San Francisco: The Ocean Cleanup, a non-profit organization dedicated to develop technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic, is taking an important step forward in the fight against pollution with the deployment of its first ocean cleanup system this month. The system is the start of a fleet of 60 systems that is estimated to clean up 50% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in five years. The historic launch of the first system will be live streamed online starting at noon PDT on September 8 thanks to a collaborative effort between The Ocean Cleanup, live streaming leader, LiveU, and live production designer, reseller, and content creator, Key Code Media.
Several LiveU HEVC transmission units will strategically be placed throughout the San Francisco Bay area allowing viewers from around the world to experience the journey of the giant ocean cleanup system through the Bay and into the ocean. The solution consists of a 2,000-foot-long floater that sits at the surface of the water and a tapered 3-meter-deep skirt attached below corralling trash in the center the system’s U-shaped design.
“The live production is scheduled to take place in the middle of the San Francisco Bay surrounded by mountainous terrain. This type of environment poses a major challenge in bringing in a satellite truck to produce a live broadcast,” noted Avi Cohen, LiveU COO & Co-founder. “The value of the LU600 HEVC is the solution’s ability to maintain a high-quality, reliable stream – even when faced with low bandwidth conditions. The Ocean Cleanup called on LiveU since they were looking for a partner who can deliver a rock-solid solution required for this complex setup and scenario.”
“Ocean plastic pollution is growing exponentially and poses a serious threat to our ecosystems, health and economies. Solving it requires a combination of closing the source and cleaning up the legacy amounts that have already accumulated in the ocean,” noted Florent Beauverd, Creative Content Director, The Ocean Cleanup. “The launch of this first ocean cleanup system demonstrates our commitment to moving forward, but also cleaning up after ourselves. The live stream will promote the amazing efforts of our team and increase awareness of this global issue.”
The Live Production
The Key Code Media crew will deploy LiveU’s Wireless At-Home Production model to affordably and effectively produce a high-quality 7-camera live event. LiveU units will be capturing content on land, from several boats on the Bay, and atop the Mersea Restaurant on Treasure Island. The entire production will leverage an end-to-end IP-based workflow enabling the Key Code team to pull in the feeds, switch, edit, and distribute the live content from a remote production facility located in Alameda – without the need for a satellite truck or uplink. LiveU’s HEVC units provide the live transmissions from the cameras to the production facility and add a layer of peace of mind to the organizer and production crew.
“We’re excited to partner with LiveU and The Ocean Cleanup on this historic event,” said Mike Cavanagh, President of Key Code Media. “Our team is constantly pushing the envelope when it comes to live productions. The implementation of the LiveU HEVC units and the NewTek Tricaster as part of the Wireless At-Home Production methodology will allow us to produce a high-quality multicam live event in a bandwidth-challenged environment.”
The live stream will be available starting at noon PDT on Saturday, September 8. Watch Live: https://www.theoceancleanup.com/system001/.
To learn more about LiveU’s Wireless At Home Production Solution, visit http://get.liveu.tv/at-home/.
About LiveU
LiveU is driving the live video revolution, providing live video streaming for TV, mobile, online and social media. Let your audience become part of your story with high-quality and flawless live video, transmitted from anywhere in the world, through the use of our patented bonding and video transport technology. LiveU creates a consistent bandwidth and a reliable connection so you can acquire, manage and distribute high quality remote live broadcasts over IP. Our broad portfolio of products sets the industry standard for live video production. From backpacks to smartphones, and satellite/cellular hybrid to external antenna solutions, LiveU offers a complete range of devices for live video coverage anytime, anywhere. In addition, LiveU offers extensive cloud-based management and video distribution solutions. With over 3,000 customers in 100+ countries, LiveU’s technology is the solution of choice for global broadcasters, online media, news agencies and social media. For more information, visit www.liveu.tv, or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn or Instagram.
About The Ocean Cleanup
The Ocean Cleanup develops advanced technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. Founded in 2013 by Boyan Slat (23), The Ocean Cleanup now employs approximately 75 engineers and researchers. The foundation is headquartered in Delft, The Netherlands.
Instead of going after plastic debris with vessels and nets – which would take many thousands of years and billions of dollars to complete – The Ocean Cleanup is designing a fleet of extremely long floating screens that will remain in the water to act like an artificial coastline, enabling the ocean to concentrate the plastic using its own currents. Once fully operational, this fleet of passive collection systems is expected to remove 50% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 5 years’ time.
After years of conducting reconnaissance expeditions, scale model tests and the deployment of prototypes on the North Sea, the world’s first full-scale cleanup system is soon to be deployed in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It is expected that the first shipment of debris collected by this system will be returned to land for recycling before the end of the year. The Ocean Cleanup is working to design processes to convert recovered ocean plastic into valuable raw materials and durable products. For more information: www.theoceancleanup.com