5G-Xcast, a European research project involving the EBU and several partners, is conducting a live demonstration of video broadcasts over 5G networks at this year’s Mobile World Congress, 25-28 February in Barcelona. The joint demonstration by IRT, EBU and Enensys-Expway involves live video transmissions to multiple commercial end-user devices based on 5G-Xcast concepts. The demo will be conducted at the Enensys booth #5B81.
Antonio Arcidiacono, EBU Director of Technology & Innovation said: "5G presents some exciting opportunities for the future distribution of media services. Tests and trials such as this one are essential to verify the potential of this technology for the whole media sector."
The 5G-Xcastproject aims to develop technology that enables large-scale distribution of audiovisual media services over 5G networks, with a maximum of scalability, bandwidth efficiency, and sustained video quality on every end-user screen. The demonstration will show how a combination of 5G broadcast and unicast features can be used to deliver free-to-air live TV and on-demand content to both stationary TV receivers and smartphones simultaneously. Seamless switching between broadcast and unicast modes is achieved by means of MooD (MBMS operation on Demand).
“The ever-growing use of mobile video requires more efficient distribution mechanisms in order to keep control of network load and CDN costs. The industry trials jointly realised throughout this project demonstrate the impressive potential of 5G broadcast for media distribution”, said Michael Hagemeyer, Managing Director of IRT.
IRT provides a smartphone app that allows users to watch live TV programmes delivered over a 5G broadcast transmission with additional content provided when unicast connections are available. Expway provides an all-in-one system called eBox enabling broadcast capabilities powered by the Expway BMSC and Expway BPM in the core network and the Expway Middleware on the smartphones. The original content from the European Championships 2018 is provided by the EBU.
“The growth in demand for OTT video is showing no signs of abating. Multiple studies show that within the next three years, video will account for nearly four-fifths of all mobile traffic”, said Claude Seyrat, VP Telecom Market at Enensys-Expway. “This video growth has a direct impact on bandwidth saturation during the busy-hours, mainly during the evenings and special events. 5G specifications will improve the end-user video experience during average traffic times when enough bandwidth is available. Only 5G Broadcast can give the boost these strained networks need during peak traffic time.”
5G-Xcast is a 5G-PPP Phase II project focused on broadcast and multicast communication enablers for the fifth generation of wireless systems. It has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement Nr. 761498.
About the EBU
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is the world’s foremost alliance of public service media (PSM). Our mission is to make PSM indispensable. We have 119 member organizations in 56 countries in Europe, and an additional 33 Associates in Asia, Africa, Australasia and the Americas.
Our Members operate nearly 2,000 television and radio channels alongside numerous online platforms. Together, they reach audiences of more than one billion people around the world, broadcasting in more than 160 languages.
We strive to secure a sustainable future for public service media, provide our Members with world-class content from news to sports and music, and build on our founding ethos of solidarity and co-operation to create a centre for learning and sharing.
Eurovision Services, our business arm, has an outstanding global reputation and is the first choice media services provider for many media organizations and sport federations around the world.
We have offices in Brussels, Rome, Dubai, Moscow, New York, Washington DC, Singapore and Beijing. Our headquarters are in Geneva.
Discover more about the EBU on www.ebu.ch.
About IRT
IRT is a neutral research and competence centre for audiovisual technologies. It explores, observes and develops new technologies with the aim to strategically adapt broadcasting to new market environments and needs. Around 130 employees do research on the premise in Munich in close cooperation with partners and clients for innovative solutions in the research areas of artificial intelligence, metadata, all IP/IT, next-generation audio, future video formats, IP distribution, 5G, portals & services and regulation.
Its shareholders are the public service broadcasters ARD, ZDF, Deutschlandradio, ORF and SRG/SSR. In addition, IRT collaborates with numerous clients in the sectors of broadcasting, media and industry. Its cooperation with international research partners offers access to global trends and developments. In its work with universities, IRT supports the training of junior staff, who are actively involved in research projects. With more than 60 years of experience, IRT is a pioneer of audiovisual media technology and information society. For more information, visit https://www.irt.de.
About Enensys-Expway
Expway is a member of the Enensys Technologies Group. Expway is the LTE/5G Broadcast content delivery expert, enabling network operators and device manufacturers to monetize the video-streaming explosion. Expway delivers content efficiently and cost effectively with consistent high quality-of-experience. Expway is the only vendor to offer a complete end-to-end open solution, providing both the Broadcast server and the device middleware to enable LTE/5G Broadcast. For more information, visit www.expway.com.