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Streaming video from point A to point B using an Internet connection, smartphones or PCs can be done in just a few clicks. And since most small forms of live streaming are done on handsets with a single 4G connection or at home with a stable hardwired source, live streaming is now very common in the video consumer market. Large-scale projects with high production value like event broadcasting and remote-location publishing, a single Internet connection is about as trustworthy as an Australian politician before election time, whatever the gear promises it is likely to let you down when you least expect it. And when big clients and reputations are breathing down your neck, the last thing you want is a dodgy network connection. At Videocraft, we help both small and large scale live media producers get the job done. We use an innovative piece of technology called cellular network bonding. Teradek’s Bond system combines several 3G/4G/LTE modems into a single, robust pipeline to provide a redundant connection for streaming live video. Here are 4 reasons why Videocraft loves the Teradek Bond system:REASON 1: Portability Teradek Bond is lightweight and incredibly easy to set up. The Teradek Bond has a very small form factor, when compared to traditional live video publishing solutions such as satellite links or ENG trucks. Bond offers a more portable and versatile solution for use on location or at major sporting events; such as beaming straight from camera units carried on motorbikes following live racing events. Check out our blog for our work on the Red Bull Wings for Life race or more recently on the Jayco Sun Herald Cycling Tour where we streamed the last hour of each day from the middle of nowhere in country Victoria. This doesn’t just mean saving camera operators shoulders or some elbow grease and space on the rack though. Being small and portable gives it extreme flexibility for seamless integration with existing workflows, reducing setup times on live event productions and remote locations.   REASON 2: Redundant internet connections Ethernet, WiFi and USB cellular modems, the Teradek Bond brings them all together. But let’s be honest, the most important reason content creators rely on the Bond is for its core purpose: network bonding. The Bond is designed to aggregate Ethernet, WiFi and up to 5 USB 4G cellular modems to create a single, robust pipeline for delivering video from point to point. The combinations of several network connections allows broadcasters or live event producers to reinforce their video by sending traffic over multiple routes, repackaging at the destination with rock-solid dependability. In the event of a dropout, a solution such as bonded networking ensures that the live stream runs continuously and smoothly throughout the broadcast. But the Bond isn’t limited to event broadcasting. For smaller workflows, Bond allows content producers and ENG personnel in the field to publish reliable H.265/H.264 video straight to live platforms or studio decoder destinations. Need to send video to a studio hundreds of miles away? No problem. Bond broadcasts to Teradek’s cloud system where the video can be redistributed wherever you choose, even to multiple destinations. As long as the 4G mobile signal is viable, you can stream.   REASON 3: It's an affordable solution Convention centres and Hotel conference rooms usually charge a premium just to get in-house Internet - and if you want more than 5 Mbps, the price goes up exponentially. When it comes to broadcasting live on location, costs for bandwidth can be thousands of dollars, making live streaming high quality video a bit of a challenge. Not only that, you have to worry about how stable the connection will be in that clutter of a venue with other users on the same line. It’s like setting up your whole system and then having to roll a dice - it might work or it might ruin your & your clients’ show. When you have experienced this scenario, it is worth incorporating cellular bonding into the workflow. Compared to house-provided Internet at the venue, several bonded 4G connections could potentially save thousands of dollars. In addition, a mix of cellular carriers means that even if one carrier encounters connectivity issues, the failover from the other carriers would fill in to maintain the stability of the stream. When it comes to broadcasting from the field, traditional video transport equipment like satellites and ENG trucks add significant costs to production budgets, not to mention you need to find personnel and time to get that equipment out to location. The Teradek Bond solution offers a lost-cost alternative to these situations. Starting at just $475 per day from our rentals division, it can deliver broadcast-quality video just as quick and pristine as live TV programs.

Over many years, we have been using the Sony PDWF800 as our ‘go-to’ camera for almost all things that needed a 2/3” ENG camera. The F800 has been a real workhorse for our clients, but over time we have been wanting a camera that can do everything that the F800 can, but with less weight, lower power consumption, and faster ingest for fast turnaround TV workflow.