Flemish Belgian public broadcaster VRT has successfully accomplished a trial remote production of a live musical concert over IP. This marks the world’s first remote, live multi-cam TV production over IP, using entirely open standards (SMPT2022-6, AES67, PTP and OPENFLOW), across the whole production chain.
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) is supporting the work of the LiveIP Project, in advancing the transition to open protocols for media over IP in television broadcasting. LiveIP is a multi-vendor system integration to showcase IP-based live TV broadcast production, and a collaborative project between the EBU (European Broadcast Union) and broadcaster VRT, within which AIMS member companies, EVS, Grass Valley, Lawo, Nevion and Tektronix, are industry technology partners.
Formed in August last year, LiveIP implemented a live TV production studio at VRT’s Brussels production centre, using IP and IT-centric hardware and software. For the broadcast on 15 January, an OB unit at the Bozar concert hall in the city centre was connected to the VRT production studio 5km away via IP, using a single dark fibre cable. Signals from four IP cameras, ten microphones via an IP stagebox, intercom, cam control, tally, internet and more, were transmitted via the 10km cable at 25gbitps. The trial proved the capability to remotely produce live broadcast events via IP, without the use of an OB vehicle.
Commenting on the success of the trial for VRT, Karel De Bondt, project manager for LiveIP, stated that, “All signals were transmitted via the single cable without noticeable delay, such that technically, there was little difference between an OB truck and a remote production room.”
Speaking of the significance of the LiveIP remote production over IP trial in this process, AIMS chairman Michael Cronk (pictured) said, “The LiveIP Project is a major proof of concept of just how far the industry has already moved towards a possible future based on open standards. Not only is it another proof point that a multi-camera live production can be achieved with SMPTE 2022-6 and AES-67 technology, it showcases the wide availability of SMPTE 2022-6 and AES-67 technology as ten different vendors contributed equipment to this production. AIMS is proud to stand with the LiveIP Project as it showcases standards-based interoperability over IP.”
