Vislink LiveGear wireless links

Vislink has launched two compact ENG systems using mobile and WiFi connections as part of a new LiveGear range of IP-centric products for broadcast wireless communication for internet newsgathering (iNG).

The LiveGear AirStream LGT-1000 Cellular iNG Transmitter is a 3G/4G LTE portable video transmitter (costing from about $18,000 depending on configuration) that Vislink claims “provides the power of an ENG news van in a compact and easy to use unit which can be carried by hand, in a shoulder bag or backpack.”

Users connect a camera to AirStream via SDI or HDMI, and go straight on the air, delivering broadcast quality video with the push of a button. “Mobile internet newsgathering (iNG) has never been easier,” it claimed. It sees it being used for live coverage of news, sports, politics, and community events. It will operate continuously up to six hours with hot-swappable, rechargeable high-capacity batteries

The LiveGear AirCam Camera Back Transmitter (above) can be docked to IDX or Anton-Bauer battery mounts and comes in three versions: a 3G/4G LTE system for about $10-12,000; the AirCamPlus, which adds WiFi, for about $13-14,000; and the AirCamMax, which adds COFDM microwave, for $18-20,000 (prices are dependent on configuration).

There is also the LiveGear Receiver: IP Playout Receiver, which will cost from about $18,000. The 1RU receiver can connect with up to six transmitters simultaneously, via the internet, and aggregates the four bonded data channels into a HD-SDI video stream for retransmission or playout to web based subscribers using the VMS video media server. An optional IP-to-SDI decoder expansion unit (LGD-1000) can be connected to the receiver to support up to five additional AirStream transport streams.

“With the launch of LiveGear, Vislink is the first company to offer a comprehensive suite of licensed and unlicensed remote video solutions that include broadband cellular, WiFi, terrestrial, and satellite microwave technologies,” said Eric McCulley, Vislink Marketing Manager.

“Utilizing Vislink’s H.264 adaptive bit-rate encoding technology, LiveGear products offer superior, robust and persistent video transmission by bonding multiple 3G/4G LTE cellular networks together.”

By David Fox