9/11 - A Pivotal Point in My Life

Even though I'm Canadian, 9/11 had a huge impact in my life. I was working in Victoria at the time, for a company called JupiterMedia. As it turned out, one of their offices was one block away from ground zero, so you can imagine how I felt. After the towers fell, I received a notice of business as usual. That went on for two weeks, then I was asked to write several stories. One of those stories became highlight of my career at that time.

I've decided to reproduce it here, for those of you who might be interested.

Video Phones: Behind the Scenes in Afghanistan

October 8, 2001

In the last few weeks, we have seen many video broadcasts from Afghanistan, which are remarkable in several ways. First, for the graininess and low quality, and secondly, for how these images have come to our television screens. A question many people are asking is: “What is this technology and how does it work?”

To answer that question, we have to go back in time to last April, when a Navy spy plane was forced to land in China. Part of the story was broadcast to viewers all over the world by CNN, who “used a video phone to transmit the live images of the crew boarding the chartered jet and then its departure.”

According to Mel Olinsky, Director of Bureau Operations for CBS: “The technology they were using was the ‘Talking Head’ system, which was introduced to the public for the first time during this event. It became a big deal because CNN were the only ones who got that story out live at the time. Once the Chinese realized what the unit was doing, they confiscated it.”

Nathan: Is the Talking Head system used in combination with a satellite dish?

Mel: "It’s actually just a video conferencing system similar to what you would use on a computer with a camera. It’s all self-contained into one little suitcase which is easy to carry around and is very user friendly. That’s the reason why it’s more conducive to our requirements. You then plug that unit into an M4 satellite phone which gives you a 64 K data bandwidth which is what we’re using to transmit. It’s basically streaming video.”

Nathan: Where do you obtain the satellite telephone?

Mel: “There are a couple of companies. One that we use a lot is called Thrane and Thrane. It’s a standard satellite phone which comes in a little suitcase. When you open it up, you have a regular handset and a flat antenna that opens up, which you have to aim south.”

Nathan: What does it use for a power source?

Mel: “It can run on a car battery, where you plug it into the cigarette lighter, or it can plug into an AC outlet. It depends on where you are at the time. When CNN used it, I think they were just running it off a car battery. We’ve used it in a hotel where we plugged it in and stuck the flat antenna out by the window and kept everything else inside, closed the curtains and nobody could tell what we were doing.”

Nathan: If you didn’t have a car handy or a battery, could you run it off a portable generator?

Mel: “Sure, it’s very flexible as far as power is concerned and the satellite phone is battery operated. The videophone is basically a small computer, but since it’s self-contained and there’s no hard drive, all the information and commands to run it like a computer are burned into an EPROM. So when you turn it on, it boots right up to the program.”

“To transmit video, there are two ways of doing it. One is in real time, which is how CNN did their stories. This is the video conferencing option and it’s live, though low quality and low resolution. When you see it on the air, it will look jerky like a computer video. The other option is store and forward, where the video is sent as a file. It takes longer to get to its destination, but once it does, the quality is much better, but it’s not live.”

Nathan: When you send the video as a file, is it 30 frames per second video?

Mel: “Yes, it’s broadcast quality, but it takes up to an hour to send perhaps one minute of video. It’s rather expensive because you’re using satellite time which can cost from $6-8.00 per minute on the satellite phone.”

“In contrast, video conferencing transmissions are only 64 kilobits of data rate, so it’s a very low bandwidth data rate. The resolution is poor also. Typically, the networks won’t go full screen with it, but will reduce it to a little box so it will look better on the air.”

Nathan: But that doesn’t always appear to be the case. A few days ago, I saw a report a broadcast by NBC from Afghanistan which was full screen, but the images were both muddy and jerky.

Mel: “The larger the picture, the worse it’s going to look. We’ve encouraged our directors to reduce the picture and CNN usually does too. They will put up two boxes on the screen, one showing the anchor in the studio and one showing the remote reporter. Due to the smaller box, the quality loss is less noticeable.”

Nathan: Why was the Talking Head system chosen, as opposed to other technologies?

Mel. “This is because while others systems work well, they require dishes that are a little larger, making them bulkier and heavier to manage. The reason why the Talking Head has worked in places like China and Afghanistan, is that when you first look at it, you don’t know what it is. It could be a laptop. And the satellite phone is obviously a satellite phone, but it’s unlikely that you would expect people to be able to transmit video through it, so when you go to customs, usually it’s not a problem. And that’s how it got into China with CNN. Once the Chinese realized what it was, they confiscated it and now they’re more aware of these devices.”

Nathan: That’s interesting. How big is the Talking Head system?

Mel: “The Talking Head system is just a little thicker and larger than a laptop and a satellite phone looks like an attaché case. That’s the whole system. With satellite dishes such as the one made by Swedish, it will do decent quality live video, but it still is a satellite dish and it’s obvious if you open the box. You can’t be discreet about getting it into a country where you’re trying not to let them know what you’re doing.”

Nathan: As a result of the events a few weeks ago, it appears that streaming media as we know it has been kicked into fast forward.

Mel: “We always pride ourselves in broadcast quality. And now it’s gotten to the point that if you can get live video from a place where you can’t do broadcast quality video, that’s ok too. And if it means using streaming video, the store and forward or the Talking Head, then it’s acceptable because there’s no other alternative. And now, all of a sudden, broadcast quality is whatever you can get on the air.”

Nathan: With the signal that you’re sending through the satellite telephone, how is it received back in the US?

Mel: “It comes off the satellite phone into an Inmarsat satellite, which transmits the signal to the Inmarsat dish in the continental United States. The signal interfaces with the Telco loops and dials an ISDN line, which is received by a computer that has a modem built into it to accept the ISDN signal. It then takes this video and feeds it out as composite video that we can then put on the air. It’s a little more elaborate than a regular computer, but not much.”

For more information about this story and the technology behind it, email your questions and comments to Mel Olinsky at CBS. Another alternative is to call his office at: (212) 975-7358.

About Inmarsat

Inmarsat was formed with a maritime focus over 20 years ago and serves a broad range of markets. It supports links for phone, fax and data communications at up to 64kbit/s to more than 210,000 ship, vehicle, aircraft and portable terminals. Their user base includes journalists and broadcasters, disaster-relief workers, land transport fleet operators, airlines, including passengers and air traffic controllers, government workers, national emergency civil defense agencies, and peacekeeping forces. The satellites are controlled from Inmarsat's headquarters in London.

Inmarsat products are used by service providers such as 7E Communications. To learn more about Inmarsat and their technologies, visit their home page, or send them your questions and comments by email. Their physical address is: Inmarsat Customer Care, 99 City Road, London, EC1Y 1AX. Tel: +44 20 7728 1777 Fax: +44 20 7728 1142

TH-1"Talking Head" Codec for ISDN & Inmarsat

The 7E ‘Talking Head’ video reporter units are designed for location work anywhere in the world where one can access an ISDN line or where an Inmarsat terminal is present. Weighing 4.5 Kg (roughly 10lbs, excluding battery) and measuring 356 x 265 x 155Mm,(14 x 10.5 x 6 inches) and housed in a waterproof case, the Talking Head can be used in harsh environments. Designed for the sole reporter, simplicity and flexibility of operation have resulted in a minimum of complex controls. Power for the unit comes from the local mains source (90-264VAC), or a nominal 12V DC source, such as a BP-90A camera battery. According to the online brochure, “the user can expect picture quality of 64/128kbps, assured by the use of the latest H.263 compression algorithms.”

Another option allows (7.5kHz) audio and low speed pictures be transmitted. Mixing capabilities aboard the unit allow low-Z microphones and balanced or an unbalanced line sources to be connected simultaneously. Headphone jacks offer direct and cue signal for monitoring. Finally, the unit is fitted with an adjustable 6.4" TFT Colour display with speaker. The case provides storage for cables, microphone and headphones.

To learn more about 7E Communications, visit their website. You can send questions and comments by email. Their physical address is: 7E Communications Ltd., Swan House, 203 Swan Road, Hanworth, FELTHAM, Middlesex, TW13 6LL Tel: +44 (0)20-8744 8500 Fax: +44 (0)20-8744 8501?