ComVu Media, a company perhaps best known for enabling bloggers, online social networkers and other media-savvy consumers to webcast video from their mobile phones, is looking to make the leap into professional broadcasting. At this year’s NAB, it demonstrated how its PocketCaster software could be used to transmit live video at near-broadcast quality from a mobile phone directly into Avid nonlinear news editing software. ComVu is touting the system, which it is has dubbed PocketCaster for N95, as a way for broadcast reporters to deliver live breaking news video directly from the field to the studio.
Using the software to deliver live broadcast video should not be considered a replacement to the point-to-point microwave transmission typically used for delivering video from the field, according to Jennifer Blome, VP of marketing at ComVu. But, it can help local broadcasters get a leg up on the competition during the lag time between when the reporter calls in a breaking story and when the ENG truck arrives to shoot it. “They can have the video already on TV while their competitor is just showing a [still] graphic,” Blome said.
This is because the video is automatically streamed directly from the mobile phone to a media server. On the reporter’s end, he or she launches the PocketCaster application on the mobile phone, clicks on the start button now found on most smart phones, and the video begins recording and streaming back to the studio at the same time. Because it is stored directly to a server, there is no time limit based on the storage capacity of the phone. The video can be transmitted over an HSDPA data connection at 30fps and 640 x 480 resolution. For broadcasting applications, the PocketCaster currently works with Nokia N95 multimedia devices.
On the studio side, broadcasters can monitor the incoming mobile video through ComVu’s Mobile Video Studio, a Web-based browser application. In its current standard configuration, up to five different camera feeds can be viewed at once. To take a feed to air and integrate the editing functionality, the broadcaster clicks on a button located above the window depicting the chosen video feed. The video is then moved to a larger window in the browser, where it can be integrated into the Avid nonlinear editing system. From there, graphic overlays and other features can be added to prepare the segment for air. Current Avid systems the PocketCaster for N95 supports include NewsCutter, Media Composer and Xpress Pro.
When running on the Nokia N95, which has a built-in GPS receiver, the PocketCaster automatically embeds geospatial coordinates within each frame of video, providing accurate dynamic mapping of transmission points during a broadcast. Broadcasters can refer back to the GPS information while preparing a segment to access the date, time and location from which the video was streamed.
Pricing for the PocketCaster system begins at $1000 for a four-reporter system. The cost is higher for broadcasters who want an end-to-end solution customized for their own servers and network.
In addition to the Nokia N95, the PocketCaster for N95 is compatible with Nokia S60 Windows Mobile 5-enabled devices. A complete list of the handsets supported can be found on the company Web site.
For more information, visit www.comvu.com.
