The video-tech supplier works to advance sending video through cellular networks
By Michael Silbergleid, Contributing Editor
Tuesday, April 1, 2025 - 2:00 pm
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Haivision is one of the industry leaders in standalone encoders for cellular transmission of video. SVG spoke with Jean-Marc Racine, chief product officer, Haivision, for insight into the company’s technologies.
Haivision’s Jean-Marc Racine: “The bonded technology itself — our SST protocol — is inherently proprietary: it is used between our transmitters over a cellular network and our receiver, StreamHub, which removes the SST wrapper and provides the video to downstream systems.”
What is and how does your video-encoding/wrapping technology optimize compression for 4K video without compromising visual quality or latency?
The secret sauce of bonded-cellular mobile transmitters is their ability to dynamically find the optimum balance between video-compression ratio, picture quality, and latency, depending on the aggregated performance of multiple cellular connections. The intelligence embedded in our transmitters can manage the delivery of 4K UHD video at bitrates ranging from a few Mbps in scenarios where bandwidth is extremely constrained on 3G/4G networks to leveraging multiple 5G connections to stream 4K video at 50 or 60 frames per second with bitrates up to 80 Mbps, utilizing H.264, HEVC, or 4:2:2 10-bit HDR encoding.
What specific innovations in your encoding/wrapping solutions improve the efficiency and reliability of live video streaming over 5G networks?
Haivision’s Emmy Award-winning SST bonded cellular protocol is our key innovation. By dynamically combining cellular-network performance, video-encoder parameters, and advanced packet-loss– recovery technology, we can deliver the best possible video quality. SST also supports auxiliary services, such as intercom, return video feeds, data bridge, and remote cameral control with the benefits of redundancy offered by the bonding technology, which are essential for resilient remote production.
Furthermore, when operating over a private 5G network, the Pro460 can function in ultra-low-latency mode, achieving end-to-end latency — from the camera’s SDI output to the availability of the live video for production — as low as 80 ms while maintaining exceptional picture quality. This represents a transformative advancement for broadcasters aiming to replace traditional cabling and RF technology with a fully wireless live-production workflow in environments like sports stadiums, in the field, or during high-profile news coverage.
Haivision’s Pro460, when operating over a private 5G network, can function in ultra-low-latency mode, achieving end-to-end latency — from the camera’s SDI output to the availability of the live video for production — as low as 80 ms while maintaining exceptional picture quality.
How does your solution ensure compatibility and seamless integration with bonded-cellular and 5G transmission systems?
Every transmitter sends its feeds encapsulated with our SST protocol to a Haivision StreamHub, which de-encapsulates the video and serves as an all-in-one receiver, transcoder, and decoder. StreamHub supports a wide range of workflows, including SDI, SRT, Transport Stream, ST 2110, and NDI. Deployable both in the cloud and on-premises, StreamHub supports cloud, ground, and hybrid workflows. StreamHub also ingests other IP sources — such as SRT, RTMP, NDI, and HLS — enabling dynamic live productions that incorporate bonded-cellular sources alongside other video content, resulting in seamless integration within the broadcaster’s environment.
What system vendors incorporate your technology?
Haivision technology has been widely integrated across the entire broadcast industry. [Since Haivision invented] SRT — the Emmy Award–winning, open-source technology for IP video transport — hundreds of companies have incorporated SRT into thousands of products. Haivision has led adoption of SRT by fostering the SRT Alliance, which now includes well over 600 members offering diverse SRT-based solutions, ranging from cameras to cloud production platforms and beyond. Haivision StreamHub supports SRT as both an input and an output, ensuring interoperability with any vendor’s SRT-compliant video solutions.
Can your technology be incorporated as a standalone and also used with a third-party 5G bonded system?
Haivision offers a comprehensive end-to-end 5G bonded-cellular solution that is fully compatible with both public and private 5G networks. The bonded technology itself — our SST protocol — is inherently proprietary: it is used between our transmitters over a cellular network and our receiver, StreamHub, which removes the SST wrapper and provides the video to downstream systems. That being said, third parties wishing to receive video feeds over SST can integrate StreamHub into their workflows. This is typically done with cloud production partners who instantiate StreamHub within their cloud platform, enabling low-latency contribution of cellular transmitters directly into the production platform.
Haivision StreamHub de-encapsulates the video and serves as an all-in-one receiver, transcoder, and decoder. It supports a wide range of workflows, including SDI, SRT, Transport Stream, ST 2110, and NDI.
Share a unique challenge faced during a major sports event.
Haivision was honored with the prestigious IBC Innovation Award for its pivotal role in the Paris Olympic Games this past summer. One of the primary challenges addressed was providing real-time coverage of the 6-km-long Opening Ceremony along the Seine River. To achieve this, Haivision deployed over 200 smartphones equipped with the MoJoPro app to stream live video over a private 5G network from the delegate boats to StreamHub receivers. Additionally, the IBC Innovation Award recognized its innovative use of the MoJoPro mobile app and StreamHub to transmit video during the sailing events in Marseille, using cameras mounted on various sailing vessels and even on athletes’ helmets. This groundbreaking solution marked the first instance of a live sporting event being broadcast using a sea-based private 5G network, offering viewers unprecedented close-up perspectives of the action.
Is there anything else that you would like to add?
With the Haivision Makito encoder and the Haivision Pro transmitter, we provide a complete end-to-end broadcast-contribution solution that seamlessly integrates wired video transmission over fixed IP networks with wireless video transmission over cellular networks. The combination of our SST cellular-bonding technology with the industry-standard SRT IP streaming protocol is driving economic and operational efficiencies for live production and revolutionizing the way audiences experience live events, bringing them closer to the action across a wide array of sports and productions.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. CLICK HERE for Part 1 and CLICK HERE for Part 2 of this Tech Trends Roundtable focused on Bonded 5G Cellular IP Video Production,
