MELBOURNE, Australia — The Southern Cross Austereo radio network in Australia relies on Tieline IP codec technologies for sports outside broadcasts and other live radio shows.
The transition from fixed-line technologies like ISDN into IP allows radio programming to be created more easily and affordably. In the past, signals were often sent back to a radio studio for a live broadcast using outside broadcast trucks with link paths or fixed lines like ISDN, which was often expensive and time-consuming to set up.
IP technology reliably transports audio over IP to studio locations with multiple layers of network and connection redundancy. It is now so reliable that it has completely revolutionized outside broadcasting.
SCA AFL football coverage
“The Rush Hour” was live onsite at Melbourne Public on South Wharf in the Docklands, featuring Triple M announcers James Brayshaw and Billy Brownless, along with live music from The Living End, 300 guests in attendance and live callers throughout the show. The show was flawless live, with no loss of connectivity or dropouts. Two stereo codecs were in use. One fed stereo program back to the studio, with a return mono mix minus feed for the announcers and a mono mix-minus for the front-of-house PA. The second codec was used for producer communications between the studio and the live venue.
SCA’s codecs are configured to use Tieline’s SmartStream Plus dual redundant streaming technology, which employs hitless packet switching for ultrareliable IP streaming over redundant IP paths in real time. Connections are delivered over the Telstra Lanes cellular network, which is preferred because it is designed for mission critical connections and prioritizes access to 4G and 5G data networks. Dual routers with SIM cards ensure divergent paths for additional redundancy in case of packet loss.
SCA uses Tieline codecs for various sports outside broadcasts, sports-related programming and other network radio shows. For several years, SCA has been utilizing Tieline Merlin IP codecs for broadcasts at stadiums around Australia to cover the Australian Football League, National Rugby League and cricket matches. On the eve of the AFL Grand Final, SCA broadcast the drive shift “The Rush Hour” show for several hours using Tieline Merlin codecs attached to Telstra Lanes wireless communications routers.
On the grand final day, SCA used the codecs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the AFL Live Site main stage opposite the MCG stadium. Three shows were broadcast live in the lead-up to the grand final. For the AFL live site setup, we set up six mics and headsets with wireless IEMs and used the Dugan Automixer to optimize clarity and volume in this outdoor environment.
Inside the stadium for the grand final call and at other fixed stadium commentary positions around Australia, codecs are connected to DVN paths via media converters to Telstra fiber circuits, creating a reliable path from the stadium to the studio codec.
Tieline ViA deployed around Australia
Tieline ViA portable remote codecs are also deployed at football matches with sideline commentators for AFL matches in Hobart, Launceston and Cairns. The sideline commentators use these portable codecs connected over Telstra Lanes to report from the boundary line and interview players and officials after matches if required.
When we use the ViA codec for boundary-rider reporting on AFL games, the left channel transmits the boundary mic back to the studio, and the right channel sends a local PA feed or umpire audio feed. The codec’s built-in matrix editor makes customizing the mix for any situation straightforward.
ViA codecs are also used for other live programming, such as the breakfast show on 101.9 The Fox in Melbourne, whereby announcers can broadcast from within moving vehicles and provide a wide variety of engaging live entertainment by visiting venues and people around the city.
From a remote control perspective, SCA engineering staff or the Network Operations Centre in Sydney can remotely monitor, configure and manage all the network’s codec feeds and infrastructure using Tieline’s Cloud Codec Controller software.
These days there are very few limitations on where you can broadcast live
How tech innovation has impacted sports and other outside broadcasts
The latest broadcast codecs can also integrate with IP studio infrastructure with support for several IP protocols. For example, Tieline’s Gateway codecs can decode incoming IP audio streams and integrate them seamlessly into studio AoIP systems with support for AES67, ST 2110-30, ST 2022-10, as well as proprietary protocols, including Dante, Ravenna, Livewire+ and WheatNet-IP. This means networks with different brands of AoIP system infrastructure installed across multiple broadcast plants can standardize codec infrastructure.
Dependable cellular technologies such as Telstra Lanes provide an affordable and reliable data path. It is incredible to go to a stadium like the MCG with 100,000 people using their phones and not have any dropouts. Newer technologies such as Starlink also provide affordable and reliable data connectivity options in rural and remote areas. These days there are very few limitations on where you can broadcast live.
Technologies such as Tieline’s SmartStream Plus redundant streaming and Fuse-IP data bandwidth aggregation, forward error correction, automated adaptive jitter buffering and error correction deliver the secret sauce in codecs, ensuring reliable connection paths for mission-critical broadcast transmissions.
The ability to broadcast live reliably from anywhere has never been more straightforward.
The author is SCA’s technical production manager.
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