Carrying the world on your back: the LiveU Backpack

The pace of news is relentless. Breakings stories do not wait for equipment or crews or live trucks to arrive. This sense of immediacy translates into the audience’s mentality as well, raising demand for on-site, live, instant coverage. In an increasingly globalized, interconnected world with stories abroad of international and multicultural importance, there simply is no time to waste. LiveU’s wireless backpacks have been critical components in hastening the process of delivering live news. LiveU’s technology enables live video transmission from any location around the world over a cellular network. The LiveU field unit, most often seen as a wearable backpack, enables the journalist or videographer to record footage and send it back to the studio or control room in real-time with minimal lag. The quality is not compromised and this is all accomplished through a professional-grade, cellular-based live video uplink. The innovative platform has revolutionized how global broadcasters can reach their audiences instantly without the use of previously indispensable live trucks.

The diagram below illustrates how the flow of information is transferred through this device.

While it seems simple, this technology is revolutionary. Before this process, a broadcasting ccompany would have to invest tens of thousands of dollars for a satellite truck to enable the capability to live broadcast.

Global broadcasting has been greatly democratized by this technology, enabling a more cost-efficient way to meet the public’s demand for live coverage. Shanghai Media Group, for example, is a China-based television, radio, broadcasting and internet news distributing company. This growing multimedia conglomerate recently chose LiveU’s cellular bonding transmission technology for live broadcasts across its numerous platforms. The advancement of this technology advances the evolution of live coverage. The livestream station, Ucan Transmissõ digital, based in São Paulo Brazil, uses LiveU’s technology to cover breaking news in real time, from Obama’s visit to Brazil to the devastating impact of Hurricane Sandy.

Interning this past summer with WDIV-TV in Detroit was an incredible opportunity to see LiveU’s backpacks up close. Below is a picture from a series of live-shots done during our morning show. Michelle Oliver, Channel 4’s video journalist, visited several local Detroit eateries in a series of ‘hits’ that were used throughout the show. She sampled food and surveyed the cultural atmosphere of eight iconic locations in the city, all in real-time while interacting with the anchors back in the studio and sharing her experience. This would have been a difficult task to maneuver with a full satellite truck navigating between close venues but we were able to set up quickly, efficiently and adeptly with the use of the live backpack. It was fascinating to see the technology in action and the efficacy with which we were able to transfer the footage back to the studio.

Another instance we used the LiveU backpack was for the interview of hip-hop artist Big Sean during his visit to a local Detroit school. However, in this instance we experienced a few issues with the backpack, highlighting some of its weakness and potential for improvement. Because the interview was at a local public school on the outskirts of cell reception, the wireless connection was difficult to reach in order to send the footage back to the studio. Jim, the videographer who was with me on this shoot, had to find a spot with adequate service and we were forced to conduct the interview there despite the less than ideal space, lighting and audio capability. Thus, the LiveU system could improve if it could work in more versatile situations as well. Perhaps if it would automatically reroute the signal over Wi-Fi if cellular service was not available, this adaptation could allow for more seamless and truly ubiquitous coverage.

I am confident that in this relentlessly advancing age of journalism, livestreaming technology will continue to develop rapidly. I would not be surprised if the size of these devices shrank from a wearable backpack to something that could fit in your pocket or on a person’s wrist. I’m certainly excited to see how it continues to shape the broadcasting industry, especially for multicultural news and international markets, which may lack the requisite infrastructure but play increasingly important roles in our lives.