The 5th December 2014 marked the anniversary of the passing of former South African president, Nelson Mandela.
Robben Island where Nelson Mandela spent 27 years of his life, lies approximately 6km from Cape Town harbour. The challenge that lay ahead of eNCA was to transport their equipment and successfully stream quality live footage with limited cellular coverage. eNCA needed a small and lightweight portable solution as well as sufficient internet connectivity to support a quality live broadcast transmission.
Broadcast Deliveries Manager, Sean Thomas explains why the Quicklink Mini was selected by eNCA as the device of choice:
“The portability of the unit is one of the most important aspects because we had to access the island by ferries and we were limited on space. We used the Quicklink Mini, a small battery system, a small camera and a small tripod, the less equipment we had on the boat the better. We had to move around the island so the portability and ease of use of the unit was fantastic.”
The Quicklink Mini offers a high-quality video uplink solution for live newsgathering and online coverage of events. With 15 seconds boot time, it has been designed to meet the needs of broadcasters who are constantly on the move. Weighing at less than 750grams, the Mini provides portability and flexibility.
By using the Quicklink Mini, eNCA were able to cover all the live breaking news broadcasts from Robben Island. They were mobile enough to scout the location for the best signal and deliver quality results. Sean Thomas explains:
“The signal areas are quite patchy on Robben Island but this is to be expected. However, we achieved 3-4mbps transmissions with the Quicklink Mini with just 4 Sims.”
Sean continues: “It’s really simple to use, the training is minimal, and our cameraman after a 15 minute introduction could go out and operate it without a problem.”
Bethan Hill from Quicklink said “eNCA were able to increase their ratings due to broadcasting live from a remote area, their competitors struggled in achieving anything similar. This is a great example of what broadcasters are looking for when broadcasting live and this proves that Quicklink technology is up to the task.”
The Quicklink Mini is part of a line of hardware encoders provided by Quicklink and has become a part of the broadcaster’s essential equipment list. For more information about the Mini and Quicklink, click the link below.
