Dejero Offering ENG Services for Coverage of Papal Secession Events

Starting February 26, Dejero secured the use of a rooftop terrace in downtown Rome with a panoramic view of the Vatican. The terrace offers an excellent backdrop for live shots and other video coverage of Pope Benedict's last day in office today, and continues through to the naming of his successor later in March.

Broadcasters participating in Dejero's full rooftop package will have exclusive access to a portion of the terrace and will be supplied with power and a dedicated 6 Mbps Ethernet connection. Each client will also have use of a Dejero LIVE+ 20/20 Transmitter, enabling the broadcaster to encode and transmit HD or SD video directly over 4G, 3G, Wi-Fi™, or Ethernet connections. Existing cellular towers are expected to be overwhelmed with traffic on the key celebration days, when more than 500,000 people are expected to be in attendance. To solve this problem, Dejero has also built a long-range private Wi-Fi network within the Piazza at St. Peter's Basilica that will give broadcasters the ability to transmit live video to any destination around the world from a variety of Dejero-powered mobile devices — professional transmitters, laptops, iPads®, and iPhones®. With this private network in place, live HD and SD transmissions can be broadcast with high quality and short latency, even if minimal or no bandwidth is available from the cellular networks.

"The succession of the Pope promises to be one of the most high-profile events of 2013, and these pivotal events in the life of the Catholic Church will be closely followed by viewers around the world. Since Pope Benedict's resignation was so sudden, we realized that many broadcasters might be scrambling to secure resources and budget for their own coverage. That's why we've created this turnkey service offering and made it available to our customers," said Bogdan Frusina, chief technical officer at Dejero. "With just a reporter and a camera operator, our clients will be able to go live within minutes from one of the most scenic locations in Rome. It's a perfect showcase for the use of cellular bonding technology in an ENG setting that is impractical for satellite or microwave transmission."

In addition to the full rooftop package, Dejero is offering its LIVE+ 20/20 Transmitters as well as LIVE+ NewsBook and LIVE+ Mobile App software for rent by broadcasters seeking to do live reporting from any other location in Rome or within the Piazza at St. Peter's Basilica. Each transmitter will be equipped with batteries and Italian 3G and 4G LTE SIM cards with full roaming ability and optional access to the private Wi-Fi network. Broadcasters with their own LIVE+ 20/20 Transmitters, laptops running Dejero's LIVE+ NewsBook software, or iPhones and iPads with Dejero's LIVE+ Mobile App also have the option of accessing these private wireless hotspots in order to transmit live HD or SD video back to their viewers.

Key Dejero partners have provided a critical role in the development of the Vatican ENG services by lending valuable local assistance and on-site support. These companies include Laboratorio Tevere, Dejero's Italian partner, and IDX Technology Europe, Dejero's exclusive European distributor.

A limited number of rooftop spaces and transmission equipment is available for Dejero's Vatican transmission packages.