Elekard took part in the organization of video broadcasting for the press at FIFA World Cup stadiums 2018

2018

The organization of video broadcasting for the press at FM stadiums 2018

The Elekard company took part in the organization of video broadcasting for the press at stadiums of the FIFA World Cup – 2018. Works were performed within the public contract in which the National Center of Informatization (subsidiary company of State Corporation Rostec) acted as the customer, reported on August 15, 2018 in Elekard.

The AMT Group company – the organizer of delivery and distribution of digital TV-signals on subjects to holding the FIFA World Cup of 2018 – selected the equipment of Elecard company for creation of CATV network.

The Elecard command together with AMT Group carried out balancing and commissioning and provided operation of a system of broadcastings and also provided the minimum delay on delivery of a signal. Everything began approximately in two weeks prior to the first matches: it was necessary to put systems into operation, to adapt the equipment for Elekard coders, to test quality of broadcastings.

The main broadcaster of shooting of the championship — the French company HBS which since 2004 services all Cups and the French football league. They were at stadium suppliers of content, eight channels selected for broadcastings for a media tribune where commentators and the press work.

Eight channels are, in fact, eight wires on which we are given an original signal. From them we receive uncompressed video which needs to be coded and transferred to a media tribune where about 300 people sit. These are 500 TVs which should receive the image with the minimum delay, less than 300 milliseconds. There is a solution when each wire is separated into several canals and part network on all media tribune, but then each commentator needs to deliver the SDI monitor — a professional equipment. We did it with normal TVs. The solution developed together with AMT Group company on installation, service and signal multiplication appeared much cheaper: for it only the cable network and TVs was required. Teams of engineers at stadiums had to optimize the equipment that the delay at signal transmission was minimum. Actually the delay in the coder makes only 20 milliseconds — one semi-frame. The others 250 is the equipment which modulates a signal, accepts it and decodes. Engineering work consisted in it: optimize the equipment, adapt it to our technology, minimize a delay. The complexity is that at each stadium there was the equipment for broadcastings, and we had to adapt and squeeze out the minimum delay of what is. It was more difficult to work at the stadiums constructed specially to the championship. In Moscow, for example, a part of the specialized equipment already was, on other arenas it was necessary to put and connect everything from scratch. Nikolay Milovanov, director of the company Elekard

Project completion for the FIFA World Cup of 2018

On July 25, 2018 the AMT Group company announced project completion on ensuring delivery and distribution of digital TV-signals of Full HD using IPTV and DVB-C technologies on subjects to holding the FIFA World Cup of FIFA of 2018.

Development and selection of technical solutions, formation of a project team for provision of services of cable television (CATV) at the high level taking into account strict requirements and standards of FIFA were the main task of AMT Group. According to these standards the maximum delay time on propagation time and reproduction of video signal on means of display in the media stands (commentator cabins) should not exceed 300 ms (0.3 sec.).

To carrying out a FM of 2018 practically from "zero" the network of cable television which integrated tens of objects from Kaliningrad to Yekaterinburg with the International broadcasting center located in Moscow was built. In addition to sports constructions their number also included the headquarters of FIFA and arbitrators, 15 hotels and other not competitive objects. In total the service was rendered on 39 objects. During the championship daily broadcast of 19 television channels was supported from 8 a.m. till 2 a.m. In some days of the Championship simultaneous broadcast of four matches was provided.

Preparation for actions of a FM of 2018 began practically right after end of the Cup of confederations of FIFA 2017. The technological solutions used within KK 2017 were considerably changed. As a result it was succeeded to create the technical complex which is most full meeting requirements of technical specifications.

The created CATV system provided a traffic multicast broadcast at stadiums (on TV-receivers in common areas, VIP boxes, hospitality zones, etc.) and in the International broadcasting center and also delivery of flows of video signals to monitors in the media stands (commentator places) and in TV-studio.

A system provided delivery of TV-signals more than to 5,000 consumers in DVB-C network and to 3,500 consumers of IPTV and also on 3,000 jobs in the media stands. Depending on degree of interest in a match about 350 commentators at the same time worked at the media stands, each workplace was equipped with two monitors for viewing repetitions, close ups, receiving the statistical data and broadcastings in parallel going at other stadiums of matches.

In the project AMT Group used, in the majority, the equipment of domestic production. Data networks for cable television were built on the equipment of ELTEX company, distributed system of monitoring and the reference record – on the equipment of Stream Labs company. For coding of video signal without delay solutions of Elekard companies, SumaVision and Vector Tantrax were used. The solution WISI was applied to conversion and broadcasting of signals of HD-SDI. The technology platform of IPTV was developed jointly by AMT Group and ELTEX companies.

For work on the project the project team from more than 150 people which specialists of supplier companies and regional partners of AMT Group entered was created. For accomplishment of the requirement for the continuity of rendering service on objects duty shifts from 7 – 9 people were organized. Harmonious work of all participants of a command and competent project management made possible the timely beginning of provision of services on objects of a FM 2018. Construction readiness of a part of objects allowed to begin balancing and commissioning in only two weeks prior to rendering services. In a short time the project team performed approval and coordination of combined actions of the adjacent subcontract organizations involved on the project as collaborators of NCI LLC and ANO Sport Ying under the relevant government contracts.

2017: Contract signature

On May 17, 2017 AMT Group announced signing of the public contract on rendering services of delivery and distribution of a digital TV-signal of Full HD on subjects to carrying out the Cup of confederations of FIFA of 2017 and the FIFA World Cup of FIFA of 2018. The customer - "The national center of informatization" (Ltd company "NCI). The cost of the contract is 282 million 560 thousand rubles.

Project Tasks

Actions of FIFA are planned at stadiums in Volgograd, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Kaliningrad, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, St. Petersburg, Saransk and Sochi. In addition to sports constructions the headquarters of FIFA and arbitrators are also among the equipped objects.

Actions with participation of NCI, (2016)

Within contract obligations of AMT Group it is necessary to deliver and extend digital TV-signals of Full HD using IPTV and DVB-C technologies. Among tasks of the contractor:

• the organization of transfer of multicast-traffic at stadiums (on TV-receivers in common areas) and the broadcasting center (The international coordination and broadcasting center of an action),
• delivery of flows of video signals to monitors in the media stands (commentator cabins).

Project works include:

• providing in use of the equipment,
• installation,
• commissioning,
• setup and testing,
• operation of the created infrastructure
• technical support.

TV-signals form on a centralized basis (for all stadiums) and locally. Up to 20 TV-signals form on a centralized basis in the International coordination and broadcasting center of an action and then are delivered to all stadiums through a data network. At stadiums about 15 local TV-signals form. The signal arrives on digital receivers (STB) connected to an Ethernet network or on TVs with the built-in DVB-C the tuner in case of delivery of signals on HFC network.

According to technical specifications, a system should provide delivery of TV-signals more, than to 8 thousand to consumers in DVB-C networks and 4.5 thousand consumers of IPTV.

For quality control of services in technical solution existence of a centralized system of monitoring for quality control of an entrance TV-signal and issued in a data network is provided. Remote control of digital STB receivers for obtaining information on quality of the delivered digital television channels is provided in a segment of IPTV.

Taking into account specifics of actions the agreement on the level of service (SLA) is provided. An allowed time of solution of the problem of the highest priority during actions - no more than 5 minutes.