Danish broadcaster TV 2 has conducted a successful proof of concept (PoC) using 5G in a live studio environment, demonstrating 5G connectivity could potentially be used in any live production.
TV 2 worked with Sony Corporation, Sony subsidiary Nevion, Radio Access Network (RAN) software specialist Node-H, and Cumucore, a non-public network (NPN) provider, on the project.
On 1st November 2023, TV 2 tested the capabilities of the 5G technology during the production of its Go aften Live evening show, from its studio located in the Tivoli Gardens in central Copenhagen. The broadcaster installed two Sony 5G-enabled system cameras in addition to its usual wired studio cameras, for the trial.
In the studio, an NPN was created, using Cucumore’s 5G Litecore technology, working in tandem with Node-H’s RAN.
Each camera was connected to the 5G network via a prototype of Sony’s CBK-RPU7 ultra-low latency HEVC 4K/HD remote production unit, and an Xperia 5G smartphone acting as a modem.
According to Sony, the CBK-RPU7 ensures that video signals are compressed efficiently to make optimum use of the available 5G bandwidth, while matching the picture quality of the wired cameras. The orchestration was provided by Nevion VideoIPath, which ensured the broadcast signal was given a priority on the 5G network.
The broadcast included pictures acquired over the 5G-enabled cameras.
Speaking about the proof of concept, Morten Brandstrup, head of news technology at TV 2 Denmark said: “We were very confident in the outcome of the test, but even we were surprised with the quality of the signals from the 5G-enabled cameras. For us, this proof of concept opens the possibility of using 5G cameras in a wider context, including studio-based productions. This will add greatly to the flexibility of our production workflows.”
Peter Sykes, strategic technology development manager at Sony added: “This successful test is a further proof that our Networked Live offering is well positioned to help broadcasters leverage 5G in their productions. Our vision of creating a unified hybrid on-prem and Cloud-distributed environment requires a network orchestration able to control the flow of signals end-to-end, across various fixed and mobile networks. With our efficient video compression technology, and our versatile orchestration, we have proved that we can overcome some of the inherent challenges of the wireless technology”.
