January-February 2018 DISTRIBUTION 19

The BBC and Sky are examples of broadcasters who have used Mobile Viewpoint solutions to cover live events in the field . an extremely high-quality , reliable and cost-effective solution for live video acquisition and production .”

To further bolster the transition to cellular bonding , a report released by LiveU last December found that data traffic for live video over IP has doubled over the past two years . LiveU alone delivered around 1.5 million live broadcasting hours in 2017 . HD 720 / 1080 video traffic accounted for almost 80 % of all traffic delivered in 2017 , with an increase of over 120 % in live HD sessions compared to 2016 .

Perhaps more importantly , LiveU reported that 79 % of all bonded video is now delivered over cellular networks only — wired Internet connection , Wi-Fi and satellite accounted for the remaining share . The worldwide average uplink speed for video acquisition has reached 4.5Mbps , with developed areas experiencing approximately 9Mps on average .

Specifically , Africa has seen a move away from satellite to cellular bonding , with cellular often replacing satellite in countries such as Ghana , Kenya and South Africa . This , according to LiveU , can be explained by the strength of the region ’ s 4G networks and the lower costs offered by cellular , while some broadcasters are also creating multi-camera productions using cellular transmission units .

Artman adds : “ The LiveU report reflects the transition away from traditional transmission methods to cellular bonding , which is gaining ever greater traction with 4K HEVC solutions .

“ With the growth in live IP video traffic , this shift will become even more apparent . Bringing higher quality with even greater reliability to the market , HEVC / H . 265 enhances the use of cellular technology across multiple genres , such as live sports .”

Arguably , one broadcast terminology that is increasingly becoming synonymous with cellular-based transmission is remote production . While remote live

— Michel Bais , CEO , Mobile Viewpoint

production previously required an OB van and a crew to create a talk show , press conference or any remote production , this is changing , notes Michel Bais , CEO of Mobile Viewpoint . “ With the introduction of our WMT products , two to four video feeds can be transported back to the studio with minimal equipment , where a director can decide which feed to use ,” he describes . “ Being able to easily transmit several feeds to a central studio location makes it much easier for a producer or director to carry out multiple productions in a single session , which saves time and money , and which otherwise would have been spent on having personnel out on location .”

Mobile Viewpoint ’ s Multicam portfolio , for example , enables broadcasters to transmit four separate video streams from a remote location , and also features

Making the case for cellularbased transmission , Bais says : “ It enables the production of live video via mobile . It allows people to broadcast from places such as trains or cars . Cellular-based transmission provides big cost savings , and also delivers a far more flexible way of working and unleasing new formats .

“ Products such as Mobile Viewpoint ’ s WMT range makes it possible to go live from aywhere , with no need for cables or satellite connections , at just 10 % of the original cost .”

Going beyond live video transmitted over mobile networks , Bais also predicts proxy editing through mobile to be the “ next big thing ”. Some , he notes , are calling this the ‘ connected camera ’, in the sense that editing can begin from the central storage by using low-resolution clips that are transferred from the camera over bonded cellular .

Proxy editing , Bais believes , will result in a much faster turnaround , enabling producers to create the final product on location .

“ Also , by using a bonded cellular unit , the high-res clips can be downloaded after they are created , and can be used to go live instantly on social media platforms , for example , when the edited version is saved for the evening news or a talk show .”

like The Runner . It was then that Pilgrim Media Group approached Dejero about using the latter ’ s technology for the groundbreaking reality competition series .

Pilgrim Media Group ( formerly Pilgrim Studios ) is a leading independent reality-TV production company based in North Hollywood , California , USA , and who specialises in quality non-fiction cable programming . Some of its most popular shows include Ghost Hunters ( SyFy ), Wicked Tuna ( National Geographic Channel ), The Ultimate Fighter ( Fox Sports 1 ), and Fast N ’ Loud ( Discovery ).

Pilgrim has also entered the emerging digital video and videoon-demand ( VoD ) space with shows like The Runner ( Go90 ) and Zane ’ s World ( FB / YT ).

For The Runner , the Pilgrim production team used nine Dejero EnGo mobile transmitters to encode and transmit all live and recorded video back to Pilgrim Media Group ’ s Los Angeles studios for daily editing . Small enough to be wearable or mounted on the camera , the form factor and the fact that it was battery-powered made the EnGo ideal for this highly

Dejero ' s EnGo mobile transmitters were used to capture The Runner , a reality TV series conceptualised by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck

mobile shoot , said Pilgrim .

When a traditional camera would risk drawing attention to the runner — making it too easy for the chasers — producers used the Dejero Mobile App whenever discreet shooting was required to create and share video content from their phones .

As it was impossible to predict the moment when a runner would be captured , using the app often proved easier and more efficient than setting up a camera . This meant content delivered by the Dejero Mobile App was frequently featured in The Runner ’ s unscheduled “ Breaking News ” segments .

Dejero ’ s patented network blending technology created a virtual network that dynamically and intelligently managed the routing of packets to minimise the effects of fluctuating bandwidth , packet loss , and latency differences of individual cellular connections . The blended network provided the necessary bandwidth to quickly transfer Pilgrim ’ s content back to the studio for editing .

On location , the field crews composed of a team of camera operators and a manager . They used a combination of Dejero EnGo mobile transmitters and Mobile Apps on their phones to capture footage of the runner and the chase teams . Once their USB flash memory drives were full , they connected them directly to the EnGo .

Using Dejero ’ s network blending technology , the files on the USB drives or captured on the phones were transported to the Dejero Broadcast Server over multiple cellular connections . Back at the studios in LA , editors set up watch folders to get alerts for when a new file was added . From there , the editors either edited the content or sent it directly to air .

Jerry Kaman , broadcast engineering consultants , Pilgrim Media Group , commented : “ The ability to get our footage to the studio rapidly was vital in order to meet our deadlines for the three daily live shows . Dejero ’ s blended network technology was the only realistic tool for producing The Runner , as the teams began in one city and ended in another every single day . I ’ m delighted with Dejero ’ s technology , which has performed extremely well , and the support has been outstanding .”

The Runner , added Dejero , is an excellent example of how Dejero ’ s technology can be used for so much more than the live transmission of video . On average , the Pilgrim production teams were able to transmit nearly 100GB of content per day , in addition to another two hours of live video , resulting in 75 episodes over 30 days .