Vislink showcases groundbreaking 5G and cloud-based wireless solutions in support of new 5G broadcast innovations

Vislink, a global technology leader in the capture, delivery  and management of high quality, live video and associated data in the media & entertainment, law enforcement and defence markets, delivered private network 5G technology at a sporting event in the UK which showcased the potential of 5G in broadcast. The Vislink and (Vislink subsidiary) Mobile Viewpoint deployment heralds a further revolution in remote production workflows by bringing bi-directional IP connectivity right to the edge and delivering operational efficiencies for broadcasters by enabling virtualized production in the cloud.

Vislink’s innovations were on display at the Gallagher Premiership Rugby match between Saracens and the Northampton Saints at StoneX Stadium in London, where it proudly supported a BT-led project to highlight the potential for 5G in broadcast contributions, which centred on the connection of the matchday cameras to a standalone private 5G network. These cameras’ output then formed part of the live BT Sport coverage of the match in a UK first — never before have key matchday cameras, as part of a customer broadcast, been enabled in this way. BT Media & Broadcast and BT Sport led the project with support from Broadcast RF, the University of Strathclyde and Neutral Wireless.

Throughout the duration of the rugby match, broadcast live on BT Sport, Vislink deployed private network 5G transmitters alongside COFDM technology to demonstrate how 5G technology is evolving to deliver guaranteed quality, low latency video from wireless cameras to give immersive up-close camera shots of the sporting drama and get viewers right to the heart of the action.

Mobile Viewpoint’s 5G-enabled encoder devices up-linked individual camera feeds directly to the cloud over a combination of a secure, low latency 5G private network and IP LAN. With a direct hand-off to BT Sport’s virtualized production workflow, camera feeds could be selected by the director for the program feed entirely within a cloud environment. This solely cloud-based implementation proves Mobile Viewpoint’s capability to deliver new cost and operation benefits to create a game-changing breakthrough for remote production operations.

“This is the latest example of Vislink’s continued leadership,” said Carleton M. Miller, CEO of Vislink. “With COFDM, and public and private 5G wireless solutions, Vislink 5G has the operational advantage to simplify content capture system deployments as they transition to end-to-end bi-directional IP connectivity. Vislink and Mobile Viewpoint are leading the industry on a path to deploy hybrid transmitters using a combination of technologies — enabling a higher density of wireless video feeds and more efficient all-IP remote production virtualized solutions for live events.”

Vislink’s long leadership in COFDM-based wireless technologies was augmented by the addition of Mobile Viewpoint 5G technology offerings last year. The integration of these technologies now provides Vislink with a best-of-breed suite of robust and efficient solutions for a wide assortment of deployment scenarios.

Following on from the world’s first stand-alone private 5G network for sports broadcasting at the British MotoGP 2021 Grand Prix, this latest public showcase represents another leap forward of the company’s leadership in 5G wireless technology. Through this trial, organized by BT Sport and BT Media and Broadcast, Vislink and Mobile Viewpoint have demonstrated a new world’s first glass-to-glass All-IP wireless and virtualized production. This groundbreaking trial now sets the future direction for live events broadcasting. BCS Bureau