THE US recently made, on May 15, the first international holographic transmission in 5G In Portugal. More specifically, we had director Joseph Kosinski interact in real time with journalists in united states movie theaters.
The director of Top Gun: Maverick “was” in Lisbon thanks to the fifth generation of mobile networks. This technology proved, once again, to be able to reduce distances, allowing a fluid and natural conversation in real time between the participants.
5G capabilities were demonstrated here by NOS Portugal
It was as if by magic that the director of Top Gun: Maverick, Joseph Kosinski, was transported in a hologram from London to Lisbon. He did it to be able to participate in a press conference on the launch of the film in Portugal, distributed by NOS Audiovisuais, that is, a double promotional campaign.
In practice, Joseph Kosinski “traveled” the more than 1,500 kilometers that separate London from Lisbon, in milliseconds. A trip at the speed of 5G, to interact in real time with the public about one of the most anticipated films of the year.
The holographic operation involved the installation of technological and scenic infrastructure in these two countries. In London, a stage made up of a carbon nanotube substance, Vantablack, was used. This is known as the “darkest substance in the world”, capable of absorbing more than 99.9% of light.
The images were then captured with a 4K HD camera and instantly transmitted in Portugal, via the NOS 5G network.
In Lisbon, the image was transmitted in Full HD 1080 resolution, using the most sophisticated high-speed HD codecs, each capable of encoding and decoding 50/60 frames per second in less than 75 milliseconds.
The action took place at the Alvaláxia cinema in Lisbon
The high speed of NOS 5G at the Avaláxia cinema in Lisbon, which reached more than 1 Gbps. This, combined with virtually zero latency, allowed the audience to interact with the director as if he were there, with no glitches or lag.
In addition, being a mobile technology, 5G also gave the solution operational flexibility, since it allowed it to be installed without the need for a fixed infrastructure, making the process simpler and faster.
“Today, NOS took another important step to achieve 5G in Portugal. Thanks to the infinite possibilities of this technology, it was possible to shorten distances, bring people closer together and make what seemed impossible until now a reality.
Watching Joseph Kosinski interact with a room full of people and feel his presence as if he were really there was absolutely mesmerizing.
This is the true power of technology and it is to provide these types of experiences that we work every day”, says Jorge Graça, CTO of NOS.
Connection speeds greater than 1 Gbps in NOS 5G
To create this hologram, NOS had the support of the international company Musion, a specialist in holographic technology that has been perfecting this technique in recent years. His resume includes work with Gorillaz, Mariah Carey, Dita Von Teese or even Tupac, in a moment that has become historic, at the Coachella festival.
This technological operation added more than 120 hours of assembly and technical installations and involved more than 100 professionals, including the technical teams of NOS, Musion, Paramount US and Paramount EMEA.
Finally, the movie Top Gun: Maverick opens on May 26, with NOS being the distribution partner of Paramount Pictures in Portugal.