LiveU has partnered with Ericsson and RAI to test how 5G slices can help with remote production.
Network slicing divides a 5G network into logically separate sections, and is expected to enable journalists and TV crews to broadcast data-intensive video signals live from wherever they are.
The three companies worked together as part of the EU 5G-RECORDS project, designed to develop, integrate, validate and demonstrate specific 5G components in end-to-end 5G infrastructures for professional AV media content production.
As part of the tests, a LU800 PRO portable transmission solution transmitted multiple A/V feeds via an Ericsson 5G Stand-Alone private 5G lab setup in Aachen, Germany over the public internet to the RAI Studio Labs in Turin, Italy.
There, a LiveU LU2000 server received the video and outputted it as SMPTE 2110. In the 5G network, one slice was configured to provide approximately 60 Mbps as an uplink-oriented priority over the second slice. This was set up to provide the remaining capacity, approximately 50 Mbps, on a best-effort basis.
In some of the tests, the transmission was conducted with a single modem over the uplink-oriented, “guaranteed performance slice”. In other tests, transmissions used the best-effort slice. In further tests, the transmission used LiveU bonding of both the uplink-oriented “guaranteed performance” slice and the remaining slice, said the company. Additionally, transmission performance was measured while emulated congestion was applied to the network in parallel to the LU800 PRO uplink transmission.
Several additional capabilities of the LiveU remote production solution were also trialled as part of the project, including remote audio capabilities (intercom and return audio), remote control of camera iris/shading over the integrated LiveU 5G IP-PIPE remote device control service, and LU2000 SMPTE-2110 A/V output compliance.
Baruch Altman, AVP technologies and projects, LiveU, said, “This was a very important, comprehensive set of tests of network slicing scenarios, providing clearly measurable results. The trial also highlighted the key role that LiveU’s IP-bonding will play when it comes to resilient professional production in real-world conditions, including where and when dedicated slices for upload will be deployed.”
