The Rai Centre for Research, Technological Innovation and Experimentation presented two contributions at the recent International Broadcasting Convention (IBC 2023) held in Amsterdam, the leading international convention along with NAB Show in Las Vegas on the recent advancement in the broadcast industry and the new emerging media technologies. Both papers were presented on Friday the 15th of September at the Conference.

The articles illustrate the results of the National project ‘5G Audiovisivo 2022’ promoted and funded by the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy  and co-ordinated by Rai Way, which applies 5G technologies to the whole chain of production and distribution of digital contents.

During the session: “Live production using 5G networks – ambitious case studies” Giulio Stante presented a paper “5G Jazz Jam Session – a contaminating arts, 5G NPN and remote television production experiment” [1] which reports the results of the experimental production, based on innovative 5G technologies for TV production, of the “5G Jazz Jam Session” concert during the Torino Jazz Festival 2023. In particular, the article shows the use of a 5G Private Network to support the TV production of live musical events with distributed performances (in the specific case musicians and performers were in different locations) in a remote TV production workflow such to provide a perception of simultaneity to both viewers in the main room and remote television viewers. The technological challenge was the creation of a television production system based on a 5G network infrastructure capable of guaranteeing different levels of application performance for the exchange of audio and video signals, while at the same time guaranteeing ultra-low latency and high throughput.

Alessandro Lucco Castello presented the paper “Efficient delivery of audiovisual content to mobile devices combining 5G broadcast and CDN technologies” [2] during the session: “5G technology convergence with broadcast”. The article provides a complete overview of the experimentation carried out during the project, including simulative analysis, laboratory tests, field measurements and end-to-end service demonstrations, showing the potentialities of the cutting-edge combination of 5G Broadcast and Broadband (based on the use of CDN networks) for an efficient distribution of TV content through the combination of linear transmission and distribution on broadband networks. Specifically, the same flow published on a CDN was used to feed multiple HPHT 5G Broadcast transmitters operating in the coverage area of the cities of Turin and Palermo in the SDL 700 MHz frequency band and for OTT consumption, implementing efficient hybrid 5G Broadcast/Broadband services.

The enabled use cases refer to specific “Live Events”: TV contents, captured by means of a 5G remote production, are distributed via 5G Broadcast to personal handheld devices and vehicular infotainment systems, implementing seamless switching between broadcast and broadband delivery, to offer an optimal user experience. Finally, challenging use cases targeting VR360 devices, providing full immersive experiences of live contents in places like schools, theatres and museums have been presented and discussed.

[1] G. Stante, D. Airola Gnota, F. Debandi, M. Serafini, L. Vignaroli, F. Graglia, G. Scozza, E. Mastromartino, M. Fiammengo, L. Guida  “5G Jazz Jam Session – a contaminating arts, 5G NPN and remote television production experiment “, IBC 2023, Amsterdam. Available at: https://www.ibc.org/technical-papers/ibc2023-tech-papers-5g-jazz-jam-session-an-experiment-of-combined-arts/10243.article

[2]  A. Lucco Castello, D. Milanesio, A. De Vita, F. Graglia, G. Scozza, L. Reggiani, P. Valente, G. Meroni: ”Efficient delivery of audiovisual content to mobile devices combining 5G broadcast and CDN technologies, “IBC 2023, Amsterdam. Available at: https://www.ibc.org/technical-papers/ibc2023-tech-papers-efficient-delivery-of-audiovisual-content-to-mobile-devices-combining-5g-broadcast-and-cdn-technologies/10249.article