Racing specialist TRP delivers integrated broadcasts to on-course
screens and free-to-air and pay TV, incorporating footage from multiple
locations captured with Dejero mobile transmitters.
Thoroughbred Racing Productions Hits the Track with Dejero |
Thoroughbred Racing Productionsspecializes in HD outside broadcast and production services for the racing industry in the Australian state of Victoria. After forming in 2008, the company has increased and evolved its facilities as the market has expanded, and now services over 500 races a year. |
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“We also supply a clean feed to various broadcasters, free-to-air and pay TV, and a replay feed to the Stipendiary Stewards who officiate at all race meets. Aiming to produce the best quality signal, we start at the top by capturing everything in HD, and then converting to whatever format is required by our various partners.” Making the LinkBecause the cost of traditional television delivery for TRP was coming mainly from maintaining the signal quality using expensive hardware and from the price of satellite and microwave transmission, in 2011 the company began investigating new, more affordable ways to capture and deliver racing material. |
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At that time, only very new, first or second generation systems and products were available for links of this type. We contacted our broadcast supplierDigistor, who demonstrated theDejero LIVE+ 20/20 Mobile Transmitter. We staged a shootout, setting up the Dejero against a competing system to send video and audio to our Sydney server. “Dejero delivered very good quality vision despite a low bandwidth, and we were impressed with how it handled the transport of the content once it was set up. The interface control system was simple to operate. The other system struggled with the quality when the available bandwidth dropped, and had too many setup variables for me to send it out with a camera operator.” Mobile TransmittersThe Dejero LIVE+ 20/20 and its successor, theLIVE+ GoBox, are portable briefcase transmitters for broadcasting HD or SD video reliably over combinations of cellular, Wi-Fi, ethernet and satellite connections. Connections are managed with a level of automation so that HD, SD and encoding bitrates will adapt based on network conditions to ensure consistent, good video quality. |
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“We are now using our Dejero 20/20 transmitters regularly for live race trials and so far, the reliability has been excellent,” Charles said. “The mobile data network service is only average at a couple of locations we go to, so we use the 20/20 with a 4G hotspot to carry the payload. “On other occasions, we take it with us when we travel to record interviews with trainers at remote locations. We shoot on XDCAM and then play the footage out into the Dejero. While the crew is driving back it runs on batteries while we forward all the clips to our Port Melbourne production base.” VSET Updates News over IPThe recent trial and installation of threeDejero LIVE+ VSETadaptive bitrate encoder/transmitter rack-mount systems has expanded TRP’s capabilities further, supporting live IP-based content programming onwww.racing.com, a digital racing platform for consumers. |
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“I knew the news service would involve a stand alone setup with a journalist feeding the script into an autocue, making a connection and sending the report to our production facility. The initial proposal was to use a traditional bearer service but I suggested using astandard IP connection. “We built a stand alone facility around a VSET hooked into Racing Victoria’s IT network that could send a signal over the internet to our production facility. We have been using it for three months and have had no issues. The best way to describe it is an efficient, cost effective way to send content from Melbourne to Sydney.” Recognising PotentialThe sales managerDarren Godwinat Digistor, the supplier, said, “Other broadcasters have since adopted Dejero systems but TRP was an early adopter and among the first to recognise Dejero’s potential.” |
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Nevertheless Charles commented that the Dejero products are what have made the biggest impact on TRP’s operations. “When I look at systems we used years ago, we had the huge cost of telco supplies and had to book time and facilities to have material switched out. Now the Dejero VSETs and server are sitting in a rack and the master control operator can locate files quickly and route them out to wherever they are needed. “Even four years ago we used to shoot track work on XDCAM and take the disk to a bearer headend to send the content to our Sydney production facility - all at considerable expense for one half-hour programme. “But once we bought the Dejero 20/20 transmitter, those costs dropped. It was a significant saving as well as better, more flexible services. Dejero’s after sales and support is also excellent. We can email their engineers with any issue and they will respond and deal with it.”www.dejero.com |