LiveU Unveils Industry-First 'Smart Grip' for its Smartphone-based Live Video Mobile App

- Latest cutting-edge innovation from cellular uplinking pioneer boosts smartphones with additional cellular channel (MiFi) and battery for extra resiliency and performance

HACKENSACK, New Jersey, March 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- LiveU (www.liveu.tv), the leader in portable live video-over-cellular solutions, is unveiling its new patent-pending Smart Grip device in a handheld monopod for its LU-Smart mobile app at NAB 2013 (booth #SU5511).  The new Smart Grip device holds a chargeable battery and MiFi channel (or any other mobile hotspot) that is bonded together with the smartphone's internal 3G/4G connection to create two combined cellular connections beyond the smartphone, boosting the phone's live video transmission time, quality, reliability and performance, without any need for Wi-Fi connectivity.

Supporting all iPhone and Android devices, the LU-Smart software-based app represents the next level in mobile app newsgathering. Without requiring any set-up time, LU-Smart can be used for rapid news coverage. Reporters can simply take out their personal smartphone and transmit high quality live video back to the studio, whenever and wherever they may be. Live reporting capabilities can be extended to any person in the news organization.

Samuel Wasserman, LiveU's CEO, said, "LiveU is again pushing the boundaries of innovation in the cellular uplink space, this time with a new smartphone jacket.  LU-Smart enables any person with a smartphone to be a bona fide video journalist by simply downloading the software. We've had tremendous positive feedback for our smartphone app from broadcasters, complementing other LiveU units in the workflow and extending their newsgathering capabilities. It's an ideal solution for breaking news coverage, especially in locations far from urban centers, and the new Smart Grip boosts its capabilities even further."

The LU-Smart app includes other new features, such as: virtual matrix for simple workflow management, enabling newsroom operators to monitor and switch between content from different devices for live broadcasts; and ad hoc usage, which can be code-activated for 24 hours by the newsroom when a reporter or dedicated freelancer arrives at the scene. 

LU-Smart is incorporated into the LiveU ecosystem by LiveU's unified management platform, LiveU Total™, enabling control rooms easily and effectively to manage multiple video feeds from LiveU units operating in diverse locations.

LiveU owns the patent for cellular bonding for remote news gathering in the US and other countries. All LiveU products are based on this fourth-generation patented technology.

LiveU is presenting its Smart Grip device and full range of live video uplink solutions at the 2013 NAB Show®, April 8-11, at the Las Vegas Convention Center, booth #SU5511.

The LiveU Xtender, mounted on KOVR-TV (CBC Sacramento) weather truck, can be seen in the NAB Outdoor/Mobile area at the E-N-G Mobile Systems booth #OE820.

Ken Zamkow, LiveU's Director of Sales and Marketing, will be speaking at the Broadcast Engineering Conference, at 10:00 am on Thursday, April 11, 2013 on "From Super Bowl to Varsity: Live Sports Coverage Using Cellular Bonding Technology" - IP for Television session.

About LiveU
LiveU is the pioneer of broadcast-quality, video-over-cellular solutions that allow live video transmission (HD and SD) from any location around the world.  With top-tier customers in 60+ countries, LiveU's solutions have been used for breaking news and high-profile events, including the 2012 US Presidential Campaign, London 2012 Olympics, Hurricane Sandy, 2011 British Royal Wedding, Japanese Tsunami, GRAMMY Awards® and Super Bowl. From backpacks to smartphones, LiveU offers a complete range of devices for live video coverage. LiveU's solutions include multiple 4G LTE/3G, HSPA+, WiMAX and Wi-Fi cellular links, which are optimized for maximum video quality based on the available network conditions.