5G and network APIs are enhancing live media production

Sony’s mission to “support the dreams of creators with the power of technology” means it continually works with new and disruptive technologies that can enhance entertainment businesses across video, music, games and pictures. Technology advancement extends from the device itself, through the network, into the datacenter and AI infrastructure. In this technological ecosystem, the end-to-end reliability offered by 5G standalone (SA) is a game changer.

The evolution of mobile network capabilities – particularly differentiated connectivity, resource allocation and collection of network insights via network APIs – allows reliable connectivity capabilities to be embedded into workflows and applications. Workflows manage how creators move, share, store, review and work on media. Network APIs can simplify and improve these flows, enabling further innovation for creativity and entertainment. It enables Sony to focus on its purpose and technology, and allows the people using Sony’s products to live in the moment.

Creativity connected

Time-to-news and time-to-audience are critical for news broadcasters, photographers and video producers like influencers. 5G is enabling new and creative ways of storytelling – videographers and photographers are no longer anchored to locations and can move freely while remaining connected, without the need for bulky backpacks or satellite dishes. With the latest 5G-connected cameras they simply turn up, connect to the 5G network, request the service they need and are ready to go.

The ability to integrate 5G-enabled cameras into outdoor broadcasts and indoor studio settings is highly attractive for TV news reporters, sport and music productions, reality TV and TV studio operators. The need for cabling is greatly reduced, resulting in more flexible content creation and production, and faster time-to-audience with new and enhanced experiences.

Sony has been showcasing a range of products, solutions and workflows, along the theme of “creativity connected”, designed to fulfil the goal of fueling new methods, tools and possibilities for media creators. Whether for broadcasters, photographers or private users, 5G connectivity is one of the key pillars in changing the landscape of media creation and collaboration.

Commercial 5G SA differentiated connectivity in action

Network slicing, in combination with the QoD network API, provides deterministic performance characteristics for high-quality media production. It offers the ability to allocate network resources and give priority on-demand to on-air wireless cameras, enabling much greater production agility, as well as intelligent use of limited network resources. These key aspects have been demonstrated in commercial environments.

Figure 19: Network throughput rates

5G for media production

Setting up 5G-enabled wireless cameras and establishing a reliable and deterministic connection is challenging. Bandwidth demands are high, with broadcast-quality HD and 4K requiring 12 Gbps for raw 4K video footage. This is where encoders and decoders play a crucial role in managing video compression to reach significantly lower network throughput requirements, without reducing quality or introducing delay in the workflows. Figure 19 shows the throughput rates required to secure a reliable broadcast.

To ensure a great broadcast experience for producers, these throughput rates need to be guaranteed. Sony is able to leverage 5G differentiated connectivity with its reliable and secure connectivity, to deliver both high throughput and low-latency requirements for HD live broadcast use cases. The ability to dynamically prioritize network resources to on-air wireless cameras within the reserved network slice enables unequalled production agility without compromising broadcast quality.

For many larger productions, broadcasting requires a multi-camera setup to deliver an immersive media experience for the consumer. However, for the economics to work in terms of radio resource utilization on the network side and costs to the broadcaster, it is not desirable to have multiple cameras running simultaneous live feeds. This is where dynamic QoD programmability is required to switch between cameras as they go live, ensuring a seamless experience while allowing off-air cameras to back off and significantly reduce impact on the network. The switching needs to be driven in real time by the producer, as an integral component of the production solution. Global standard network APIs with 5G differentiated connectivity are transformational to the media industry to enable wide area software-defined media solutions. Programmable 5G networks integrated with these media orchestration platforms allow both wired and wireless cameras to be managed, as well as maintaining high-quality, uninterrupted and reliable broadcasts.

The combination of both private and public 5G networks provides flexibility and freedom for media creators and producers to explore and innovate.

Business-enabling network capabilities

The ability of the 5G network to move from best effort to deterministic performance characteristics creates this solid foundation for innovation, bringing new possibilities for the photojournalist or videographer. Some of the key enhancements within the 5G networks that are enabling this include:

• Uplink performance: Recent developments within the 5G standards and future releases have focused on the ability to increase uplink performance. The ability for a network user to reliably and programmatically simplify their work, reducing costs and complexities in day-to-day tasks, establishes an immediate and tangible value. In the case of photographers, media producers or digital creators, the opportunity is here and now. As these services are made more readily available the next wave of digital enablement will emerge, with reliable uplink capacity being the cornerstone of that shift.
• Differentiated connectivity: This represents a game-changing opportunity. Not only can photographers and videographers be provided with a prioritized feed on the 5G network, but the value of these capabilities extends into creator and consumer sectors. Reliable and consistent mobile connectivity with deterministic characteristics is an enabler for innovation in multiple sectors.
• Network APIs: Allowing developers to easily access advanced 5G capabilities provided by service providers. This unlocks the opportunity to develop new enhanced applications and services. The ability to seamlessly integrate capabilities into applications and workflows brings a fundamental shift in the ways in which these capabilities can be applied. In the broadcast cases it is this integration that makes the economics of multi-camera broadcasts a reality.
• Private 5G networks: Private 5G networks such as those within stadiums or broadcast centers offer fully controlled bandwidth independent of usage on the public network. These networks still require the advanced 5G capabilities to manage network resource allocations and integration of capabilities into workflows via network APIs.

Collaborative innovation

The recent developments of the 5G SA network, linked with the development of 5G connected transmitters and encoders, have established an ecosystem that is ready for the transformational possibilities for connected creativity. This will change the economics and creative possibilities in media production, for both larger broadcasters with multiple cameras and smaller independent producers with a single camera. Wider adoption is dependent on the evolution of 5G networks to support the latest capabilities and the exposure of network APIs to further enhance the ease of access and integration into workflows.

While entertainment on the move is not new, with a multitude of offerings available, highly immersive online experiences have been severely limited by the networks’ ability to meet the demands required to consistently deliver the user experience. Differentiated connectivity dramatically changes this situation. As these network capabilities become widely available, the ecosystem will expand to take advantage. Here, success will also be dependent on enabling dynamic and tailored charging models made possible via the integration of network APIs into platforms and applications.

Sony has high expectations from mobile network operators for exposing network APIs, enabling seamless integration of connectivity solutions into workflows, further driving innovation in creativity and entertainment.