The European Broadcasting Union has entered the second phase of its multiple camera wireless studio use-case testing, known as 5G-RECORDS.
The project is looking at the use of Non-Public Networks (NPN) in three scenarios: live audio production, multi-cam wireless studio production, and live immersive content production.
The consortium consists of 19 partners, among them seven high-tech companies, four broadcasters, two universities, two infrastructure providers, two media technology vendors, a research centre, as well as a mobile network operator.
The multiple camera wireless studio use-case, which involves the BBC, RAI and TV2, is about equipping the cameras with an external codec and modem that feed the video signal into the 5G network, and a media gateway on the other end that maps the 5G protocols to the ST 2110 Live IP standard. For the testing, Ericsson will provide the 5G network infrastructure, Image Matters is the codec board, Fivecomm the modem, and Bisect the media gateway.
The production team are able to control the cameras remotely using services provided in the media orchestration and control layer, the development of which is being led by the BBC together with EBU, Ericsson, Bisect, RAI, TV2 and UPV.
A first round of tests was recently performed at the Ericsson lab in Aachen, with Ericsson and TV2 testing the end-to-end connectivity and EBU looking at the accuracy of the system’s PTP timecode signal. The second round of tests will focus on the media gateway and media orchestration and control layer and are due to take place this month.
The 5G-RECORDS consortium also plans to test related scenarios and elements, including:
- A single unit multi-camera remote production contribution using 5G SA (Standalone) cellular bonding and SMPTE ST-2110 video output. These tests will be led by LiveU and RAI.
- The integration of MCR solutions for routing or for virtual productions in the cloud. These tests will be led by Redbee Media.
The consortium intends to carry out live production trials in 2022. More details about the project are available here.
