Wireless mesh networks bring China Touring Car Championship to life

At the China Touring Car Championship (CTCC) event in Shanghai, China, production company Top Cool Productions deployed technology for wireless mesh networks from Silvus, implemented and maintained by system integrator Broadcast Solutions.

Because of the overall area conditions Top Cool Productions previously was unable to provide a wireless connection between Tx and Rx, due to its legacy wireless system, offering only point-to-point and line-of-site connection. Therefore they needed a system capable of securing a full coverage of the pit area to interview drivers and team members, overcoming existing and physical barriers.

Three sets of Silvus 4200 radios with Haivision Makito X encoders/decoders using high-efficiency video coding (HEVC  and secure reliable transport (SRT ) were deployed. The solution from both companies provided a combination of a wireless IP mesh network and a highly efficient low latency encoding/decoding system. The teamed Silvus and Haivision solutions provided a low latency wireless camera system for broadcast and live TV production.

With only three Silvus radios forming a mesh network, Broadcast Solutions enabled full coverage along the pit area, including pit rooms and holding areas, without any dead spots. With the fluid, self-healing, self-forming mesh network topology coupled with Haivision’s HEVC and SRT, providing ultra-low latency (20msec) at 6Mbps stream of HD video, the result was a robust wireless camera system operating on ad hoc coverage even in non-line-of-site situations.

The German system integrator was on site with its Singapore entity and was held responsible for the system’s design, implementation and service on-site to give the production company a broader and uninterrupted wireless camera coverage, specifically in the pit area.