TVU Networks’ Cloud-Native Tools Optimize Available Bandwidth, Latency, and Cell Connections in 5G Catalonia Project

– Broadcasters La Xarxa and betevé Remotely Produce Live, Multi-Camera Newscast Over Private 5G Network

5G Catalonia is a 5G application pilot project launched within the framework of the 5G development plan in Spain at the end of 2019. The project aims to explore the potential possibilities of 5G in empowering various industries and improving Spain’s social productivity. It is an important carrier of digitalization in the Spanish government’s “Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan” and one of the pillars of the “Digital Spain 2025” strategy. The project is implemented under the 5G networks of three operators, including Cellnex Telecom, Masmovil Group, and Parlem Telecom, and has united with five technology companies, including Lenovo, for development and validation.

High-quality audiovisual transmission in the broadcasting and television industry is a classic application scenario under 5G networks, which fully leverages the characteristics of “high speed” and “large bandwidth” of 5G networks. To this end, the project has partnered with two well-known broadcasting and television organizations in Spain, La Xarxa and betevé, to use the production of the “btv notícies migdia” (noon news) program as the application scenario, testing and validating the remote production of live content under the 5G private network.

As a technology partner of betevé, TVU has previously helped betevé achieve multi-camera remote production of the Barcelona Ironman Triathlon using 5G/4G public networks, significantly improving the efficiency of live program production and greatly reducing costs. Based on this successful practice, TVU was selected as the remote production technology supplier for this validation program during the solution selection phase, providing a complete set of lightweight cloud production solutions based on 5G transmission, including the TVU One live backpack, TVU Anywhere mobile live streaming app, and TVU Producer cloud switching.

During the validation program, with the help of the 5G private network connection, TVU One and TVU Anywhere captured and transmitted live field footage of “btv notícies migdia” to the cloud. At the same time, the live signals from five regular camera positions, including the scenery PTZ and the studio, were also encoded and transmitted to the cloud. All signals were then collected in TVU’s cloud production environment, and the production staff located in the headquarters building used TVU Producer cloud switching to produce all signals in the cloud, including camera switching, adding graphics and text, audio mixing, multi-screen splicing, and so on. The generated PGM signal was then distributed in the cloud, streaming to various social media platforms while being received and restored to an SDI signal at the TVU transceiver server located in the headquarters broadcasting control center for traditional channel broadcasting or integration with other content in DTT broadcasting, achieving further utilization.

Throughout the several months of the validation program, TVU’s cloud production solution has consistently demonstrated its exceptional performance. With its ultra-low latency, stable and reliable signal transmission, and multi-functional, high-quality, and user-friendly cloud-based production and distribution capabilities, it has showcased the powerful capabilities that 5G can provide to the media industry. As a result, it has received high recognition and approval from the project’s partners.

Cellnex telecommunications product manager Xavi Redon led the trial project and summarized, “Through our collaboration with TVU, we have demonstrated that using a 5G network, we can synchronously transmit multiple high-resolution signals to the cloud, remotely control multiple cameras in different locations, and ultimately play back this live content with low latency. This also demonstrates that recording and broadcasting via 5G terminals is a low-cost and flexible way, with broadcast-grade quality.”

“TVU’s cloud-based tools, combined with 5G networks and mobile transmitters, provide ultimate flexibility and reliability for remote live event production, as they eliminate concerns about bandwidth availability and signal latency during events,” said Sergi Vicente, director of Betevé.

Marc Melillas, CEO of La Xarxa, pointed out that the value of private 5G networks lies in “allowing us to use portable backpacks for collecting and transmitting, even in fully crowded squares or areas with insufficient broadband coverage.”

Rafael Castillo, VP/GM EMEA and Latina America of TVU Networks, stated: “The expansion of network capacity and flexible configuration brought by 5G infrastructure is driving explosive growth in various viewing experiences. People have higher requirements for wireless systems, including data rate, reliability, stability, and latency. These breakthrough applications require IP video infrastructure to achieve the capability and flexibility of these applications. We are delighted to play such an important role in the innovative 5G Catalonia project.”

Based on TVU’s excellent performance in this 5G validation project, La Xarxa and betevé will continue to adopt TVU’s 5G cloud production solution and further invest in remote production of various live programs in the future. This serves as another paradigm of revolutionary innovation empowered by 5G in the media industry!

Source: TVU Networks