This document discusses using 5G cellular networks for transmitting live video from onboard racing cars. It notes that 5G networks are being rapidly deployed at racetracks and could provide comparable bandwidth to private radio networks at lower cost. However, there are still technical challenges to overcome like signal drops, modem overheating issues, and complexities obtaining suitable international data plans. The document describes initial testing of transmitting live video from a car driving in London over 5G networks, but issues were encountered with unstable connections. More work is still needed to optimize protocols for the challenging 5G environment and shared network resources at crowded events.

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5G for Onboard Racing Car Video
Kieran Kunhya <kierank@obe.tv>

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Who we are?
• Company specialising in
software-based encoders and
decoders for Sport, News and
Channel contribution (B2B)
• Based in Central London
• Build everything in house:
– Hardware, firmware, software
• Not to be confused with:

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Introduction to onboard racing video
• Numerous racing leagues from professional to
semi-professional – most very niche
• World Class racing tracks (Le Mans, Spa etc)
• Onboard video first used in the 1980s in F1
• Private RF links, licensed frequencies, encoders,
antennas, repeaters. Only top-end can afford.
• Reasons for onboard video
– Broadcast television
– Team strategy (if regulations allow)
– Friends and Family
– Team morale

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Cellular video solutions
• VSF Fall 2021 Series Presentation - Experiences
from weekly sports broadcasts over 5G - what's
possible and what isn't yet?
• Over last ten years massive growth of cellular
bonding solutions
– Especially in newsgathering (talking heads)
– Some use in sport (mainly web)
• Generally a single-vendor walled garden solution
– Adaptive bitrate solutions (sometimes very aggressive)
• 4G not as widespread for higher end as it could be.
Perception skewed by backpacks

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Why use 5G cellular for racing?
• Large rollout of 5G towers at many racetracks
• Right: Le Mans, France racetrack, regulator
provides map of towers
• Low pings, 10-20ms. High bandwidth.
– Results comparable to private RF
– High bitrates 10-20Mbps possible
• Benefits of RF without the cost/rigging/licences
• Other (Non-video) data easy over IP
• Most importantly, a fun project after two
years of sitting at home!

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Why use 5G cellular for this (2)?
• Cell towers being installed very
rapidly
• Literally using a tower turned on a
week before
• Most 5G towers within the past
12-18 months

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Technical challenges of onboard video
• Portable solutions have consumer-grade
(cellphone) low-power (2W) encoders. Struggle
with fast-motion and multiviewer
• Adaptive bitrate can’t handle signal deadspots on
track
– Bitrate lowered, takes half a lap to recover
– Glitches again at the same place
– Only half the race viewable
• Vehicle moving at 100-200mph, vibrations, heat.
Dirty power supply.
• Racing is a technically aware field, continual
improvements in technology

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Encoder miniaturisation
• Processing power increasing dramatically. Processing power of a large server
3-4 years ago fits into your hand.
• High-end encoding, small and low power (30W). 12V power source
• Affordable enough to leave in car. Not big deal if damaged during crash.

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5G Modems
• 5G Modems widely available
– Based on consumer chipsets
– Often regional specific frequency versions
• Immature technology
• Not designed for constant UDP traffic
– Very hot, 85°C (185°F) seen
– Power usage high (upper end of USB3 spec)
– Tricky to use extension leads
• Many variants with differing behaviour
• Compare to phone as baseline

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SIM Cards and Data Plans
• Very complex to buy SIMs and data plans
• UK very easy, unlimited low cost data
• France complicated, need local ID card, address, sign
up to contract.
• USA even more, detect non-mobile traffic and throttle
• Most B2B international plans are only 4G
• Fast moving marketplace, international roaming 5G
SIMs available in the last few months but ~6-8x more
expensive than domestic
• Hard to buy 100GB+ of data

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Beware “Fake 5G”
• The 5G Logo can mean a lot of things:
• If the tower is capable of 5G (find out from the 4G
base) but your modem can’t use the band – logo
shown
• If the tower is capable of 5G but you’re not in
coverage – logo shown
• Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) – mixed 4G and
5G using same spectrum – uploads reportedly
better, downloads the same – logo shown
• Tower not actually giving you 5G (yet) – logo shown
• Modem debug AT Commands give you actual status

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Private (non public network) 5G
• Lots of talk about private 5G for industrial
applications
• Spectrum Challenges in Europe, USA
dedicated spectrum for this CBRS
• Fine for broadcaster to cover a stadium, but
track much more complicated for coverage
– As complex as RF
• Racetrack could offer this as a service
• Can be complex to operate a Private 5G
Network

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Doing it for real at 120mph!
• Goal: to have latencies of 100-200ms glass-to-
glass.
• Initially setup static rig in office
– Lots of modem power challenges
• Used Zixi and AWS Mediaconnect
– Inbuilt bonding
– Tight integration with modems on Linux, can handle
modem crash and reset
– Most error recoveries via configurable FEC (Reed-Solomon)
• Put encoder in a car and drive round London
– Buildings occluding cell tower
– Changed Zixi latency settings

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Latency Testing
• Source: 01:11:25:51
• LAN Decode: 7 frames
behind
• 5G Decode: 13 frames
behind
• Decode could be
tuned more
• 200ms end-to-end,
~100ms encode/dec
delay, 100ms Zixi
delay

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Doing it for real at 120mph!
• Significant trouble obtaining SIMs, had to go
to a store
• Obtained one SIM via B2B provider at
considerable expense, turned out to be “Fake
5G”
• Power issues led to plugging modems directly
into encoder - inflexible
• Taped and cable tied in place for safety
(imagine a part got stuck under brake pedal)
• New iterations allow for mounting of
modems/antenna on the roof
Bottom: Multiviewer
Middle: NUC Encoder
Top: Audio Embedder
Antennas above

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Doing it for real at 120mph!

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Doing it for real at 120mph!
• Intention to use 3G-SDI, but some issue with
Payload-ID from Multiview
– Used 1080i with Higher latency
• Free-practice days allowed testing
• Latency initially set to 100ms and bitrate 10Mbps
• After some runs, discovered fake 5G, removed
SIM. One operator only.
• Zixi Latency increased to 200ms (~450ms total)
– Jitter bursts (see VSF Fall presentation)
• Was then in-use, no more chance to do tests
• Stable for three days, some power issues with car

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Example loss on track
• Can make a change, car goes round track, check results
• Make another change, car goes round the track again
• Virtually the same test each time
• More improved tuning/protocols for 5G. Also bonding effects
• 2022-7 isn’t the best approach, should be FEC driven

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5G as a shared resource
• Elephant in the room issues
• Very large crowds will be challenging
• Smaller events don’t have large crowds
• Grid lineup a problem, lots of social media
• Garage is a large concrete block
– Initial speedtest 300Mbit/s down, 1Mbit/s up!
– Challenges when cars inside (RF too)
• Jitter bursts 100-200ms
– Possibly TDD
– Possibly inbuilt ARQ in 5G

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5G as a shared resource (2)
• Pit straight surrounded by
concrete on both sides
– But fastest part of the track
– Glitch quickly and recover
• Many towers far away from
spectators
• Line of sight throughout
• Other tracks different, trees etc
• Some tracks would need specific
testing if tower data not available

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Conclusions
• 5G has the possibility to reduce the cost of
onboard video by a factor of ten compared
to RF. And simplify operations.
• In a few weeks testing at a much higher
profile event with mid-sized crowds
• Complexity with 5G SIMs means not plug
and play for mechanics. Most events will
remain 4G.
• Spin up a cloud multiviewer with all cars
• Some technical and commercial challenges
• More work needed on 5G-native protocols

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Questions, also outside booth 2