LiveIP AIMS is true in world’s first full IP remote live broadcast production
On 15 January the LiveIP Project, led by Belgian broadcaster VRT, successfully accomplished a trial remote production of a live musical concert over IP. This is claimed to be the world’s first remote, live multi-cam TV production over IP, using entirely open standards (SMPT2022-6, AES67, PTP and OPENFLOW), across the whole production chain.
An outside broadcast unit at the Bozar concert hall in the city centre was connected to the VRT production studio five kilometres (three miles) away via IP, using just a single dark fibre cable. Signals from four IP cameras, 10 microphones via an IP stagebox, intercom, cam control, tally, internet and more, were transmitted via the 10 kilometre cable at 25Gbit/s. The trial proved the capability to remotely produce live broadcast events via IP, without the use of an OB vehicle.
Commenting on the success of the trial for VRT, Karel De Bondt, project manager for LiveIP, stated that, “All signals were transmitted via the single cable without noticeable delay, such that technically, there was little difference between an OB truck and a remote production room.”
The multi-phase LiveIP Project is part of VRT Sandbox, an international joint platform for collaborative innovation, put together by VRT, EBU and iMinds. Industry technology partners participating in the project provide all the elements of a live production chain driven by IP; these include Axon, Dwesam, D&MS, EVS, Genelec, Grass Valley, Lawo, Nevion, Tektronix and Trilogy.
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) is supporting the work of the LiveIP Project, in advancing the transition to open protocols for media over IP in television broadcasting. AIMS endorses the work of LiveIP as a primary example of the growing momentum in the broadcast and media content industries towards the adoption, standardisation, development and refinement of open protocols in the transition to a fully IP based workflow, as described in the AIMS Roadmap, with support for SMPTE 2022-6, AES67 and VSF recommendations TR-03 and TR-04.
Speaking to the significance of the LiveIP remote production over IP trial in this process, AIMS Chairman Michael Cronk said, “The LiveIP Project is a major proof of concept of just how far the industry has already moved towards a possible future based on open standards. Not only is it another proof point that a multi-camera live production can be achieved with SMPTE 2022-6 and AES-67 technology, it showcases the wide availability of SMPTE 2022-6 and AES-67 technology as ten different vendors contributed equipment to this production. AIMS is proud to stand with the LiveIP Project as it showcases standards-based interoperability over IP.”