Less than a decade ago,
outdoor or remote broadcasting used to be a massive undertaking. The broadcast
network would usually field several people—the technical director, cameramen,
anchors, technicians, production personnel, electricians, cable pullers, and
utility men—in order to pull off a successful outdoor or remote broadcasting.
Aside from these needed manpower, there were also those necessary equipment
consisting of a number of cameras and microphones along with the kilometers of
cablings and wirings, communications gear, lightings. Moreover, production and
SNG or satellite trucks were needed to ensure that the broadcast of an event
would be readily accomplished.
The satellite with its array of satellite dishes
would then transmit the event to the network station via satellite for
broadcast, and these outdoor or remote broadcast transmissions were done by
means of satellite transmission using C-band and/or Ku-band radio frequencies.
Another means of transmission before was by way of microwave transmission, and
this was the most commonly employed means of transmission in the past. The
third, but least common, was the transmission via fiber optic lines that
employed the use of a prepared fiber optic line from the remote location to the
studio. Although the third method of transmitting had the best quality of
transmission, it wasn’t popular before because of the high cost of laying a dedicated
fiber optics cabling.
The
Radical Changes Brought about by the Onset of Internet
The advent of broadband
internet has revolutionized, not only the means of communication, but also the
transfer of information media to the appreciating public. The introduction of
3G or third generation GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) to the wireless
network technology for public consumption has brought more opportunities for
the expansion of broadcasting by means of the internet. During the 2008 Summer
Olympics held in Beijing, the transmission using video streaming via UTMS or
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (3G) was first introduced.
Using the cellphone
signal like GSM’s HSDPA or CDMA’s 3G in the transmission, or specifically, in
the streaming, streaming has eliminated the need for cumbersome cables and
wires that run between camera units and the production vehicle. GSM (Global
System for Mobile communication) and CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) have increasingly
become the specifications and the standards for mobile communication.
Transmission by media streaming only requires the acquisition of stable signal
to be able to transmit to its home studio, dispensing the need for satellite
trucks or microwave transmission that need to stay in the line of sight (LOS)
of the receiving or relay antennas.
Mobile uplink via the 3G (or alike) wireless
cellular transmission has likewise greatly innovated remote broadcasting. At
2008 Beijing Olympics, for example, the average uplink speed of 1Mbps with live
standard definition videos was already good. At present, the bitrate is at about
20Mbs and the file transfer rate is at 80Mbps.
Today, people worldwide
use their portable mobile devices like Smartphones and tablets, not only to
call or text a friend or anybody, but also to watch the news and other TV
programs. Mobile devices, like the Smartphones, have already supplanted the
older systems like the portable satellite tv for good reasons. Smartphones, for
example, combine the different functions of a cell phone, media player,
personal digital assistant (PDA), personal computer, calculator, digital camera
with video, and television into one. Lastly, anyone can watch a movie, news, or
any TV program on a portable mobile device like the Smartphone anytime and
anywhere.
For more information about mobile transmission, visit: http://www.liveu.tv/the-liveu-advantage.
