LiveU Launches New Portable HEVC Video Transmitter
LiveU's major IBC news is its launch of a successor to its current flagship cellular bonded solution for mobile news and events gathering.
The company claims the LU600, which is available immediately post IBC, can deliver the highest video quality and bitrate in the market (up to 20Mbps), and is set to offer the fastest file transfer (80Mbps) and lowest delay (0.5 sec).
Importantly, LiveU intends to integrate a HEVC H.265 codec into the kit, although the initial packs will still be with H.264 cards. The company is offering to replace these when H.265 cards become available.
"This is our sixth-generation portable transmission unit since launching the company a decade ago," said the firm's vice president of marketing," says Ronen Artman. "We believe the LU600 will set the reference standard for IP bonding solutions."
The LU600 supports LTE Advanced and has several internal patented antennas, ensuring reliability in any network conditions.
The unit's high-speed bonded internet connection, rated at 100Mbps, means it can also operate as a hotspot for journalists to browse the internet in the field.
"We see a lot of our broadcaster customers not always doing live [with its equipment] but also using our unit to do file transfer," says Artman. "They record video and instantly send it to maintain the highest quality available which is why the file transfer speed of 80Mbps is so important."
The backpack also features a touchscreen similar to those found on Android and Apple devices, says Artman, with an ultra-responsive 5.0 inch capacitive touchscreen. The backpack itself offers remote control functionality and access to display, controls and interfaces.
Boot-up time has been improved to 30 seconds, and there is 16GB of internal storage plus support for external micro SDXC 256GB cards.
The battery lasts longer too, up from three to four hours of live transmission plus support for industry-standard external batteries, with hot-swap capabilities. The unit weighs around 1kg (2.2 lbs), and includes LiveU’s LRT (LiveU Reliable Transport) protocol for video performance using adaptive bit rate and forward error correction technology.
LRT enables "reliable, low delay live video streaming over non-guaranteed IP networks," the company says.
The LU600 is in testing at several broadcasters.
For 4K, LiveU's solution is the combination of its LU710 unit and a 1U 4K encoder—the new LU710 4K/p60 HEVC rack-mountable 1U encoder with the Xtender transmission device (LiveU's external antenna with six modems, delivering video rates of up to 40Mbps), which converts existing satellite trucks into hybrid cellular/satellite trucks. "Current SNG trucks cannot transmit 4K since– the antenna they have is not capable of getting the full bandwidth 4K needs but with our technology you can," says Artman. "This is what broadcasters in Japan and Singapore are doing today."
LiveU is also showcasing LiveU Solo, its plug-and-play live streaming bonded solution for the online media market previously launched at NAB.
Solo allows users to live stream to popular online video players and content delivery networks such as Facebook, YouTube Live, and Wowza Streaming Cloud.
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