The “Runhua Award” Fashion Design Competition has been held for 22 consecutive years and has a high reputation in the industry. This year’s competition was held on November 18th at the Art Theatre of Jiangxi Institute of Fashion Technology. This is the first complex live event where VideoGoal was invited to participate.After research, we recommended the CVW 4TX-to-1RX “BeamLink System” for the live production team!
Selection of Video Transmission
At the final scene, theRTMP-basedwebcast was carried out after multi-camera live production switching. Meanwhile, seven cameras were used for live production, including main camera, lateral camera, rocker arm, manned slide, traveling camera, and 360° panoramiccamera on the 3rd floor.Since it was difficult for four cameras to set up SDI cables for video transmission, and the locations where live production could be used were small, CVW 4TX-to-1RX “BeamLink System” was finally selected for image transmission.
Changes Brought about by New Technologies
The team responsible for the multi-camera live production on the scene was the live production team of the campus TV station of Jiangxi Institute of Fashion Technology. Cao Xu,live production team leader and instructor of the campus TV station, was interviewed:
Mr. Cao:It is a great pleasure to use CVW video transmission for live production in the “Runhua Award” Fashion Design Competition. Since the scene environment was bad and there were about 3,000 viewers in the theatre, I was a little worried when first started using it. We had used other video wireless transmissions before, but the pictures would be lost once it reached up to about 1,000 viewers. Therefore, we had also prepared live transmission cables for this competition just in case. However, throughout the competition, we felt a very powerful experience. Basically, the transmission effect of each of the four cameras we arranged was particularly stable, and we also dispatched mobile cameras for off-site interviews. We also felt the intensity of signal stability through the live production station, thereby greatly reducing our burden and making our shooting angle more diverse.
In previous activities, we often needed an hour to conduct wiring and signal testing. In case of any situations on the scene, we have to repair it ourselves. With the 4TX-to-1RX video wireless transmission, we can completely discard the conventional cables and use the video wireless transmission directly to achieve faster results.
The video wireless transmission is different in appearance from the one we’ve used before.Each of the previously used video wireless transmissions was equipped with two antennas, supporting only one-to-one image transmission, that is, one transmitter to one receiver, thus affecting our live production environment.“BeamLink”, however, supports multiple transmitters to one receiver, that is, four transmitters to one receiver, thus saving a lot of venues and layouts, and making our entire live production process easier than before.
Video Wireless Transmission VSWire Transmission
The live production used a variety of models, e.g., Sony PXW-FS7, EX-X280, EX330, and HXR-NX3 cameras, and CgangsHD-81 live production station. In addition to the conventional main camera and lateral camera, it also set up a 12-meter rocker arm, a 4-meter manned slide, a 360° panoramic camera on the 2nd floor, and a traveling camera. Complex camera erection is a test of transmission.
The traditional wiring mode is very troublesome for manned slides, requiring two or three people to be responsible for the recovery and volume of the wires,and it is particularly easy to be rolled down to the tracks and crushed.There is no such trouble with video wireless transmission.
The Sony Handheld Camcorder HXR-NX3 was used on the rocker arm. This machine can only output HD signals via HDMI. In case of transmitting HD signals to live production station via SDI, it is necessary to use an HDMI-SDI converter, requiring an independent power supply module as well. With the video wireless transmission of “BeamLink System”, the transmitter can act as an adapter and supports HDMI input, while the receiver supports SDI input, killing two birds with one stone.
Traveling camera can greatly enrich the picture diversity in a live event.
Traveling camera used to required two or three people to retract and release wires at the back to try to avoid pulling wires and thus cause picture flutter or disconnection, which often took a long time for cooperation. Moreover, before entering the theatre, the leaders and guests are required to go outside the theatre for field shootings and interviews. The walking distance of the wires used would be limited. After using video wireless transmission, you can fight alone, without the constraints of the scene and any restrictions.Even if there is a wall between the interior and exterior, the signal is not damaged.
Outdoor Interview, Indoor Monitoring
A 360° panoramic camera was set up at a higher position this time.
In previous years, when using the camera, the SDI cable must be led out from the 3rd floor to the live production station on the 1st floor. When people were crowded, the wires were hard to avoid being pulled. Under the external force, this camera may be torn down, and thus the cameramen upstairs were always in a state of panic. With the use of CVW video wireless transmission, the pressure on the cameramen is reduced and they can concentrate on the composition and picture.
Challenges of Complex Environments
After a period of intense and painstaking training, the models showed an elegant posture and unique temperament on the runway. The live audience of the competition was nearly 3,000, and the online audience reached more than 100,000. Therefore, stability is the primary requirement of the live production team during the live production. In case of insufficient on-site protection, trampling by the passing crowd will affect the performance and other conditions of wires, and the stability will thus be in a poor condition.
Video wireless transmission solves the problems of conventional wires in special environments during the multi-camera live production, such as long distance, complex wiring, complex environment and terrain, etc.The use of wireless transmission saves time and labor costs in live production. There werea large number of people at the event site, and thus the interference caused by theirelectronic devices was extremely great. Both the on-site security team and the director team would be equipped with their own walkie-talkies, resulting in a complex field wireless transmission environment, which was also a challenge for the “BeamLink System”.However,the responsible live production team felt a strong guarantee due to the good stability throughout the live production.
4TX-to-1RX is Easier
The previous video wireless transmission required one transmitter to correspond to one receiver, while the “BeamLink System” supports the transmission of signals by four transmitters, that is, a receiver receives 4-channel signals and outputs 4-channel images respectively, thus saving the space of the live production room without placing four receivers.After all, traditional one-to-one video wireless transmission requires each receiver to be mounted on a high floor, and multiple channels interfere with each other, with few options. However, the“BeamLink System” is able to realize 4-channel signal transmission with only one channel.
During the communication between directors and cameramen, in addition to the full-duplex voice call, the Tally system can also be used to know if the directors are using their own pictures. The“BeamLink System” supports signal transmission via the Tally system, eliminating the trouble of wire arrangement again. At the end of this year, a voice call system based on the IP protocol will be developed for the “BeamLink System”. The “BeamLink System”, integrating video wireless transmission, Tally, and voice call, will greatly optimize the multi-camera live production process.
Said by the VideoGoal Leader
As early as CVW sent the “BeamLink” System to us and hoped that we would help with the test, VideoGoal leader told the relevant personnel that we could only test the product technically, and in order to test such highly professional products, it was necessary to put them in a real-world environment, so that the front-line users’ experience could be truly gained in an environment with strong interference.
With the opportunities of the Jiangxi Education Exhibition and the “Runhua Award” Fashion Design Competition, VideoGoal members interviewed and experienced the “BeamLink” 4TX-to-1RX System (we only tested 2TX-to-1RX before) on the spot, not only did we learn more about the CVW products, but also did we see the future of live production in real practice. It was a very rewarding try!
