Like, it’s the current year, if I fire up Discord, Skype or even FaceTime I can talk to or video message people on the other side of the country with close to zero lag, as if they’re right here with me. Still, when I watch TV sometimes I see that there’s a delay in the communication between the host and the reporter on the scene, even if they’re in the same city.
– So, we have Jim on the scene to bring us the newest news
– [camera focuses on Jim, 3 weird seconds passes]
– Oh yeah, John, we’re here with Ms. Davis who lost all her belongings on the Godzilla attack…
In: Technology
Depending on the situation, reporters in the field will be using something like a Teradek or Dejero Gobox these days. These devices work on the cellular data network to stream video from remote locations. Some areas don’t have a good reception or the network can be congested. So the receiver can be set to buffer the signal for a certain amount of time, in order to maintain an clear, uninterrupted stream. Just like a YouTube video buffers before it starts playing. It’ll create a slight delay. Anywhere from 0.5 to 8 seconds on average, depending on the situation, up to 20 seconds if the signal is really poor.
White services like Discord or Skype do work instantaneously, you’ll notice they do occasionally “go digital” (look blocky), cut out on occasion, or drop resolution, due to a bad signal. Which isn’t acceptable for a television broadcast.
In the case of really remote reporters, they’re using satellite trucks. In that case, the signal has to bounce of a signal from a satellite orbiting tens of thousands of kilometers above the earth. So that generates a delay as well, since the signal can only travel so fast.
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