WATERLOO, ONT. — Canadian broadcasters in Rio de Janeiro for the Summer Olympics are using video distribution technology from Waterloo, Ont.-based Dejero Labs to manage their coverage of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
This marks the first deployment of Dejero’s Live+ Multipoint video distribution network at a Summer Games, the company said in a news release on Monday. Dejero said its technology simplifies access to high-quality, live-streamed video for Canadian broadcasters CBC, Bell Media (TSN) and Rogers (Sportsnet), as well as several international broadcasters present in Rio.
Live streams are distributed from a source location to multiple broadcasters simultaneously. Live+ Multipoint can also be used to exchange recorded content between studios, Dejero said. Prior to the start of the Olympics, Dejero worked with Anatel, the Brazilian National Telecommunications Agency, to achieve certification for its mobile IP video transmitters so that broadcast crews travelling to Rio from around the world would be able to use them for their live and recorded coverage. To support on-site broadcasters, Dejero has deployed private Wi-Fi hotspots in key locations and Anatel-certified mobile transmitters with local SIM modules, Dejero said, adding it’s offering 24-hour on-site support for the duration of the Games.
“Dejero’s professional video over IP distribution network is a cloud-based solution which gives broadcasters the ability to share acquisition resources and crews for broader coverage,” Bogdan Frusina, founder and chief technology officer of Dejero, explained in the news release.
“It gives broadcasters the ability to flip and switch between a variety of content feeds, all accessible over the top (OTT), and to immediately incorporate any desired content into their own local reporting. Canadian and major international broadcasters are using Dejero technology in Rio, including Bell Media, Rogers and the Games’ official broadcaster, CBC, so we are proud to be playing a part in bringing the Olympics to Canadian viewers,” Frusina said.
Dejero’s experience with large-scale international events started with its key role in supporting CTV’s continuous coverage of the 45,000-kilometre-long torch relay for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games. In 2012, Dejero supported the London Summer Games by providing a long-range, private Wi-Fi network for coverage in and around London’s Olympic Park, as well as private hotspots near the Houses of Parliament.
During the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, broadcasters were able to go live using exclusive Dejero Wi-Fi hotspots at the Sochi Olympic Park and in the mountain cluster. Dejero technology allowed field news reporters to encode and transmit HD video directly over 4G, 3G, Wi-Fi or Ethernet connections from locations that were impractical for traditional ENG vehicles to access. In addition, Dejero’s cloud-based management system was used by broadcasters’ master control personnel to control transmitters, to monitor transmission health, and to manage the distribution of content on-air and online.
More recently, Dejero provided equipment and support to the 2016 Democratic National Convention, the 2016 Republican National Convention and the 2016 Euro Cup Finals, the company said.
