4K and 5G: their combined use opens new possibilities in audiovisual production

Pere Vila, director of Technological Strategy at RTVE, addresses in this Tribune the potential of 4K multi-camera production using 5G technology, thus opening the door to Ultra High Definition to a greater number of events.

The different initiatives and technical tests carried out to date in the field of applications to audiovisual production of 5G technologies allow us to glimpse in the medium term the possibility of interesting applications in the field of transport and signal contribution, production in the cloud and at the edge and also in broadcasting. So far, all these experiences have been carried out in the field of high definition.

A few months ago, the initiative to carry out a test arose among the members of the RTVE team who have carried out these tests. 4K multi-camera production using 5G technology.

Aware of the limitations of this type of production, we explore the possibilities of having a cloud video mixer capable of processing 4K signals from the 5G network, mixing them and outputting a UHD signal.

Connoisseurs of the mixer TV Producer can now incorporate this possibility, it was decided to include this type of experimental production within the set of initiatives carried out by RTVE within the scope of the Almagro International Classical Theater Festival, with a clear commitment to Culture and Innovation.

One more year, this 2022 RTVE returned to the Almagro International Classical Theater Festival and it has done so, as on previous occasions, investing in the cultural dissemination of the classics of the Golden Age in a large part of its programs and news, forming part of the event's programming and putting innovation and the most cutting-edge technology at the service of culture.

National Radio of Spain premiered a sound fiction at the Corral de Comedias de Almagro. Handfuls of fire. Margarita Xirgu in exile which was performed by Cayetana Guillén Cuervo along with Víctor Clavijo, José Luis García Pérez and a group of 15 actresses and actors.

On this occasion, a virtual mixer in the “cloud” with 8 inputs in HD, the TVU Producer, has been used for the first time, which allows us to use one of them to upload stereo audio from a PC, thus making us independent of the need to have a professional camera and a backpack to achieve this, although in this case both were kept to guarantee the broadcast in case unforeseen events arose.

In the afternoon's preview program we had the opportunity to launch the aforementioned 5G and 4K test, using this same TVU Producer virtual mixer. The objective was to receive and mix 4K signals from different sources. In this case the program was conceived using the images of a camera PTZ beauty, located in the town hall and connected through a mochila TVU, and those that could be captured from three mobile phones in different locations in the town, including the historic Corral.

In detail, the PTZ camera was used to capture video Canon CR-N500 located on the balcony of the town hall functioning as we have already said as a beauty camera, and 3 iPhones, model 12 Pro Max with the app Anywhere configured at 3840x2160 25p. One of them was located inside the Corral and the other two outside.

Audio e intercom

For him audio, one of the iPhones captured the audio of the editor and interviewed with a lavalier microphone and introduced by a iRig Pro Duo. The other two iPhones took the audio of each editor with their interviewee, captured with a single handheld microphone and introduced by an iRig Pre/iRig Pre HD.

For the intercom It was decided to use two solutions simultaneously: an “operator channel” through Partyline y con sus teléfonos personales, en el que los operadores de cámara se unían mediante un link a la aplicación Partyline para que el realizador se pudiera comunicar con ellos y un “canal de redactores” mediante Discord y con sus teléfonos personales. Los redactores ingresaban a Discord con cuentas genéricas y muteaban sus micrófonos para no molestar a los compañeros en la llamada.

The realización y el monitorado se llevaron a cabo en el hall de entrada del Corral de Comedias. Ahí se situaron tres portátiles, uno de realización de vídeo, otro de realización de audio y monitorado de señales y otro para gestionar los canales de intercom.

Perspectivas de futuro

Obviously we are aware that this is a service that is in the early stages, there is still much to advance and consolidate. In some cases these are key aspects, such as the application of the slicing technologies (capacity reservation), or as improvements to production tools in the cloud such as orders, tallies, communications...

But the perspectives that open up with the meeting of these two technologies are especially interesting. Its consolidation will allow us to carry out small simple multi-camera productions in 4K de acontecimientos culturales y sociales de actualidad, sin vernos obligados a desplazar unidades de producción complejas y caras. Nos permiten también descentralizar y hacer mucho mas accesible el uso de esta tecnología y de esta calidad para producciones lejos de los grandes centros de producción, incluyendo la producción en zonas rurales, como ha sido en este caso al probar este tipo de tecnología en “la España rural” en un pueblo de Castilla-La Mancha de menos de 9.000 habitantes eminentemente agrario.

Evidentemente las unidades móviles 4K son más complejas y caras, tienen mayores prestaciones y unas posibilidades de producción muy superiores y más amplias, no podemos engañarnos, pero como decíamos en el caso de producción multicámara sencilla la utilización de esta alternativa abre la vía a explorar y experimentar con las producciones 4K en ámbitos de trabajo que hasta ahora se han ido manteniendo al margen del uso de este estándar de producción.

Pere Vila

Director de Estrategia Tecnológica en RTVE