Dynamic 5G bandwidth optimization for live TV production – Deutsche Telekom proof of concept

How to increases live production efficiency

Introduction

Mobile technology is of great interest to the broadcasting industry because it simplifies the camera connectivity and provides unprecedented mobility. Public or private 5G networks, with their high bandwidth and low latency, are therefore very attractive to the broadcasting industry.

The challenge

To be usable for live production, mobile networks need to be able to carry the video signals from all the cameras in use, reliably and with just a few milliseconds of latency. Despite the high performance of 5G networks, challenges remain. The volume of data that needs to be transported over the network in real-time often far exceeds the capacity of the network. An uncompressed HD video signal requires over 3Gbps, and many productions will involve multiple cameras, sometimes with even higher resolutions. Furthermore, the “best effort” nature of IP-based networks like 5G, is not best suited for transporting video reliably and with consistently low latency. The problem becomes even more acute when there is high contention for bandwidth in the network, because many devices, including multiple cameras, are connected.

The Solution

The solution tested as part of the proof of concept (PoC) in Deutsche Telekom’s labs in Krakow (Poland), and also demonstrated on Deutsche Telekom’s booth at the Mobile World Congress 2024, is designed to overcome those challenges. It builds on an earlier collaboration with Deutsche Telekom, and includes Sony’s ultra-low latency HEVC compression technology, that can compress video by a ratio of about 1:200 in milliseconds, enabling multiple high quality video signals to fit easily within the 5G bandwidth. The solution also includes Nevion’s media network orchestration platform (VideoIPath) that can dynamically adjust the QoS on the RAN via the Deutsche Telekom’s Quality on Demand (QoD) CAMARA APIs to prioritize video over other traffic, or even specific video signals, for example the one currently being broadcast.

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Conclusion

This collaborative effort shows that 5G networks can be used for multicamera productions, delivering the benefits of simpler connectivity and higher mobility that broadcasters require in production. For Deutsche Telekom, it is also an excellent illustration of the potential for 3rd parties to develop applications that utilize their network APIs.

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