SES announced at IBC2018 that broadcasters and event organisers will be able to make use of a new service providing onsite LTE network and dedicated Wi-Fi hotspots, regardless of the location of their event. This is due to Munich-based Smart Mobile Labs’ (SML) cooperation with MX1, a subsidiary of SES, to bundle their LTE technology into the MX1 OU Flex product.
The new feature combines OU Flex’s 150 Mbit/sec of reliable bandwidth supplied by SES’ powerful satellite fleet and SML’s 5G-ready LTE/WiFi hotspot solution. Together these solutions enable HD and UHD content to be reliably distributed to a specialised mobile application on the phones of audiences around the world.
SML’s LTE technology is based on the company’s core technology, Edge Video Orchestrator (EVO), which allows switching of real-time video streams with a low latency and will extend OU Flex connectivity on-location to deliver video, audio and data streams through a local mobile network for rebroadcasting and Content Delivery Network (CDN) distribution. The combined solution is proven with 4G LTE technology.
OU Flex, which was launched in March 2018, is designed to provide a dependable video distribution and bidirectional IP connectivity solution for broadcasters, live event producers, event organisers and remote operators. The solution works even when terrestrial and mobile networks are congested, and in remote areas, to ensure that over-the-top streaming and social media updates can be executed from the field, while also distributing video feeds to TVs globally.
The new OU Flex feature can be used for a variety of applications. One is extending a network to mobile cameras that deliver focused views of an event to OU Flex-connected spectators onsite and audiences around the world. The mobile application can then offer these shots in a split screen mode, directed by the viewer’s choice. Additionally, the customer can superimpose sponsor information, graphic elements, or social media conversations on top of the video feed, for a total event immersion, all in real-time.
“We enhanced the audience experience at a major baseball game with our EVO technology by enabling spectators to use their smartphones or tablets to choose the camera angle from which they’d like to view the game – whether from the pitcher’s, catcher’s or cheerleader’s point of view,” said Andreas Westhoff, CEO of SML.
“By combining our solution into MX1’s OU Flex, we can go further because of satellite’s reliability and reach. Now we will be able to deliver our capabilities to customers in remote locations or in network congested situations.”
“Cooperating with SML allows event organisers to up their game as they can now offer services to thousands of phones on the ground, which empowers them to provide enhanced experiences to spectators on-location as well as those around the world,” added Wilfried Urner, CEO of MX1.
“This add-on is a perfect complement to our OU Flex service as it expands the flexibility already offered. We are focused on delivering services that are plug-and-play without compromising on quality, which defines both OU Flex and this new SML add-on.”
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