Live Newsgathering Revolutionized for Idaho-Based KIFI

By Derrick on June 30, 2008 2:00 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Streambox, Inc. today announced that KIFI Local News 8, an ABC affiliate based in Idaho Falls, Idaho, has selected Streambox for its new Wireless Internet Newsgathering (WiNG) service. The Streambox solution, comprising an ACT-L3T Software Encoder and a SBT3-5100 Decoder, enables KIFI to broadcast live, breaking news from the field using a low-bandwidth WiMax broadband connection, at a much lower cost than for example traditional microwave or satellite newsgathering trucks.

KIFI's WiNG/Streambox solution is designed for easy setup and use in the field. The Software Encoder is deployed on a Windows compatible laptop and it streams the video signal over a WiMax connection at upload speeds of 2 Mbps. At the station, the Streambox Decoder processes the signal for live on-air broadcast. Streambox's innovative ACT-L3T compression technology delivers top performance and reliability including advanced networking features such as forward error correction which mitigates packet loss and network irregularities for delivery of high quality video output.

"WiNG is the result of a long-time vision for wireless newsgathering that we had not been able to realize until now, because the upload speeds weren't up to our requirements - but Streambox and WiMax have helped us turn the dream into reality," said Mark Danielson, general manager at the KIFI News Group. "The Streambox solution provides the high quality video and error correction we knew we would need for viable live broadcasts. Plus, Streambox is a company with a solid track record that's committed to advancing IP-centric video technology for newsgathering well into the future."

The WiNG system is a first for KIFI and its viewers, enabling the station to broadcast live, breaking news from small communities and remote areas. Previously, viewers in these areas had to wait several hours for news crews to arrive on location, get the story, return to the station with the tape, and then air the video - a communications delay that reduced the timeliness of news reports and potentially delayed warnings about hazards such as forest fires and floods. "WiNG and Streambox are revolutionizing our entire newsgathering process. For a small market such as ours, purchasing, outfitting, and maintaining a $400,000 satellite truck simply isn't feasible - but for a fraction of that cost, we're able to deploy Streambox encoders and WiNG capabilities to our field reporters. Furthermore, periodic upgrades of Streambox encoding software is much more cost-effective than purchasing new satellite truck equipment when it becomes obsolete," said Danielson. "It's a win for us, but the real winners are our viewers, who will now have much more live news and information at their fingertips."

"KIFI is setting a trailblazing example for local broadcasters everywhere, by demonstrating how easy and cost-effective newsgathering can be using Streambox solutions over low-bandwidth IP connections such as WiMax and EVDO," said Bob Hildeman, chairman and CEO at Streambox. "We are pleased that our solutions for live and file-based video are enabling broadcasters large and small to simplify operations, lower cost, and potentially increase market share."