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Warsaw Security Forum — live streaming in two languages at once
An international security conference attended by the President of Poland and defence officials. Two days of sessions, four cameras, two independent streams and two language tracks — Polish and English — run in parallel by two vision directors.
- EventWarsaw Security Forum
- Edition20–21 November 2014
- VenueWarsaw
- Cameras4× Sony XDCAM PMW-300
- Production2 mixers, 2 directors
- Delivery2 streams × 2 languages
One conference, two audiences, two languages
Warsaw Security Forum is an international gathering of security experts — plenary sessions on the future of NATO, the European Union’s Common Security and Defence Policy, relations with Russia, energy security and the Alliance’s border states. Some speeches were delivered in Polish, others in English, and the room was served by simultaneous interpreters.
An online viewer cannot be given a mixture. The Polish audience has to hear the Polish track for two full days and the international audience the English one, regardless of which language the panellist happens to be speaking. This is not one broadcast with two subtitle files — it is two parallel programmes.
Two independent production chains, side by side
Instead of one programme with switched audio we built two complete chains. Each had its own mixer, its own director and its own output to the internet, while both drew on the same set of four cameras.
Polish version
BlackMagic ATEM 1 mixer, its own vision director, audio from the Polish channel — original Polish speeches plus simultaneous interpretation of the English ones.
English version
BlackMagic ATEM 1 4K mixer, a second vision director, audio from the English channel — original English speeches plus interpretation of the Polish ones.
Four cameras, two positions, two days of sessions
Four Sony XDCAM PMW-300 cameras
One camera on the stage axis for the speaker, two at the sides for panellists and audience reactions, a fourth for wide shots and the corridors. The same pictures fed both chains — only the cutting and the audio differed.
Two mixers side by side
An ATEM 1 and an ATEM 1 4K stood at one position, operated by two directors at the same time. Each cut their own programme independently, listening to their own language version on headsets.
Audio straight from the interpreters’ booths
Both chains took their sound from the simultaneous interpretation system serving the room. The online viewer heard exactly what a delegate on site heard with the matching channel selected.
Two streams pushed out in parallel
Two encoders, two independent broadcast addresses. A failure on one chain did not take the other down — at an event attended by a head of state and foreign delegations that is not a theoretical concern.
Two full days of proceedings
Plenary sessions, panels and keynote speeches ran back to back for two days. The crew rotated across both chains without interrupting either stream.
Speeches that had to go out flawlessly
The opening address by President Bronisław Komorowski, the opening session with Gen. Stanisław Koziej, head of the National Security Bureau, and Gen. Waldemar Skrzypczak on the modernisation of the Polish Armed Forces — each live, in both language versions at once.
What went to the forum
The conference floor and the production position
Two language versions are not subtitles. They are two separate broadcasts.
What the organiser got
Two-language conference streaming — frequently asked questions
How does a two-language stream differ from a stream with subtitles?
Subtitles are one stream with a text layer added. We build two complete programmes: each has its own mixer, its own director and its own address. The viewer opens the link in their language and hears one coherent track throughout — with no switching between the original and the interpretation.
Where does the interpretation audio come from?
Straight from the simultaneous interpretation system serving the room. We connect to the outputs of the language channels, so the online viewer hears exactly what a delegate hears through their receiver. If the organiser has not booked interpreters yet, we coordinate with the booth supplier.
Do you need two crews for a two-language broadcast?
Not two crews, but two vision directors and a second mixer. Cameras, operators and cabling are shared — one camera package feeding two chains. That is why the second language version costs a fraction of a separate production.
How many cameras does an international conference need?
For plenary sessions and panels the realistic standard is four: the speaker in a full shot, two cameras for panellists and audience reactions, and one for wide shots and the corridors. A single lecture works with two, but a five-person panel then looks static.
What happens if one chain fails?
The other continues. The chains are independent from mixer to encoder, so a failure on one side does not take down the whole event. At conferences attended by a head of state or foreign delegations that separation is a baseline, not an option.
Do you produce broadcasts of defence and security conferences?
Yes. Warsaw Security Forum is a conference attended by the President of Poland, the head of the National Security Bureau and armed forces representatives. We work to the requirements of the organiser and the services responsible for the event — including agreements on which sessions go to the stream and which stay closed.
Your conference can have an audience in two languages
We produce live streaming for international conferences, congresses and summits — with simultaneous interpretation, parallel language chains and delivery to your own channels.