Appear and TRP produced broadcast-grade REMI content over bonded 5G and LEO satellite, handling live multi-camera feeds from remote racecourses without fixed network infrastructure
Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), the video production team for Racing Victoria, delivers live horse racing coverage from regional racecourses across the Australian state of Victoria. Recently, live production developer Appear successfully carried out a proof-of-concept with TRP to demonstrate that full multi-camera remote live production can be delivered reliably over bonded 5G cellular and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity, without relying on fixed internet infrastructure.
The project team set up and approved a complete REMI production workflow, transporting four live HD camera feeds from a remote racecourse to TRP's production facility while simultaneously returning two HD programme feeds back to the venue over the same bonded network.
Determining Remote Options
The successful outcome demonstrates how broadcasters can extend high-quality remote production to locations where dedicated fibre or fixed connectivity is unavailable, creating new opportunities to deliver live coverage from geographically dispersed venues while keeping operational complexity to a minimum.
Of the 51 regional racecources that TRP works from, 20 – together with the state's metropolitan venues – have access to good quality wired connectivity that makes REMI possible, but the remaining 31 regional racecourses do not. REMI is already used as a mature production technique wherever bandwidth is not a constraint and, alongside TRP’s plans to centralise its production resources, the organisation wanted to determine whether broadcast-grade REMI production could be achieved at these remote racecourses using affordable bonded cellular and LEO connectivity.
Appear’s X Platform and Hardware-Accelerated SRT
Appear’s part in the workflow was its compact X5 platform, deployed at the racecourse, and an X20 at the production centre to complete the workflow. Designed IP and hybrid workflows, the X Platform carries out high density media processing and intelligent transport, and features a resilient system architecture. X forms a backbone running from edge acquisition to TRP’s centralised processing.
Its modularity means engineers can build the exact workflow needed while maintaining the reliability and operational clarity essential to live production. As it connects directly to the wider portfolio, TRP can scale performance and workflows, and also adapt their infrastructure as the industry evolves into the future.
The X5 encoded four live HD camera feeds in HEVC and transported them using Appear's hardware-accelerated SRT – the open-source video transport protocol – over bonded 5G cellular and LEO satellite networks. At the production centre, the X20 decoded the incoming feeds for live production while simultaneously encoding and returning two HD programme feeds to the racecourse, enabling complete two-way production and communications throughout the event.
Once production was complete, TRP and Racing Victoria could review the finished programme, producing it end-to-end as though it were a live broadcast.
Transforming Economics
The proof of concept was conducted across two separate racecourse locations. One of these was a more remote venue, where heavy rain and challenging weather conditions tested the resilience of the workflow. Across both sessions, all four camera feeds and two return feeds were delivered with no video quality issues reported and no operator intervention required, demonstrating the robustness of Appear's hardware-accelerated SRT transport and the viability of broadcast-grade remote production over bonded cellular and LEO connectivity.
"Remote production continues to transform the economics of live broadcasting, but until now its benefits have often depended on access to dedicated network infrastructure," said Thomas Bostrøm Jørgensen, CEO, Appear. "This proof of concept demonstrates that broadcasters can reliably extend those same production models to remote venues using bonded 5G cellular and LEO satellite connectivity instead."
Looking specifically at this case, while a traditional contribution approach would have been limited to a single programme feed, the Appear X5 simultaneously transported four live camera feeds and two return feeds within a single compact platform. Combined with Appear's hardware-accelerated SRT, the deployment delivered reliable, low-latency transport, while maintaining broadcast-quality video across variable network conditions.
The same platform can also be reconfigured via software to support JPEG XS workflows over high-bandwidth IP networks, allowing broadcasters to use a common platform across both remote and metropolitan production environments.
Foundation for Change
The proof of concept now serves as the foundation for TRP to further explore the suitability of REMI production across its regional racecourse network. Charles Cole, TRP Engineering and Technical Operations Manager commented, "For us, this wasn't simply about proving that the technology works; it was about validating a new way of producing live racing from some of our most remote venues.
“The success of these trials has given us confidence that multi-camera REMI production over bonded cellular and satellite connectivity is a practical option for our regional racecourses. It opens the door to centralising production resources while maintaining the quality, reliability and operational standards our live coverage demands." www.appear.net
