Dejero

NBCUniversal Local’s Telemundo outlet in El Paso is the latest to move to the public cloud for newscast production.

A Sinclair/Sony/Avid experiment aims to optimize news photographers’ field time by immediately logging metadata into cameras in the field, while Starlink and 5G rollouts continue to boost reliability in more remote scenarios. Above, Vislink’s MVP Streamur Live Streaming App in action, allowing reporters to broadcast into the production workflow using a mobile device.

Tech executives from Fox News, Fox Television Stations, WPVI Philadelphia and LiveU are shifting away from traditional microwave and satellite technology and finding other IP-native paths to send live and edited video, they told an audience at TVNewsCheck’s NewsTECHForum last week. Above (l-r): LiveU’s Mike Savello, Fox News’ Scott Wilder, WPVI’s Elizabeth Plyler and Fox Television Stations’ Erik Smith (Alyssa Wesley photo). Read a full report here and/or watch the video above.

In Amsterdam this week, there was plenty of talk about broadcasters’ ongoing transition to IP and the cloud, along with the supply chain issues and labor shortages hampering it, but most people were too grateful to see old friends, colleagues and clients to complain.

The cellular tech will be in the spotlight at the IBC technology show in Amsterdam that gets underway tomorrow. Vendors say the 5G buzz is finally justified, as broadcasters are starting to use it regularly for live production applications.

Broadcasters are calling on a combination of cloud, software and transport technologies to facilitate collaborating and sharing at a station or across groups. The pandemic has shifted the many news sharing tools into high gear. Above: Dalet Pyramid Cut is Dalet Pyramid’s web-based feature-rich video and audio editor.

As solo acts in the field, multimedia journalists are very particular about the kit they carry. From cameras to lights and audio, connectivity tools to editing software and apps, experience has taught them that flexibility and portability are among their gear’s most important qualities. Above: Sony’s remote production package, which includes the PXW-Z280 4K handheld camera, allows MMJs to remotely control, capture and transfer high-quality content in real time from any location.

Pandemic-impacted newsrooms are increasingly embracing tools that allow more content sharing and collaboration from the field and between stations with the cloud playing an ever-larger role in the remote workflows involved. Above, Bridget Naso, news anchor for KNSD San Diego, uses Dejero’s LivePlus Mobile app on an iPhone to broadcast live from home during the pandemic.

Executives from Fox News and Graham Media say they’ll rely heavily on IP contribution, cloud editing systems and other remote production tools in their coverage of the 2020 election, and they’re also ready to settle in for the long haul if final results aren’t confirmed for days, if not weeks, after Nov. 3.

Leaders of television’s news and technology community will talk about how technology can facilitate coverage of the 2020 election season during a TVNewsCheck Working Lunch Webinar set for Thursday, Sept. 17 at 1 p.m. ET. Speakers are (top, l-r): Alan Komissaroff, SVP news and politics, Fox News Channel; Tony Plosz, SVP and CTO, Graham Media Group; Bogdan Frusina, founder, Dejero and (below, right: Stephane Guez, founder and CTO, Dalet Digital Media Systems; and, left, Glen Dickson, contributing editor of TVNewsCheck, who is moderating the event. Register here.

Coronavirus-necessitated remote workflows have spun up quickly and reliably to allow TV stations to keep broadcasting during the pandemic. There’s reason to believe they’ll stick around after the crisis subsides. Above: Avid Edit On Demand provides a full virtual production environment in the cloud, including Media Composer software and Avid NEXIS storage. (Source: Avid)

Stations and broadcast networks alike are heavily turning to IP contribution to cover the presidential primaries this year as past contention problems have largely dissipated and cellular networks greatly improved. For some, however, dedicated fiber and satellite trucks will still play a key role.

News organizations are increasingly using breakthroughs in technology to allow journalists to remotely, yet quickly, deliver more content over multiple platforms. The advances range from improved cellular networks that speed transmission of content from the field to the newsroom and cameras capable of streaming and providing remote video, to a host of tools available for journalists to remotely edit and produce content while collaborating with their newsrooms. Above, Grass Valley’s new GV Alyve, released at this year’s IBC Show, gives reporters a “virtual control room in the cloud” for production and distribution of video and livestream content. (Source: Grass Valley)

The World Racing Group wanted to stream more events live, but with fiber connectivity rare and cellular connections not always reliable at the remote venues where many races take place, producers feared reliability would be an issue. They eliminated it with a Dejero solution that enabled them to double the number of races streamed live.

Cox’s WFTV Orlando is at the cutting edge of field transmission, using streaming cameras on vehicles that can be remotely controlled by a tech back at the station and transmitting over a 4G link. As more stations want that kind of capability, vendors are responding with bonded cellular and other wireless gear to improve efficiencies and connectivity and are working to include high-speed 5G wireless technology.