Using 5G Technologies for Media Production

  • Introduction to the 5G Media Action Group (5G-MAG) - $15

    Date: April 26, 2020
    Topics: ,

    The 5G-MAG has recently been launched as an asociation that will take the emerging 3GPP 5G standards and turn them into viable solutions for use by media companies around the world. The establishment of the group was facilitated by the EBU in Geneva and its early membership includes many of Europe’s public service broadcasters along with some global manufacturers.

    The 5G-MAG aims to ensure to represent the interests of the world-wide media industry in the various 5G stakeholder groups including; 3GPP and DVB and the ATSC for standardisation, the European Commission and ITU for regulation and a wide range of industry bodies.

    Its main aim is to ensure that these emergent standards meet the needs of media companies for both production and distribution and to hep facilitate and promote trials for these use cases. It will also investigate and help design networks which are best suited to the distribution of media includng hybrid 5G/broadcast networks.

    Gregory Bensberg | Digital 3&4/ITV | London, United Kingdom



  • The 5G opportunities for contribution and Digital News Gathering applications - $15

    Date: April 26, 2020
    Topics: ,

    The paper will be focusing on detailing how 5G features can be implemented in such a way that significant value can be delivered for Contribution and Digital News Gathering (DNG) applications, including remote production capabilities. 5G is likely to be another transformative piece to consider in the context of the on-going industry migration toward IP (typically SMPTE 2110) and IT (COTS appliances).

    Such applications, which mostly take place in the context of live events, are extremely demanding, not only considering the usual very high bandwidth and very low latency requirements but more generally from quality of service (including service continuity) and related operational costs standpoints: increase the former (QoS, continuity) while reducing the latter (costs). While those technical aspects are not new, as they have driven innovation for more than 20 years, the on-going migration of TV production infrastructures from specialized links and equipments toward IP (SMPTE 2110) and IT based ones (COTS appliances) is opening new opportunities which, jointly with what 5G features are bringing as well as considering cloud ones, will be significantly transformative for the Contribution & Digital News Gathering market segment. Additionnally, such an evolution will significantly reduce the barrier to entry for contribution and DNG applications not only at the benefit of TV production businesses but also at the benefit of local/regional content offerings, especially live coverage.

    5G is enabling the following opportunities:
    – Deployable ad hoc 5G networks:
    – Wherever frequencies are available and can be allocated for such operations. Actually, on a regional basis, 5G frequencies will enable such ad-hoc operations, leading to limited stickiness to 5G telco operators from an ?air interface to point-of-presence? standpoint, while focusing on where telco operators bring the most valuable assets for such applications: reliable core network distribution.
    – Whenever latency is a key element, telco core networks will enable dramatic latency improvement over conventional satellite contribution links.In-situ connectivy, connecting capture to remote production capabilities without the need for costly wired infrastructures which still may make sense for top events and regular/scheduled operations (e.g. league sports, permanently wired infrastructures) but not necessarily for event-based production wherever there is no permanently wired infrastructures. This is a significant barrier to entry for live programming, especially for regional/local TV broadasters/channels. 5G, with sllicing and QoS management capabilities is enabling cost-effective live production wherever there is poor pre-existing infrastructure.
    – The capability, with 5G slicing, to combine content transport and processing through “Service Function Chaining”.

    Mathieu Lagrange | b<>com | Rennes, France
    Philippe Lemonnier | b<>com | Rennes, France
    Ludovic Noblet | b<>com | Rennes, France