Wes Simpson

As previously covered in this column, IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol (PTP) is an essential part of a modern all-IP media production system.

This is the third installment in a series of articles about the newly-published SMPTE standard covering elementary media flows over managed IP networks.

Getting the details on transporting audio via SMPTE ST 2110-30

Meetings included live technology demonstrations

New standard frees up valuable bandwidth

IP technology is already driving major improvements in live video production.

Figuring out the amount of bandwidth a video signal requires on an IP network isn’t terribly hard, but it does require some familiarity with the underlying technologies and packet formats.

Many useful types of signals are synchronous, meaning that they use bit patterns that are transmitted using a built-in, fixed-frequency clock signal.

In many broadcast television applications today, forward error correction allows recovery from errors that occur during transmission.

Over-the-air DTV transmitters are relatively easy to test, at least with respect to the integrity of the outgoing video stream.

As broadcasters increasingly move toward IP-based systems within their facilities and for wide area network connections, the ability to prioritize some packets over others is becoming more desirable.

This recommendation was developed specifically to address the need within modern media production facilities to have an efficient, flexible method to transport uncompressed signals of various types.

The latest iteration of Google’s video codec for Internet streaming applications is called VP9, and it is starting to gain traction in the turbulent market for video codecs.

Audio Video Bridging technology is being considered for use in high-performance Ethernet networks as a potential replacement for SDI video infrastructure in the studio.

The IEEE 1588 Precision Timing Protocol defines a set of techniques for synchronizing various devices across packet-based networks, including Ethernet switches and IP routers.

Software-defined networking is a hot topic in data networking today.

As broadcasters migrate towards IP networks for video transport, many systems are being phased out in favor of products that offer interoperability based on standards.

Every broadcaster knows how important precise timing is for coordinating the actions of video cameras, servers, routers, displays, compression systems and wide range of other equipment.