Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Using lighting to stream data

04/03/2020

Image credit: University of Edinburgh

-- --

SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE:

When is technology development ever going to slow down? Just when you thought that we had high-speed wireless communication all sorted, somebody comes up with an idea that is potentially better a technology that allows LED lighting to become internet and broadcast data transmitters, creating a new form of high-speed, optical wireless communication that leverages the visible and infrared (IR) light spectrum. This new form of transmission could be of use within the broadcast and media environment.

Back in 2011, in a world where the space for radio frequencies was already becoming over-saturated, University of Edinburgh research professor of mobile communications, Harald Haas, discovered something amazing - Light Fidelity (LiFi). This is a way and means of sending and receiving data using the modulation of light at frequencies that are imperceptible to the human eye, and it emerged that LED lighting was the perfect medium to develop the technology around.

Because LEDs are semiconductors, they can turn on and off up to a million times per second, enabling the diodes to send data quickly. In professor Haas's Li-Fi installation, a digital signal processor integrated (or attached) to an LED driver takes data from a network, server or the internet and converts it into a digital signal-basically a sequence of discrete voltage levels. The LED driver in each fixture converts the digital signal into a photonic signal, transmitting it at a very high frequency as an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex (OFDM) signal.

OFDM signals are also employed in 4G LTE, 5G and most Wi-Fi technologies because they use many small-bandwidth channels collectively, rather than a single large-bandwidth channel. The decoder on the receiving device-say, a computer or smartphone-then translates the OFDM signals into data for the user. The radio spectrum allotted for wireless communications spans only 300 gigahertz, while the visible light spectrum spans 300 terahertz, from red light at 400 terahertz to violet at 700 terahertz. Thus, light has 1,000 times more frequency available for wireless communications than radio. Li-Fi has the potential to achieve much higher data rates than we can currently achieve using Wi-Fi, with speeds of tens of gigabits per second having been achieved under controlled settings in the lab.

Unlike Wi-Fi, Li-Fi transmits data to devices via direct and incident light without risk of disrupting sensitive electronics, such as those found in hospitals or on airplanes. And because Li-Fi is directional, requiring a line of sight between the transmitter and the receiving device, it cannot be hacked. Li-Fi's directionality also reduces the risk of interference with other devices vying for a connection, so co-channel interference, a source of noise, and electromagnetic radiation from the simultaneous use of mains electricity and wireless technology, which exist in radio waves, are absent in Li-Fi, making it a very reliable technology in terms of stability.

Apart from the obvious home-use advantages, technology researchers are looking at developing Li-Fi as means of providing network communications in television production studios and for OB van setups in stadiums. Developers have already tested the technology to replace traditional Wi-Fi in aircraft with great success. It's being tested in vehicles to communicate with one another via front and back lights to increase road safety and integrated into streetlights and traffic signals to provide information about current road situations to users' smartphones.

Li-Fi can be used anywhere that can be outfitted with wireless communications and electric lighting: commercial buildings, retail environments and smart cities for in-vehicle data transmission. As IoT (Internet of Things) and smart applications gain traction, Li-Fi offers the omnipresent wireless connections that these devices and applications need. Along with its use in bi-directional internet communications, Li-Fi holds promise in cataloguing and entertainment applications. Toric and Luciom, a French VLC company acquired by Philips Lighting, refer to these three respective applications as Li-Fi Internet, Li-Fi Tag, and Li-Fi Broadcast categories. Li-Fi Tag uses a router to broadcast the same tag repeatedly, for example, to confirm the specific row and shelf of a product in a store or distribution centre. The data flows one way from the emitter to the receiver, such as a device used for tracking inventory. Li-Fi Broadcast uses a router to transmit data, videos, music and shopping coupons one-way to consumer devices, such as smartphones.

Li-Fi has already been developed as an integral part of the new 5G network. Though Li-Fi technology is prohibitively expensive in its early stages, it isn't stopping tech developers from seeing its advantages and the more money that's put into development, the cheaper the end cost will become. An Australian start-up company is developing and integrating Li-Fi into their lighting kits for film and television production. Essentially, the individual lighting components all communicate with each other via the light network that they produce; the rigger adjusts settings on a smartphone app and each light self-adjusts accordingly.

Along with all these benefits, there are also some disadvantages of a Li-Fi connection. Since it uses visible light to transmit data, Li-Fi would be rather useless in conditions where there is no light. That means no Internet while lying in your bed at night. Similarly, if you have a Wi-Fi router installed in one room of your house, you can connect your devices sitting anywhere in the house but this is not the case with Li-Fi. Since visible rays cannot pass through walls, you have to be in the immediate vicinity of the source of li
LINK: https://www.screenafrica.com/2020/03/04/technology/satellite-transmiss...
See more stories from screenafrica

Most recent headlines

21/12/2024

L3Harris Thrusters Position NASA Probe for Closest Approaches to the Sun

Artist's concept of the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft approaching the sun. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL...

21/12/2024

Dallas Mavericks Roll Out New Streaming Platform

DALLAS and NEW YORK The NBA's Dallas Mavericks, working with Endeavor Streaming, Softtek and the NBA, have launched an official streaming platform for MavsT...

21/12/2024

Former FCC Chair Expresses Concern' Over Musk's Influence

As tech billionaire Elon Musk takes an increasingly high-profile policy role in the incoming Trump administration, a former Federal Communications Commission ch...

21/12/2024

Gray Media Renews Comscore Measurement Deal

RESTON, Va. Comscore has announced that it has renewed and expanded its measurement deal with Gray Media....

21/12/2024

Sinclair, Gray Media to Broadcast Columbus Blue Jackets NHL Games

The Columbus Blue Jackets, Sinclair and FanDuel Sports Network have signed a deal that will allow Sinclair and Gray Media stations in select markets to simulcas...

21/12/2024

Our Favorite Songs of 2024

Our Favorite Songs of 2024 Explore a playlist featuring some of the top songs of the year, as picked by members of the Berklee community. By Tara Bellucci De...

21/12/2024

Berklee Wrapped 2024: Our Top News and Stories

Berklee Wrapped 2024: Our Top News and Stories Take a look at some of our best stories of the year, including announcing our next president, hosting Andr 300...

21/12/2024

Alumna Allison de Groot Awarded 2024 Steve Martin Banjo Prize

Alumna Allison de Groot Awarded 2024 Steve Martin Banjo Prize De Groot, a former student of the American Roots Music Program, was recognized for her unique so...

20/12/2024

Thinking of Launching a Podcast? Let Our New Guide Show You How

Podcasting has become one of the most popular ways to tell stories and connect with audiences, but getting started can be intimidating, especially when it comes...

20/12/2024

2025 Sundance Film Festival Reveals 92 Projects for Feature Film and Episodic Programs

Top L-R: The Legend of Ochi, Rabbit Trap, East of Wall, Seeds Center Row L-R: Re...

20/12/2024

Spotify Presents the First-Ever Billions Club Live Show With The Weeknd

For any song to rack up billions of streams is an impressive accomplishment, but being a part of Spotify's Billions Club is something The Weeknd knows quite...

20/12/2024

Curl Up Under the Mistletoe With These Holiday Romance Audiobooks

It's the most wonderful time of the year, but if you seek an escape, pop in your headphones and enjoy the soothing sounds of a story. And this season, a rom...

20/12/2024

Revisit 2024 With Some of Your Favorite Podcasts From The Ringer

As the year draws to a close, Spotify's The Ringer is celebrating the best of 2024 with an exciting lineup of retrospective podcast episodes. This December,...

20/12/2024

HPA Award Delivered To New Zealand!

HPA Award Committee co-founder Carolyn Giardina was in New Zealand recently and had the opportunity present the Outstanding Visual Effects - Live Action Feature...

20/12/2024

2025 HPA Tech Retreat Reveals Additional Unmissable Programming and Activities

On its 30th anniversary this year, one constant of the HPA Tech Retreat is its unique and consistently engaging programming that goes hand in hand with unparall...

20/12/2024

Seth Hallen Looks Back Over Nine Years As HPA President And Toward The Organization's Bright Future

Seth Hallen had been on the board for seven years before being named president i...

20/12/2024

Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Clear-Com Partnership Refines Communication for...

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...

20/12/2024

Clear-Com Provides Communication Solutions at the 2024 Singapore Airlines Formula 1...

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...

20/12/2024

Sport Lisboa e Benfica Enhances Stadium Communications with Clear-Com's Arcadia...

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...

20/12/2024

Calrec recognised in Feed's Honours List

FEED Honours List | Calrec recognised by FEED for outstanding contribution to sports broadcast FEED's sports broadcast segment Xtreme is taking this opport...

20/12/2024

If you're IP and you know it, clap your hands

If you're IP and you know it, clap your hands (First published by TVB Europe) By Sid Stanley, General Manager at Calrec To mark World Television Day, Calr...

20/12/2024

Sunbeam Television and Nielsen Renew Local TV Measurement Agreement

Multi-year deal includes Local TV and OTT measurement for stations in Boston and Miami Nielsen's Local TV measurement backed by Big Data + Panel NEW YORK ...

20/12/2024

Netflix Scores U.S. Rights to FIFA Women's World Cup

LOS GATOS, Calif. In a historic deal for women's soccer and major sports on streaming services, Netflix has secured the exclusive U.S. rights to the Women&#...

20/12/2024

NextGen TV: The Push Is On

It's sometimes said that trying to get a group of broadcasters to do anything is like trying to herd cats, but if 2025 plays out as some broadcasters hope t...

20/12/2024

Feature Film Mind Body Spirit Captured and Graded with Blackmagic Design

Feature Film Mind Body Spirit Captured and Graded with Blackmagic Design Brie Clayton December 20, 2024 0 Comments Filmmakers create found footage loo...

20/12/2024

Berklee's Music Business/Management Department Partners with Vistex

Berklee's Music Business/Management Department Partners with Vistex The partnership will provide students with hands-on experience using the company's...

20/12/2024

Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation Announces 2025 Warner Music Latina Scholarship

Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation Announces 2025 Warner Music Latina Scholarship The scholarship will cover tuition and room and board for the 2025 fall semester...

20/12/2024

WRAZ Raleigh Adopts Advanced HDR by Technicolor for ATSC 3.0 Transmission

RALEIGH, N.C. WRAZ, the Capitol Broadcasting-owned Fox affiliate here, is transmitting content in high dynamic range (HDR) to ATSC 3.0 viewers using Advanced HD...

20/12/2024

Global Virtual Reality Shipments Totaled Nearly 10 Million in 2024

Global shipments of virtual reality and mixed reality headsets are expected to reach approximately 9.6 million units in 2024, representing a year-over-year incr...

20/12/2024

Florida Launches AI-Powered Emergency Communications System

Emergency management officials in Florida are harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to better protect residents from the threat of hurricanes and othe...

20/12/2024

Blackmagic Design Adds Icon View, Other Features to Blackmagic Cloud

FREMONT, Calif. Blackmagic Design today unveiled new features for its Blackmagic Cloud, including a new icon view with thumbnails that can be scrubbed to previe...

20/12/2024

Japanese Anime Animated $19.8 Billion in Global Revenue in 2023

TOKYO A new study highlights the growing importance of Japanese anime in both the entertainment and streaming industries, with Parrot Analytics reporting the ge...

20/12/2024

Canada's Sportsnet Launches Mobile Gaming During Live NHL Telecasts

MESA, Ariz. In a notable example of how networks are looking to provide interactive experiences in live sports broadcasts to boost engagement and ad revenue, mo...

20/12/2024

Goal: Liverpool (assist: Wasabi)

Liverpool Football Club produces over 100 pieces of content every week across its linear TV channel, OTT platform and social media channels. LFC's Drew Cris...

20/12/2024

How AI is reshaping media workflows and competitive strategies

Media Excel CEO Narayanan Rajan ponders whether AI will be the catalyst for medias future, and suggests that companies need to embrace AI today or risk falling ...

20/12/2024

Catching the Christmas train

Filming one of the world's most scenic rail routes in the depths of winter needed a planning operation that was second to none. Sohail Shah, MD of King of S...

20/12/2024

Renderboxes unveils Photon transportable workstation

Compatible with the latest Nvidia RTX GPU, Photon delivers HEPC performance in a transportable chassis By Matthew Corrigan Published: December 20, 2024 Co...

20/12/2024

DCMS announces Creative Industries Taskforce members

The taskforce will inform the Creative Industries Sector Plan, which aims to boost economic growth under the wider Industrial Strategy By Matthew Corrigan Pu...

20/12/2024

Watch: TVBEurope's Story of 2024

TVBEurope takes its annual look back at the biggest events in the media and entertainment industry during 2024, from the rise of AI to major live events, its be...

20/12/2024

SES's Seventh and Eighth O3b mPOWER Satellites Successfully Launched, Bolstering MEO Constellation

Additional satellites bring incremental capacity to scale up services provided b...

20/12/2024

AI Is a Tool, Not a Creative Solution

AI Is a Tool, Not a Creative Solution Andy Marken December 19, 2024 0 Comments What you men call work life' is full of flattery and peer pressur...

20/12/2024

Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive is Available to Pre-Order from Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive is Available to Pre-Order from Blackmagic Design Brie Clayton December 19, 2024 0 Comments Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersi...

20/12/2024

Covert Welcomes Mixed-Media Studio Aniverse into Family

Covert Welcomes Mixed-Media Studio Aniverse into Family Brie Clayton December 19, 2024 0 Comments UK-based creative studio Covert is thrilled to annou...

20/12/2024

The CFP Battle Begins: ESPN Covers First Round With Various MegaCast Options, Compact Tech Plan, Team Insights on Conference Networks

The CFP Battle Begins: ESPN Covers First Round With Various MegaCast Options, Co...

20/12/2024

SVG Summit 2024: Tata Communications' Elio Parente on Tapping Into the Company's Media Cloud Infrastructure

SVG Summit 2024: Tata Communications' Elio Parente on Tapping Into the Compa...

20/12/2024

SVG Summit 2024: LTN's Colin Moran on Enabling Customers to Maintain Higher Content Visibility

SVG Summit 2024: LTN's Colin Moran on Enabling Customers to Maintain Higher ...

20/12/2024

SVG Summit 2024: When Sports Became News A Look at the Munich Massacre Through the Golden Globe-Nominated Film September 5

SVG Summit 2024: When Sports Became News A Look at the Munich Massacre Through...

20/12/2024

Netflix Snags Exclusive U.S. FIFA Women's World Cup Rights for 2027, 2031

Netflix Snags Exclusive U.S. FIFA Women's World Cup Rights for 2027, 2031 By Ken Kerschbaumer Friday, December 20, 2024 - 10:08 am Print This Story | ...

20/12/2024

SVTA Announces First Industry Group, The Streaming Sports Council, To Capture Key Technical Challenges in Live Sports Streaming

SVTA Announces First Industry Group, The Streaming Sports Council, To Capture Ke...

20/12/2024

Usyk v Fury 2: How DAZN Will Produce a Cinematic World Feed and Authentic' Unilateral Coverage From Riyadh

Usyk v Fury 2: How DAZN will produce a cinematic world feed and authentic' ...