Cobham’s MediaMesh connects journalists in the field
Cobham is launching MediaMesh, a concept in fast-setup field newsrooms for major breaking stories. The new MediaMesh creates expandable networks for live production from the field to broadcast without boundaries.
MediaMesh uses wireless technology to enable a journalist in the field to establish all the technology required for a live broadcast. This includes a broadcast-quality transmission path for live two-ways, the capability of controlling the camera remotely from the studio, file transfers and a high capacity internet connection, access to the base newsroom computer, and cellphone access.
For a typical story, the journalist will establish a base in a hotel room, with the camera on a balcony and a Ka-band satellite uplink on the roof. All equipment is connected over wireless, with standard WiFi also available for the journalist’s laptop and other devices. If a dish is not available, then connection with base can be over the public 3G/4G cellphone network, or via the hotel’s Ethernet connection to the Internet. If the requirements of the story develop, the capabilities and the area covered can be simply extended by adding additional nodes to the MediaMesh.
“Television audiences now expect that, wherever a big story breaks, there will be a journalist on the ground with solid information and good pictures,” said Stuart Brown, broadcast systems director of Cobham. “With MediaMesh, all the equipment to do that is in a single box, designed for fast and foolproof set-up. It means the journalist spends as little time as possible establishing the connection back to base and the maximum amount of time researching the story.”
Cobham will also show the latest version of its Solo H.264 wireless camera system featuring the UMVL ultra mobile video link communications protocol for highly stable, very low latency transmission.
The Cobham Solo H.264 wireless camera system is designed to ensure stable transmission of HD pictures and sound across a broad range of applications from audience cameras at major music festivals to on-board cameras in high speed motor sports. Cobham’s custom UMVL modulation system is designed specifically for broadcast applications, combining high quality with low latency of just 15ms.
UMVL is designed to perform best at the upper end of the frequency range to minimize the risk of interference or congestion from mobile telephony applications. The transmitter is available in two configurations: as a camera back and as a standalone unit for convenient mounting on vehicles. The receiver has eight RF inputs, allowing the custom construction of multiple receiver wide area arrays, for instance to cover a motor racing circuit.