Dejero’s EnGo mobile transmitters and GateWay network aggregation solution played a crucial role in solving connectivity issues during the live stream of Amazon Prime’s new Italian fantasy series, The Wheel of Time.
The launch event was streamed to both Amazon’s Twitch and YouTube channels.
Local Dejero partner and production company, Nexting, was chosen by Amazon Prime’s new TV series’ director, Claudio Piccolotto, to provide production services for this innovative promotional activity, designed to engage younger OTT viewers.
The live event involved hours of LARP (Live Action Role Playing) games in the theatrical setting of Gargonza castle; a 13th century fortified village spread across 10,000 sqm in the remote hills of Tuscany.
Three kilometres of fiber SDI cable were laid for signal feeds from 17 fixed cameras, with another eight wireless cameras and a drone covering the action across three different sets during the live event.
The wireless cameras used Dejero EnGo mobile transmitters equipped with SIM cards from multiple network providers to deliver enhanced reliability, expanded coverage, and greater bandwidth in any location across the village.
“The sets were stunning, but as with most of these remote locations, the connectivity was patchy,” explained Enrico Parolisi, communications and digital strategist at Nexting.
“With an entire castle to cover and no plot or script to work on in advance, it was absolutely crucial that our wireless camera operators could roam freely without fear of losing connectivity.
“With EnGo – which automatically connects to multiple IP networks simultaneously, including cellular, Wi-Fi and ethernet – our crew had the freedom and mobility to stream from the best possible vantage points in any of the castle locations.”
Ahead of the live stream, Nexting utilised the Dejero Control cloud-based management system to monitor the EnGo SIM cards, traffic usage and mobile coverage, allowing the production crew to ensure optimum SIM configuration in the various locations.
“We love the versatility of the EnGo because it works with different cameras and resolutions, which is really important for a video transmission.
“Using Dejero Control allowed us to manage all of those video feeds and monitor the connection status for each camera,” continued Parolisi.
The Dejero GateWay network aggregation solution provided high bandwidth and reliable public internet connectivity enabling an encoder SRT to live stream to a central MCR room for remote production.
By combining multiple wired (broadband, fiber) and wireless (3G/4G/5G, Wi-Fi, satellite) IP connections from multiple networks into a single service, GateWay was able to deliver a fast, secure, and reliable pipeline to transmit video and data.
“Knowing that Dejero’s connectivity technology has enriched the production value of this ambitious live launch event makes us incredibly proud,” said Rob Waters, director of sales, EMEA and APAC at Dejero.
“It’s all about providing creative freedom to production teams – and the confidence to be able to live stream from even the most challenging and most remote of locations such as the Gargonza castle.
“With Smart Blending Technology, creative and production professionals no longer need to limit ideas based on location – they can achieve flawless live streaming of high quality video from anywhere.”