Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with URSA Broadcast G2 posted: 27/03/2024
Mountain Attack - Ski Mountaineering Race Event in Austria
Mountain Attack. The name says it all. The ski mountaineering race event, which has taken place near Saalbach in Austria since 1999 is a gruelling test of endurance with solo male and female racers and relay teams of three dashing up and then skiing down a range of mountains.
--
Watching the live broadcast on Austrian sports streamer LAOLA1.TV, as well as YouTube and Facebook, you're struck by three things: the gruelling races take place over a massive area, it all looks freezing, and it can be very dark on those summits. None of these factors are beneficial to sports broadcasting.
Nevertheless, this was the arena that host broadcaster Mediahaus GmbH chose for a proof of concept remote production of live SRT streaming from Blackmagic USRA Broadcast G2 cameras over a 5G network.
Need for speed Mediahaus, based in Salzburg has been the host broadcaster for the past dozen years, but this year for the first time, it was able to send live H.264 streams from its URSA Broadcast G2 race cameras using SRT, a protocol optimised for live video streaming, down the mountains to its outside broadcast truck in Saalbach.
advertisment --
Working with Hutchinson, Mediahaus utilised a standalone 5G network to bring live camera feeds with incredibly low latency from the mountaintops to the production team and the director, Wolfgang Angerm ller, in the Mediahaus OB van.
advertisment --
Eleven years ago, when we started working with the race founder Roland Kurz, it was quite a challenge just to get two cameras on two summits, recalls Angerm ller, CEO of Mediahaus.
Last year, we had four cameras on four summits, each connected through SDI to an encoder and then via an IP connection provided by a modem in the infrastructure of the cable car. We also had two mobile cameras on skidoos using bonded cellular from Mobile Viewpoint. But it took us two days to set up all the cameras and encoders on the mountaintops.
The Mediahaus proposal to use SRT and 5G was inspired by new technology from Blackmagic Design and the fact that Hutchison, one of the supporters and sponsors of the event, was building a standalone 5G network in the valley below Saalbach.
The skiing world championship takes place in the valley next year, and the 5G private network was ready in December, recalls Angerm ller. But we were also lucky that Blackmagic's new Camera 8.5 beta release allowed SRT streaming out of our URSA Broadcast G2s; we would just need to plug in a mobile phone to send the H.264 feeds.
advertisment --
Uphill trial Mediahaus conducted tests of SRT over 5G, first in the lab with Hutchinson in Vienna, then with Blackmagic Design's ATEM Streaming Bridges as receivers in the OB truck.
These compact video converters receive and decode the SRT streams, with those feeds then fed into an ATEM Constellation 8K live production switcher via SDI while sending camera control and tally signals back up to the camera using the same data link.
advertisment --
Two weeks before the event, a real-world test took place in Saalbach. We got up to a summit, and with just a normal Samsung mobile phone connected via USB-C to the camera, we were streaming SRT at 5Mb/s output. We had a latency of half a second, which is nothing, Angerm ller says.
The mountains blocked certain positions from the 5G antennas in the valley, so a connection to the Starlink satellite network was deployed on one summit. That worked well, with just half a second latency, says Angerm ller. On another summit, we had two WiFi access points, so if there were no 5G, the mobile phones would switch to the public internet. But it's always the same SRT connection via a mobile phone.
advertisment --
At the finish line, the OB gallery using an ATEM Constellation 8K for vision mixing had all the camera telemetry data to hand, giving them control over the camera's colour grading, shading, and shutter speed through the ATEM Camera Control panel. It was as though it was connected directly via cable, says Angerm ller. The other significant advantage was that we now had tally lights on the summit cameras to let the operators know they were live.
advertisment --
One of the hardest summits to reach turned out to be the summit where 5G worked without any problems, he continues. Our operator took his camera and the mobile phone and headed up there. It was so much easier not needing to bring an encoder and SDI cables; the camera battery powered the phone. We saved a whole day of working time with this approach.
advertisment --
Conditions in the mountains were as low as -15 C with heavy snow, and as the races started at 4pm, they ended at night. However, despite the conditions, the colour science, the resolution and the dynamic range of the URSA Broadcast G2 served Mediahaus well in this unforgiving environment.
Dramatic live coverage of the Mountain Attack race certainly proved the case for live production using SRT streaming out of the URSA Broadcast G2, but Angerm ller says the best moment took place one hour before the race. All the cameras were on the multiview in the OB van, and the vision engineers said they're all connected, they have tally, and everything is working, he concludes. When they said, we got them all', it all came together.
advertisment --
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
08/09/2026
Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) has announced a multi-year agreement with A E...
08/09/2026
Spectra Logic today announced the availability of Media Insight, a new capabilit...
08/09/2026
Rogers Communications and Quebecor have announced a 12-year sublicensing agreement for French-language national NHL games beginning with the 2026-27 season. TVA...
08/09/2026
Skyline Communications and Bridge Technologies will demonstrate two integrations...
08/09/2026
Boland Communications will make the European debut of its 4K55HDR7SNB 55-inch super-narrow-bezel monitor at IBC2026 (Stand 12.C57, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-1...
08/09/2026
Ateme and Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) have announced a collaboration comb...
08/09/2026
Haivision has joined the IBC Accelerator Media Innovation Programme as part of t...
08/09/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced price reductions on its PYXIS 6K and Cinema Camera 6K models, effective immediately through Blackmagic Design resellers worldwid...
08/09/2026
AI-Media will demonstrate its LEXI Suite at IBC2026 (Booth 5.C34, September 11-1...
08/09/2026
Bitmovin and Ad Insertion Platform (AIP) have announced the first live deploymen...
08/09/2026
Grass Valley will demonstrate story-centric media workflows at IBC2026 (Booth 9.A01, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14), connecting newsroom production, content ma...
08/09/2026
M2A Media and Ateme have announced a partnership integrating Ateme's video processing solutions into M2A Media's MediaToAnywhere platform for live sport...
08/09/2026
Ikegami will exhibit at IBC2026 (Stand 12.A31, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14), including a Day 1 introduction of new cameras in the UNICAM XE series. Additiona...
08/09/2026
Broadcast industry analysts will be gathering plenty of insights at the 2026 IBC Show this weekend in Amsterdam, but Caretta Research has offered up some though...
08/09/2026
SENSHI and DAZN have announced a global broadcast partnership that will bring SENSHI's live events free to viewers in more than 200 markets. The partnership...
08/09/2026
New architecture built with Evertz will bring 4K HDR to Monday Night Football, N...
08/09/2026
Built for rap producers, by rap producers
Sauceware Audio, the independent plug-in company founded by Grammy-nominated producer Jacob (Travis Scott, 21 Sava...
08/09/2026
Classic Sound Techniques design revived
Warm Audio's latest release delivers a meticulous recreation of the preamp circuitry employed by the Sound Techn...
08/09/2026
Latest soft synth inspired by the Memorymoog
XILS Lab have just launched a software instrument that draws its inspiration from Moog's iconic Memorymoog,...
08/09/2026
The Airport Chaplain takes off as SBS's biggest launch of 2026
8 September, 2026
Media releases
1.67 million viewers on National Total TV to date
Best...
08/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/09/2026
Mo-Sys, the world-leading developer of virtual production, camera robotics and image tracking technology, has completed a business restructuring, which has incl...
08/09/2026
New York, September 8, 2026 The TSAmediaHUB audiovisual contribution and distribution infrastructure developed by Telef nica's Audiovisual Services area re...
08/09/2026
Expanded Riyadh operation brings Asharq and Thmanyah services together on a resilient on-premises Pebble platform.
Pebble, the leading automation, content mana...
08/09/2026
Techex, a pioneering leader in live video workflows, will showcase its broadest software feature set to date at IBC 2026 (Stand 2.B45), extending its lead in so...
08/09/2026
Visitors to Grass Valley's booth at IBC2026 will be introduced to new Framelight X capabilities that connect content acquisition, management, editing and pu...
08/09/2026
BCNEXXT will showcase the latest evolution of Vipe at IBC2026 (Stand 2.B09), introducing a series of innovations designed to deliver higher-quality audience exp...
08/09/2026
Bitmovin, a provider of video streaming solutions, has partnered with Ad Insertion Platform (AIP), a leading innovator in advanced ad insertion technologies, to...
08/09/2026
Brainstorm, a leading manufacturer of real-time graphics and augmented and virtual production, is announcing a major package of enhancements to its Suite 7 soft...
08/09/2026
Big Blue Marble is supporting TDF, French infrastructure and network operator, broadcasting Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) and radio services, as a techno...
08/09/2026
Agents work inside a single production environment, from incoming wire copy to a live studio show...
08/09/2026
Building on their strategic partnership, Ceeblue and Layercake make the unthinkable possible: scalable sub-second streaming over standard DRM, SSAI, and CDN wor...
08/09/2026
Brainstorm, a leading manufacturer of real-time graphics, augmented and virtual production, is completing the environment for fast-paced broadcast production wi...
08/09/2026
A SaaS portfolio built to work together, helping operators grow audiences, monetise smarter and run leaner, on their own terms
At IBC 2026 (stand 1.B49) Synam...
08/09/2026
Accedo, global provider of video streaming software and services, has been selected by PlayOn Sports, a national leader in high school sports technology, to exp...
08/09/2026
LiveU, the leader in live IP-video solutions, is enabling The Associated Press to take global newsgathering to the next stage with intelligent connectivity and ...
08/09/2026
Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, today announced the latest evolution of it...
08/09/2026
Compact, power-efficient X Platform performance brings broadcast-grade reliability and ultra-low latency to space-constrained remote production (REMI) workflows...
08/09/2026
Zixi, the leader in live video delivery and workflow orchestration, and Kiloview, a leading provider of professional IP video encoding and decoding solutions, t...
08/09/2026
Collaboration gives content owners scalable CDN capacity and broadcasters enhanced flexibility, including for C-band transition planning
Quortex today announce...
08/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/09/2026
Telos Alliance and Pluxbox Announce Dynamic Media Facility Integration Partnersh...
08/09/2026
J nger Audio Showcases Industry-First S-ADM Cloud Workflow at IBC 2026
Search
Dolby, MainConcept, Techex and J nger Audio will showcase the industry's ...
08/09/2026
Tuesday 8 September 2026
Sky Go gets a major upgrade for Sky Glass and Sky Stream customers
Today, Sky launches a new version of the Sky Go app for Sky Glass ...
08/09/2026
Documentary thriller simulating a Russian attack on UK soil will culminate in a live final episode reuniting the playersTuesday 8 September 2026
Trailer releas...
08/09/2026
Tuesday 8 September 2026
Jamie Demetriou and Amelia Dimoldenberg to host next t...
08/09/2026
Wuppertal September 8, 2026
Riedel Introduces New OnAir Headset PlatformRiedel Communications today announced the launch of its new OnAir headset platform, a...
Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with URSA Broadcast G2 posted: 27/03/2024 
