Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

BT Sport World-First Standalone 5G Broadcast for MotoGP at Silverstone Is a Step Towards Transmission Transformation

08/09/2021

BT Sport world-first standalone 5G broadcast for MotoGP at Silverstone is a step towards transmission transformation By Adrian Pennington

Monday, September 6, 2021 - 13:24

Print This Story

At the recent British Grand Prix, MotoGP at Silverstone, BT Sport was able to advance 5G trials

Trials of sports media innovations like augmented reality (AR), 8K and 5G have been delayed by the pandemic, but as crowds and crews get back to the stadiums, tests are starting up once more.

The leader of the pack in Europe at least is BT Sport which has plans for all three technologies in the works.

At the recent British Grand Prix, MotoGP at Silverstone [Sunday 29 August], BT Sport was able to advance the 5G part of its plan in concert with long-standing motorsport partner, MotoGP, and bag a world first in the process.

We've been talking with MotoGP and rights holder Dorna about exploring 5G and how it can transform some of their workflows, explains BT Sport chief engineer Andy Beale. There's a real-world problem to solve. Increasingly the wireless bandwidth traditionally used for radio cams and mics is being squeezed out and so reclaiming some of the public 4G and 5G spectrum is potentially a good way of solving reduced frequency count.

BT Sport embarked on a project with Dorna to explore whether 5G was a viable use case as replacement technology for radio cameras in the pit lane and paddock.

Also in the consortium were RF partner Vislink and the University of Strathclyde, which has a 5G lab. The aim was to build a standalone 5G network and explore its potential during live broadcast.

We didn't believe the main 5G network at Silverstone would support the required quality of service, Beale says. With 60,000 fans, a large circuit area and just one 5G cell we didn't think it would be reliable.

University of Strathclyde built a bespoke, private 5G network for BT Sport to use at MotoGP at Silverstone

Bespoke network

So, the University of Strathclyde built a bespoke one. A standalone network uses the same principals as a non-contested private network, which is why they think it's a world's first, Beale says. It's part of a wider project basically looking at 5G tech longer term as a replacement for traditional coded orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (COFDM).

For the British GP 5G trial, Vislink customised a version of its H-Cam transmitter that clips to the back of a camera and built a 5G transponder on that for use in the pit lane before the race. These pictures went to air on the International Programme Feed (world feed) and were also clipped into BT Sport's live coverage.

That was used very extensively and successfully up and down the pit lane, says Beale.

The small cell built by Strathclyde Uni was rigged on the outside of the circuit and, unlike traditional hardware based, specialised and proprietary cells from the likes of network operators Nokia, Ericsson and Huawei, this was built entirely in the CPU as a software-defined network.

Beale adds: This is a CPU-run 5G cell running virtually (apart from the physical antenna,) on local equipment, and that's important as we do more and more remote productions and start taking feeds into the cloud.

As a next step, BT Sport will take it fully into the cloud.

Vislink also built a militarised' version of the transmitter/transponder for mounting on the back of the media bike, pictures from which are made available for rights holder to use for features.

For BT Sport at Silverstone, former world superbike champion-turned-pundit, Neil Hodgson, rode around the track on the Thursday before race day commentating on the lap.

5G cells have a lower footprint than 4G [meaning more of them are required to cover large areas] so we knew the 5G coverage wouldn't work for the whole lap, but it did work for the section the 5G cell was on, he says.

That's important because the tests were made at various speeds from 100kph to 180kph.

What we're hoping as an industry is that, with 5G, we can use more consistent frequencies which should make it easier operationally for rights holders and broadcasters

We're pleased it still did a pretty good job, Beale continues. The signal has to authenticate when it arrives on the cell so when the bike is going top speed you do lose a bit of track while that handshake takes place, but it kept a clean signal all the way around the complex before it was lost into the start of turn one.

For Dorna, the issue is that at every circuit it attends around the world, the bandwidth for radio cameras and mics is wildly different. So the team has to have kit that works in all these frequencies and as that bandwidth gets compressed it becomes harder and harder to make all those work reliably.

Dorna has around 90-plus radio cameras, let alone radio mics and talkback, each weekend. Beale says: What we're hoping as an industry is that, with 5G, we can use more consistent frequencies which should make it easier operationally for rights holders and broadcasters. The 5G spectrum has a much more consistent specification worldwide.

Sports TV presenter, Natalie Quirk, reporting from trackside at MotoGP at Silverstone for BT Sport, using a custom 5G network

Network slicing still to come

Extensive 5G live production will require network slicing, which is the ability for a broadcaster to licence and hive off a part of the spectrum for the duration of an event.

That's still not available unfortunately, says Beale, who attributes the tardiness of its standardisation to COVID. Slicing would enable us to safely join a public network without contention but we're still waiting for that to arrive. That's why we're using a standalone network to give us the same effect.

That said, the advantages of the standalone model are not great for
LINK: https://www.svgeurope.org/blog/headlines/bt-sport-world-first-standalo...
See more stories from svg

More from Sports Video Group

28/03/2024

TNT Sports Gets Its College Game On for March Madness Audio

TNT Sports Gets Its College Game On for March Madness Audio Marching bands, crowds make up for lack of court FX and wired players By Dan Daley, Audio Editor ...

28/03/2024

Cosm/ESPN Deal Will Bring NBA, NHL, Tennis, College Football, and More to Shared Reality' Venues

Cosm/ESPN Deal Will Bring NBA, NHL, Tennis, College Football, and More to Share...

28/03/2024

MLB 2024: The Famous Group, Miami Marlins Team Up for AI-Powered Intro for All 2024 Home Games

MLB 2024: The Famous Group, Miami Marlins Team Up for AI-Powered Intro for All 2...

28/03/2024

MLB 2024: MLB Network Showcase Opts for Secaucus-Based Remote Production

MLB 2024: MLB Network Showcase Opts for Secaucus-Based Remote Production The league's production arm marks 15th-anniversary season with packed schedule By ...

28/03/2024

MLB Opening Day: ESPN Brings Sunday Night Baseball Into Analytic Age With Volumetric Replays, Win Probability' in Scorebug

MLB Opening Day: ESPN Brings Sunday Night Baseball Into Analytic Age With Volume...

28/03/2024

MLB 2024: FOX Sports Steps Up to the Plate With Big Audio Plans

MLB 2024: FOX Sports Steps Up to the Plate With Big Audio Plans More player and field sound will be on tap By Dan Daley, Audio Editor Thursday, March 28, 202...

27/03/2024

Program Productions Partners With Investment Firm Integrum, Eyes Expansion Into New Markets

Program Productions Partners With Investment Firm Integrum, Eyes Expansion Into ...

26/03/2024

Royal Belgian Football Association's Head of Content Daf Van Campenhout on Creating a Content Strategy That Makes a Difference

Royal Belgian Football Association's Head of Content Daf Van Campenhout on C...

26/03/2024

WEBINAR: Content Leadership in Pro Sports With The Gargano Leadership Group

WEBINAR: Content Leadership in Pro Sports With The Gargano Leadership Group Managing content teams with New York Jets Jessica Ciccone, Washington Commanders Rae...

26/03/2024

Prime Video's Eric Orme on What's Next for the Streamer

Prime Video's Eric Orme on What's Next for the Streamer By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital Tuesday, March 26, 2024 - 1:01 pm Print This Story |...

26/03/2024

NFL Streaming Exclusives in 2024: Peacock Lands Week 1 So Paulo Game, Prime Video Adds NFL Wild Card Game

NFL Streaming Exclusives in 2024: Peacock Lands Week 1 S o Paulo Game, Prime Vid...

25/03/2024

The State of Soccer Rights in Europe: Ampere Analysis' Daniel Monaghan Breaks Down the Complexities

The State of Soccer Rights in Europe: Ampere Analysis' Daniel Monaghan Break...

25/03/2024

Rising Star: Checking Out Strategic Sports Goals With TikTok's Global Head of Sports Partnerships Rollo Goldstaub

Rising star: Checking out strategic sports goals with TikTok's global head o...

25/03/2024

TV Skyline Completes Record Winter Sports Season with FIS Ski World Cup in Saalbach

TV Skyline completes record winter sports season with FIS Ski World Cup in Saalb...

25/03/2024

Sports Innovation 2024: New Viewing Experiences and Tracking Systems Provide a Glimpse Into the Future

Sports Innovation 2024: New viewing experiences and tracking systems provide a g...

25/03/2024

Sports Innovation 2024: Wonderment and Warnings in Equal Measure as AI Dominates Dsseldorf Event

Sports Innovation 2024: Wonderment and warnings in equal measure as AI dominates...

25/03/2024

NAB 2024: EVS Sets Out Plans for NAB and Highlights Industry Tech Trends

EVS sets out plans for NAB and highlights industry tech trends By George Bevir Wednesday, March 20, 2024 - 16:34 Print This Story Left to right: Lisa Coll...

25/03/2024

ESPN's Allison Loucks on the Challenge of Integrating Analytics Into the Live Sports Broadcast

ESPN's Allison Loucks on the Challenge of Integrating Analytics Into the Liv...

25/03/2024

NBC Sports Chicago, Chicago Blackhawks Team Up for First-Ever Animated Real-Time Local Sports Broadcast

NBC Sports Chicago, Chicago Blackhawks Team Up for First-Ever Animated Real-Time...

22/03/2024

Put It in the Mixer: European Broadcasters Embrace the Cloud For Soccer Production

Put It in the Mixer: European Broadcasters Embrace the Cloud For Soccer Producti...

22/03/2024

SVG Digital Engagement Forum Tackles Current Industry Topics, Evolving Media Landscape

SVG Digital Engagement Forum Tackles Current Industry Topics, Evolving Media Lan...

22/03/2024

Edgio's Eric Black on Offering Cost-Efficient Solutions for Direct-to-Consumer, OTT Platforms

Edgio's Eric Black on Offering Cost-Efficient Solutions for Direct-to-Consum...

22/03/2024

With Caitlin Clark Effect' at an All-Time High, ESPN Covers NCAA Women's March Madness From All Angles

With Caitlin Clark Effect' at an All-Time High, ESPN Covers NCAA Women'...

21/03/2024

Visual Aids: Telling the Story of Soccer Through Data and Graphics

Visual Aids: Telling the Story of Soccer Through Data and Graphics Tech leaders from FIFA, Sky Sports, and Genius Sports discussed the opportunities at SVG Euro...

21/03/2024

March Madness Gets Real Today; NEP, Game Creek, F&F Trucks Are Front and Center for 20-Camera Productions

March Madness Gets Real Today; NEP, Game Creek, F&F Trucks Are Front and Center ...

21/03/2024

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Comcast Technology Solution's Peter Gibson on Activating Content Via AI Tools

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Comcast Technology Solution's Peter Gibson on Act...

21/03/2024

Inside Monumental Sports Network's New ST 2110 Production Facility: A National-Network Feel at DC's New RSN

Inside Monumental Sports Network's New ST 2110 Production Facility: A Nation...

21/03/2024

SVG Regional Sports Production Summit Travels to Denver on June 26-27

SVG Regional Sports Production Summit Travels to Denver on June 26-27 By SVG Staff Thursday, March 21, 2024 - 1:47 pm Print This Story | Subscribe Story...

20/03/2024

Between the Lines: The European Soccer Rights Revolution and Its Impact on Production

Between the Lines: The European Soccer Rights Revolution and Its Impact on Produ...

20/03/2024

The Reality of Production in a Post-Pandemic World: SVG Yearbook Offers a Glimpse Into the Past and the Future

The Reality of Production in a Post-Pandemic World: SVG Yearbook Offers a Glimps...

20/03/2024

MLB Seoul Series: ESPN Turns to COVID-Era Remote Production for Two-Game Slate in South Korea

MLB Seoul Series: ESPN Turns to COVID-Era Remote Production for Two-Game Slate i...

20/03/2024

Mobile TV Group Launches Latest Flex Series Mobile Unit With 52FLEX

Mobile TV Group Launches Latest Flex Series Mobile Unit With 52FLEX 52FLEX seats over 20 on-site crew members and features a first-of-its-kind Visitor Mobile Un...

20/03/2024

Mike Helling, Longtime FOX Sports and Regional Sports Producer, Dies at 65

Mike Helling, Longtime FOX Sports and Regional Sports Producer, Dies at 65 He led regional broadcasts for both the Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals duri...

19/03/2024

Calling the Shots: What European Soccer Directors Really Want

Calling the Shots: What European Soccer Directors Really Want Sky Sports Sarah Cheadle, Telenet Play Sports Serge Bellens spoke at SVG Europes Football Summit l...

19/03/2024

Going Grassroots: Men in Blazers Shoots This Week in Wrexham Digital Series With iPhones

Going Grassroots: Men in Blazers Shoots This Week in Wrexham Digital Series With...

19/03/2024

Grass Valley Maverik X Switcher Takes AMPP-Based Production to Next Level

Grass Valley Maverik X Switcher Takes AMPP-Based Production to Next Level By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director Tuesday, March 19, 2024 - 10:40 am Print ...

19/03/2024

Monumental Sports Network Launches State-of-the-Art Production Facility and Broadcast Studios

Monumental Sports Network Launches State-of-the-Art Production Facility and Broa...

19/03/2024

NBA League Pass Escalates Sports Betting Functionality With Sportradar's emBET Integration

NBA League Pass Escalates Sports Betting Functionality With Sportradar's emB...

19/03/2024

ESPN Extends Exclusive Media Rights for Expanded College Football Playoff Through 2031-32 Season

ESPN Extends Exclusive Media Rights for Expanded College Football Playoff Throug...

18/03/2024

Major League Soccer: IMG on Capturing Fan Rituals and Delivering Consistent Coverage

Major League Soccer: IMG on capturing fan rituals and delivering consistent cove...

18/03/2024

Smashing Padel: Inside Aurora's Innovative Production of the Inaugural Hexagon Cup

Smashing padel: Inside Aurora's innovative production of the inaugural Hexag...

18/03/2024

Airspeeder Teams Up With EMG for World's First Live Broadcast of Flying Car Series

Airspeeder teams up with EMG for world's first live broadcast of flying car ...

15/03/2024

Live From THE PLAYERS Championship: New Truck Fleet, Live Drones Get Into the Mix for NBC Sports; Coverage Goes HDR

Live From THE PLAYERS Championship: New Truck Fleet, Live Drones Get Into the Mi...

15/03/2024

SVG Digital Engagement Forum (NYC, March 20): ESPN, CBS Sports, Amagi, TAG Video Systems Dissect the FAST Boom

SVG Digital Engagement Forum (NYC, March 20): ESPN, CBS Sports, Amagi, TAG Video...

15/03/2024

Pete Distad, Former Apple, Hulu Exec, Named CEO of New ESPN, FOX, WBD Streaming JV

Pete Distad, Former Apple, Hulu Exec, Named CEO of New ESPN, FOX, WBD Streaming ...

15/03/2024

Live From Big East Men's Tournament: FOX Sports Brings Back Pair of Live Drones for Second Year in a Row

Live From Big East Men's Tournament: FOX Sports Brings Back Pair of Live Dro...

15/03/2024

After a Record-Breaking 2023, NWSL Enters 2024 Season With More Production Partners, Free DTC Platform

After a Record-Breaking 2023, NWSL Enters 2024 Season With More Production Partn...

14/03/2024

Live From THE PLAYERS Championship: PGA TOUR Lays Out Vision for New Media Facility

Live From THE PLAYERS Championship: PGA TOUR Lays Out Vision for New Media Facil...

14/03/2024

Live From THE PLAYERS Championship: PGA TOUR Fleet of Trucks Transforms Setup, Coverage

Live From THE PLAYERS Championship: PGA TOUR Fleet of Trucks Transforms Setup, C...