SatLink Leads World’s First Live HD Broadcast of Underwater Filming Directly from Red Sea to Photokina 2010 Germany
21 September 2010
The Photokina 2010 Show for photography and imaging in Cologne, Germany is hosting the world’s first-ever Live HD underwater broadcast from the Epson Red Sea event between 21-23 September.
SatLink Communications Ltd., the global satellite communications service provider with extensive HD production experience, is spearheading the intricate production and communications solutions for this sea-breaking sensation. Considered among the world’s most beautiful coral reefs, the Red
Sea is home to this annual event for professional and amateur photographers.
Surmounting physical, technical and communications challenges, SatLink is working closely with event organizer David Philosof to ensure that the HD live feed works from 20 meters under the Red Sea to a mobile production and transmission facility on the beach to the Eutelsat satellite at 8° East over Europe to Photokina in Cologne, Germany.
According to SatLink Head of Production Sharon Sadeh, “This is an incredible technological challenge not only for the photography equipment but also for the content’s transmission. We have found a way to send HD signals over a 300-meter distance, and in water, too. Standard fiber optic wires are not sufficient and thus we are utilizing cables which, due to worries of them sinking and potentially harming the pristine coral reefs, are strung on the water’s surface held by some 150 floats (spaced every 2 meters). To ensure HD quality we are using ASI format for video and sound with MPEG-4 compression technologies in our truck prior to their uplink to the satellite that is sending the HD signals to Germany.”
Philosof commented, “Underwater, our challenge is to enable our divers to provide both audio and visual content. We are using a tailor made cable-connection for our HD cameras and have reworked our diver’s audio connections so that it matches the HD technologies. SatLink‘s capabilities
to brainstorm with us and provide the right technical mix and match directly contributes to our project’s success. We are very happy to be working with them.”
David Hochner, CEO of SatLink added, “We specialize in supplying creative and skilled solutions for our satellite and production clients. To do so, we are committed to being at the forefront of the latest technology innovations.”
