LiveU releases Solo Pro portable encoder with 4K and HEVC capabilities
LiveU has unveiled its next-generation Solo Pro portable bonding encoder for engaging live coverage, combining professional-grade 4K and HEVC video quality with solid reliability. The Solo Pro is said to ensure the smoothest streaming experience, combining up to six IP connections – four 4G/5G cellular modems, WiFi and LAN – leveraging LiveU’s patented LRT (LiveU Reliable Transport) technology. Enabling a streamlined cloud production with an easy set-up, the LiveU Solo Pro can be used for any type of live event coverage, both indoors and outdoors, including sports, corporate, entertainment, government, religious and IRL streaming.
Dan Pisarski, chief technical officer, LiveU said: “Our goal was to deliver a cutting-edge product that will service all streaming needs for years to come, including 4K, HEVC and extreme reliability. I firmly believe that our users will find the Solo Pro is a future-proof investment for their workflow, providing peace of mind for their live streams using proven broadcast-quality technology.”
LiveU Solo Pro can be used as part of an end-to-end real-time workflow. Users can go live directly from their camera/switcher to online platforms and any web destination.
Weighing just over 900g, the device offers high video quality in a compact and lightweight portable unit. Streaming up to 4Kp60 resolution in H.264 or HEVC, the Solo Pro’s HEVC capability offers the same quality in half the bandwidth of H.264, or twice the quality in the same bandwidth. Limitless coverage is ensured with extended internal battery time, USB-C external battery and flexible carrying options.
For the first time, LiveU is introducing an optional add-on streaming tools package, Solo Stream Tools, for faster go-to-live streaming productions. This cloud-based package offers the essential production toolbox, which includes multi-destination, allowing producers to simultaneously go live to multiple social platforms at the click of a button, stream fallback, allowing the switch to a predefined message, and the addition of a logo watermark for enhanced brand visibility.
Pisarski added: “Solo Stream Tools can also be combined with Solo Connect, including modems, routers, data plans and the LRT cloud subscription, which means that you have everything you need to go live in one complete hassle-free package.”
Troy Witt, president of Take One Productions in Southern California, said: “We’ve used our Solos increasingly in every production we do. The Solo helps us produce content without worrying about any hiccups or interruptions to our live broadcasts. Solo Pro will transform our content because we can use HEVC to achieve better picture quality at lower bandwidths. This saves us money in cellular charges for data and for what we pay on site for terrestrial internet connectivity at hotels and conference centres. We are most excited for Solo Pro allowing us to use even more modems for reliability. More modems means we will offer a more robust, reliable cellular signal no matter where we are.”
Solo Pro is available in two configurations, HDMI 2.0 and HDMI 2.0 + 12G-SDI.