Broadcasting cardiology procedures has the potential to save a life by educating medical professionals and students on the latest new technologies and advancements in the field. To broadcast surgeries to cardiologists around the world, the Taiwan Society of Cardiology (TSOC) relies upon video production services delivered by King Communication, a Taipei City-based specialist in broadcasting and livestreaming content for medical facilities, sporting events, concerts and conferences. Since 1986, King Communication has delivered live video production services for clients across Taiwan, including Da Vinci Robotic 3D medical recording, Taiwan SBL sports broadcasting, the Taiwan Society of Cardiovascular Interventions and the PGA of Taiwan. To streamline broadcast and livestreaming workflows, King Communication depends upon the power and reliability of a range of AJA gear used throughout production chains. 

To assist in the TSOC’s mission to promote patient care, research and education in cardiology, King Communication provides full live production services including filming, recording and broadcasting HD content for medical professionals, interns and students across Taiwan and internationally. Live TSOC cardiology procedures are filmed and broadcast to demonstrate surgeries that require new technologies and the latest cutting-edge medical equipment. Throughout production workflows, a range of AJA Ki Pro devices are tapped for recording and backup recording; KUMO 1616 and KUMO CP are used for routing; FS1-X manages frame synchronization; and FiDO-2R and U-TAP SDI are leveraged to transfer video signals from medical devices, pending the specific project requirements. 

“There is no room for error or downtime during live production, which is why we’ve integrated a variety of quality AJA products into our workflow,” said Chung-Chou Ku, General Manager, King Communication. “It gives me peace of mind to know that we can depend upon the reliability of AJA solutions. They are easy to use and provide our customers with high-quality results.” 

During cardiology procedures, King Communication captures the surgery and screens of medical equipment concurrently, with footage mixed and broadcast through live video. Screens from medical devices are extracted from the equipment and transported via Fiber for conversion to 3G-SDI via a FiDO-2R dual-channel LC Fiber to SDI Mini-Converter, then output to a KUMO 1616 compact 3G-SDI router. The team opted for Fiber solutions for image transfer to manage long distance transmissions without loss of signal or quality, selecting AJA FiDO-2R converters for quality design and reliable performance. 

Surgical procedures are filmed with an HD Ikegami camera, with signals routed to KUMO 1616 to be mixed with the HD signals captured from the equipment screens in real-time. From KUMO 1616, the two HD signals are recorded via a Ki Pro Ultra Plus multi-channel Apple ProRes capture and playback device, with backup recording managed by a Ki Pro Ultra.

“Integrating AJA gear makes my broadcasting and livestreaming workflows smooth and stable, and I know that their team is always available to help out if I have any questions or run into any issues,” said Ku in closing, “I’m a loyal AJA fan!”