NEP Group: Adoption of Sony NXL-ME80 for Live Production

These processors utilize Sony’s new HEVC ultra-low latency encoding technology, known for its high compression ratio, very low latency, and maintenance of superior picture quality. This technology is particularly beneficial for remote and distributed live productions.

Implementation in Live Production

According to Sam Scally, NEP New Zealand’s technology manager, the NXL-ME80 media edge processors are high-quality, multi-channel encoders ideal for live production applications. They are compatible with both ST-2110 and SDI interfaces and are currently being used in a remote hub project. For this project, NEP is transferring 16 streams from its main live cameras using two NXL-ME80 units over diverse 5Gb links with -7 functionality at 45Mb per stream. The units are managed from NEP hubs at both ends.

Remote Production System

The NXL-ME80s are integral to a remote production system connecting 13 cricket venues across New Zealand to NEP’s Auckland CBD hub facility. The system operates on links as low as 1Gb/s. The NXL-ME80, as part of the Sony Networked Live ecosystem, optimizes live production by utilizing on-premise, cloud, hardware, or software resources to meet specific requirements. It acts as a gateway between LAN and WAN, enabling efficient use of network bandwidth for remote production and video contribution, which helps in reducing network costs.

Advantages and Performance

The NXL-ME80 supports multiple streams, catering efficiently to individual live production requirements. It can convert and compress multiple video channels, ensuring high picture quality transmission even with limited network bandwidth. NEP needed an encoder and decoder capable of sending signals across a small network pipe while working within a traditional broadcast environment using both SDI and ST 2110.

Applications and Reliability

Scally highlighted the impressive quality of the NXL-ME80 units, which allow NEP to transmit high-quality images from remote locations with relatively low bandwidth. The units are used in various environments, including the coverage of international and national cricket matches. Signals from cameras and third-party providers capturing cricket around the country are sent with SDI out of NEP’s existing trucks to an NXL-ME80 in the Auckland hub. Here, they are decoded to SDI and then encapsulated to 2110. This workflow, in conjunction with a Sony MLS-X1 switcher, has provided excellent picture quality and reliability.