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Vlast live streams virtual K-pop concerts with AJA gear

Virtual idols are poised to revolutionize entertainment, with the market projected to top $4 billion by 2029. Crafted with motion capture and game engine technology, these characters sing, dance, and interact with audiences online. Vlast, the South Korean entertainment agency and visual effects (VFX) technology company behind the virtual K-pop phenomenon Plave, is bringing the trend to live event productions.

Vlast has delivered two live Plave concerts, the most recent using NDI sources, streamed via the SRT protocol, and produced leveraging a suite of AJA equipment. With the NDI protocol enabling the transmission of video and audio sources over IP, Vlast has reduced cabling and simplified the process of sharing sources among operators. “Our NDI system has given us a robust and simplified means of distributing primary sources”, says Vlast CTO Lee Hyun-Woo.

Leveraging devices with NDI outputs, Vlast can now transmit PC signals in real time between various equipment without complex connections. “Regardless of the output method of each device we use, we can transmit and utilize signals from various devices with a single LAN cable, enhancing efficiency while improving the speed of transmission”, explains Hyun-Woo.

Vlast first implemented its IP workflow for Plave’s “Hello, Asterum!” Encore concerts, held last October at Seoul’s Chamsil Indoor Stadium. Leveraging an AJA Bridge Live IP video workflow solution, Vlast transmitted two 4K 30p sources to an on-site LED screen using public broadband networks secured with SRT to deliver the live stream. SRT enabled real-time transmission of high-quality video with low latency, allowing Vlast to maintain the same image quality for displays at the concert venue while cutting costs compared to traditional fiber transmission.

“We needed to distribute both the main and PGM sources to the on-site LED screen to three different points”, notes Hyun-Woo. “We monitored the final output screen in the production studio and input the two sources into the primary and backup AJA Bridge Live for SRT transmission. Our aim was to minimize image degradation to ensure that full 4K picture quality was delivered.”

While all primary sources for the concert leveraged NDI, the final output equipment was configured based on 12G-SDI. The main and HDMI PGM sources from the production PC were input into AJA HA5-12G and Hi5-12G Mini-Converters to support conversion between 12G-SDI and HDMI 2.0. AJA 12G-AMA Mini-Converters facilitated analog audio embedding/disembedding. With these solutions in place, Vlast was able to minimize signal chain issues.

Vlast then connected the HDMI output to a PC monitor, and the SDI output was input to an AJA Kumo 1616-12G SDI router for seamless distribution. The Vlast team configured the router to distribute the main and PGM sources as 1x3, and the output of the router was input to the main/PGM broadcast monitor and a primary/backup AJA Bridge Live for SRT transmission. Bridge Live simultaneously encoded two channels of 4K 30p sources in SRT, and a second unit performed SRT decoding at the concert site to transmit the main and PGM sources to the LED screen.

Vlast is primarily using its NDI and SRT workflow to live stream a variety of content and events on YouTube. Beyond that, the virtual idol pioneers plan to use SRT transmission to take their virtual K-pop stars to an even wider audience with an expanded range of content. “By approaching technology and business with fresh eyes and new ideas, we can continue to differentiate ourselves through innovative content experiences and expand our presence in global entertainment”, concludes Hyun-Woo.

(Photos: AJA Video Systems/Vlast)

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