PSSI Global Services Achieves Record Multipath-Satellite-Transmission Speed for NASCAR Productions

PSSI Global Services successfully transmitted a 10-path, multiplexed, HD feed via satellite from Toledo, OH, to Charlotte, NC, and then back to Toledo in 1.09 seconds for NASCAR Productions. This unprecedented, low-latency transmission surpasses any known speeds previously achieved via satellite, according to PSSI. 

Executed for NASCAR Productions for the live presentation of a recent ARCA Racing Series event, the transmission involved two satellite hops, production switching, two HD encode sessions and two HD decode sessions. To accomplish all of this while reducing latency, PSSI Global Services leveraged the latest encoding and decoding technology from Ericsson.

“This could be one of the most significant improvements in the technical development of at-home production services,” says Steve Stum, NASCAR’s Vice President of Operations and Technical Production. “Specifically for us, it clearly sets a strong foundation for the future of our at-home production events.”

The results of this two-way transmission show that PSSI Global Services can achieve a one-way transmission in less than 500 milliseconds. This includes the inherent delay of about 240 milliseconds that occurs in all satellite communications due to the distance of approximately 44,500 miles that a signal must travel to get from Earth to a satellite and back.

“Maximizing transmission throughput while lowering overall latency is the holy grail of live television transmission,” says Brian Nelles, PSSI Global Services’ Senior Vice President. “This transmission is a huge accomplishment because it not only proves that satellite can compete with fiber in terms of both reduced latency and multi-camera timing, but also means we are now able to provide a faster-than-ever solution for our clients.”