I had the opportunity, together with Adam Pawlowski and Marcin Poltrok from Łączpol at Nokia’s invitation, to look at the solutions offered by the private 5G network at the Eintracht Frankfurt stadium.
Match live stream, mine live stream
What do these two seemingly unrelated situations have in common – live video streaming for entertainment purposes and video transmission from an industrial site? Contrary to appearances, they have a lot in common.
Firstly, both broadcasts are in real time – we want to see a goal being scored immediately and be able to watch it again, ideally in different camera angles – this is what we expect from a good sports broadcast. And a broadcast from the “pit” has even higher requirements in this respect, because although we treat both broadcasts as “live reports”, in the case of industrial broadcasting, literally milliseconds count – because the reaction to what is happening on the “stage” must be immediate – because production is at stake, but above all the safety of people.
Secondly, the equipment used: high-speed and high-precision cameras that record and transmit high-resolution images. One such device is the Nokia 360-degree camera, which observes the situation omnidirectionally – it can show a view from all directions and has an image resolution of 8K.
Thirdly, the management of the entire solution, i.e. the software that will enable such large data streams to be processed and properly delivered to the user. Nokia RXRM software fulfills this function – managing video streams and presenting the user with the image they expect – with variable perspective, viewing direction, close-ups and other processing options.
Fourthly, transmission. The right transmission medium to send these large amounts of data. Fast, secure and without delay. Private 5G networks are the answer to these needs. Gigabit throughput, millisecond delays, security, reliability, performance – all these features typical of 5G networks are important here. They can be built and scaled as needed, so one more can be added to the list of positive features – full control over your own network.
Fifthly, security. Private 5G networks currently offer the highest level of security for transmitting critical data.
As Paweł Niedzielski from Nokia emphasized when presenting this solution to us:
“The combination of all these factors gives us a complete solution with unprecedented possibilities. We can watch the live feed from multiple angles, in different formats, shots and close-ups, and repeat if any part needs to be watched again.
The camera transmits a large data stream, but the RXRM software selects only the part that is needed at the moment by the user, who looks in a certain direction, for example, using VR glasses. If the user changes the perspective, the software provides a constantly changing image stream from that very perspective. This means that even though the 8K transmission from the 360-degree camera is hundreds of megabits per second (supported by 5G), the user only views a transmission that requires a few MB/s at any given moment. It is thanks to the optimization of this transmission that RXRM can provide such an advanced service for such different needs.”
Experience has shown that this optimization is very effective – for example, in sports event broadcasts, the proven savings in video bandwidth are up to 90%. One practical example of this is the installation at the Eintracht Frankfurt stadium. Spectators can watch the images recorded by Nokia 360-degree 8K cameras, use various options to watch the same action, replay fragments, etc. It is a completely new way of experiencing a sporting event.
The optimization provided by the RXRM system makes it possible to serve a very large number of users – both local and remote – because a natural extension of using RXRM in a “stadium” application is to provide a similar experience to spectators located anywhere outside the stadium. So spectators in the stadium (usually in VIP boxes) watch the match live, and when they want to watch a replay of a particular action, they can do so on the big screens installed in these boxes.
An alternative method is to use VR glasses. And the same possibilities are available remotely: VR glasses make the viewer feel as if they were actually sitting in the stadium, and in the case of the more traditional viewing method – on the monitor – they appreciate the possibility of watching the same action from different angles, repeating it and analyzing it – all in excellent quality, exceeding the current standards used in commercial TV broadcasts.
Returning to the title broadcast of the match and the mine, it must be said that the latter, an industrial area of application, although perhaps not as spectacular as the “stadium”, is already better developed, because:
- Firstly, thanks to the installation of hundreds of private 5G networks in industrial facilities and parks, their hosts have the transmission capacity needed to handle high-speed video transmissions.
- Secondly, Nokia 360-degree 5G cameras have a special industrial design (with high resistance to environmental conditions), and thirdly, the need to transmit images from locations that are inaccessible, dangerous or simply far from where the staff work is typical of many industries.
Such installations are becoming the equipment of modern industrial plants, and their basic applications include: remote monitoring of industrial facilities and processes, remote control of machinery and equipment, support for local service actions by external experts, rapid response to critical situations, and many others.
If you are interested in learning more about the benefits that private 5G network technology can provide for your company, please contact INNERGO.
ou can write to us at odkrywaj@innergo.pl or contact anyone you may know at INNERGO, and they will forward your request to the engineers who will give you a presentation.
Paweł Panasiuk
Vice-President of the Board of INNERGO
