Broadcasters used LiveU’s field units, cloud production and distribution systems and services to report at UK polling booths and at the US Republican Convention via robust cellular networks.
The ability to capture and deliver real-time, round-the-clock coverage of the recent UK election has been critical for broadcasters and news agencies. Meanwhile, reporters covering the US Republican and Democratic National Conventions are focussed on avoiding public network congestion and the instability of WiFi in the convention arenas.
The UK election stood out for its scale and deployment of engaging live broadcasts, including interviews, parliamentary candidates arriving to their polling stations, the declaration results and speeches live on air.
At the Polling Stations
Broadcasters in the UK and from 40 countries around the world were using field units, cloud production and distribution systems and services from LiveU to report from hundreds of polling stations and other locations across the country, prioritising the higher profile constituencies that had the most significant election counts. LiveU's devices and software became instrumental in covering those key election spots, from build-up and pre-election reporting to post-result analysis.
Nearly 900 field encoders, including the LU800 for multi-cam applications and compact, portable LU300S, were deployed by over 180 LiveU users over the 48-hour period from 3 to 5 July, used alongside the LU-Smart smartphone app. Around 18,000 live sessions were recorded, totalling over 5,000 hours, with over 10.5 TB of live transmissions.
Some of the political content, such as key moments relating to the party leaders, was pooled. Using LiveU's LiveU Matrix, a cloud-native IP-video distribution platform, broadcasters could securely share this media with each other in real-time, reducing production costs.
Distribution Channels
Over 400 distribution channels were involved. LiveU's cloud-native video production service, LiveU Studio, expanded the reach of interviews, speeches and aftermath coverage across digital channels as part of a continuous production workflow. Starting with a live feed, clean or with graphics, users can rapidly produce various versions of shows, complete with vision mixing, remote guest contribution, graphics and audio, remote callers and social media options for monetisation – directly from a web browser. Live content can reach audiences on multiple digital channels, all at once.
A mix of cellular, local WiFi and LEO connectivity was used, achieving connection diversity without having to alter workflows. LiveU’s proprietary LRT (LiveU Reliable Transport) protocol for wireless networks, bonds multiple IP connections and accommodates the special properties of 4G/5G cellular as well as traditional wireless and wired networks. It then enhances reliability by applying multiple resiliency transmission techniques simultaneously, such as Packet Ordering, Acknowledge & Resend, Dynamic Forward Error Corrections and Adaptive Bitrate Encoding. .
LiveU & Pente Networks Private Cellular Networks
Broadcasters covering the US Presidential Election have also been making use of LiveU's equipment, private connectivity and production systems, in this case through an effective integration.
Ahead of the recent Republican National Convention held 15 – 18 July in Wisconsin, and the Democratic National Convention scheduled for 19 – 22 August, LiveU and Pente Networks, a private wireless network orchestration and management software company, collaborated on the launch of LiveU Private Connectivity. Their joint system gave news broadcasters access to private network connectivity inside the RNC at the Fiserv Forum arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As a result, viewers around the world were able to participate in one of the largest political events of the year, with minimal disruption.
Robust, Reliable Connectivity
LiveU CTO Dan Pisarski said, "We expect this US Presidential Election to break records for the amount of continuous simultaneous live transmissions. Making this private cellular network available for broadcasters covering the Conventions adds a robust, reliable connection to the mix of bonded connections, avoiding public network congestion and the instability of WiFi in the convention arenas.
“Furthermore, private cellular networks give us another layer of service for users that features network segmentation for extra control, prioritisation between the different cellular, WiFi, LAN and satellite networks, and greater security. It also adds capacity for varied types of remote production, and communications between employees."
Pente Network's orchestration for provisioning ad-hoc – that is, special-purpose - private mobile networks, oversees the series of tasks required for resilient, reliable broadcast quality connectivity from challenging environments like densely populated convention arenas. The Pente HyperCore Cloud, a multi-tenant management platform, can be used to extend the enterprise IP network. Consisting of a cloud-controlled edge, with software for planning, deployment and orchestration and numerous RESTful APIs for fast IT service integration, users can detect, define and provision new devices, instantly and remotely.
Having an ad hoc method of private mobile networking means LiveU can establish this service almost anywhere, and deploy it quickly, creating various options for sharing stories. LiveU Private Connectivity uses radio and switching configurations to result in freedom of camera movement and placement within the locations. As part of its LiveU IP-video system of devices, services and integrations – such as this one with Pente Networks – LiveU simplifies the task of securing the network and deploying a robust connection for broadcast. www.liveu.tv
