Video Return Feeds – Their Value In Live Broadcast Production

With so many live events being broadcast to cover the vast amount of News, Sport and Entertainment available now, you need to ensure that your field crews are working in complete synch with the centralised studio production centre for a expertly produced and smoothly-run live broadcast.

There is a real production value in having video return feeds, and every broadcaster has their own specific requirements based on the particular workflows and content type. However there are three specific areas where video return feeds help; production monitoring, teleprompting and bi-directional remote interviews.

If the field crew doesn't have real-time feedback from the studio it can cause real challenges on the day. For example, by knowing what their shots look like when they are on air, they are able to dynamically make real-time adjustments where necessary.

There are several key considerations in making video return feeds work for you. Firstly, they need to be low latency (delay) and the places you normally see the delay is in the encoder, the network and the decoder side. One example of a low latency encoder is the Haivision Makito X series with 200ms end to end for interviews and under 500ms for return feeds. Next, you need to have security to keep your content safe. For this you can use the SRT streaming protocol to add AES encryption to your streams to be delivered securely over an IP network, this normally only adds about 250ms. The Haivision SRT Gateway can not only add SRT but also deliver the single video feed from the studio to multiple remote locations and viewing devices. These viewing devices need to be flexible from handheld mobile devices such as iPads to a dedicated screen – and for this you can use the Haivision Play series.

In summary, there is a real production value in having live video return feeds to keep the field crews in valuable synchronisation with the central studio. It enables real-time decisions to be made to enhance the production of captivating live content.