Appear And TRP Prove Broadcast-Grade REMI Over Bonded 5G And LEO

Appear ASA has completed a proof-of-concept (POC) with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP) that confirms full multi-camera remote production can be delivered reliably over bonded 5G mobile and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite links, removing the need for fixed internet infrastructure.

In the trial, four live HD camera feeds were sent from a remote racecourse to TRP's production hub, while two HD programme feeds were simultaneously returned to the venue across the same bonded paths. The result points to a practical way for broadcasters to execute high-quality remote production where fibre or other fixed connectivity is unavailable, widening live coverage options while simplifying operations.

TRP, the production arm of Racing Victoria, produces live horse racing from 51 regional racecourses across the Australian state of Victoria. Twenty of these venues – alongside the state’s metropolitan tracks – already benefit from wired connectivity suitable for REMI, but the remaining 31 do not. With TRP planning to centralise production resources, the company set out to evaluate whether broadcast-grade REMI could be achieved at these more remote locations using cost-effective bonded cellular and LEO links.

Working with TRP, Appear installed its compact X5 platform on site at the racecourse and an X20 at the production centre. The four camera feeds were encoded in HEVC and transported using Appear’s hardware-accelerated SRT over the bonded 5G and LEO networks. At the production hub, the X20 decoded the inbound feeds for live production and simultaneously encoded and returned two HD programme feeds to the venue, enabling full two-way production and communications. The completed programme was then reviewed by TRP and Racing Victoria as if it were a live broadcast.

Tests were run at two racecourse locations, including a more remote site where heavy rain created challenging conditions. Across both sessions, all four camera feeds and both return feeds were delivered successfully, with no reported video quality issues and no operator intervention, underscoring the resilience of the transport workflow and the feasibility of broadcast-grade remote production over bonded cellular and LEO.

Unlike many traditional contribution set-ups that carry a single programme feed, the X5 handled four live camera feeds plus two return feeds within one compact platform. Coupled with Appear's hardware-accelerated SRT, the deployment maintained broadcast-quality video with low latency despite variable network conditions. The same platform can be reconfigured in software to support JPEG XS over high-bandwidth IP networks, enabling a common approach across both remote and metropolitan production environments.

The POC gives TRP a platform to assess broader adoption of REMI across its regional network and reinforces Appear’s role as a technology partner for broadcasters extending remote production. By pairing the reach of public internet connectivity with the performance, reliability and scalability demanded by premium live sport, the approach offers a viable blueprint for future deployments.

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