Words: Dr. Ing. Sven Ubik, CESNET
A Jazz Duo and Classical Trio Showcase MVTP’s Capabilities
The first performance, the Global Jazz Café, connected a pianist Jan Pudlák at HAMU (The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, Music and Dance Faculty) in Prague and a trumpeter David Spencer in Vilnius, who performed several music pieces together. The second performance brought together musicians from three academies. The piece by the famous Czech composer Bedřich Smetana – Piano Trio in G minor Opus 15, third movement – was performed together by pianist Jakub Klánský at HAMU in Prague, cellist Tomáš Jamník at JAMU (Janáček Academy of Performing Arts) in Brno and violinist Jakub Pronskus at LMTA in Vilnius.
Another distance collaboration between musicians over the GÉANT network took place this October between MDW in Vienna and HAMU in Prague. The joint concert was also broadcasted live to the music festival in Hong Kong.
Last year, the longest real-time collaboration at NPAPW took place in Memphis, where David Spencer in Memphis and Jan Pudlák in Prague performed together using MVTP technology over a distance of 8,000 km. The presented jazz ballad, with the provocative title The Nearness of You, added a playful touch to the performance.
Award-Winning Innovation in Low-Latency Technology
Following its recognition with the Europa Nostra Award in 2020, CESNET’s MVTP technology was also honoured with the Czech Head Award in the industry category for the most innovative product developed in the Czech Republic.
Minimal Latency, Maximum Quality: How MVTP Brings Musicians Together
The current version of CESNET’s MVTP technology allows multipoint audio-visual connections with the added latency of approx. 3 milliseconds. Together with the network latency over GÉANT, the total latency corresponds to the acoustic sound propagation over a distance of just a few metres. Musicians in several different cities and countries can thus perform together as if they were on a common stage. The advantages are the ease of use and the possibility to use multiple cameras in each location. Two or four cameras can be transmitted simultaneously, depending on the type of MVTP device. Additional cameras can be switched in real time. It is thus possible, for example, to transmit a separate channel for the musicians and switch multiple cameras for the audience, which makes the performance more attractive.
Inside the Technology: MVTP’s Key Features
The technology is based on the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), which allows minimal added delay in both audio and video processing. The image is transmitted with JPEG XS compression, which provides quality visually indistinguishable from the original with a latency of only a few tens of image lines. The device also allows for automatic image correction at the codestream level when packet losses occur, with no additional added latency. Two versions are available for sale or trial, with HD and 4K resolution, the latter is upgradable to 8K. A third simpler version with a lower price will be available shortly. We will also be happy to assist music academies and musicians in arranging your distance connections.
More information about the technology and examples of its use over the GÉANT network can be found at mvtp.cesnet.cz.
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