A 5G testing trial is giving a whole new, and literal, definition to “bandwidth.” In 2022, the U.K. will host the world’s first 5G-powered music festival experience, and testing is underway. AV Magazine reported that a band called The Remotes, dubbed “the most data divided band in the U.K.,” has taken part in audio and visual latency trials from different locations.
The 5G Festival is a collaboration between nine organizations spearheaded by Digital Catapult. “These trials were a major success for the 5G Festival project,” said Dritan Kaleshi, director of 5G Technology at Digital Catapult. “The network performed as expected, and we were able to start pushing at the boundaries of what 5G and immersive technology is able to do.”
The Remotes is composed of six experienced session musicians who rehearsed and performed from locations in the U.K. (London and Brighton), 60 miles apart. According to AV Magazine, the trials tested whether the musicians could collaborate seamlessly.
Testing included how much audio latency can be tolerated by performers playing remotely and how spatial audio instead of stereo helped them stay in sync. The band also tested video latency to determine if members could remotely take visual cues from each other via live streams of individual performances. The Remotes performed using AR glasses, live streaming through a 5G network-ready 360° content distribution platform, and an immersive audio mixing interface, collaborating through technology.
The most recent testing in June was the second trial; additional testing will happen this year ahead of the 5G Festival in March 2022. The festival will be an internationally accessible hybrid immersive experience, aiming to create new opportunities for artists to experiment and collaborate. Objectives also include curating new business models for festivals and live music venues while enhancing the audience experience at home or a venue, reported AV Magazine.
Jamie Gosney, commercial director at Sonosphere, an immersive audio collaborator of the 5G Festival, said, “One of the most exciting and moving experiences for me about these recent trials was not only the musical connection between the artists but the emotional one too. They seemed totally oblivious to the technology and communicated and played together like they were in the same space.”
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