LiveU Lineup Explained: Selecting the Best Unit for Your Live Broadcast

Are you looking to take your live streaming to the next level, but feel unsure with the endless options? From seasoned broadcasters to those just starting out on their journey, we know navigating different live streaming solutions can be confusing. This guide helps you to identify the perfect LiveU solution with a few simple questions.

Failing to deliver high-quality and reliable live streams to your on-site or remote production facility, the cloud or any online destination is the scariest potential single point of failure for any live producer. Broadcasters, production companies and individual content creators worldwide use wireless video transmission (done via cellular bonding) because it is both reliable and straight-forward, and the most cost-effective way to ensure their stream goes through.

Cellular bonding, a technology pioneered by LiveU, is like having multiple lanes on a highway for your internet connection, combining several different cellular networks to form a single resilient connection. All of LiveU’s market-leading solutions are powered by LRT™ (LiveU Reliable Transport), LiveU’s protocol, which optimizes your available bandwidth and ensures that your video streams get through smoothly with rock-solid reliability whatever the situation.

Each LiveU encoder unit has a number of connections it can combine (bond) together. The more connections your unit has, the more ‘lanes’ on your internet highway, and the stronger and more resilient your signal becomes!

Now, let’s look into some other considerations for selecting your ideal live video encoder…

Are you broadcasting ‘on-the-go’, or from a fixed location?

a. On-the-Go? Choose a portable unit.

If you plan to live broadcast ‘on-the-go’ you’ll need a portable unit. A portable live streaming encoder gives you the benefit of flexibility, and the freedom to deliver innovative angles that will engage your audience. LiveU offers a range of lightweight and compact broadcast-quality live streaming encoders, including the LU300S, the LU600, and the multi-cam LU800, each one allowing you to capture professional-quality video.

The LiveU unit, known as “the LiveU backpack” or “LiveU pack”, has become the industry standard and is synonymous with reliable live video transmission for all the major news, sports and live events worldwide.

Each portable unit offers a number of connections, including cellular 4G and 5G, WiFi and Ethernet, and, thanks to the native logic of LRT™, can optimize your IP-video connection based on your location. Using the «Least Cost Bonding» feature you can set priorities between these connections to maximize your savings. For example, when Ethernet and WiFi are available, you can set cellular to be used only as back up, allowing you to maintain your data spend.

b. Fixed Location? Choose a fixed encoder.

If you plan to broadcast from a designated location, such as a production truck or remote production facility, then a fixed encoder is the best option. Some of these contribution encoders can come both with and without cellular modems. If you have access to a fixed LAN/fiber connection, typically available in permanent studios and arenas, then the optional cellular modems can provide the peace of mind that comes with a tried and tested back-up.

Choose a unit with modems to add the necessary reliability and resiliency needed if it is to be installed in a production truck with no fixed connection or when you need that extra backup for the fixed connection, which can include a LEO (low earth orbit) or other connection option. All of our fixed and vehicle encoders use LRT™ for guaranteed reliability and offer significant savings by leveraging the public internet. Point-to-point live streaming encoders like the compact LU300Se, or rackmount LU610S and LU810, are designed for effortless installation.

All of the LiveU bonded IP-video encoders are designed to deliver reliability, quality and low latency, with the fixed connection Transmission Mode providing latency as low as 300ms, which is valuable in a number of scenarios, especially sports storytelling.

Are you transmitting to digital channels or to a production facility for linear distribution?

a. Digital channel(s)? Choose between our broadcast-grade units and the LiveU Solo PRO.

If your audience utilizes social media platforms or your own website, LiveU offers options that allow you to stream directly to these destinations. Leading broadcasters, sports organizations and production companies use LiveU’s broadcast IP-video encoders (such as the LU300S and LU800) for their lightweight digital workflows, enabling them to create more engaging content on multiple platforms for less. These workflows are often referred to as ‘lightweight’ because they can be executed with minimal crews, resources and effort.

For the content creator community, LiveU’s Solo PRO (and the Solo Creator Universe) offers an ideal one-touch, wireless live streaming solution for professional results. You can live stream directly from your camera to popular online platforms like Facebook Live and YouTube Live and any web destination, enjoying superior live video quality and reliability with up to 4K resolution.

b. Production facility for linear (and digital) distribution? Choose one of our broadcast-grade units.

Do you need to broadcast on a linear channel (and perhaps also on digital platforms)? Choose a unit such as the LU800, LU300S, LU300Se, LU600 or LU610S that allows you to transmit your live stream to your on-site or remote production facility while simultaneously having the option to live stream it online.

Are you looking to enhance your production and collaboration workflows?

Our wide portfolio of broadcast-grade contribution units integrates seamlessly with LiveU’s advanced production and distribution EcoSystem, allowing your production teams to shorten their workflows while cutting production costs.

And it’s not just about live broadcasting! LiveU’s broadcast grade units can also be used for post-production and other non-live scenarios. For example, using the DataBridge mode you can leverage the unit’s cellular connections for general internet connectivity, turning it into a powerful hotspot. This can be ideal for broadcast field teams sending/receiving videos to/from a control room or central studio.

The LiveU broadcast grade units also benefit from an advanced cloud-based management via the LiveU Central management platform, enabling extensive monitoring and control from anywhere in the world.

Do you have a single- or multi-camera set-up?

a. Single-camera: Choose from a wide range of units.

If you’re a single-camera broadcaster, most LiveU units will meet your needs. For example, consider the LU300S, LU300Se, LU600, or rack mounted LU610S.

b. Multi-Camera? Choose one of our multi-camera frame-synced units.

If you’re planning a multi-camera production, ensuring all cameras are perfectly synchronized is crucial. LiveU’s multi-camera frame-synced encoders, like the LU800 PRO4 or rackmount LU810 support up to four fully frame-synced feeds in high resolution from a single unit and you can enrich your production even more by adding more units as required. You can also use several single-camera broadcast units (e.g.: LU300S/LU610S) to frame sync your feeds, leveraging the integrated NTP timecodes.

Do you anticipate cellular coverage issues or no issues?

a. Challenging network conditions? Choose a unit with more bonded connections.

Broadcasting from remote locations or from crowded events, where the local cell tower may be at capacity or the signal strength low, requires a unit with more bonded connections to ensure higher reliability and increased bandwidth. For example, the LU800 bonds up to 14 connections with up to eight 5G/4G internal dual SIM modems. The LU800 offers a highly cost-effective solution for complex remote productions with the reliability of satellite/fiber.

LiveU also offers an advanced suite of live IP-video bonded connectivity solutions, including private 5G (P5G), network slicing and LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellite for use cases such as large news and sports events where network conditions may be challenging or in areas with no cellular reception.

b. No cellular coverage issues? Choose from a range of LiveU units!

If you anticipate broadcasting from areas with good cellular coverage and minimal congestion, any LiveU unit will deliver reliable and resilient wireless video transmission!

We have the solution for you!

By considering your specific live broadcast needs and answering these key questions, you can now easily navigate the LiveU lineup and select the perfect unit to elevate your live production.

Every solution within the LiveU EcoSystem has been designed to do two things; shorten your workflows by reducing complexity, and add efficiency, so you can produce more quality content for less time, effort and money.