The Teradek Cube camera-top HD video encoder has gained a lot of interest in the cinema community for it’s on set monitoring options. The small box which attaches to a camera via HDMI or SDI (depending on the version) encodes the video signal in near real time so it can be streamed over a wireless network and viewed remotely on a computer.
There is however another use for the Cube which may be of more interest to readers of this blog – the capability to stream live news or sports events wirelessly from a camera direct to the web or your editor.
Orange County based F-Stop Aerial Media working with Teradek have gone even further by developing a radio controlled helicopter based HD streaming video solution for live event broadcasting. The video below is from a successful test showing system at work. It also demostrates that the Cube’s WiFi radio does not interfere with the helicopter’s control system.
Teradek Cube Streaming HD Video from a RC Helicopter from Teradek on Vimeo.
According to Rod Clark of Teradek “We began working with Chris and Rob of F-Stop Aerial Media in 2010. They’ve developed this highly modified RC helicopter camera platform. It’s a frankencopter that started life as a T-Rex 700e with a PhotoShip One HD-SLR camera platform, but has evolved into a highly capable and extremely stable aerial camera platform. Rob pilots the craft, while Chris is the camera operator. They’re looking for a solution to stream sporting events live over the internet. They contacted Teradek to create an integrated streaming solution for an upcoming professional surfing event. With Cube’s latest LiveStream integration, we were able to provide them with a turnkey solution.”
Teradek were also recently working with myself and Jared Abrams (of Cinema5D.com fame) to bring wireless webcasts live from the floor of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Jared was able to walk the floor and wirelessly transmit video pictures directly onto the Guardian’s website using a Cube equipped DSLR. The video below explains a bit more.
Whilst wireless live transmission of video isn’t new it has never been possible at the price of the Teradek solution. I think you can expect to see more news organizations using similar systems to get the news out in the future.
