5VREAL: EMG / Gravity Media Italy and Vodafone contribute to innovative sports analysis and fan engagement project By Roberto Landini, Italian Correspondent
Tuesday, January 14, 2025 - 08:48
Print This Story
Combining artificial intelligence, 5G and video analytics systems to enhance technical match analysis and enrich audience engagement, the 5G Volley Reality Experience & Analytics Live (5VREAL) Project was conceived and implemented by a partnership of companies and research institutes including the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, EMG / Gravity Media Italy, the Bruno Kessler Foundation, Small Pixels, and Vodafone Italy.
As part of this project, the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano recently led an experiment on systems using AI to recognise phases and parameters of volleyball games and to generate data associated with video to support the development of game tactics or to enhance fan engagement by producing real-time highlights with augmented reality graphics for inclusion in the event's coverage.
In the experiment, conducted at the Trento Sports Hall during an event involving women's volleyball team Trentino Volley, remote broadcast production techniques and technologies based on 5G networks played a dual fundamental role. First, they enabled the acquisition of images and their transfer to the Edge Cloud hosting AI-based systems. Second, they enabled the creation of real-time highlights and made them available for playout in the control room.
The Free University of Bozen-Bolzano led a consortium of entities and companies engaged in developing technologies to achieve the project's goals. In particular, the Bruno Kessler Foundation (FBK) and UniBZ focused on developing AI-based systems for analysing game phases. Small Pixels developed and provided its AI-based technology to enhance the video quality of compressed content. Vodafone installed a dedicated indoor coverage network at the Trento Sports Hall, leveraging the capacity and flexibility of its 5G network to ensure the required performance for mobile devices located there. It also established a private network connecting these devices to Edge Computing resources set up at the MCR in Cologno Monzese by EMG / Gravity Media Italy.
EMG / Gravity Media Italy built the entire technological infrastructure of the data centre, provided its production facilities, and implemented a low-latency remote contribution and production system based on Vodafone's 5G Remote Media Production Platform.
The complete process developed by the partners enabled the filming of a volleyball match using four cameras connected via 5G to the remote production system of the edge data centre in Cologno and EMG / Gravity Media Italy's Nova 126 mobile unit. Alongside broadcast cameras, the event was filmed with three smartphones, also connected via 5G to the Edge Cloud in Cologno, to demonstrate the feasibility of AI-based tracking even when the event is not produced for television broadcasting.
The AI-based systems' processing results were displayed on a tablet showing the event video and the game data extracted by the systems. Clips enriched with augmented reality were integrated into the event's programme as highlights.
The extracted data and generated content could also be consulted post-event for game analysis to support strategy development.
5G network solution
The experiment benefited from Vodafone's 5G network solution designed for remote video contribution and production applications, extended with an Edge Computing node at the MCR data centre in Cologno Monzese by EMG / Gravity Media Italy. To maximise performance in terms of low latency and reliability, the Edge Computing infrastructure was made directly accessible to devices enabled on Vodafone's 5G network through a direct and virtually dedicated connection.
This approach allowed devices equipped with specific non-commercial SIMs to utilise advanced features such as network slicing, which allocates the necessary resources to ensure substantial bandwidth (especially in upload) and extremely low latency levels. These resources are essential for enabling real-time transmission of high-quality video streams over a wireless network.
Additionally, these devices enjoyed a direct and dedicated connection, almost as if there were a direct line between the indoor coverage apparatus in the sports hall and EMG's Edge Cloud. This was made possible by the high capacity and evolved functionalities of Vodafone's advanced 5G infrastructure.
To maximise its network's performance for audiovisual contribution and production uses, Vodafone contributed to developing dedicated devices, acquired and managed by EMG Italy for this occasion. These devices, comparable to backpacks commonly used in the broadcast sector, represent a significant evolution as they feature superior audio/video functionalities compared to what's currently available on the market, integrating technologies such as bonding with precise operator network integration.
As a result, wherever a connection is established in Italy via one or more SIMs, data reaches the Cologno Monzese data centre in an average time of about 15 milliseconds without traversing the internet, thus avoiding impacts on bandwidth availability and latency. The connection characteristics (bandwidth and latency) depend only on the radio access quality, which is enhanced by the terminal's features.
During the experiment, exceptional access performance was achieved, allowing terminals to operate with connectivity exceeding 700Mb/s in download and 100Mb/s in upload, with transport latencies consistently below 20ms.
The video contribution latency, thanks to the encoding and decoding performance of the devices and the data centre systems, was consistently under 150ms, enabling any contribution or remote production activity.
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
21/10/2025
Globecast, the leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, has announced the appointment of G Morgan as Executive Vice President of...
21/10/2025
Visual Data announces the appointment of Maz Al-Jumaili as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Localization, to advance client engagement, strategic partnerships, ...
21/10/2025
As Amazon's Prime Video prepares to launch its coverage of NBA basketball under a major new deal, Grup Mediapro has announced that it is working with the st...
21/10/2025
ATLANTA Good news for consumers using an Atlanta DTH receiver to watch ATSC 3.0: with a new software update, they will be able to blanket their homes with Wi-Fi...
21/10/2025
While recent news has been heavily focused on Hispanic migration into the U.S., The 2025 Hispanic Market Report from Claritas highlights the fact that this gr...
21/10/2025
MAIDENHEAD, UK RWS has hired Michael Wayne as its head of media and entertainment in Los Angeles where he will lead the company's media localization busines...
21/10/2025
Imagine Communications and Rohde & Schwarz today announced a definitive agreement under which Imagine will acquire Pixel Power Limited, a wholly owned subsidiar...
21/10/2025
Atlanta DTH (ADTH) today announced a major update that will expand the functionality of its NEXTGEN TV receiver by enabling gateway capabilities allowing viewer...
21/10/2025
Heartland Video Systems, Inc. (HVS), a premier video systems integration, consulting, and expert ATSC 3.0 implementation firm announces that it has partnered wi...
21/10/2025
QuickLink, the leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest integration solutions, today announced the appointment of Austin Hinton as it...
21/10/2025
nternet connectivity startup Miri Technologies Inc. will use this week's NAB Show New York as the launch pad for its latest ground-breaking innovation, the ...
20/10/2025
Inside TAMS: How Time-Addressable Media Stores could redefine sports workflows By Paul Markham
Friday, October 17, 2025 - 08:57
Print This Story
A penalty...
20/10/2025
Transformational production: Inside TVN's remote production push for the DFL...
20/10/2025
How NBC Sports Transitioned Stamford Facility to One Format: 1080p HDRMulti-year plan harmonizes workflows, simplifies operationsBy Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial ...
20/10/2025
NBA on NBC' Studio Production Team Is Ready for Tip-Off With Coast-to-Coast...
20/10/2025
Under pressure: TVN CEO Markus Osthaus considers the German sports broadcasting ...
20/10/2025
(L-R) Maria Dizzia, Carmen Emmi, and Russell Tovey attend the Plainclothes pre...
20/10/2025
In March, we launched Concerts Near You to help listeners find concerts from their favorite artists. Since then, more than 3 million people have used it to disc...
20/10/2025
Em diversas cidades do Brasil, um movimento tem se fortalecido para celebrar o poder, a beleza e a profundidade da criatividade negra. O Dia AMPLIFIKA, agora em...
20/10/2025
In cities across Brazil, a movement is growing that celebrates the power, beauty, and depth of Black creativity. AMPLIFIKA Day, now in its fifth edition, return...
20/10/2025
Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft rendering...
20/10/2025
DENVER and MUNICH Imagine Communications today announced its plans to acquire Pixel Power Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Rohde & Schwarz. Financial terms of...
20/10/2025
LOS ANGELES G Morgan has joined Globecast, a provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, as executive vice president of sales, Globecast Am...
20/10/2025
PLYMOUTH, Wisc. Heartland Video Systems and Zixi have partnered to enable broadcast-quality live video delivery over any IP network....
20/10/2025
A. R. Rahman on Facing Fear and Finding the Divine In an interview with Berklee President Jim Lucchese, the Oscar-winning composer reflects on how courage and...
20/10/2025
Monday 20 October 2025
To view this content, please enable our use of cookies. ...
20/10/2025
Rohde & Schwarz transfers Pixel Power to Imagine Communications Companies work collaboratively to ensure continuity and ongoing support for existing customers...
20/10/2025
RT 's Prime Time is set to host the final Presidential Election Debate this Tuesday night, October 21, providing an opportunity to hear directly from Irelan...
20/10/2025
NVIDIA and Google Cloud are expanding access to accelerated computing to transform the full spectrum of enterprise workloads, from visual computing to agentic a...
19/10/2025
Back to All News
Sins of Kujo' Comes to Life in New Live-Action Series Set for Spring 2026
Entertainment
19 October 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied to cl...
18/10/2025
New England Sports Network (NESN) has chosen Harmonic, working with Astound Business Solutions, as its enterprise technology partner to transform primary distri...
18/10/2025
NEW ORLEANS, La. In the run-up to the start of the NBA season, WVUE-TV and Gray Local Media have announced a deal with DirecTV that will greatly expand access t...
18/10/2025
Berklee Celebrates 40 Years of the Fall Together Concert Faculty composers Bob Pilkington and Greg Hopkins are among the featured artists for this year's ...
17/10/2025
NEP Group Receives New Equity Investment From 26North Partners LP, Co-InvestorsCarlyle remains the largest shareholder as the company prepares for the futureBy ...
17/10/2025
Apple Lands Five-Year Deal for F1 Distribution in the U.S.Besides airing on Apple TV, the sport will be amplified on other Apple servicesBy Ken Kerschbaumer, Ed...
17/10/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Marshall Electronics' Bernie Keach on the Future of PTZ Camera...
17/10/2025
L2 Productions' REMI Facility in Austin Can Produce Content From AnywhereMusic festivals, sports events are produced via flypacks and remote control roomsBy...
17/10/2025
By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
17/10/2025
(L-R) Christopher Meyer, Addison Timlin, Cooper Raiff, Lili Reinhart, Alyah Chan...
17/10/2025
M sica e arte se uniram em uma noite especial na semana passada na ZIV Gallery, ...
17/10/2025
Music and art came together for one special night last week at ZIV Gallery, an i...
17/10/2025
Spotify and FC Barcelona are extending our partnership through 2030, continuing a collaboration that's redefining how fans, players, and artists connect. Th...
17/10/2025
MURRIETA, Calif. The Sports Fishing Championship (SFC) has deployed DigitalGlue's creative.space storage platform to streamline video production by centrali...
17/10/2025
BELLEVUE, Wash. Football continued to cement its reputation as a bulwark of TV advertising in Q3 2025 with new data from iSpot that showed both the NFL and coll...
17/10/2025
The Sports Fishing Championship (SFC), the premier competitive saltwater fishing series, has transformed its production workflow by adopting creative.space, the...
17/10/2025
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning multi-camera video productions and remote contribution solutions, announces the release of StudioPro Version 4, ...
17/10/2025
Although the annual Grammy Awards celebration is best known for recognizing achievements in the recording industry, the show often proves a visual spectacle as ...
17/10/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leading provider of software-defined data storage and data services, has promoted Alex Dunfey to Chief Technology Officer (CTO) from his for...
5VREAL: EMG / Gravity Media Italy and Vodafone contribute to innovative sports analysis and fan engagement project By Roberto Landini, Italian Correspondent 
