The German team made a dream start to the 2024 European Championship on Friday, and Deutsche Telekom's 5G business customer solutions also showcased impressive performance. RTL Deutschland's and n-tv's coverage of the opening match in Munich was enhanced with live broadcasts by reporters via Deutsche Telekom's 5G network. The match provided numerous opportunities for innovative network solutions, enabling various live broadcasts, including a Deutsche Telekom 5G campus network installed specifically for RTL a few days prior.
Since last year, the media company has been using the "Live Video Production" product, which transmits via Deutsche Telekom's 5G standalone network. This 5G SA network is available throughout Germany. A journalist delivered first-class picture and sound quality live from in front of the Allianz Arena for n-tv's news programs and RTL's main news show, "RTL Aktuell." Live Video Production is now regularly used for RTL/n-tv coverage and continues to be booked almost daily during the European Championship.
The collaboration between RTL, Sony, and Deutsche Telekom marked a successful premiere. Next to the RTL media center in Cologne is one of the official public viewing locations for the European Championship. Thanks to the proximity to the transmitter and Deutsche Telekom's campus network, live reports from the fan zone were transmitted via 5G. A new camera system, part of the Networked Live ecosystem from Sony and Nevion, a Sony Group Company, was used in this setup. This system can receive the 5G signal directly via an integrated SIM card and transmit images to the studio in real-time without additional mobile solutions, enabling high-quality live connections to a reporter in the public viewing zone.
The 5G campus network provided the foundation for several parallel data streams with very high bandwidth. Multiple live broadcasts were made for n-tv news and pre-match reporting on MagentaTV. An RTL team, equipped with two mobile 5G cameras, worked at the public viewing spot in Cologne over several days, testing four functions, all of which performed successfully via the 5G connection: Ultra Low Latency Live Video Production, Audio Intercom for direct communication between the control room, camera operator, and interviewer, Return Video to show the camera operator or interviewer what is currently being broadcast, and Remote Camera Control to allow the control room to remotely adjust various camera parameters.
For these tests, two Sony FX6 cameras were used, each connected to a CBK-RPU7 HEVC 4K/HD remote production unit for ultra-low latency HEVC video encoding. The encoded outputs were connected to the 5G campus network in the 3.7 – 3.8 GHz frequency range via Sony's PDT-FP1 Portable Data Transmitter and decoded by an NXL-ME80 processor. RTL’s existing Nevion VideoIPath SDN Control Software System managed the delivery of pictures and sound received via the 5G network into RTL’s SMPTE ST 2110-based IP production infrastructure. To ensure high-quality sound, Sony's UWP-D series wireless microphones and receivers were used.
This successful implementation of 5G technology by Deutsche Telekom, RTL Deutschland, n-tv, and Sony demonstrates the immense potential of 5G networks in enhancing live broadcast capabilities. As the European Championship progresses, these innovations continue to provide viewers with high-quality, real-time coverage, showcasing the future of live video production.
