Deunido produces Vinari Awards gala using AJA technology

A number of AJA equipment, including streaming and conversion solutions, were used by Deunido LCC for the virtual retransmission of the Vinari awards gala, held in Vilafranca del Penedés.

Organized by the Catalan wine digital newspaper Vadevi, this year’s Vinari Awards opted for a hybrid format to comply with Covid-19 restrictions. With the capacity reduced by a third to comply with security protocols, the celebration was broadcast live to reach all Spanish wine fans. Production company Deunido LCC oversaw the virtual event and managed the simulcasts for Corporação Catalã de Meios Audiovisuais and regional television Cadena Pirenaica, as well as for Facebook ao vivo e YouTube.

To manage dual transmission of the awards ceremony on live television and streaming, a pair of AJA’s Helo H.264 streaming and encoding devices were integrated into the production workflow. While broadcaster Televisió de Catalunya used a satellite link system to air live coverage, station Cadena Pirenaica relied upon Helo as an alternative to traditional OB truck uplinks.

Helo, the backbone of the retransmission

Thanks to Helo, the team was able to send the programs with a delay of 400 ms over the Internet. Deunido’s Guillem Gando appreciates the benefits of this alternative to traditional broadcast methods: “With this broadcast, we proved that we can retransmit live from virtually anywhere with a solid Fiber Optic internet connection and Helo, a powerful device that fits perfectly in the palm of your hand.”

The second Helo was used to manage live streams on Facebook Live and YouTube for viewers who opted to watch event coverage on social media platforms. Both Helos were configured and controlled using the device’s intuitive web interface, while offering unparalleled reliability, 24/7 uptime and high-quality H.264 compression. “Helo gives peace of mind by handling – and simplifying – quality compression, freeing up computer CPUs to focus on critical tasks like graphics or multilayer switching,” added Gandol.

Dual feeds

During the awards show, the main production system was an Maçã MacBook Pro running Wirecast Pro and multiple AJA U-TAP HDMI e U-TAP SDI USB 3.0 bus-powered input devices to manage source feeds. The production system generated dual programmatic general multicast (PGM) feeds, including one for Televisió de Catalunya’s OB truck that was remixed with venue cameras as another source feed and a second for the on-stage LED video wall. Both PGM feeds were interconnected and bidirectional, using a range of AJA FiDO-TR transceiver converters to transmit and extend signals over Fiber.

A selection of AJA’s HA5 e Hi5 Mini-Converters were also used for monitoring and interfacing with the LED video wall via HD-SDI/SDI to HDMI and HDMI to SD/HD-SDI video conversions. In addition to the PGM feeds, a third source feed consisted of graphics from a second MacBook to be integrated into live broadcasts in real-time.

Output from Wirecast Pro was transmitted to a Rolando mixer that operated as a signal distributor for routing PGM signals to-and-from the LED panel and OB truck, and as an audio interface to feed the venue’s mixing console. The pair of HELOs were connected in cascade from the OB truck PGM return, with one streaming to Facebook and the other used as the uplink for Cadena Pirenaica. At the event conclusion, the recording from the first HELO device was also uploaded to YouTube for on-demand viewing.

In closing, Gandol shared, “Without AJA tools in our workflow, it would have been impossible to pull off a program of this magnitude with just two MacBooks. We used a pair of laptops and AJA’s handheld and portable gear, rather than transporting expensive flight-cases with traditional video switchers or larger equipment. It’s a revolutionary improvement, both in terms of cost and creative possibilities.”