eli5: In a world of instant communication via satellite, why does news anchors connecting with field reporters live still involve a 3 second silent pause?
In: Physics
Speaking from a news person’s POV, aside from satellites we also use a technology known as ‘bonded cellular’. Basically, we have a little computer that uses multiple cellular modems to send video back via the cellphone network.
I, as a photographer in the field, can change the delay settings which will affect the video quality. When doing live shots in an urban area I will usually have the system set to a 1.5-second delay, which is basically the ‘fastest’ setting for the device (Dejero in our case) to process the video, transmit it back to the station, allow the decoders at the station to process it and to get it on air.
If I have a weak cell signal, I will increase the delay as that reduces the video quality and reduces the bandwidth required to send the video.
A lot of news outlets use this technology now as it is far cheaper than satellite trucks (which require their own independent operator). Sat trucks still have a use – e.g. disaster areas where there will be limited to no cellular service, remote areas with limited to no cellular service, points where it’s really, really important to make sure there’s no disruption in signal (like sporting events, 8 hours of live shots during major breaking news, etc.), but they’re becoming rarer and rarer for everyday use.
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