Case Study: Volvo Ocean Race achieves reliable live broadcast coverage with Vislink Technologies

Vislink supplies broadcasting technology for Volvo Ocean Race

Volvo Ocean Race, one of the world’s most extreme sailing events, needed a way to capture and broadcast fast-moving in-shore racing action and on-water interviews to giant screens at race villages and to global TV audiences. The challenge was transmitting live, high-quality video reliably across harsh marine conditions, long distances, and changing RF environments. Vendor Vislink Technologies provided the wireless camera broadcasting technology used for the coverage.

Vislink Technologies implemented a multi-site diversity reception system with Maximum Ratio Combining, along with close-to-antenna demodulation and IP transport back to the control room. The solution used Vislink L2074 and L2170 units, MTT3 airborne transmitters, Clip-on 4 camera transmitters, and PLTX power amplifiers to deliver low-latency HD video from helicopters and chase-boats, with seamless switching between camera groups. The result was reliable live coverage over distances up to 70 km at sea and up to 14 km from chase-boats, with broadcast-quality pictures delivered to race village screens and international TV with very low latency.

Volvo Ocean Race