It wasn’t that long ago that wireless video transmission was a nonstarter for live production in churches. It simply didn’t make sense between the latency, the reliability, and the high cost. It certainly didn’t make sense in a budget-conscious setting. However, the last few years have seen HD transmitters and receivers come down in price to the point that they are no longer an extravagance. In fact, they are almost ubiquitous. The natural progression in this technology is the jump to 4K, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Teradek, a leader in video streaming, would offer a range of solutions for wireless 4K transmission. The new Teradek Spark is a small transmitter/receiver pair that handles resolutions up to 4Kp30.
That’s right, the Teradek Spark delivers 4K wireless video transmission with no latency.
The delay from the transmitter to the receiver is < 0.001sec giving it essentially zero-delay transmission. That’s right, the Teradek Spark delivers 4K wireless video transmission with no latency. And each transmitter can pair with two receivers, so Spark is functional at longer distances than standard SDI runs, but it can also function as an inline distribution amplifier.
Specs
The Teradek Spark is not complicated. The kit consists of a transmitter and receiver. The Spark operates in the 5GHz frequency, so there are no worries about competing for bandwidth. The transmitter is small, weighing in at 5.6 oz and 3.44” x 2.66” x 1.22” (87mm x 68mm x 31mm), so it fits on a camera’s hot shoe comfortably. There is not a lot of I/O on the transmitter, HDMI for video input, USB-C power input, an on/off switch, and a reset button. For mounting points, the transmitter has two M3 mounts and a standard 1/4 20 point. There is also an OLED display for input video format, selected frequency, video quality percentage, and link status. The internal 9.5Wh battery charges via the USB port and has a run time of 1.5 hours, longer at lower resolutions, and it can charge while it’s on.
The receiver is slightly larger than the transmitter weighing in at one ounce more at 6.6 oz. Only slightly larger in size 4.39” x 3.19” x 1” (112mm x 81mm x 25mm). The receiver features the same minimalistic design, with an HDMI port, reset button, power switch, and USB-C, just like the transmitter; the only real difference is the 6-18V DC power port and lack of a battery. It features the same mounting points and OLED display. However, the real story here is the latency, or rather the lack thereof. According to the spec sheet, the delay from the transmitter to the receiver is < 0.001sec giving it essentially zero-delay transmission. Yes, that’s right, 4K wireless video transmission with no latency.
Launchpad App
The Launchpad application is available as either a mobile or desktop application. The application is pretty much necessary because of the minimalistic design. The app gives the status of the devices and allows you to pair transmitters and receivers. It’s not clear on the spec sheet, but this may be required to pair the transmitter with more than one receiver, which is an option. Each transmitter can pair with two receivers, so Spark is functional at longer distances than standard SDI runs, but it can also function as an inline distribution amplifier.
The low latency and reasonable price lend themselves to being used in creative ways.
Every cable you don’t have to run is a huge time saver in the church-in-a-box world. It would be easy to determine how much time is saved for every setup/tear down using something like the Teradek Spark. Think: hard-to-reach projectors, portable projectors, confidence monitors, even TV's on stage. And since Spark can transmit to two receivers, this could be good for an on-stage timer/clock and a monitor in a green room.
Not that long ago, I was on the set of a TV show, and the director had a bank of three small monitors mounted to a bar with handles so he could watch all three camera angles live. He just carried it around with him everywhere he went. When I started in this industry, that concept was such a pipe dream that it wasn’t even considered. Wireless video transmission was nothing new, but it wasn’t prolific because the price and reliability put it out of reach for most users. Of course, if you had told me, the best and most expensive monitor in my house would be five inches big; I would have called you crazy. However, it is now the case, and I think the high-quality small monitors have been a driving factor in the spread of wireless transmission.
Application in the HOW Market
Concerning the Spark, what are the practical applications in the church? The obvious one is IMAG cameras, especially if you have camera ninjas on stage. However, considering the transmission distance, it opens up some possibilities because 500 ft is further than the accepted usable length for RG6 cable, which is less than 400 ft. Also, the low latency and reasonable price lend themselves to being used in creative ways like a transmission from a video switcher to a hard-to-reach projector or a portable projector. The Spark even makes sense for distribution for confidence monitors or stage timers right out of ProPresenter directly to a TV, which could be especially great if you don’t have conduit runs from your presentation computer to, say, a TV on stage. Since it can transmit to two receivers, this could be good for an on-stage timer/clock and a monitor in a green room.
Every cable you don’t have to run is a huge time saver in the church-in-a-box world. It would be easy to determine how much time is saved for every setup/tear down using something like the Teradek Spark. You could put a price on that work and amortize the cost against the time saved to justify the expense pretty quickly since the pair comes in at $1,490. Never mind the liability reduction by getting hundreds of feet of cable off the floor. I probably could have purchased a Spark in my previous church role with just my gaffer tape budget alone. OK, that might be a slight exaggeration, but you get my point.
