JUST when you thought you'd heard everything about portable broadcast studios (or "Backpack Studios"), guess what - THEY'RE BACK! Trending these days are those versatile on-the-spot capture devices that are "ready when you are" during any news-worthy occurrence. Let's take a look in to some of the options, and see what's happening in the World of Backpack Broadcasting...
LiveU is the "Backpack Studio" - providing 3G/4G LTE (and also HSPA+, WiMAX and Wi-Fi cellular) bonded uplink solutions for video-over-cellular live video transmission (HD/SD) from any location. Nothing can be cooler than to show-up at an event with a production studio strapped to your back and being ready to get what's happening NOW, while the other news agencies are still pulling their OB trucks out of the parking lot!
The LU500 is a 1 kg (2.2 lbs) uses fourth-generation patented bonding
algorithms and a new multi-processor video encoding engine to boot-up in under a minute for seemingly instant event capture for hours! A single operator can control the unit, thanks to LiveU Connect, LiveU's multi-layered video ecosystem, which includes: front-end field acquisition cellular bonding products; back-end servers; and the LiveU Central management platform.
See more at: http://www.liveu.tv/LU500.html
LiveU might have a built-in screen, but Livestream REALLY provides a display! One entire side of this "Briefcase Studio" is a screen - so instead of trying to view and edit on a screen about the size of your smartphone, you can edit with ease! Built with a Blackmagic Design DeckLink Quad and a Blackmagic Design DeckLink Studio, the HD500 provides 5 inputs from a vast array of analog & digital sources or, if necessary, 4 inputs and 1 
output in order to connect a broadcast-quality output display.
Wrapped in a stylish Tom Bihn carry bag, the highly-portable Studio HD500 is a "Studio in a Briefcase" solution for sudden outbreaks of news and other events. The computer, the screen, the keyboard & mouse, and the video input/output cards and connectors all in the bag, allowing for ease of transport - even during airplane travel.
Visit http://store.livestream.com/pages/livestream-studio-hardware for more information.
And then, in less than 5 minutes, LiveGear delivers broadcast quality, portable, compact and user-friendly video transmissions.
LiveGear is a brand belonging to Vislink - The Vislink Group is a UK technology business, with its Head Office based in Hungerford, Berkshire, which specializes in the collection and delivery of high quality video and associated data from the field to the point of usage, with solutions that include the design and
manufacture of microwave radio, satellite transmission, bonded cellular and wireless camera systems.
"Over the past few years, there has been a paradigm shift in video technology toward the adoption of IP into workflows," says Mike Payne, CEO of Vislink. "Our LiveGear brand of technology expands upon our years of experience and knowledge of video contribution by expanding the role of multi-mode technology into the video workflow. With the addition of LiveGear, Vislink is the first manufacturer to offer a comprehensive suite of licensed and unlicensed video solutions utilizing microwave, satellite, cellular, MESH, and Wi-Fi technologies."
As a testament to where portable broadcasting is headed, in January, 2014, Vislink moved from the main board of the London Stock Exchange to AIM, in order to help speed its growth strategy. AIM (formerly the Alternative Investment Market) is a sub-market of the main exchange, which allows smaller companies to float shares with a more flexible regulatory system than the main market; flexibility is provided by having less regulation and no requirements for capitalization or number of shares issued, enhancing cash flow within the company. Its core operations report that it is now running in the black, and is in search or more technology acquisitions to solidify its base.
"AIM is the right market for Vislink," states executive chairman John Hawkins. "Its focus on growth matches our clear organic ambition and its structure will simplify Vislink's regulatory requirements, enabling us to execute our acquisition strategy more quickly and cost effectively."
The broadcast market is Vislink's main gig. It's best known for its government and defense security products, and equipment for outside broadcast ("OB") trucks, but chiefly for its wireless camera back that allows live video to be broadcast. MotoGP - the world's premier motorcycling championship (with a season of 18 Grand Prix in 14 countries) - uses Vislink products for taking pictures from the motorcycle that are then broadcast live to TV viewers.
When you ned to send, the LiveGear AirStream LGT-1000 Cellular iNG Transmitter 3G/4G LTE portable video transmitter (starting around $18K) gives you what you need, when and where you need it! Vislink claims that it "provides the power of an ENG news van in a compact and easy to use unit which can be carried by hand, in a shoulder bag or backpack." For a company that's been in the business over 50 years, I tend to believe what they say!
Check-out Vislink and their portable broadcasting products at: http://www.live-gear.com/products/airstream/
And while not a "Backpack Studio," the Teradek Bond line of cellular bonding solutions allows 3G/4G/LTE, WiFi, BGAN, and Ethernet (under certain conditions) broadcasting of 1080p HD video over aggregated bandwidth.
Requiring a Sputnik server software application for video format conversion, the Bond units are the most compact and cost-effective cellular bonding solutions on the market today, boasting industry leading design and features, such as Bond's revolutionary Adaptive Internet Streaming technology, which allows real-time video bit-rate adjustment for high-quality transmission under many different network conditions.
WOW! The more I see these compact all-in-one strap-on-your-back portable studio set-ups, the more I want one! Some can only be rented, while others are just too expensive... but they're coming down! And the moment I can afford one of these for myself, you can be sure that I will be spotted sporting a backpack - and don't forget to smile and wave - you may be on camera, and not even know it!