53 XTREME The Congressional Cup
THE VITAL LINK: TVU Networks routers (left) formed a vital part in the broadcasts from yachts, supplying the connection needed for the VR cameras to stream live footage to the Samsung VR and Congressional Cup websites
Paul Shen, CEO of TVU Networks, added, “The producers of this event are merging the best of technology with the best of sports to bring sailing to viewers in a way they’ve never seen it before. We couldn’t be happier to be part of such a forward- thinking production.” AIR, LAND AND SEA On top of the VR cameras, there was traditional OB coverage that was streamed to Facebook and other platforms. This broadcast was handled by Los Angeles production company, Boxx Communications. A total of eight cameras were utilised including four on the Yacht Club’s pier, two on a yacht, one on a follow boat and one on a drone. Wireless communications between the mobile cameras and the land used wireless RF links from Boxx TV wireless transmission solutions. “Our technology allowed us to create a system that met the challenging budget for such an ambitious outside broadcast,” explains Scott Walker, co-founder of Boxx TV. “We specialise in solutions that are licensing exempt – but which meet the demanding needs of complex productions. Licensing-exempt frequencies can be challenging in built-up areas like downtown LA or somewhere like Times Square, but when we face the ocean there is little or no competition for frequencies.”
the company’s Zenith Low Latency Compressed HD transmission solution. “The communication is bi-directional and that allows me from the land to configure and control the transmitter, which is either on the yacht or the follow boat,” explains Walker. “And that is a great benefit, because once the equipment is deployed on the boat, you cannot access it again during the day. As you go on during the day, there may be different levels of signal strength. The bi-directional aspect means I can go into Zenith and change the configurations, the modulation and the bandwidth to best suit the particular environment, even during a live transmission.” The drone that Walker used was the DJI Mavic Pro which has a flight time nearly three times that of larger machines. “Because we were going so far out – probably a few miles – to follow the boats, we were able to stay in front of the boats for a lot longer. But to increase the time even more, we opted to put the drone operator on a boat rather than on land, and he would fly from that position and then microwave the pictures back to the OB truck.” All in all, the coverage of this world- famous sailing event was deemed a huge success. As Talbot concludes, “The reaction to the 360° transmissions was fantastic. VR immersion on race boats, amongst the crew and within the rigging, viewable 360° around, put a whole new dimension to sailing.”
The Boxx equipment selected for the Congressional Cup centred on
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