NEPAustralia, the country’s leading provider of outside broadcast and studiosolutions and a division of NEP Group, and Telstra Broadcast Services, aleading global broadcast services business, have achieved a milestone inbroadcast television, delivering the world’s first remote production across thePacific.

Thesuccessful trial was conducted over four days this week between NEP’s centralised,IP (internet protocol) and multi-format production facility at the Sydney AndrewsHub and Telstra’s Los Angeles datacentre – more than 7500 miles (12,000+ km)apart – using ultra-low-latency compression technology and Telstra’sDistributed Production Network (DPN). 

30 HDcamera feeds in LA were linked via diverse and hitless 10 gigabit-per-second circuitson the Telstra DPN, which has recently been extended to Los Angeles, with the productiontaking place in Sydney, overcoming what until now was considered aninsurmountable distance. 

Thetests confirm that the Andrews Hub control rooms in Sydney can efficiently producebroadcast events held in Los Angeles and, arguably, beyond.   

NEPAustralia’s Director of Technology, Marc Segar, said: “This is a game-changerfor broadcast television, proving anyone can work from anywhere while connectedto our network, whether in Australia or on the other side of the planet. 

“Ourcrew at the Sydney Andrews Hub perceived no appreciable difference betweencovering the trial event in LA and the remote broadcast of a live A-League matchfrom Perth last month.”

TrevorBoal, Head of Telstra Broadcast Services, said: “From the moment NEP approachedus about building the Telstra Distributed Production Network to support theAndrews Hubs, we shared their excitement about the enormous possibilities ofbroadcasting over IP.

“NEP hada clear vision of how distributed production could deliver an optimalcommercial and practical outcome, and we wanted to be part of it. As our networkcapacity and reach continues to grow, it’s conceivable we could traverse globaldistances uncompressed in just a few years.”

Segarcontinued: “It’s exciting to think of the options and flexibility ourtechnology offers to the industry.

“Wechose to trial HD, however, we could just as easily have trialled 4K or HDR. OurIP and multi-format hub environment is agnostic to format or compression technologies.”

The60 HD feeds (30 in both Sydney and Los Angeles) encompassed all the automationand control signals.

Resources,including replay, were fully shared between the two sites, with the replayoperator in Los Angeles controlling servers at the Sydney Hub, where productiontook place.

Telstraprovided the redundant 10 Gb +10 Gb trans-Pacific circuit as a naturalextension of its Australia-wide Telstra Distributed Production Network (DPN).

VC-2was used as the lightweight and ultra-low-latency compression technologybecause it adds no delay.

Thismakes high definition or UHD/4K over distance viable cost-wise, as there is noappreciable difference in delay compared to uncompressed video.

Roundtrip latency was only 136 milliseconds, less than 2 frames in each direction.

Thesuccessful trans-Pacific trial is just the start of NEP’s extensive program totrial other locations around the world, including Japan and the UK.

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For further information: 

Margaret Fearn                                               Michael Zappone        

FearnaceMedia for NEP Australia                  GroupManager, Corporate Affairs

E: margaret@fearnacemedia.com                  E:michael.zappone@team.telstra.com

T: +1 508 369 7189                                         T: +61(0) 438 004 959

Background on NEP Australia’sAndrews Hubs

TheAndrews Hubs are the most technically advanced facilities of their scale in theworld. Using an internet protocol (IP) backbone and multi-format productioncapabilities, the Sydney and Melbourne Hubs enable multiple concurrent outsidebroadcasts. Remote production allows cameras and microphones to be located atthe venue, with the majority of the production team based at the Hubs. There,central control facilities can accomodate up to six simultaneous events,connecting with 29 sporting venues via the Telstra Distributed ProductionNetwork. This creates considerable savings in crew travel time, as well asefficiencies arising from centralised and inter-Hub resource sharing foreverything from equipment through to disaster recovery capabilities.