There has been a first on German television this morning, according to Vodafone Germany, as RTL broadcasted its first live interviews over 5G in real time on its n-tv news channel. The broadcasts are part of a ‘themed day’ on n-tv delving into the challenges of 5G technology, with Vodafone, RTL and technology partner LiveU developing new ‘5G live production technology’ over the past few weeks in the lead-up to to today’s ‘European premiere’.
The cameras used by the RTL team were equipped with 5G-capable production technology, including special 5G SIM cards, to send images directly to RTL’s broadcast centre over Vodafone’s independent 5G network, allowing transmission in real time for processing and then broadcast over the n-tv channel.
- Tokyo 2020 to use 5G, UHD, and AR to enhance viewing experience
- BT Sport’s Matt Stagg on 5G and broadcast
- Portugal broadcasts first football matches over 5G
Vodafone said that 5G technology will eventually enable reporters to report on major events more “spontaneously and more flexibly”, and be able to transmit live images directly from any location. It also said that in the future, camera signals could also be processed in virtual control rooms so that production can be carried out from many different locations; particularly advantageous for transmission of images in places where there is no fixed space for an OB van.
Vodafone Germany CEO, Hannes Ametsreiter, said, “5G standalone transmits data in real time; for example, live images for television. Reporters become even more flexible with 5G because cameras are no longer wired. Live images can be transmitted spontaneously and at any location directly from the camera to the broadcasting center via our real-time network. The viewers on the TV screen come even closer to the scene and experience perspectives that have never existed before.”
