Queensland Performing Arts Centre Enhances Live Streams with AJA Gear
▼ Summary
– The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) has upgraded its live streaming infrastructure to 4K HDR using AJA technology to enhance production value and audience reach.
– This upgrade allows QPAC to deliver high-quality streams for client monetization and marketing while achieving a high-end aesthetic at a lower cost than expensive cameras.
– QPAC offers flexible streaming and recording services to its clients, including live broadcasts, video-on-demand, and promotional content, all managed in-house without external broadcast trucks.
– The technical setup involves AJA gear for color management, conversion, and streaming, with key components like FS-HDR frame synchronizers and HELO Plus devices ensuring reliable, high-quality output.
– QPAC is planning for future advancements, particularly exploring AV-over-IP solutions like AJA’s BRIDGE LIVE to further evolve its production capabilities.
The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) is redefining audience engagement by delivering high-quality live streams directly to viewers at home. This strategic move not only broadens its reach to those unable to attend in person but also represents a significant cost-saving measure by reducing reliance on external broadcast services. At the heart of this transformation is a comprehensive technical upgrade, with AJA video equipment playing a central role in capturing, managing, and distributing content. The new 4K HDR infrastructure ensures that performances are presented with exceptional visual fidelity and colour accuracy, meeting the expectations of modern audiences with high-end home entertainment systems.
Michael Wade, QPAC’s Audiovisual Manager, explains the driving philosophy. “Our goal is to provide clients with content that looks and sounds stunning, fully leveraging the capabilities of 4K HDR displays and advanced audio setups,” he says. This requires capturing the highest quality source material from the outset for both live streaming and post-production. Beyond direct audience engagement, the in-house capabilities allow clients to generate marketing materials, conduct performance reviews, and explore new monetisation avenues through streaming, all without the prohibitive expense of traditional high-end broadcast solutions.
QPAC’s live streaming service is a versatile offering available to any artist or organisation using its facilities, which include multiple venues like the Concert Hall and the Lyric Theatre. Deliverables are tailored to client needs, ranging from a simple 1080p live stream to a dedicated platform like Digital Stage on Brightcove. For major events, streams can be distributed to other regional arts centres. The team also provides recorded assets in various formats, from immediate H.264 files for review to polished Apple ProRes recordings for video-on-demand and promotional content. This flexible, in-house model eliminates the need for outside broadcast trucks and crews.
The technical backbone supporting these streams is sophisticated and distributed across the campus. A network of RIEDEL MicroN interfaces manages signals, while AJA C10DA distribution amplifiers handle genlock distribution to a mix of cinema and PTZ cameras. Camera feeds travel via SMPTE fibre to a central studio breakout box before reaching the main control room. Here, eight AJA FS-HDR frame synchronisers perform critical colour matching and adjustment, applying look-up tables (LUTs) and fine-tuning elements like white balance and skin tones.
Processed signals are routed through an SDI matrix to switchers and AJA Ki Pro Ultra 12G recorders. This setup provides remarkable flexibility, allowing the team to record isolated camera feeds in 4K HDR while simultaneously switching and streaming a 1080p SDR program. Audio is managed through Dante or MADI networks, mixed on a dedicated console, and embedded into the video signal using the MADI interface on the FS-HDR units. Synchronisation between audio and video is handled by an Antelope Trinity clock, with timecode distributed by a Rosendahl MIF-4 unit.
For the live encoding and streaming component, the AJA HELO Plus is a cornerstone of the workflow. Wade praises its reliability and ease of use, noting its robust on-the-fly compression. The team is also evaluating the integration of AJA’s BRIDGE LIVE solution for future transcoding needs. Additional AJA converters, such as the FiDO fibre optic models, address various signal conversion requirements throughout the venues.
Looking ahead, Wade is focused on the evolving landscape of AV-over-IP technology, seeing it as a key area for future development. “AV over IP is gaining importance, and it’s a space we are actively exploring,” he notes, suggesting that solutions like BRIDGE LIVE could offer significant advantages. The consistent performance, regular meaningful updates, and strong support from AJA have made their technology integral to QPAC’s operations, enabling professional results at a manageable cost.
(Source: NewsAPI Streaming Technology)
