NEP The Netherlands, Soliton Systems partner for new generation of H265 for mobile live transmission
NEP The Netherlands has announced a new partnership with Soliton Systems, an established Japanese manufacturer of real-time mobile encoding and live video streaming systems over 3G/4G networks. As a result of this link-up, NEP The Netherlands has become the distributor of the Smart Telecaster ZAO solution, which is a new generation of H265 bonding technology to be introduced to the European market.
ZAO is a system where video is transported via multiple mobile network providers. This results in low latency, high quality live pictures, without using aircrafts or other expensive relay platforms.
The aerial based mobile video links of NEP are used for covering large international sports events like cycling, marathons, sailing and cross country skiing, as well as big outdoor events where live camera feeds coming from moving vehicles like motorbikes, cars and helicopters are used.
Marco Pos, general manager RF Services of NEP The Netherlands: “Our ‘in house’ developed RF services 2.0 aerial relay system is the most flexible, reliable and cost-effective relay system available in the international market. The usage however of airplanes and helicopters, in order to set up a private wireless network that is capable of carrying multiple high quality HD video sources, is one of the most expensive ways of covering live sports events. Therefore, we have been chasing alternative technologies and systems. Soliton Systems smart telecaster ZAO is the first solution available in the market that can provide live quality video at low bitrates via a generic public wireless network. We are very impressed by the Soliton Solution and look forward to our mutual successful future.”
The way Soliton has deployed the H265 hardware based encoder results in at least 50% more efficiency in bandwidth usage compared to traditional solutions. For example, a 3 Mbps Soliton H265 stream provides the same video quality as a stream doing 6 Mbps in H264. The 4G Bonding algorithm has also been improved dramatically compared to the traditional 4G bonding systems. The overall result is a much improved picture quality, even with less latency, which is typically under half a second. It is even possible to have two-way communication between the camera team and the editorial people with minor delay via the ZAO.
The Zao solution from Soliton has been seamlessly integrated into the NEP Cloud Production environment. This is a fully managed and secure distribution system specifically for video content, which includes as part of the end-to-end system, the in-house developed remote camera control and tally system to which the Zao connects. This in turn provides a fully managed delivery platform for sports and live events for NEP and their customers, that takes advantage of the latest and most cost effective technology for high quality content delivery.
“Soliton is very excited to be working with NEP,” comments Mogens Jensen, managing director of Soliton Systems Europe. “Given NEP’s drive for innovation and quality, not only do we partner to fulfil their short term needs, but we are working together to develop our range of mobile transmitting units to meet their needs going forward. The future is very exciting for us both!”