurricane. You can bring it to the desert in a sandstorm or to a tornado. It’s up to the abuse that these fixtures face out in the field.” That ruggedness does not take away from its soft illumination, tunable color temperature and ability to operate off batteries.

BB&S’s lightweight Flyer boom light can be flown out in front of the camera, supported by a boom pole held in place by a C-stand cradle.

Toby Sali of BB&S Lighting suggested a boom light, the Flyer, for fast live-shot setups. “Once people try the Flyer, they use it for everything,” he said. “It’s got a China ball for diffusion on the light, and if the weather’s bad you can put a white garbage bag over it.”

The lightweight Flyer can be flown out in front of the camera, supported by a boom pole held in place by a C-stand cradle. “With the mic cable strung inside the boom pole, you can even hang a mike along with the Flyer,” Sali added. “Power cable lets you run off a battery pack without putting the weight of the battery out by the light fixture.” The Flyer is color-agile from daylight to tungsten, and is dimmable and color tunable remotely.

Kevin Crawford, COO and vice president of engineering at Frezzi, recommended his company’s Skylight System for a run-and-gun live-shot crew. “In our Go Kit case you have the light, stand, battery pack, AC power supply, barn doors and filters,” he said. “It has everything they need to go, and it deploys in no time.”

Crawford pointed out that a fast-moving crew not only has to deploy lighting equipment quickly, but also to pack up quickly to move to a better vantage point or on to another story. “With tungsten fixtures you had to wait for them to cool down before packing them away,” he said. “And with HMIs you not only had to wait for them to cool down, but HMIs didn’t reach correct color until a minute or two after firing them up. LED lighting, with passive cooling like our Skylights, have made this a non-issue.”

For live-shots the go-to light from Cineo is the MAV X, a small, 8000 lumen fixture that’s “powerful and color tunable,” according to Cineo President Rich Pierceall. It can run off V-lock and A/B battery packs, AC adapter and even off the cigarette lighter receptacle. “At full power off a battery pack you can get an hour and a half of lighting,” he said.

The MAV X has color tuneability that goes from 2700K to 6500K, which means you can work under any ambient light setting and match to it. “And there’s enough output that you can battle the sun with it, while dimming is photo-accurate down to one percent,” Pierceall said. “The dimming presets are all set at camera f/stops, so as you change your lens aperture to affect depth of field, you can match the light level to it.”

POWERING IT ALL
Just about everything the news shooter uses, from lights, RF microphone transmitters and receivers, to lights and live-shot transmission gear, takes electricity. And hooking all those batteries up to all that equipment ultimately takes time.

News crews used to take a bag full of batteries that had been charged overnight and throughout the day the batteries would be used to power a variety of devices, according to Andrew Butler, strategic planning and projects manager of the Videocom division at Vitec Group. Anton Bauer developed a device called the “Tandem,” which sits between the battery and the camera, and when you have access to mains power, you plug an AC lead.

“The Tandem will power the camera from mains, and it will charge the battery at the same time,” Butler said. This saves time because even if AC power is available at the liveshot site, a battery pack can get things rolling for the first report.

Butler said Anton/Bauer will soon introduce battery and charger technology capable of cutting the charging time of a battery pack in half, without damage to the batteries. The battery packs should be available in early 2018, with the chargers available later in the year.

A live-shot news crew on the scene at one breaking news story can find itself being redeployed to another story before making a trip back to the studios to grab fresh battery packs. But when available battery packs run down, the crew can be out of business.

Frezzi’s Kevin Crawford said that’s where his company’s FLB-240 battery packs can save the day. “What we hear from the field is that our 240Wh battery is a two-day battery,” he said. “It used to be a battery would last only a couple of hours, but with this battery you’re getting two days of run time out if it. And with our gauge they can keep an eye on the status of the batteries.”

HAMILTON, N.J.—Besides transporting crews to the news, today’s IP-capable newsgathering vehicles are in demand for seamlessly extending broadcast studio and newsroom workflows into the field. A mix of bonded cellular, IP satellite, conventional satellite and microwave networking systems on board gives truck operators more ways to get vital live shots back to the studio.

Broadcasters also want to combine bonded cellular with dash cam and roof-mounted camera systems. Rather than having to stop or remain parked, bonded cellular lets news vehicle operators transmit live video while they’re driving. This gives viewers a novel new way to see current traffic, weather and other road conditions.

AMT recently built the Storm 5 Titan in a Nissan SUV for WTVF in Nashville, Tenn.

NETWORKING TOOLS
With high demand for advanced networking and backhaul capabilities, two of the industry’s top truck vendors—Frontline Communications and Accelerated Media Technologies (AMT)—say they’re as busy as ever building and retrofitting vehicles designed especially for cellular newsgathering (CNG) or IP newsgathering (IPNG).

For Frontline, sales of news vehicles are up 20 percent this year, according to Steve Williamson, director of sales for the Clearwater, Fla.-based company. “Broadcasters want vehicles that integrate more networking tools to ensure that they can get that critical live shot back from the field, regardless of the weather, geography, or other circumstances,” he said. “For this reason, we’re custom building trucks that integrate multiple high-speed transmission systems, including bonded cellular, Ku-band/Ka-band IP/satellite, among other features, according to the individual customer’s specifications.”

Frontline’s latest truck systems can automatically identify the best signal path for getting a live shot out, and if there’s ever a technical issue with one network, they automatically failover to another.

Popular Products for DSNGSEG’s UHP-1000 hubless VSAT satellite router “enables broadcasters to create a virtual private IP satellite network that they can use to send VoIP calls and data between their studio and vehicles in the field,” according to SEG’s Chris Childs.

HAMILTON, N.J.—SEG, a division of WESCO Distribution, Inc., is a reseller of electronics for the broadcast industry, particularly digital satellite newsgathering (DSNG) vehicles. One of their most popular products is the Ericsson AVP 3000 encoder. “One reason for the appeal is that it allows you to have multiple encoder modules on a single RU chassis,” said Chris Childs, director of sales for SEG in Kansas City, Mo., “Up to four signals can be sent simultaneously over different paths, in a mix of codecs and bit rates, from a single chassis.” The AVP 3000 supports compression rates, such as MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and HEVC, as well as IP and ASI outputs. “With this flexibility, you can get your signal out multiple ways, including satellite, bonded cellular and LTE microwave,” Childs continued. SEG sells products to truck vendors, as well as directly to stations that want to replace legacy equipment on their own vehicles.

Also in the SEG portfolio is the Avatec AVQ1022 DVB RF layer monitoring receiver and signal analyzer for DVB-S/S2/S2x, which allows operators to monitor their assigned satellite frequencies, and display the carrier ID of any signal causing signal interference. The FCC mandated carrier ID in September 2017. According to Childs, another product popular for DSNG vehicles is the UHP-1000 hubless VSAT satellite router. “It enables broadcasters to create a virtual private IP satellite network that they can use to send VoIP calls and data between their studio and vehicles in the field,” he said. “This is especially useful in rural and remote places that typically lack cellular service.”

Claudia Kienzle

CNN now uses a new fleet of dual-path CNG trucks built by Frontline on the Ford Expedition XLT 4x4 chassis. CNN recently used these CNG SUVs to provide comprehensive coverage of Hurricanes Irma and Nate, among other breaking news stories.

Besides their dual LiveU encoders, the vehicles have Frontline’s exclusive, fourcamera “Live&Drive” system, a popular feature that allows the driver or on-camera talent in the vehicle to use a pistol-grip controller to switch the dash cam from interior to exterior views. When used with bonded cellular, live video from the dash cam and roof-mounted cameras can be transmitted while the vehicle is moving.

SMALLER CHASSIS
At AMT in Auburn, Mass., President Thomas Jennings also finds that demand for newsgathering vehicles remains strong, despite the rise of portable bonded cellular systems. In fact, today’s compact yet powerful transmission technologies, such as bonded cellular and IP/satellite, allow them to build ever-smaller vehicles.

“Instead of larger body trucks, we’re now able to use smaller SUVs, like the Subaru Forester and Chevy Suburban, and smaller satellite and IP antennas further reduce the vehicle’s profile,” he said. The focus has been on four-wheel drive, maneuverability, and the ability to be driven by inexperienced operators. “Another advantage is that these smaller vehicles can also be paid off quicker for a faster return on investment,” he said.

According to Williamson, “The bonded cellular encoder can also double as the encoder for the IP Ka- and Ku-band IP satellite systems, which saves both money and rack space.” On the Nissan NV and Ford Transit T250 van platforms, Frontline can also install a mast well that allows a retractable 50-foot mast to be stowed while still keeping the stowed vehicle height to under 10.5 feet.

Both Williamson and Jennings say that today’s smaller platforms—like the Ford Transit T250 and Nissan NV high-roof vans—make it easier for the vehicles to pass under low-clearance bridges, fit into tight parking spaces, and get anywhere camera crews need to go.

Despite the trend towards bonded cellular backpacks, Williamson and Jennings say that stations are still investing in newsgathering vehicles because news crews need a quiet place to edit where they can be comfortable and out of the elements. They also want dependable air conditioning, power generators, storage space for video gear, a place to recharge batteries, and the other ergonomic advantages that newsgathering vehicles provide.

IMT Vislink’s newsnet features a bidirectional, high-speed IP wireless data link that also utilizes the broadcaster’s own BAS RF spectrum to send low latency, high-quality live video.

IP BAS-ICS
WJXT-TV4 in Jacksonville, Fla., uses a fleet of news vehicles built by AMT that integrate racks of equipment for video editing and multiple transmission modes. The fleet includes six vehicles—a mix of SUVs and vans—that AMT retrofitted with its ENGenesis LTW. Jennings says LTE microwave such as what AMT is using in ENGenesis, is further revitalizing the news vehicle business by giving broadcasters an innovative way to send secure, two-way, IP-based LTE data communications—between their trucks and studios—over the 2/7GHz BAS spectrum they already use and control.

At WJXT, the News4JAX news teams recently used their “LTE for ENG” vehicles to cover Hurricane Irma in September. “During Hurricane Irma, when cell phone towers were knocked out, and heavy rains made their Ka-band satellite connection impossible, WJXT trucks were still able to get their live signals back because they were using LTE microwave,” Jennings said.

While LTE is the most advanced cellular industry standard, LTE microwave isn’t a cellular bonding system, nor does it use cell towers. Instead, it transmits video, VoIP and other data over the broadcaster’s own dedicated 2/7GHz BAS frequency. Within the reach of their BAS spectrum, broadcasters can use their own licensed BAS bandwidth for free, so it saves them money compared with bonded cellular systems that involve commercial cellular airtime charges that mount over time, according to Jennings.

Compared to the COFDM microwave they previously used on their trucks, LTE has greatly expanded WJXT’s ability to cover live shots, according to James Lowery, director of engineering for the station. “Since we deployed LTE in these trucks, we’ve seen a reduction of over 50 percent of data usage out of these trucks.”

NEWSNET CONNECTION
IMT Vislink’s newsnet is another innovative IP transmission solution making its way onto newsgathering vehicles. This bidirectional, high-speed IP wireless data link also utilizes the broadcaster’s own BAS RF spectrum to send low latency, high-quality live video. According to Williamson, Frontline is currently working on proposals for newsgathering vehicles that will incorporate the IMT Vislink newsnet wireless IP data transmission solution.

Within the BAS coverage area, newsnet extends the station’s IP-based newsroom computer system (NRCS) and studio workflow to the field. It also gives field journalists full access to studio resources, such as media asset management, and lets them tap directly into the NRCS for better collaboration. It also ensures that the right content gets priority by using an uncontested, bidirectional IP connection over the existing BAS channel, with feedback from studio automation.

“Unlike third-party bonded cellular services that charge for usage, newsnet utilizes the BAS RF spectrum that broadcasters already control at no charge. They also don’t need to compete with others for a connection or bandwidth because BAS is a high-bandwidth channel that’s licensed to them for their exclusive use,” said John Payne IV, president of IMT USA, in Hackettstown, N.J. “Within your coverage area, small, low-profile antennas can be used, and newsnet isn’t susceptible to winds, rain, lightning or other conditions that can adversely impact cellular or satellite transmissions.”

SEATTLE—Since its introduction a decade ago, cellular-based liveshot gear has been steadily improving at bringing high-quality live news video and audio back to the studio. Some of that can be attributed to better 4G (and someday 5G) cellular network technology, as well as the availability of more cell towers. Individual equipment makers have made their own tweaks that have improved performance.

Mundo TV Morelos uses Comrex’s LiveShot to cover a peace march in Cuernavacas, Mexico.

ENCODING EFFICIENCY
And then there’s new encoding technology showing its face—HEVC/H.265—which promises a doubling of encoding efficiency.

“With the same bandwidth, we can do twice the quality of everything,” said Jon Landman, vice president of sales for Teradek, an Irvine, Calif.-based provider of wireless video technology.

Matt McEwen, vice president of product management at TVU Networks adds that “doubling of encoding efficiency also makes it possible to get a higher quality picture out of low bandwidth areas.” And since cellular network time is a pay-as-you go, bit-by-bit arrangement, for any given quality of video delivered back to the station, HEVC encoding cuts the cellular network costs in half.

LiveU has introduced a new version of its backpack platform, the LU600 that is the same form-factor as the company’s traditional LU500, according to Claudia Barbiero, vice president of marketing, Americas for the Hackensack, N.J.-based provider of cell-based ENG systems. She cited a variety of new features and benefits to the new product, including new software and the unit’s interface. “But the biggest news is that it's HEVC capable, with a dual encoding platform, where you can do H.265 and H.264.”

Barbiero said stations are finding more than just breaking news use for their portable liveshot gear. “They can get additional added value out of content for just the cost of sending a camera operator out with a LiveU backpack, to send back content and events [such as high school football games] that they normally wouldn’t do.” This new content could be sponsored on the station’s digital platform, outside their traditional broadcast.

Regarding the decoding of HEVC, Teradek’s Landman noted that H.265 is so new that stations don’t have it in their infrastructure yet. “What we are doing now is live transcoding in the cloud down to H.264, which will work with people’s existing decoders,” he said. “We will be rolling out a native H.265 decoder in Q3.”

He also said that because USB modems from cellular providers are becoming harder to find, “we developed our own modem, the Teradek Node, that plugs directly into the bond unit. It allows you to put in any U.S.- or European-based SIM chip. One of the advantages of us being able to develop our own modem is that we can tweak it to give us what I would say is extended performance.” In Teradek’s tests, where the Verizon UML 295 modem gave them 2 MBps on average, “our node gave us 8 MBps, a 4x increase.”

TVU Networks’ TVU One video streaming platform

PROGRESSIVE DOWNLOADS
TVU Networks’ new TVU Router is a software option that can be enabled on any of its uplink products according to McEwen. “Essentially it allows the user to not only use the device for live video streaming, but also [provides] an option to switch it into a mode where it will provide high-speed internet access, using the aggregated link, from anywhere.” For example, an operator could send file footage from the newsroom to a news crew out in the field for editing into a newscast package.

Among the new features in the TVU’s most recent software update is “progressive downloads.” “If a news crew goes out and is acquiring content for a story, and they’ve got their camera connected to a TVU ONE, [in to recording the video to an SSD on the field unit,] we start transmitting that mirrored copy of the content as a file back to the studio,” McEwen said. Back at the studio this can be used as B-roll, or as promo material touting the day’s lead story. This goes on in the background, so the news crew can concentrate on covering the story in the field.

According to Bill Nardi, vice president, broadcast integration at Dejero in Waterloo, ONT., the company’s new EnGo Vehicle Mount Kit provides optimum antenna deployment for both in-vehicle and out in the field use. “We developed a vehicle mount where you slide the transmitter into it, and put on two clips that are attached to external antennas on the roof.

“But then when you get to your location, you can pop off the antenna leads, put [the transmitter] on the back of the camera or bag, and you’re off and running” with mobile antennas.

He said Dejero NewsBook for Mac is gaining popularity with solo videojournalists, international correspondents and field reporters who need to travel with minimal equipment. “You can use the laptop’s camera or use a converter for an outboard camera,” he said. “It works with the edit software, where it allows you to make your laptop a one-stop-shop.”

CROSSLOCK QUARANTINE
Chris Crump, senior director of sales for Comrex in Deven, Mass., said that the company’s Liveshot portable units are being used for more than just newsgathering. “People are using it for flash studios, remote news bureaus, and for distributing program material from station to station,” he said. “It’s especially valuable where people need two-way audio and video.”

For both news liveshot and other video distribution, Crump said the key to their system is its “CrossLock” technology, “which is actually monitoring all of the devices that are attached to the network stack.” An example of its usefulness is “if a modem becomes unusable, it can actually quarantine it so it doesn’t affect the performance of the other devices. And if it becomes usable again, CrossLock will bring it back into the multiple bonding arrangement.

“It’s a very sophisticated mechanism that’s actually monitoring all those channels, load balancing them as one becomes unusable and retransmitting lost packets to make sure that all the audio and video bits get all the way through to the other side,” Crump added.

Persistent Systems, a relative newcomer to the cellular ENG market, brought its newsgathering liveshot technology over from its Department of Defense business, according to Jim Ocon, vice president of business development for the New York-based company. “[In the last year] we’ve made concrete improvements on our onboard video encoding,” he said. “And we’ve made improvements to our waveform that have allowed for really good performance in the unlicensed ISM band.” Radios on BAS channels and upper C-Band are due out soon.

A new embedded module is sized down to the degree that allows a drone or other small-payload device to carry a transmitting radio with much of the same functionality as its standard radios.

Ocon made a novel suggestion for use of Persistent’s radios: “With the repack, a lot of stations are being shuffled out to new channels and frequencies. Our equipment can be used as a temporary STL or TSL. They’re high throughput, high bandwidth radios that are encrypted.” Once the new links are in place, the Persistent radios can be hand-me-downed to the news department.

WASHINGTON – The Federal Communications Commission today said it “took steps to streamline, consolidate, and harmonize rules governing earth stations used to provide satellite-based services on ships, airplanes and vehicles. The action proposes additional flexibility for this fast-growing segment of the satellite communications market.

Currently, the regulation of these earth stations, collectively known as ‘earth stations in motion’ (ESIMs), varies depending on the type of vehicle to which they are attached and are covered in various rule provisions.”

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking adopted today (but not yet available online), “proposes to integrate the three types of earth stations in motion into a single regulatory category. [It]also proposes rules to allow for blanket licensing in additional frequency bands—the conventional Ka-band— which will offer additional flexibility to ESIMs.”

The available commission documents on the docket include a press release and a Public Notice on April 27 that the docket, No.17-75, was opened. So far, SES Americom, Inmarsat/Echostar, Iridium and ViaSat have filed comments.

According to the commission, the proposed changes would “simplify the regulatory approval process for ESIMs, reduce the burden on applicants and increase efficiency in processing applications.”

HACKENSACK,N.J.—LiveU today introduced its new hybrid satellite and cellular HD solution, transforming its ultra-small LU200e uplink unit into a rack-mounted product. Leveraging LiveU’s market-tested bonding technology, the LU210 and LU220 solutions allow news teams to combine satellite and cellular networks for newsgathering on-the-move and in fixed locations.

· The LU210 offers a single encoder in a cost-effective, rack-mount configuration.

· The LU220 provides higher density with two independent encoders in the same rack-mount configuration and support for dual path streaming, enabling simultaneous streaming from two video sources.

Both encoders can be connected to LiveU’s Xtender transmission device and IP-based Ka-Sat, providing resiliency in extreme scenarios. For studio-based solutions, they enable content contribution from remote/fixed locations and the uploading of content to LiveU’s MultiPoint internal and cross-organizational video distribution service.

Key benefits are said to include high video quality using LiveU’s LiveU Reliable Transport protocol; central and remote management via LiveU Central; least-cost bonding – automatically controlling how much bandwidth is transmitted over cellular or satellite connections; and density and cost savings.

Avi Cohen, LiveU’s cofounder and chief operating officer, said, “We’re seeing a growing trend of converting SNG trucks to hybrid trucks, as well as the use of smaller vehicles for mobile news coverage. These new encoders combine reliability, flexibility and mobility in a cost-effective package. Broadcasters can achieve the highest service availability and video quality in any location.”

ALEXANDRIA, VA.—Ten years ago, I worked for Sprint Nextel as an engineer on the 2 GHz relocation project (aka the “BAS Relocation”). At that time, broadcasters didn’t have much choice to get signals from remote feeds back to the studio: It was either ENG microwave or satellite trucks.

I stayed with the project until 2010, and although a couple of alternatives were percolating in the background, it wasn’t until a year or two later that they exploded into the minds of broadcasters. It first hit the streets in the form of backpack cellular radios that used multiple 3G cell phone connections to transport signals back to the studio.

A Sky Italia crew uses a Comrex LiveShot system just before Election Day 2016 from Times Square in New York. As telcos such as AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile acquired more spectrum and implemented 4G technology, digital bandwidth that could be used for broadcast-quality video increased rapidly. With two 4G connections paired at the camera, it’s perfectly reasonable to get a transmission channel of 20 Mbps or greater—easily enough for a high-quality link, especially when using H.264 encoding.

Compared to microwave trucks (virtually all of which had been upgraded to digital as a result of the 2 GHz relocation project), bonded cellular has a big advantage: It has high-bandwidth return capability for cuing and IFB built into the system. The big disadvantage of bonded cellular is that the digital link can vary widely from lousy to great—you might be sure you’ll get 20 Mbps, but find out that it won’t go higher than 3 Mbps. As telcos continue to improve their systems and build additional 4G sites, getting higher speeds in the future is almost certain.

Although current 4G technology would seem perfect for occasional broadcast remotes, a 5G standard is in development. It promises to have more efficient spectrum usage and to serve more users with faster data speeds from each cell site.

“We’re really excited to see the rollout of the fifth generation wireless technologies because we’ve been closely involved since the days of 2G and it is amazing to see the bandwidth and technology advancements,” said Avi Cohen, COO and cofounder of Hackensack, N.J.-based LiveU. “But it’s important to remember that these are built for consumers and we are optimizing these networks for professional video applications. We’ve heard this same story through the years—that 3G is going to be fast enough, LTE is going to give us plenty of speed for video, and so on. But as cellular networks get better, the demand for more bandwidth and reliability continues to grow because we keep filling the capacity.”

REDUCED SIZE

As the demand for bandwidth has gone up, the pressure to reduce the size of the cellular encoder/radio has increased as well. LiveU’s LU200 series of cameramount encoders is small, but Cohen sees the future as smaller still.

“In more recent years, the need to be even more agile has meant increasing movement towards the device in your pocket; the iPhone, Galaxy or Pixel likely has the best camera you’ve ever owned and can get you more places than a traditional ENG camera,” Cohen said. “This could be the direction that you may see ENG continue to head, and in that regard we’re ready with our LiveU Smart App that enables the user to bond Wi-fi and cellular, and stream directly from the phone’s camera to the receive server, just the way the rest of the LU backpacks do.”

Most bonded cellular products today rely on H.264 encoding, which is well established and efficient. However, the next generation of television encoding—HEVC/H.265—is more efficient and therefore requires less bandwidth for the same quality of delivered video. What does that mean for bonded cellular systems?

“We’ve been keenly following the developments in the world of HEVC/H.265 encoders, and we find the offerings to be wanting,” said Chris Crump, senior director of sales and marketing for Comrex in Devens, Mass. “Although the H.265 spec offers some great technological promise, we’ve found that the currently available encoders are still inferior to the encoding capability of our H.264 encoder/decoder. As we’ve been telling our customers for some time now, we don’t want to add HEVC because it’s the ‘next big thing.’ We’ve got our ear to the ground, though, waiting for the right horse to show up.”

NOT A SURE THING

Anyone with a cellphone knows that a good connection is not always a sure thing, so manufacturers like Ontario, Canada-based Dejero created the Live+ Booster to work around that reality. Live+ Booster is a vehicle-mounted unit with an array of up to 12 high-gain antennas to improve performance. Paired with Dejero’s Live+ Go- Box or 20/20 transmitter, the Live+ Booster is an alternative to satellite or microwave systems that may be blocked by weather or line-of-sight obstructions.

JVC ProHD Bridge is a family of products for ENG links. JVC recently launched a vehicle-mounted system that incorporates diversity antennas to establish a high-reliability channel with bonded cellular. The ProHD Bridge puts the H.264 encoder in the camera, then has a 5 GHz camera-mount transmitter to relay the signal to the vehicle, which then sends the signal off to the studio.

An interesting twist in JVC’s system is that it can also provide a wide-ranging Wi-fi hotspot that can be used for any Internet-based application. ProHD Bridge consists of several products that can be mixed and added as needed.

Irvine, Calif.-based VidOvation’s DMNG PRO180 bonded cellular transmission system can support eight telco modems, has an internal high-efficiency custom antenna array and built-in Wi-fi modem, and features two H.264 video encoders for failsafe operation. The system has been getting lots of production use lately on the A&E series “Live PD.”

Consumer 4K displays have been flying off the shelf this year, and both 4K and high dynamic range have been widely discussed and demo-ed in the industry. Bonded cellular manufacturers have been keeping a close eye on these trends.

“If there is a demand for it now, we can certainly deliver such product very quickly,” said Paul Shen, CEO of TVU Networks in Mountain View, Calif. “There is sufficient bandwidth and stability with TVU mobile uplink solutions to support 4K and HDR video, and the processing power is also there to process those signals.”

What’s in a Name?

The cellular industry—in the form of the big telcos—is not a great friend of broadcasters. For decades, broadcasters controlled a huge swath of spectrum that turned out to be ideal for telcos to press into cellphone service—lobbying, advertising and probably some old-fashioned arm twisting was involved in forcing broadcasters off that spectrum. To be fair, the telcos did pay a lot of money for it, but much of that money went to Uncle Sam and not the broadcasters.

There are several books that could be written about this, but the point is that some broadcasters grumble at the use of products and services that are sold under the name “bonded cellular,” since cellular has been... well, “the enemy.” A few people in this industry probably want to avoid the use of the word “cellular,” and certainly don’t want to be seen bonding with it.

So if it’s not “bonded cellular,” what do we call it? A couple suggestions could be “IP ENG” and “License-Free Remote.” I like the term “Pocket Remote,” since the time is probably not far off when a respectable news remote could be done with a single cellphone.

And “bonded” is quickly becoming passé, as wireless network speeds ramp up. 4G wireless networks are now common, and they theoretically have speeds as high as 100 Mbps. In practice, I routinely get 4G speeds of 15–20 Mbps at my home and once scored 42 Mbps on the road (in Seattle). With the advent of 5G, which promises greater spectral efficiency than 4G and theoretical wireless speeds up to 1 Gbps, the need for bonding multiple channels for a single feed evaporates. (There is no current deployment of 5G, but much work is being done on a standard.)

Even 15 Mbps with H.264 encoding results in a pretty good HD signal back at the studio, and some video industry manufacturers are building gear to make such bandwidth as reliable as possible.

So if it isn’t “bonded cellular,” it certainly won’t be simply “cellular.” My two favorites are “IP ENG” and “Pocket Remote.”

What are yours? Drop us a line at tvtech@nbmedia.com.

Bob Kovacs

THE END OF TRUCKS?

What will become of the thousands of microwave remote trucks operated by broadcasters across the country? Do bonded cellular systems do everything a microwave truck can do, without the need to get an FCC license for microwave operations?

Not exactly.

“Microwave has its niche where cellular coverage has not been deployed or in rare situations of a severely congested environment—although those situations are becoming less common, as the cellular infrastructure continues to improve,” Shen said. “On the other hand, TVU mobile uplink solutions are capable of using cellular, microwave and satellite simultaneously. You can consider that TVU mobile uplink solution is the superset of all those technologies.

“I would be surprised to see anyone today deploying any specific technology without considering leveraging all different transmission mediums, simultaneously. One example is the World Ski Championship in 2015. It had very good cellular coverage throughout the ski slope, except at the very top of the mountain. So, TVU deployed a MIMO-microwave site on top of the mountain. TVU transmitters with integrated MIMO modules continuously delivered full HD-quality live video, while the camera crew skied down from top of the mountain.”

Bonded cellular, a product category that had not yet been invented 10 years ago and had just a handful of customers five years ago, is now a major path for broadcast remotes. Broadcasters have a wary relationship with telco companies (see the sidebar), but reliable remote connections using bonded cellular products could change some attitudes among broadcasters.

As more cell sites are rolled out and broadcaster-friendly bandwidth becomes more available and reliable, routine ENG remotes will increasingly move to bonded cellular links. After all, what once needed a truck will now almost fit in a couple of pockets.

SEATTLE—Going live is the life-blood of local and network television newscasts. Though bonded cellular backpacks have taken over some of the truck-born liveshot duty, there is still a good business to be done in building news vehicles. A number of news trucks with cutting-edge capabilities are rolling out to stations.

Satellite antenna agility can be a real plus for an SNG truck, which is why Brighthouse Networks, with stations in Orlando and Tampa, came to Frontline Communications in Clearwater, Fla. for four dual-band Ford Transit vehicles that feature AVL’s 1.2 Ka-Ku antennas.

Stephen Williamson, director of sales for Frontline, explained the advantage of being able to switch between Ka and Ku satellite links: “You would normally use a Ka satellite in your local market. Space-time with Ka costs less, though it is slightly more affected by rain fade. But if you’re doing out-of-town or cross country liveshots, let’s say your Orlando station is covering a game in Atlanta, or a location where maybe Ka was not approved for, they would go to the Ku.”

Brighthouse Networks tapped Frontline Communications to supply four dual-band Ford Transit vehicles that feature AVL’s 1.2 Ka-Ku antennas.

He also noted that Ka is designed for spot news, where Ku is better suited for doing long, multi-hour type productions.

“The AVL dual-band antenna features an automatic sliding feed that allows the operator to switch from Ka to Ku and back with the touch of a button inside the truck,” Williamson said. This means “there is no need to climb on top of the truck to switch the feeds manually, a potentially hazardous task.”

ROUGH AND READY

In markets that experience extreme weather events, a rough-and-ready vehicle platform with agile connectivity can be a real advantage. Jacksonville’s WJAX selected a Jeep Wrangler with both a Ka satellite dish and LiveU bonded cellular transmission. “They wanted a cutting edge camera system,” said Frontline’s Williamson, so they integrated “a custom software-programmed Live & Drive package with four POV cameras plus a roof mounted PTZ camera, all controlled by a handheld router controller with integral joystick.”

“The talent can choose which camera goes on air, switching clean and quietly between each camera, and control the roof mounted PTZ, all in the palm of his hand,” Williamson said. “The truck was also equipped with both Ka satellite and local weather systems, which can be displayed on the large rear monitor along with any other video source.”

The truck also features a cellular Wi-Fi system to allow Frontline and WJAX engineers to have remote access to control, monitor and troubleshoot any networked equipment in the truck.

EXTREME ENG CHALLENGES

For KVII-TV in Amarillo, Texas, AMT built the station a Ka satellite cell-bonded hyper van that allows them to switch between the cell and satellite connection to fit what works.

With apologies to Texas, cellular network and satellite-wise, a lot of the state is out in the middle of nowhere. For the Texas Panhandle-located KVII in Amarillo, “they’re not necessarily on one of the spot beams for the ViaSat satellite, they’re kind of off-beam a little bit,” said Steve DeFala, director of sales for Accelerated Media Technologies (AMT) in Auburn, Mass. “And there’s a lot of Texas that’s pretty sparse for cell coverage. The market has extreme ENG challenges.”

AMT built the station a Ka satellite cell-bonded hyper van that allows them to switch between the cell and satellite connection to fit what works. In KVII’s case, AMT partnered with LiveU for the bonded cellular equipment.

DeFala said that with the ViaSat antenna, even though they’re not perfectly within the beam, “they get phenomenal coverage. They’re able to roll anywhere they want around the country.”

For the truck platform, the station chose a Dodge ProMaster City.

Though there are many alternatives to point-to-point microwave, that liveshot technology is not dead yet. AMT has partnered with General Dynamics for the radios in the company’s ENGenesis LTE IP-Based ENG BAS system. Jacksonville’s WJXT is the first station in the U.S. to utilize the system, retrofitting its existing ENG trucks.

“It’s a replacement of the traditional COFDM video microwave, and works in the 2-gig licensed band,” said AMT’s DeFala. “Basically, we took [General Dynamics’] cell phone radio and pushed it into the licensed 2-gig BAS band.” The microwave system utilizes the station’s BAS licensed frequencies, paired with LTE technology. “You can run multiple trucks off the same frequency, at the same time, off the same receive site.”

JVC recently introduced its ProHD Wireless Bridge, a video-over-IP system designed for multicamera live broadcasts and compatible with JVC’s ProHD and 4KCAM streaming camera models. The ProHD Wireless Bridge comes equipped with a WB-MCA100 camera transceiver module, which plugs into the camera’s USB connector and allows cameras to operate up to 2,000-feet from the vehicle-mounted base station.

The system provides a complete bidirectional ability from their trucks to their studio, and back again. “So every truck is an extension of their in-house LAN Internet network, their station IP network,” he said. “So every truck has an address, every radio that’s in the truck has an address, everything that’s in those trucks has an address. So you could sit in the station, you could sit in master control at the TV station, and not only control the radio frequency …you can control the decoder that is receiving off-air video, control the truck’s PTZ cameras.”

Next up for the WJXT is a weather truck. “They’re going to be able to get off air cue, and separate weather graphics that the weather guy can do directly from the remote location, with no delay.

BUILDING A WIRELESS BRIDGE

For those stations that want to outfit a news vehicle without special retrofitting, JVC recently launched its ProHD Wireless Bridge, a video-over-IP system designed for multicamera live broadcasts and compatible with JVC’s ProHD and 4KCAM streaming camera models.

The ProHD Wireless Bridge comes equipped with a WB-MCA100 camera transceiver module, which plugs into the camera’s USB connector and allows cameras to operate up to 2,000-feet from the vehicle-mounted base station. The platform can also be used with handheld JVC cameras when paired with a smaller radio module, allowing for a 400-foot range.

Remote broadcasting is available with the platform courtesy of a built-in encoder that features Zixi error correction and variable bit rate control. With the encoder, operators can also monitor connection and outgoing stream quality status through the viewfinder.

There is also a WB-CELL200 cellular uplink that can receive signals from one or more field cameras to create a virtual private network (VPN). A mobile access point (WB-MAP100) with a separate high-gain omni-directional antenna is also available to receive signals and deliver them to the cellular uplink.

Operators can combine the ProHD Wireless Bridge with JVC’s BR-800 broadcaster and BR-DE800 ProHD decoder to create a mobile back haul system.

OTTAWA—Even under the FAA’s highly restrictive “333 exemption” rules governing the commercial use of drones—especially the requirement to file flight plans 24 hours before launch—pioneering broadcasters such as ABC News, Cox Media Group, and Media General have managed to capture exciting, meaningful TV coverage using these unmanned, camera-equipped platforms.

Media General station KRQE-TV in Albuquerque, N.M., uses both drones and its helicopter for ENG. “The damage caused by hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding and earthquakes becomes very clear from 100 feet in the air,” said Maria Stefanopoulos, production manager for “Good Morning America.” “This is a hard message to convey by using an ENG crew on the ground.”

Recent compelling drone news footage includes New York ABC O&O WABC-TV’s drone footage of severe storm damage on Long Island, Jacksonville, Fla.; Cox Media Group’s WJAX-TV’s overhead views of the area where the remains of missing two-year-old Lonzie Barton was found, and Media General’s KRON-TV’s after-event coverage of wildfire devastation in the San Francisco area. Add “Good Morning America”’s use of drones to explore Son Doong Cave in Vietnam during a live broadcast, and the “wow factor” of drone footage is simply undeniable.

“This past February, GMA went on another epic drone expedition, this time in Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania where two drones and three other cameras were launched on a mission to highlight animals near extinction,” said Stefanopoulos. “These flying cameras came face to face with lions, elephants, hippos, ostriches and rhinos, all in their natural habitat. Before drone technology, showing the world these marvels wouldn’t have been possible.” (See also “Drone Action Heats Up,” about GMA’s drone coverage of an Icelandic Volcano, in the April 1, 2015 issue of TV Technology.)

As of August 28, 2016, the FAA’s rules on drone usage have been significantly relaxed under the agency’s new Part 107 regulations. In particular, TV stations will no longer have to file a flight plan 24 hours in advance; making the coverage of breaking news using drones legally possible, (see “FAA Clears Way for News Drones,” July 2016 TV Technology).

Nevertheless, the remaining FAA conditions plus the extremely costly legal ramifications of drone-caused injuries to the public means that the detailed strategies used by U.S. drone newsgathering pioneers demand serious study by any TV station wanting to launch their own “eye in the sky.”

STILL CAUTIOUS

Even without the FAA’s rules, safely flying HD camera-equipped drones like the DJI quadcopters used by ABC News, Cox Media Group and Media General is not a task for amateurs. This is why all of these news organizations spent months planning out their approach to flying and downlinking footage from newsgathering drones.

At Media General, for instance, “we formed a six-person task force that included news directors, chief engineers, and news photographers to plan our end-to-end drone strategy,” said Brett Jenkins, Media General’s CTO. As a result of this process, Media General opted to have its pilots complete a drone training program that included simulator training and flight skills training. In the field, they created workflows that included both file-based and live options with the video footage being downlinked on location to either a TVU backpack or an ENG truck.

ABC News has also done some training on the use of drones, according to Brian Kennedy, ABC News’ vice president of Global News Gathering & Planning. “We have done a complete training program encompassing everything from maintenance to flying,” he said. “This is meant to give a full picture of how you can fly, where, when, and under what conditions; and it also gives the practical skills to fly safely, including reaction to unexpected situations. We have also done a shorter executive class designed to teach those who may never fly, but who need to know the capabilities and procedures of this technology and our program.

Given that the FAA’s 333 exemption rules required 24-hour flight plans to be filed before takeoff, “most news directors were seriously disappointed that we couldn’t use drones for breaking news,” said Media General’s Jenkins. “But even under those rules, we were able to use drones for follow-up overhead news video and also for non-news uses such as beauty shots for local advertisers.” These benefits, plus the promotional advantage of Media General stations being able to promote that they had drones when their competition didn’t, made the investment worthwhile.

“WJAX’s use of our ‘Action News Jax’ Skyvision drone has made a big impression on our viewers,” said WJAX-TV News Director Bob Longo. “The first big splash was when we flew over the Florida search area for Lonzie Barton’s remains,” he said. (Barton’s accidentally drowned body was disposed of by his mother’s boyfriend Ruben Ebron, who initially claimed the toddler was kidnapped when Ebron’s car was stolen.) “Being able to provide an overhead view provided a unique perspective to the story, which we couldn’t do from the ground.”

“We feel that drone video, whether live or taped, has given us a chance to tell our stories in new and compelling ways,” said Jennifer Graves; ABC 7 Chicago’s vice president and news director. “The video from the drone is usually more intimate than video from our helicopter. And in some cases, like the video we shot inside a Chicago-area quarry that will be used for floodwater control, the drone shot scenes that we would not be able to capture any other way.”

PROPERLY TRAINED PILOTS

Now that the FAA’s Part 107 rule eliminates the need to file flight plans 24 hours prior to drone takeoff, news organizations such as ABC, Cox, and Media General will be able to leverage their drone platforms to cover breaking news. But this doesn’t mean that they will take risks, such as flying unheeded over the public, or interfering with manned aircraft traffic. As well, these organizations’ insistence on using properly trained pilots will continue.

A case in point is ABC News: “With Part 107, we have a two-phase training program,” said Kennedy. Phase One is “a ground school designed to prepare producers and camera people to fly drones, understand the rules and conditions, and prepare for the FAA certification requirement. Once FAA-certified, we require the flight school to prove you are capable of flying the drones/UAS we are using and be sure you understand our systems and procedures. Once trained, it is very important for people to practice frequently to keep skills sharp.”

As for drones’ place in overall TV newsgathering? “We see drones as being a part of our overall toolkit, but not a replacement for helicopters or ground ENG crews,” said Jenkins. “I’m hoping it’ll be one of our go-to tools,” added Graves, “but a lot will depend on how the rules and regulations, both at the federal and local level, evolve.”

That said, the FAA’s Part 107 rule with its relaxed requirements will definitely encourage many TV stations to buy their own drones and start shooting. For those about to make this move, ABC News’ Stefanopoulos offered the following advice: “Safety is the number one priority. Education is critical. Practice, practice, practice.

“Operating drones is not for everyone,” she added. “Rules need to be obeyed 100 percent of the time and these machines need to be treated with the utmost respect. As television producers, we like to push the envelope to get the most creative and the most cutting edge images, but when a drone is in the air, the producer is no longer in charge. Finding a team who is passionate about this technology and who understands the advantages and limitations of flying cameras is key.”

OTTAWA—One good idea begets another: cellular bonding— sending compressed H.264 video from the field over multiple cellular telecom channels, to provide master control with a reliable live feed—has provided TV broadcasters with a highly portable, low-cost alternative to microwave and satellite transmission for a decade. It’s proven to be such a good idea that broadcasters and transmitter manufacturers alike have not only embraced “cellular ENG,” but taken it to the next level.

NBC affiliate WPSD in Paducah, Ky. recently expanded its field newsgathering capabilities with the Aviwest DMNG PRO 180 3G/4G bonded cellular video transmission system distributed by Vidovation in the U.S.

Today, this includes converting the outgoing feeds into IP video (making it seamlessly transportable across Wi-Fi and Ethernet networks), and also sending out these signals via licensed radio bands, allowing broadcasters to create their own private cellular ENG networks. For broadcasters of all sizes, this means that cellular ENG equipment is doing much more than just providing cost-effective, highly portable live TV feeds from anywhere; including places that microwave/SNG trucks just can’t go.

GETTING TO AIR, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
Texas’ Catholic Television of San Antonio broadcasts live religious programming on the local Time Warner Cable network. Among its most popular programs is the annual Good Friday “Passion Play,” showing the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ that attracts thousands of San Antonians each year. The production begins at Milam Park and heads up the street to conclude outside San Fernando cathedral.

“In the past, whenever we needed to go live, we would work with our local Time Warner office to coordinate the feed between our field crew and master control, before feeding the switched production to the cable channel,” said Dagoberto Patlan, CTSA’s operations manager. “But after Charter Communications bought Time Warner last year, the local TW office was closed down, leaving us to fend for ourselves. This is when we decided to go with cellular ENG, by renting a TVU Networks’ TVUPack cellular 4G/LTE portable backpack transmitter for a live remote event.”

CTSA’s initial experience with the TVUPack transmitter was so positive the channel subsequently bought its own TVUPack to send back switched-multicamera feeds from the field to CTSA’s master control.

INTERCONNECTING QMI
Quincy Media, Inc. swears by its roster of LiveU LU500 cellular ENG portables. “The LiveU portables allow you to send out live feeds from places that microwave/ENG trucks can’t go, like a multistory office building or other remote location,” said Brady Dreasler, corporate director of engineering for QMI. “This is why we have about 30 LiveU cellular ENG transmitters to serve our 14-station broadcast group.”

Thanks to the TVUPack portable transmitter, Catholic Television of San Antonio can now shoot/stream remote church services quickly and easily; without outside support.

In addition to using LiveU units for newsgathering, QMI deploys them to cover sporting events such as football, basketball, and hockey. “Some of this coverage we use locally; some for statewide transmission,” said Dreasler. “We can send individual live hits, or fully-produced, switched multicamera feeds back to our group member stations. It is a lot faster, simpler, and cheaper than using a microwave or satellite truck, and it is sure safer than having to raise a 52-foot microwave mast.”

LiveU now integrates their cellular ENG transmitters directly into ENG cameras, “so if you buy a new Panasonic camcorder, for instance, you can get one that streams video directly to the LiveU cloud, where authorized stations can pull the feed offline,” said Avi Cohen, COO. “As well, we have integrated with NewTek’s open Network Device Interface which allows our field units to communicate back to the studio so the video director can mix and then transmit a switched video feed directly from his board to the station and/or LiveU cloud. LiveU can also be integrated directly with Facebook Live, so that feeds sent from a LiveU cellular ENG transmitter can go directly to Facebook for real-time online streaming by unlimited viewers.”

MORE TRANSMISSION OPTIONS
Accelerated Media Technologies, in Auburn, Mass. recently introduced its ENGenesis two-way video transport system that uses broadcasters’ licensed 2/7GHz Broadcast Auxiliary Service (BAS) radio channels instead of commercial cellular networks. “By using your station’s BAS bands, you get to create your own private radio network to move video signals from the field,” said Steve DeFala, AMT’s director of sales. “This protects your signals from being lost when the commercial networks are overloaded—and you don’t have to pay for the airtime.”

Comrex’s LiveShot sends out HD IP video by whatever networks are best available to carry it; be they 3G/4G cellular, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or a mix of all three. “We can also work with Inmarsat BGAN and VSAT satellite connections,” said Chris Crump, senior director of sales and marketing for the Devens, Mass.-based provider of broadcast technology. “LiveShot even provides low-delay return video with two IFB return channels and a director/camera PL channel, to coordinate live production in the field.”

Dejero’s new LIVE+ EnGo is a camcorder-mounted unit that houses a compact mobile transmitter to encode H.264 video. It transmits this IP video from the camcorder over multiple IP networks to reliably deliver HD video with extremely low latency. “At NAB 2016, we showed the addition of closed-captioning to the LIVE+ EnGo platform, which can be transmitted over cellular, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and satellite,” said Bogdan Frusina, founder and CTO of Dejero in Waterloo, Ont.

Teradek offers a range of cellular ENG products that can send H.264 IP HD video over 3G/4G/LTE cellular, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and BGAN satellite. The company recently introduced the Teralink iOS app, which “provides the ability to wirelessly ‘stitch’ four iPhones together; a term our customers cheekily called ‘friends with bandwidth,’” said Jon Landman, Teradek’s vice president of sales. This capability allows Teradek’s Cube cellular ENG transmitter to be used worldwide without requiring onboard modems that are locally compatible, “making our new Cube the lightest cellular bonding device on the market at 8 ounces,” Landman said. “And, with our ‘Core’ cloud management system, we enable control, routing and recording of all feeds via a simple cloud-based GUI.”

Vidovation has partnered with France’s Aviwest to distribute the Aviwest bonded IP and bonded cellular platform in the United States. Aviwest is the most popular ENG supplier in Europe, according to Jim Jachetta, executive vice president of engineering and CTO for Vidovation. “Their equipment is the best in the market, and it conforms to European RF safety standards, which are tougher than ours.” Aviwest’s cellular ENG transmitter comes with dual hardware encoders for two independent transmission paths (one variable for bonded cellular transmission, and one fixed-rate); on-camera video recording for store and forward; and the ability to receive, decode and play out live streams from multiple field units.

WASHINGTON—Federal regulators are working out the date certain that TV stations using satellite newsgathering trucks will have to install a tracking beam so neighboring satellite TV operators can find them if they cause interference.

Nearly three years ago, the Federal Communications Commission ordered the adoption of an identification scheme that would allow satellite operators to track down interference from temporary-fixed earth stations—a category that includes satellite newsgathering trucks. These stations were supposed to start embedding an Automatic Transmitter Identification System message into their subcarrier signal by Sept. 3, 2016. This was to be achieved though an upgraded or new modulator, but those are few and far between as the deadline approaches, according to the FCC Public Notice seeking feedback on when to set the new deadline.

“Recent information from affected earth station operators, and independent staff market surveillance, indicate that suitable external modulators have not become widely available,” it said. “Many earth station operators would therefore be unable to retro-fit their current transmitting equipment in order to comply... and instead would need to replace the equipment at considerably greater expense than anticipated when the rule was adopted.”

A temporary, one-year waiver of the Sept. 3, 2016 deadline was issued in March to allow more time to update the record on a more appropriate implementation schedule. 

“We now seek comment on the appropriate timeframe for implementation of the carrier identification requirement for digital video transmissions,” the Public Notice stated. “In particular, we invite comment on the costs to both earth station operators and space station operators of further delaying the effective date of the requirement. We specifically request that commenters provide supporting materials such as technical documentation and price quotations for equipment compliant with the carrier identification requirement.”

A timetable now has been established for the discussion on the questions in that PN. Today’s publication in the Federal Register set the comment due-date at June 30, with replies due July 15, when the comment period will close. The International Bureau Docket No. is 12-267.

Also see...
Aug. 15, 2013
“FCC Streamlines Satellite Communications Rules Changes”
One change that is likely to lead to extra cost for SNG truck operators is a requirement for a new Automatic Transmitter Identification System (ATIS). ATIS operating on a subcarrier is currently required for all broadband video uplinks, but this form of identification is not really compatible with digitally modulated signals.

Oct.5, 2012
“FCC Eyes Video Uplink ATIS Rule Changes”
With the use of different today’s encoding methods and encryption, it’s difficult to identify uplink transmitters.

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. & LOS ANGELES—MultiDyne’s LightBox 1430 portable signal transport system has made its way to Hollywood, as the company has announced that CBS Network News Los Angeles recently acquired a LightBox system to boost its ENG production. The MultiDyne technology features a user-specified I/O panel designed for the transport of audio, video and data signals over a single fiber-optic cable.

CBS News LA previously used a collection of signal connectivity components, including fiber converters, video and audio DAs, and intercoms for transporting signals, said John Weiser, supervisor of technical operations at CBS News LA, in a press release. Per MultiDyne, the LightBox 1430 offers an integrated and compact unit for quick configuration and signal distribution during live shoots. The system also features a two-wire intercom option that fits with CBS News Live’s truck.

The network acquired the LightBox 1430 system in January. According to CBS News LA, they have already used it for coverage of Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, Calif., and for a “CBS Evening News” segment live from Las Vegas.

IP has brought a technology explosion to the process of moving broadcast-quality video from one location to another. Broadcasters have more ways than ever to set up permanent or temporary video feeds for remote production or fast-breaking news.

In the meantime, the traditional ways of delivering remote video from the field to the studio are getting better, faster and easier to use. If broadcast television is to remain relevant, its ability to field trained news reporters at breaking news events is a major factor in keeping viewers watching. There are surprises every year at the NAB Show in this category, so you are advised to keep your eyes open for the latest innovations in remote communications.

TRUCKS & MICROWAVE
AMT (Accelerated Media Technologies) will highlight its ENGenesis system that supports two-way communication between broadcast trucks and TV stations. ENGenesis features an all IP-architecture and is based on industry-standard LTE technology adapted to operate in 2/7GHz BAS bands and features dynamic bandwidth allocation, QoS and a software-upgradeable future-proof design.

BSI will show its Real Freedom Camera Back Transmitter, a compact, wireless system designed for live ENG. With its 3G 1080p encoder, the transmitter is capable of 10-bit, 4:2:2 sampling throughout all resolutions and frame rates.

AVIWest’s DMNG HE4000 HEVC 4K video encoderAVIWest will demonstrate the DMNG HE4000, a new HEVC 4K video encoder designed to distribute 4K content over unmanaged networks. Using the high-efficiency video encoder for contribution applications, broadcasters can deliver 4K, HD or SD video content at low bit rates over IP networks, even in volatile network environments.

Grass Valley CopperHead 3404Grass Valley will feature its extensive line of remote camera connection systems, such as the CopperHead 3404 fiber transceiver. The CopperHead 3404 takes video from a dual/quad-link 4K camera and delivers it to a studio or production truck, providing all the signals needed for multicamera 4K production using a single tactical or SMPTE hybrid fiber cable.

Bluebell Opticom will introduce the BCX- 760 series 10G Ethernet point-to-point fiber link, a camera-back interface that allows easy connection and signal transport between camera and OB truck or base station. BCX interfaces map any broadcast camera signal onto a 10G Ethernet point-to-point link for high-quality transport over much longer distances than have been previously possible.

IP-ENG/BONDED CELLULAR
Cobham, which changed its name to DCT (Domo Tactical Communications) recently, will launch the SOLO7-OBTx, a feature-packed camera-back transmitter that includes 1080p60 and 4:2:2 compression, integrated camera control, swappable RF modules, and H.264/MPEG-4 video encoding. The company will also debut the SOLO8 SDR (software-defined radio), a dual input HD-SDI, COFDM, and IP mesh transmitter that includes integral video analytics, recording, and IP streaming. It can be implemented via PC software or embedded system.

Comrex LiveShotComrex will show off the new version of its LiveShot transport system, which delivers low-latency video and audio over a range of IP networks, and can provide two-way connectivity simultaneously even over challenging networks. LiveShot provides return video, two IFB returns, and director/camera PL, and now has upgraded firmware v1.4.

Dejero will feature its Live+ Transceiver, a combination encoder/decoder for IP video transport over the company’s Live+ platform. With the ability to accept IP inputs and feed IP outputs simultaneously in a single 1RU chassis, the Live+ Transceiver can also be used to contribute and receive HD live content across Dejero’s new Live+ Multipoint IP video distribution network.

DVEO will highlight its CloudPort: 8 Sim H.264, a bonded cellular backpack system that bundles up to eight mobile network channels from one or multiple operators into a single broadband channel for studio backlink. Users can also add Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections to maximize the upload capacity, resulting in a total of 10 connections on a single system.

IDX will show its Cam-Wave CM1 wireless HDMI transmission system that can be used to feed 1080p from a camera’s HDMI port to a receiver up to 100 meters away. The Cam-Wave CM1 uses dynamic frequency selection in the 5 GHz band to select an interference-free channel.

Integrated Microwave Technologies (IMT) will spotlight its 58microLite HD Mini Kit, a portable professional-grade MPEG-4 COFDM HD wireless camera transmission link capable of providing high-quality video at distances greater than two miles. Developed for the next generation of HD-capable compact cameras, the 58micro- Lite system is available in either licensed or unlicensed bands.

Joseph Electronics will introduce the JFS Waveshifter-4 series, which can transport up to four HD camera systems on one single-mode fiber. Waveshifter-4 uses optical wavelength-shifting technology to map the two fibers in standard HD cameras to wavelengths in the CDWM spectrum so that they can then be introduced into a CWDM mux.

LiveU SoloLiveU will feature a live studio in collaboration with TWiT.tv, NewTek and Panasonic. The company will also demonstrate LiveU Solo, its new plug-and-play live streaming bonded solution for the online media market. LiveU Solo lets users live-stream seamlessly into any web streaming workflow by connecting automatically to content delivery networks such as YouTube Live and Wowza Streaming Cloud.

Moseley will show its range of wireless broadcast communications products, such as the DTV Short Haul Link, a compact inter- city relay system that can transmit digital data (including video) at standard data rates to 155 Mbps and enhanced data rates up to 310 Mbps.

Riedel Communications will highlight its STX-200 Skype interface, which runs Skype TX software and can be used to integrate remote Skype feeds into a studio presentation. The STX-200 is compatible with standard free Skype clients to allow incoming studio video feeds from a range of participants.

TVU OneTeradek will showcase its Cube compact H.264 encoder/decoder, designed to stream live HD video directly to the Web, point-to-point over the Internet, and to iOS and Android devices. The company will also demonstrate its Core Cloud Platform that allows users to configure, monitor and record Teradek codecs in real-time or route video feeds to any number of destinations anywhere in the world.

TVU Networks will show its TVU One, TVU Me, TVU Grid and TVU Anywhere. TVU One delivers the same transmission resiliency, HD picture quality and sub-second latency of a full-size mobile cellular backpack solution but in a ultra-compact size and weight form factor. TVU Me is an IP video marketplace that enables broadcasters to purchase live or recorded video content from other broadcasters, freelancers and independent production crews from around the world. TVU Grid is a powerful, simple IP-video switching, routing and distribution platform that can seamlessly switch live IP video content and share live video streams between multiple remote locations.TVU Anywhere is an app for iPhone or Android devices that enables reporters to instantly capture and transmit live video from their smart phones.

VidOvation’s VidOlink family of long-range wireless transmission systemsVidOvation will launch two new products in its VidOlink family of long-range wireless transmission systems. The VidOlink Ranger2 is a lower-cost long-range transmission system that uses OFDM to transport video within line of sight on the 5.8 GHz band, while the VidOlink Tally & Control is a complementary means of adding tally and camera control unit (CCU) functionality to new or existing wireless camera systems using the 403-473 MHz band. It can also send data via VidOlink’s RF-over fiber SMPTE units, delivering RF, data, and power to the receive point with a single cable.

Vislink will spotlight its HEROCast, a tiny broadcast-quality HD micro-transmitter, that pairs with a dedicated wireless receive unit, PROCeiver, to provide a complete action sports video link. HEROCast was developed with GoPro and is designed to work specifically with the GoPro HERO 4 and HERO 3+ product lines to transmit live HD video.

SATELLITE
DTV Innovations will feature their Gryphon video encoder, which provides lowlatency encoding for a range of signals including MPEG-4 with 4:2:2 10-bit HD. It includes an internal demodulator for DSNG, ENG or other applications and accommodates up to 16 audio channels. Also look for the Falcon decoder that complements the Gryphon with decoding of MPEG-4 HD video. It includes a satellite demodulator.

Enensys will highlight its One Beam ISDB-Tb DTT network optimization technology. Designed for Latin American markets, One Beam ISDB-T/Tb allows a standard (MPEG-2) transport stream to be used within the delivery network, removing the need for proprietary equipment to deliver and receive the BTS stream.

Frontline Communications will spotlight its new automatic Ka/Ku-band dual-feed satellite antenna system, which the company co-designed with AvL Technologies. The mobile satellite antenna permits dual-band capability on the ViaSat network.

SAPEC will feature its Gredos line of video encoders and integrated receiver decoders (IRD) for digital satellite newsgathering. Gredos now supports Carrier ID, and the family includes the Gredos GHM encoder with integrated DVB-S2 modulator (upgradable to DVB-S2X) and the Gredos GHR IRD.

LIMA, OHIO—At WLIO, we seek to provide the most in-depth ENG coverage possible. In order to give our west central Ohio audience a never-before-seen point of view for our stories, we made the decision to upgrade to an HD microwave transmitter to escape the limitations of fiber-connected cameras.

We went shopping at the 2015 NAB show and happened upon the Integrated Microwave Technologies (IMT) booth. After spotting the microLite HD transmitter and speaking with the representative, we knew instantly we had to have these wireless wonders and ended up purchasing two microLite 6.4 GHz models.

FREEWHEELING
For the last 40 to 50 years of television, the camera has always been tied to a bulky and heavy cable that required several people to move around and operate. With the wireless microLite HD transmitter, our videographers are handed a camera with the unit on top and given the creative license to go wherever they feel they can get the best picture.

WLIO uses microLite system to cover county fairs. Much of our field reporting involves recurring events, such as county fairs and parades. Imagine you are in the middle of a county fair and you’re trying to do a television show. The biggest problem we would often have before purchasing the microLite was the limitations of running cable; the farthest we could go was 100 or 200 feet. In addition, we also had to deal with the nightmare of navigating through the crowd to get the shots. With the microLite, we supply our shooters with cameras to roam the fairgrounds; one videographer was able to go 1,200 feet from where we were located. We couldn’t see him, and we could just barely communicate with him on our intercom packs, but he was sending back beautiful footage of the fairgrounds.

In another scenario, we put one of our anchors up on a swing ride to interview one of the park officials. The results we achieved using the microLite for this application were simply amazing. In the past when we used fiber, we could never even think of going to these places.

EASY SET-UP
The ease of use of the microLite cannot be understated. The unit mounts effortlessly in place of the battery pack and the battery pack is then connected to the microLite itself, making it self-contained. It is extremely versatile and lightweight, and requires only one person to operate. To connect the microLite to the camera, all we need is an 8-inch HDSDI/ embedded cable with 90-degree BNC fittings.

Now that we are completely wireless, the possibilities are endless. The microLite has provided a cost-effective solution that has let us not only simplify workflow, but take our viewers where we have never been able to go before to tell a story.

Fred Vobbe is a 47-year veteran in broadcasting and has won numerous awards in the broadcasting and electronics field. He has been with WLIO Television since 1985. He can be contacted atfvobbe@wlio.com.

For more information, please visitwww.imt-broadcast.comor call 908-852-3700.