When Fortuna Düsseldorf took on VfL Osnabrück, LiveU’s new production-level field unit revealed mobile technology’s winning potential, taking Sky Deutschland and Vodafone's 5G test to the next level
he buzz around 5G and mobile technology has been difficult to ignore over the past couple of years. Broadcasters have been eyeing the mobile tech bandwagon for some time now, looking to incorporate mobile technologies as a complement to current methods of remote production.
Cue a recent test conducted by Sky Deutschland and Vodafone, which involved the trialling of wireless 5G transmissions using multiple cameras. Carried out at a Bundesliga match between Fortuna Düsseldorf and VfL Osnabrück, LiveU offered up its LU800 solution, alongside two LU-Smart equipped smartphones. “We already have a good partnership with LiveU," says Alessandro Reitano, senior vice-president of sports production, at Sky Deutschland. “The LU800 unit is very robust and 5G-capable, which made LiveU the obvious choice. “For the streaming, we had one professional camera and two smartphone units in the stadium,” he explains. “For the professional camera, we used the LU800 unit. It was interesting to see what bandwidth capacity we could stream professional cameras with on 5G networks.” The test results revealed to the team at Sky Deutschland that the LiveU unit was more than capable, operating at a sustained bandwidth of 20Mbps and a latency below two seconds – making it high-broadcast quality. “It was really impressive,” says Reitano. “I was expecting more obstacles, but we finished the test with the conclusion that this is ready to go.” As a native 5G solution, the LU800 supports the use of 5G as well as network slicing technology, which was also deployed within the test to ensure a stable broadcast. For the test itself, Vodafone provided a dedicated bandwidth, ensuring the 5G provided could support the broadcast without interruption. “Vodafone managed different areas of the stadium with network slicing,” says Reitano. “What we realised with the LiveU unit is that, within certain areas and blocks within the stadium, you have your dedicated network slice of 20Mbps. “But whenever you move out of that dedicated area, you drop down to a normal 4G network, where you only get 3Mbps. It was interesting to see that you still have a stable and constant upload bandwidth capacity within that set network slice.” Solid and reliable bandwidth is an absolute must when using this technology within sports, as broadcasts often take place in vast stadiums with wavering signals due to their scale. “Whenever there is a need for robust bandwidth, next to your normal fibre and satellite infrastructure,” continues Reitano, “network slicing provides a good technology to solve that problem.”
GAME ON LiveU’s LU800 multicam units tracked the fast-paced action at the Bundesliga match
Another pivotal part of the test was the use of LiveU's technology to provide additional camera angles and real freedom of movement. “I believe the IP technology is a very flexible solution,” says Reitano. “We are using it within the Sky group every day as it becomes more and more robust.” For the top-flight Bundesliga, Champions League or Premier League, a traditional fibre environment is usually used, but 5G elements can expand content even further. “If you have complementary services, you create more value for customers,” explains Reitano. “And you can produce that in a lighter, more flexible way – which is where 5G, mobile and streaming technology can help you. “The possibilities for generating and distributing content on different platforms using these methods are limitless,” concludes Reitano. “It is something we want to test, and we need partners like LiveU to offer us services and units where you can easily test and use it.”
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