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13/10/2015

Alias Hire Invest In Live U's LU400

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A few years ago Alias Hire stumbled upon technology that caught our attention that we never really turned away from, writes Danny Dawson, Alias Hire.

Mobile sim cards, just like the ones you have in your mobile phone right now, but enabled to 'upload', 'uplink' or 'transmit' (pick a term you like) a genuine HD signal (1080i, 1080p or less resolution) over 4G (or 3G) connections.

The technology at that time was either very expensive and/or at best unreliable, and of course the UK did not have active 4G bandwidths so it was a fairly moot point in any case. So for all the investigations, research and even a 6-hour live sheep auction (honest!), we decided at that time to wait. Wait until the right product, with easy access to the technology but with a cost effective price tag to hopefully come along.

And that's where we are now.

It was reading this very publication back in February that I noticed that Live U, the patent holders and market leaders on mobile sim technology, were debuting the LU200 – a lightweight, easy to use, extremely reliable and yes, cheaper than the products we had previously looked at. It ticked a lot boxes for us except that we had really no idea who would want it and what we would actually do with it.

Since then, the term "IP" delivery has been used a lot. Everything points towards video being delivered over IP as opposed to conventional TX services.

By the time we got to IBC we knew one thing; Alias should look to an avenue away from our regular path. So now, we have not an LU200 but, in fact, an LU400 (I'll get onto the tech specs shortly).

Live U and similar manufacturers claim that this unit, and others like it, offer a solution for news gathering. I say, 'yes, of course' to that and as you might expect I welcome all enquiries for hire, but I believe it can offer so much more. What this technology can provide is true, broadcast quality but not just for television news but for any matter of video content. To be able to connect a feed into this little magic box and send it to anywhere, to any website is a marvel that can't be ignored. Underrepresented sports, live corporate or community events, even weddings where the vast majority of the families are continents apart, the list is genuinely endless.

And that's the big attraction for us at Alias. To be able to provide as good a quality signal for any video transmission or stream but without the complications or cost of an OB Van... amazing.

So, the tech details: The LU400 has 2 x video inputs via HD-SDI or HDMI which outputs via 4 x internal SIM card LTE modems (ideally 4G but it can work on 3G too) that combine the signal strength to output the signal. If 4 x SIMs aren't enough, it can also jump onto WiFi and there's even an Ethernet port – that's 6 x combined data streams ensuring that the action taking place in front of the camera is being viewed without any loss. The feed can be delayed from 1.2 seconds upwards to give an even greater chance of a sustained signal. The feed can be outputted as 108050i/60i in 25fps or 30fps all coded to H.264 so it will work perfectly well for regular broadcasting transmission as well as an internet web stream.

The video signal from the LU400 is initially sent to a dedicated server which can either output a live feed via the HD-SDI output and/or re-direct the signal to a web based player or indeed pretty much any website. The way live video is delivered is being redefined.

Will this technology replace the OB van for delivering a live feed? Well, in the short term, no. An OB Van with a satellite dish on the roof still offers as near a guarantee as possible when it comes to delivering a live event.

However, an OB Van is not cheap. Nor is the operator's time, and once the cost of the satellite feed has been calculated then the cost is likely to run many thousands of pounds. Score one to the Live U. But it's not just the cost. Technology is like life. It's constantly evolving, and those that create it often think they're creating it for one thing. And then bright sparks all around the world decide to use it for something else.

That's what will happen here and I'm proud to be part of it!

Image: Mark Wilson and Danny Dawson at Live U's stand, IBC2015.

www.aliashire.com

(JP/LM)
Solidmate Ltd Memory Card Hire London

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