Save Satellite, Fiber & Telecom Costs:
Unique Transport Protocol Cuts Contribution & Distribution Costs in Multicamera, Live-Action Productions Making the Impossible Possible
by Jim Jachetta, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, VidOvation
RACK 4K & HD Encoder and PRO Series Provide Robust Transmission Over Cellular and Public Internet
RACK4 HEVC Encoder with SafeStreams for Transport over the Public Internet
Broadcast engineers and operators always look for better, more efficient ways to contribute and distribute video. It’s especially true for sports broadcasters and live-TV producers, who regularly deal with backhauling live, high-action, multicamera, multisource video, and audio. The challenge is maintaining perfect video genlock and lip sync across multiple cameras. RACK4 4K UHD & HD HEVC live encoder and PRO Series bonded cellular transmitter with SafeStreams® technology do just that. A far less costly alternative to traditional telecom or satellite connections, the HE4000 sends video through the public internet or unmanaged networks, which are practically free. Bonded cellular capability can be added to the RACK4 using the optional QUAD CellLink active antenna. For greater mobility, the PRO Series of bonded cellular transmitters provides a camera-mount or backpack alternative to satellite that is ideal for multicamera, remote integration (REMI), and at-home productions
Hi Jim,
Thanks for your support throughout this project (Ryder Cup Golf Tournament). Not only was the gear great, but the VidOvation support was also excellent. Looking forward to doing more in the future.
Cut Contribution & Distribution Costs in Multi-camera, Live-Action Productions [eBook Download]
- You can transport 4K UHD and HD content over the public internet at data rates as high as 100 Mbps.
- Today people are saving 65%+ on their data costs by switching to our HEVC over bonded cellular (as compared to typical H.264.)
- The best bonded cellular systems bond up to 11 IP connections in order to make the biggest possible transport pipe.
Major News Network Purchases VidOvation Solution for Contribution and Distribution of Live News Over Public Internet
LAKE FOREST, Calif. — April 2019 — VidOvation today announced that a major U.S. news network has made a significant purchase of video over IP transport technology. The network will use the Emmy Award-winning HE4000 HEVC live encoder for contribution and distribution of live news content bi-directionally between master control and remote affiliates using the public internet.
“Broadcasters — especially those like our new client, who depends on the ability to backhaul breaking news content from many different field locations and sources — are always looking for better, more efficient ways to contribute and distribute video,” said Jim Jachetta, executive vice president and chief technology officer at VidOvation. “With our 4 channel encoder, this high-profile new customer has embraced the potential of the public internet to help the network distribute live content to its affiliates in a far less costly manner than traditional telecom or satellite connections. The system also provides affiliates with the ability to forward live contributing content to master control. (Click to Read More)
What Is the RACK4?
The RCK4 encoder relies on the public internet to contribute and distribute video, thereby helping to eliminate high satellite costs. It is ideal for real-time delivery of live 4K UHD or HD content over unmanaged IP networks. The compact, half-RU encoder combines 10-bit and 4:2:2 HEVC encoding with the latest generation of SafeStreams technology to deliver live video over IP at low latencies and bit rates. The enhanced HEVC can save customers more than 65% on their data costs when used over bonded cellular compared to typical H.264.
RACK4 Field Encoder
RACK4 HEVC Encoder
- Enhanced HEVC encoding – (1) 4K UHD or (4) HD
- Patented SafeStreams® transport protocol
- Robust transport with multilayer redundancy
- Uses the public internet for contribution & distribution
- Optional bonded cellular connectivity with QUAD CellLink
BENEFITS
No Satellite & No Microwave
- Eliminate satellite, fiber, and telecom costs
- Synchronous backhaul of multiple live feeds with
perfect genlock and lip sync - No dropped packets
- Greater speed and agility
- Low latency
SafeStreams: A Transport Protocol Like No Other
HD & UHD Contribution over the Public Internet using SafeStream
SafeStreams Transport Protocol
Ultimate Reliability
Using SafeStreams — which incorporates IP bonding techniques, precision timing over bonded cellular and the public internet, and adaptive-bit-rate encoding — provides a robust transmission. That’s because of multiple layers of redundancy:
- SafeStreams automatically recovers dropped packets through dynamic 2D forward error correction.
- Additional lost packets are recovered using advanced ARQ.
- Finally, the protocol itself also has a built-in level of redundancy, which can be set as high as 100% so that each packet is transmitted twice.
Greater Speed and Agility
SafeStreams lets users record, store, and forward HE4000 4K UHD and HD contents at low bit rates. It gives the HE4000 the ability to transport 4K UHD and HD content over the public internet at data rates as high as 100 Mbps. Furthermore, it bonds up to 11 IP connections (up to eight cellular, two LAN, and one Wi-Fi) to create the biggest possible transport pipe. LAN connections can be a telecom circuit, public internet, satellite, and more. When using the HE4000 over cellular networks, the use of one or two QUAD CellLink is required to provide up to eight modems with high gain antennas.
Robust Transmission
This solution is special because of its patented high-gain, long-range antenna, which eliminates cross-coupling and interference compared to consumer USB modems. The PRO Series high-gain antenna means signals are more likely to get picked up by a cellular tower.
HD & UHD SDI Distribution via the Public Internet