CHAMPAIGN, Ill.—Signal processing product provider Cobalt Digital has announced a 2026 NAB Show 2026 lineup that features numerous additions to its end-to-end IPMX and ST 2110 ecosystem, including new standalone processors, IPMX-native audio monitoring, multiviewers, gateways, and mini converters.

During the show, the company will be debuting COBALT blueCORE, a family of 1RU fully featured standalone signal processors, with more details to be announced closer the show.

In addition, the company will present the COBALT PACIFIC compression line with an ST 2110/IPMX output option for the COBALT PACIFIC ULL-DEC upgradeable software defined broadcast decoder.

The enhancement allows decoded content to be available simultaneously over SDI and over ST 2110/IPMX. For ST 2110 operation, a built-in frame sync will emit a PTP-locked signal. Cobalt is also introducing a DVB-S/S2 factory-installed demodulator option that allows decoding and pass-through of satellite signals, on ASI and over IP.

Additionally, as FCC regulations require the remainder of C-Band spectrum to be auctioned, Cobalt has responded by adding support for hybrid Satellite-Internet operation to the COBALT PACIFIC compression line, compliant with VSR TR-06-4 Part 7. In this mode, satellite is used for bulk distribution, and the Internet is used to recover any lost packets, allowing the use of Ku and Ka bands for distribution.

Cobalt, a founding partner in the openGear initiative, will also be introducing fixed-function openGear cards designed as cost-effective entry points with license-based expansion for scalability as workflows evolve.

The new 9925-FSx Frame Sync openGear card is an entry level one path frame sync card that supports license upgrades up to four paths per card, and an audio processing license upgrade for AES, MADI, and DANTE 64 support.

The new 9981-LUTx Color Processor openGear® card is an entry level color processing card that supports license upgrades up to four paths per card along with options including: SCALER, BBC LUT, COLOR, 4K, LOGO and ANC.

Cobalt will also be highlighting its portfolio of products that support end-to-end IPMX and ST 2110 workflows. The company described these as follows:

• The COBALT ARIA AUD-MON is the only fully IPMX-compliant audio monitor on the market. Built for any environment migrating toward IP-based operations, AUD-MON features best-in-class sound monitoring and 16 SDI or 64 MADI metering from a compact rack-mount form-factor. Sound is produced by an efficient Class-D amplifier with DSP and specially selected speaker components. The easy-to-use and customizable touch display front panel is designed for simple and intuitive operation with eight individual volume controls for mixing. Control can also be achieved through a web interface.
• Cobalt will also highlight the 9935-AUD4-DANTE, a quad-channel with up to 12G DANTE/AES/MADI/embed and de-embed functions with frame sync capabilities. The card features two gigabit Ethernet ports, a 64x64 configuration, and a full audio router mixer.
• The COBALT UltraBlue MV-SW multiviewers are available as both a turnkey solution with four HDMI heads, or as a software package that runs on customer-supplied dedicated hardware. COBALT® UltraBlue can receive compressed and baseband audio/video content over IP across a variety of protocols and formats with very flexible audio routing, bringing a multitude of options to suit every application, and now feature IPMX support for transitioning to either ST 2110 or IPMX workflows. The multiviewer also supports SDI inputs and outputs.
• Multiple models in the COBALT SAPPHIRE mini converter family of IPMX-capable standalone mini-converters will also be featured. Available in a variety of configurations including single, dual, and quad channel, with some models capable of simultaneously transmitting and receiving, these SAPPHIRE units convert between IPMX compatible (and SMPTE ST 2110 compatible) signals and SDI/HDMI, with support for baseband video and JPEG-XS.
• The COBALT® INDIGO gateway solutions provide a powerful on and off ramp between IP and SDI with support for IPMX as well as ST 2110. These versatile, high-performance solutions bridge the gap between traditional SDI workflows and modern IP-based infrastructures by simplifying interop, routing, and format translations while preserving image quality and latency performance—critical for transitioning to IP.

For further information visit: www.cobaltdigital.com.

The broadcast industry has seen major transformations, but what we’re facing now is a deeper shift. It’s not just transport or tools. It’s a rethinking of how we build, scale, and operate live production infrastructure.

You’ve probably heard “infrastructure as code” a lot lately. For some, it’s the next step in automating and scaling live production. For others, it sounds like handing your OB van to a DevOps engineer with a YAML file.

I get the skepticism. But if you look at where the pain points in live production are today, you’ll see this isn’t just another tech trend. It’s a strategic necessity.

Why This Feels Risky (And Why It’s Necessary)
For decades, broadcast engineering has been a hardware-first, hands-on craft. SDI routers, frame syncs, multiviewers, and patch panels were built with precision and meant to run 24/7. Rebuilding a live environment on demand in the cloud? That’s a radical shift.

This works well for customers in sports, OTT, and fast-channel environments. They want modular workflows, not one-size-fits-all systems. But flexibility brings complexity.

It’s relatively easy to code infrastructure to spin up servers, storage, and connections. But configuring tech from 10 different vendors? That’s the real challenge. You need a unified, software-based control system.

The Real Bottleneck: control
The industry’s made progress solving video transport. ST 2110 helped us move beyond SDI into scalable IP production. But in focusing so hard on transport, we overlooked something else: control.

As we added more vendors, cloud services, and hybrid workflows, that gap became more obvious. It’s not just the complexity. It’s the manual overhead of stitching together multiple systems in real time. That doesn’t scale.

Customers don’t want one big system from one vendor. They want to curate their own stack. But large, complex production venues could involve over 200 control protocols across their equipment. No one would design a system that way, but here we are. Event-based, ephemeral infrastructure makes sense. But with a dozen vendors, each with different APIs and quirks, spinning it up isn’t trivial.

What is Infrastructure-as-Code?
It means managing infrastructure with software logic instead of manual steps. Think:

• Configuration as version-controlled text files
• Automated deployments of full production environments
• Predefined templates that launch workflows in minutes

Engineers don’t need to become Python programmers. But they’ll spend less time fixing protocol mismatches and more time producing content.

In software, Infrastructure-as-Code defines entire environments, networks, services, storage, application workflows, via configuration files. Tools like Terraform and Ansible aren’t just for DevOps anymore. Broadcast engineers need them to deliver scalable, on-demand infrastructure.

At AWS, this approach runs some of the most advanced live workflows in the industry. It’s not just about cost, it’s about agility.

Not Just Hype: A Culture Shift
Let’s be honest: not everyone’s ready for this. Broadcast engineers aren’t usually trained in cloud orchestration or declarative configs. That’s not a criticism. It reflects how the industry grew up. Our workflows were built to be robust and hands-on.

Going in as a traditional engineer will be tough. If we don’t invest in training — or use automation to bridge the gap — adoption will stall. But tools exist to help. That’s part of what ST 2138 (formerly known as Catena) is about.

ST 2138 is the latest standard being proposed by The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE). It provides a vendor-agnostic, software-based control layer across on-prem, private cloud, and public cloud, without rewriting APIs each time.

The Payoff: Real Agility
The goal isn’t to turn live production into a science experiment. It’s to reduce friction—especially when you need to launch fast, reconfigure often, and scale on demand. Software-defined infrastructure lets teams work faster and more consistently. It’s the only path forward if you need to do more with less. You can’t afford brittle, inflexible systems.

With a software-defined control layer you can:

• Launch events in hours, not days
• Automate failover, resource allocation, and monitoring
• Test environments in isolation
• Run infrastructure only when needed

Change is Hard, Standing Still is Harder
ST 2138 provides a unified control standard across vendors, platforms, and environments. It simplifies control and enables multi-vendor automation. This shift challenges legacy thinking, skills, and comfort zones. But it’s already happening. If you’re skeptical, that’s healthy. But the transition won’t wait.

To future-proof operations and protect quality and creativity, we must start seeing infrastructure as code: reusable, testable, scalable, and under your control. That’s not the end of engineering. It’s the evolution of it. Infrastructure as code won’t replace the art of live production. It just changes how we manage the canvas.

The draft of ST 2138 is now open for consultation. Click here to review the draft and join the conversation.

Sports fans today don’t just want to watch the game—they want to feel it. From surround sound to live player chats, the push for immersive sports audio is changing how we experience the action.

This is why “all current trends from both the creative and technological side focus on the same objective: Access and bringing fans closer to this great game,” says Jason Hedgcock, Major League Baseball’s senior director of technical production and special projects for Apple TV+.

Hedgcock’s comments are focused on baseball, but his observations apply broadly across sports broadcasting. “The use of alternative audio channels has allowed fans to access games in native languages,” he says. “Placing microphones and IFBs on players has given fans the opportunity to better see the personality of the players in the moment of action. And Dolby Atmos has offered a unique opportunity to sonically place a fan at home in the center of the action in the ballpark.

“As such, I fully expect broadcasts to continue to lean into these workflows and technology to bring fans through their screen and into the park and onto the field.”

Casual sports fans want more access to player/athlete audio, according to Joseph Carpenter, an audio mixer for Fox Sports. “In golf, the player-caddy conversation continues to increase in demand.”

On network telecasts, announcers must be more aware of opportunities to listen in and, in some cases, are even instructed to lay out during these moments, Carpenter adds.

“TGL Golf is a new concept, with all the players wearing microphones and earpieces in order to allow the strategy and interaction to be heard at all times,” he says. “In baseball, it has become commonplace now to interview a player while he is on the field and actively playing.”

During an Apple TV+ “Friday Night Baseball” broadcast, Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa took questions from the booth while playing shortstop, “providing a look into how veteran leaders engage with their teammates on very human things like player health and how to best support a team,” Hedgcock says.

SMPTE ST 2110 Driving the Change
As more operations transition to SMPTE ST 2110—which allows the transport of uncompressed, high-quality media over internet protocol—the remote A1 [primary audio technician] has had to develop more expertise in IT and system networking, according to Florian Brown, ESPN senior audio supervisor.

“The interconnected nature of 2110 allows for granular control over devices and even complex systems like audio consoles from remote locations,” he says. “This gives us the creative freedom to manipulate incoming sources remotely, which opens up exciting possibilities for sweetening audio and isolating specific sounds to enhance the broadcast.”

Brown isn’t alone in viewing 2110 as a game-changer. Carpenter, a 35-year veteran, says he has seen a number of transitions, but “the current wave of audio-over-IP solutions is certainly one of the more impactful shifts I’ve witnessed. High-quality audio being seamlessly transported and decoded across varying platforms and hosts has become commonplace with the latest coalescence of 2110 and real-time protocols.”

Brown concurs. “As we reach the full potential of 2110 connectivity, we continue to push into a more immersive experience for the consumer,” he says. “The demand for richer audio certainly goes hand-in-hand with
higher-quality video.”

Giving broadcasters the ability to support multilingual audio commentary using 2110 helps Apple TV+, ESPN, Fox Sports and other media outlets attract viewers in an increasingly fragmented media market. But these two trends have to be deployed in tandem to deliver the desired result.

“In a diversifying media landscape, simply putting the game on isn’t enough to attract and engage an audience,” Hedgcock says. “You need to be creative in the storytelling. [Now] the human aspect of the game is one of the hardest things to capture, so the intimacy that audio can provide is a powerful tool broadcasters can use to drive humanity home. Rather than a simple natural sound mix to hear the roar of the crowd, a 5.1 or 7.2 mix can be used to place a fan among their peers in the park.”

Even Better Sports Audio Is Coming
As captivating as today’s multichannel immersive sports audio is, more progress may yet be needed to deliver its full impact to viewers.

“Much like the brief attempt to broadcast video in 3D required wearing glasses, I feel as though the current trend to deliver immersive sound to viewers at home will require a quantum leap in affordable home theater equipment,” Carpenter says. “That being said, the quality of audio being delivered to portable devices like smartphones and tablets is hitting its stride.”

As for the future of sports audio? “A fully matured 2110 environment for broadcasters and end users will allow us to isolate even more detail and emotion from a sporting event,” Brown says. “This will give us the ability to define the user experience at the source and deliver that to the customer as intended, without third-party manipulation. That is the ultimate goal, and we are well on our way.”

As fans continue to migrate to mobile devices and use headphones to listen to broadcasts, some of the next generation of innovation will focus on “getting the big sounds out of little speakers,” according to Hedgcock.

“Similar to how musical mixers leaned into mixes for radio for years, I expect sports mixers to listen to their shows on various headphone options, both over-the-ear and in-ear, to fine-tune their mixes,” he says. “I also think we will see even greater use of on-field player microphones, plus the reemergence of the all-audio games that MLB Network tested back in 2012. These games—where the broadcast team largely laid out, letting the sounds of the ballpark and players dominate the audio track—would offer an incredibly unique experience and can be made available as a complement to the traditional broadcast.”

Carpenter is very optimistic about sports audio’s future progress and impact.

“I believe now that video quality has reached such incredible heights, and super slow motion has become ubiquitous in instant replay for referee and umpire calls in all sports, that audio is becoming the next frontier in captivating viewers’ attention and bringing to light the true level of athleticism and passion we have begun to take for granted as technology advances,” he says. “In the meantime, I will continue to try to innovate new ways to push the sonic envelope and ‘bring it to the people’ at home.”

Again, all of these sports audio innovations share a common goal: Shrinking the distance between athlete and audience. In a world of fragmented attention and media overload, sound may be the clearest path to the hearts—and loyalty—of today’s viewers.

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. —The SMTPE Media Technology Summit made a return engagement at the Loews Renaissance Hollywood Hotel here, playing before an audience of some 800 television and cinema industry professionals. While the four-day event (Oct. 21-24) featured sessions on a broad range of cutting-edge topics including advances in video compression, color-space management, content streaming, virtual production, high dynamic range (HDR) and cloud applications, artificial intelligence (AI) and SMPTE’s ST 2110 digital media IP transport standard were a very big part of the agenda.

Opening the proceedings, Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers President Renard Jenkins welcomed attendees to “the only peer-reviewed conference that is still in existence today for media technology.”

He told the audience they were part of a very special group. “We have the opportunity to affect the direction of our industry, because we are the science behind the art of motion picture and content creation, as well as visual imagery,” he said.

In the aftermath of the pandemic, “our industry is in a corrective state,” Jenkins said. Productions and the overall industry are now starting to ramp up, he said, although the situation is not what it was before COVID-19.

“We’re seeing productions coming back, but not coming back as great as they were in 2021 and prior to 2020,” he said. “However, we are seeing that they are coming back at the rate of 2017, which is a little more of what we should expect. The market and the industry, as a whole, were saturated—content was being created everywhere, and we were in the gravy boat together, and things were wonderful.

“COVID showed us that we had to think differently about what we do,” Jenkins continued. “Like the phoenix, we do rise, because people love our content, people love to be able to communicate and we have an immense amount of power and an immense amount of influence and impact throughout the world. Having that type of power and impact is something that we as an industry should hold very close, and understand that it is the responsibility that we have to actually put forward.

“Let us be ethical in the way we operate,” he concluded. “Let us be inclusive in the way we build our teams. Let us think forward and think about what we are doing, because just because we can does not mean that we should.”

AI on Center Stage
AI is taking on more and more roles in cinema and television content creation, as was reinforced in several sessions at this year’s MTS. In one, a dialogue between cinematographer and director Lawrence Sher and Variety senior entertainment technology and crafts editor Carolyn Giardina, Sher urged attendees to embrace artificial intelligence.

“Don’t be afraid of technology,” he said. “I think the knee-jerk reaction is to be terrified about new technology such as AI. I’d rather embrace what is possible for it to do and then choose what parts of it that work. I think AI is a powerful tool. I’ve seen [it create] beauty and I’ve seen things that are soulless and terrible. I don’t think we are going to be replaced.”

Erik Weaver, director of the Entertainment Technology Center at USC, also shared his views on AI in “Foundations of AI in Entertainment: A Two-Year Retrospective on Tech and Trends.”

Discussing the practicality of AI, Weaver observed that despite all the rumors and fears, the technology is still experimental and very expensive to deploy. “It costs $700,000 a day to operate ChatGPT,” he said. “And it’s a perfect container for hype and fantasies.

“Don’t believe the hype, ChatGPT is not AGI [artificial general intelligence] and no jobs will be replaced,” Weaver said. “[However], generative AI will put more power in the hands of the ‘top of the food chain,’ creatives like directors and producers who will love its ability to help them communicate their vision and prototype shots.”

While much progress has been made in AI and machine learning in recent years, he noted, there’s a lot more to do.

“The big breakthrough in AI came with the release of Chat GPT 0.1,” Weaver said. “It uses chain-of-thought reasoning and develops logical thinking steps. I’ve seen some amazing stuff coming down the runway lately.

“[However], the domain of AI is vast, complex and still poorly understood — even in the AI research community,” he continued. “The technology is advanced in certain areas, and burgeoning in others. It involves many domains of science and tech. It touches many different areas of an organization unevenly. And it scares everyone.”

The ethics of applying AI also remain a gray area, Weaver noted, which presents a challenge to users.

“AI governance is an emerging and complex issue, which for most organizations doesn’t have a precedent,” he said. “Regulations are still emerging and the boundaries or even implications of AI governance are still very opaque. Just like the technology itself, the ethics of AI is still experimental and involves multiple domains and competencies.”

Diving Deep Into ST 2110
Although AI wove its way into many of the conference presentations, the really big spotlight was aimed at SMPTE’s ST 2110 suite of standards for content transport and metadata via internet protocol (IP). Sessions covered ST 2110’s role in the fine-tuning of LED video walls, or “volumes,” used in production sets; support for the most recent video codecs; and even its application in making this year’s Paris Summer Olympics more “accessible and immersive.”

The conference also featured an intensive five-hour training session designed to provide a grounding in the theory behind ST 2110 signal transport, as well as the project-management elements necessary to create a successful IP infrastructure.

Enrollment in the ST 2110 class, which took place on the final day, was limited to just 70. Whitcomb Consulting Principal Leigh Whitcomb discussed the various elements of systems for transporting content over IP, and Karl Kuhn, principal and founder of consultancy Sherwood Insights, gave information to help smooth the transition from an SDI (serial digital interface) infrastructure to an all-IP facility.

Whitcomb’s contribution included the planning and design of an ST 2110 network; precision time protocol (PTP) timing; and the place of the SMPTE ST 2059 standard in implementing PTP for the synchronization of video over IP networks.

The goals for Whitcomb’s portion of the training were to provide “an appreciation of the key differences between SDI and ST 2110 systems; a description of the role of each model comprising the ST 2110n suite; a discussion of how video, audio and ancillary data are packetized; an explanation of how synchronism is achieved between different media flows; an understanding of the packet traffic constraints for video signals; and how to read and understand an SDP [session description protocol] file,” he said.

Such an educational session is needed because now that ST 2110 has been around for seven years, “the market has become relatively mature,” he said.

“Before, unless you were doing it for the flexibility, there weren’t as many business reasons for moving to ST 2110,” Whitcomb said. “Nowadays, there are a lot more. If you’re building a new facility or need a lot of flexibility it makes sense to go to 2110. If you’re doing any upgrades, 2110 makes a lot more business sense. And if you’re going to switch to 2110, you want to get educated in it. Some things are the same as SDI—the functions you have to do are the same—[but] how we do it is quite different.”

Whitcomb broke his training component into two parts—ST 2110 itself and PTP (precision time protocol) synchronization, a necessary part of creating an IP infrastructure. A separate emphasis on PTP was needed, he said, because the protocol has acquired a somewhat “jaded” reputation—and must be better understood to move forward with ST 2110.

“[Early on], there were a lot of mistakes made,” he said. “People made some bad decisions. There were some implementation problems, and there were a lot of bad feelings and myths going around.

“People were saying PTP doesn’t work and it’s really hard; I’m trying to demystify that,” he said.

Whitcomb noted that while analog color black timing was relatively foolproof, “there are many ways to do PTP wrong, but there are some simple rules to do it right, and when you do, you will have a good experience.”

Kuhn (who appeared virtually) stressed in his portion of the training that creating an ST 2110-based infrastructure is not a “do-it-yourself project.”

“Most people have not done this before, as SDI has been around for 30 years or so and they’ve very comfortable with that technology,” he said. “IP is a totally different thing. You need to bring in a qualified systems integrator. You need to know how to ‘speak the language’ in dealing with vendors and, unlike SDI, what’s really important is to build a ‘sandbox’ lab for testing things before you try to introduce them into your main network.”

Kuhn said that although transitioning to IP involved a number of challenges—including a steep learning curve—the rewards are numerous.

“According to [Director of Customer Solutions] Cassidy Phillips at swXtch.io, who’s done a lot of study in this area, there’s a 58% savings in power for roughly the same switch density,” Kuhn said. “Also, a 5120-by-5120 SDI router might occupy 10 racks. You can now do this in two RUs within a single rack if you move to IP. There’s really an incredible savings in electrical power, air conditioning and floor space.”

The Oct. 24 event wrapped up with a comprehensive testing of ST 2110 knowledge, with certificates of completion awarded to participants. Organizers said it was the first time SMTPE has offered a certificate educational program at its annual conference. The course was intended as a preview of a very comprehensive virtual course on ST 2110 that SMPTE will offer, they said.

The 2024 SMPTE Media Summit attracted some 800 attendees and featured 40 exhibitors of television and cinema products and services in its “Solutions Hub.”

Summing up this year’s event, SMPTE president Jenkins said: “SMPTE strives to provide quality educational and innovative, research papers and panels as the foundation for our yearly MTS. Our goal is to showcase the work of the individuals who are driving efficiency and improvement throughout our industry by developing and deploying advanced technology and solid engineering.

“The attendance for this year's summit was on par with our 2023 summit and the vibe was one of camaraderie and support for the industry, our members, vendors, and partners,” he added. “We were excited to add a specific track for students this year under the moniker of SMPTE Student Day.

“Feedback from attendees has been positive, especially regarding the session selection this year, which focused on everything from IP transport and delivery via ST 2110, virtual production, deep dives into color science, sound technology and, of course, artificial intelligence,” he concluded.

Sally-Ann D’Amato, named SMPTE’s interim executive director earlier this month, also shared her thoughts on the event.

“This year’s MTS was all about networking opportunities and a better synergy between the program and the exhibitors,” she said. “We continued with 2023’s addition of the Emerging Tech Stage Sessions, with many of our exhibitors participating. We also added the ‘Tech Treks’ this year, which were guided exhibit tours of companies that were showcasing technology discussed within the program. It was a great way for our exhibitors to show the attendees ‘technology in action,’ and also to demonstrate the impact of SMPTE standards on their work, especially ST 2110.

“We also tried to build in more time for networking, and I heard a lot of positive response from attendees on that,” D’Amato added. “SMPTE has always been about quality over quantity. We want to bring together the practitioners, the manufacturers and the decision-makers in the same room and give people access to connections that they might not otherwise make.

“We tried to put more focus on early career professionals and students this year,” she concluded. “We want to set these individuals on a path to more involvement and eventually leadership within SMPTE and the industry.”

The 2025 SMPTE Media Technology Summit will move from its longtime location in Hollywood to neighboring Pasadena next year, running from Oct. 13-16, 2025.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—PlayBox Neo will showcase its full range of multiplatform broadcast solutions, including support for SMPTE ST 2110 IP input/output, at the 2024 NAB Show New York, Oct. 9-10, at the Javits Center in New York.

SMPTE ST 2110 offers scalable media infrastructure using standard Ethernet networks instead of dedicated physical cables. This allows media organizations to add video, audio and metadata streams without new physical infrastructure, the company said.

PlayBox Neo also will demonstrate additional updates within its AirBox Neo-20 playout and IP streaming system; Capture Suite for content ingest; and Media Gateway for live media delivery and distribution. The company also will show its Channel-in-a-Box turnkey playout production suite, featuring Cloud2TV, its cloud-based media solution, Playbox Neo said.

A customized interface developed by PlayBox Neo for the Rohde & Schwarz Venice ingest server will be shown for the first time at the show. The interface is available now to U.S.-based customers, PlayBox Neo said.

“The PlayBox Neo R&D team has been working overtime lately, and it shows,” Van Duke, the company’s director of U.S. operations, said. “At IBC this month [September], we received tremendous feedback on our system updates, and I can’t wait to show them to our colleagues and customers on the east coast at NAB New York.”

PlayBox Neo solutions are based on modular products and services that can be customized to provide the exact capability needed for any scale of channel playout management — from ingest and scheduling right through to transmission. 

At the show, the company will feature:

• AirBox Neo-20, an automated content streaming and broadcast playout solution with 4K-UHD optimization.
• Capture Suite, a multichannel, multi-server UHD/HD/SD live ingest solution supporting multiple ingest channels extended across one or multiple servers from a single web user interface.
• Media Gateway, a reception, transmission and conversion solution for a wide range of broadcast signals that simplifies the everyday tasks of content delivery and distribution.
• Channel-in-a-Box, a complete turnkey broadcast television playout server suite designed for single-channel or multiple operations.  
• Cloud2TV, a software-centric virtual channel playout solution offering video production and content delivery services for TV operators.

See Playbox Neo at NAB Show New York booth 746.

More information is available on the company’s website.

AUSTIN, Texas—Systems integrator BeckTV has completed technical design, facility planning, and integration for the "PBS News Hour" studios and production facility at WETA, the flagship public media station for Washington DC. The goal of the project, the company said, was “to create a modern, flexible, and scalable production facility” that could support the needs of "PBS News Hour," "Washington Week with The Atlantic," and other shows. The new control rooms and studio launched on June 10.

"PBS News Hour," public television's marquee news program, is a national nightly news show that has been broadcasting for nearly 50 years. The show moved from its old studios in an aging production building to a newly expanded part of the WETA headquarters and technical facilities a few blocks away.

"WETA started working with BeckTV six years ago to build a budget plan and a high-level review of technology options," said Vince Forcier, Senior Director of Engineering at WETA. "Their proposal stood out because, in every element of their response, we could tell they were listening and understood what we were trying to achieve. They continued to work with us through the design and construction process, ensuring that the facility met our technical and operational needs. From equipment evaluation and selection to facility design and final launch, working with BeckTV has been a great experience. This is our first full facility refresh in 17 years, and BeckTV was instrumental in making it such a success."

WETA hired BeckTV to build two control rooms, two audio control rooms, a comms position, a transmission room, a shading and robo room, four tape playback rooms, and 15 edit rooms, among other spaces—all on a SMPTE ST 2110 backbone to enable IP networking. BeckTV planned for all technical aspects of the space, including technical furniture, power, cooling, circuitry, cabling, wiring and RF for all the studio sets, and more.

The two control rooms are identically loaded with redundant resources for resiliency. WETA operations typically uses one control room to run the weekly show out of Studio A, the main studio for "PBS News Hour." The second control room is typically used to produce another nationally televised show, "Washington Week," as well as the weekend "PBS News Hour" and other miscellaneous productions. BeckTV designed the control rooms to be redundant and interchangeable for any production at any moment. In the event of equipment failure, all or parts of the operations can move to the other room immediately and leverage its resources to continue seamlessly, even in the middle of a live show. BeckTV also made sure that the fiber infrastructure was designed for a redundant SMPTE ST 2022-7 blue/red network switch if WETA decides to implement it.

At the core of the facility is Grass Valley's GV Orbit orchestration system. Grass Valley also provided multiple cameras, two production switchers, multiviewers, gateways, and an audio router. Other major components include Lawo audio mixers, RTS intercoms, G&D KVM systems, EVS tape playback systems, Jetwave Wireless RF distribution equipment, Cisco network switches for management and Nexus 9504 media fabric, Vinten robotic camera shading, and Providius network monitoring.

Because everything is network-connected and interoperable, all audio, video, and metadata are available on the network switches, ready to be sent to tens of thousands of multicast addresses in an endless combination of video workflows. Working with such a robust system requires a good strategy so that things don't become disorganized and overwhelming, especially for broadcast engineers who aren't familiar with SMPTE ST 2110 networks, BeckTV said, adding that it planned every flow before it got to the configuration stage and then trained the WETA production staff so they could support the system after BeckTV's involvement ended.

"An ST 2110 system is scalable in ways that an SDI system would not be. As the productions change and grow, WETA technicians have the flexibility to take audio and video from any source and send it anywhere very easily. This beautiful and robust technical facility will serve the popular 'PBS News Hour' show well for many years to come," said Brendan Cline, Managing Partner and Vice President of Engineering at BeckTV. "Special credit goes to BeckTV VP and senior engineer Paul Kast, who was the on-site project engineer throughout the whole build."

WHITE PLAINS, NY—The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) has unveiled a pilot IP networking boot camp consisting of three different courses and a final exam.

The courses will cover the latest SMPTE ST 2110 advancements, updates and standards and will be offered on a first-come-first-serve basis. Seating is limited, the society said.

Two of the three courses are new, and the existing course has been updated. Those who complete the three courses and pass the final examination will become certified in IP networking with a focus on SMPTE ST2110, it said.

The courses include:

• Introduction to IP Networking, which covers the basics needed for a foundation in IP networking.
• Designing an IP Network, which provides an overview of the elements, systems and devices in a fully IP facility environment. The course looks at the entire IP media supply chain.
• Understanding ST 2110, which covers how ST 2110 can be used to create media production or delivery systems within IP networks.

Each class is three-weeks long and will be taught by live instructors. Study groups and discussion forums will run the duration of the boot camp. Practice exams and sample questions will be offered following each course. A syllabus is available upon request, SMPTE said.

The final week of boot camp includes three interactive sessions with industry experts, who will offer practical insight into solving real-world problems. Attendees have one week to complete the final exam following the sessions.

The price of the bootcamp is $1,350. An early bird discount price of $900 is available until June 28. SMPTE’s schedule at the moment is tentative; however, a different boot camp course currently is scheduled to be offered one week in July, August and September. The beginning date in July currently is unavailable, but it will be after July 4, SMPTE said.

Course registration is available online.

More information is available by emailing Dr. Michele Wright.

LAS VEGAS—Cobalt Digital has announced that “providing tools today for tomorrow’s broadcaster” will be the main theme at Cobalt Digital's NAB Show Booth # SU 4027, with the company showing off a host of new solutions that simplify operations, help broadcasters make the transition to ATSC 3.0 and provide support for ST 2110. 

Cobalt, which is a founding partner in the openGear initiative, also said that it will be presenting enhanced openGear cards comprised of cutting-edge technology that will bring broadcasters a simple path to ATSC 3.0 and closer to an IP infrastructure. 

In addition, the Company will be showing an expanded family of high-density routers and control panels and other numerous non openGear form-factor products on the booth. 

"We are incredibly excited to be at NAB 2024 with tools for today’s broadcasters that will allow them to seamlessly transition to tomorrow’s technology,” said Suzana Brady, senior vice president of worldwide sales and marketing.

More specifically, Cobalt said that it will be showing the high-density, efficient 9905-MPx openGear® card brings HDR to ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV) that provides a simplified the path to ATSC 3.0 by offering an easy way to convert ATSC 1.0 to an ATSC 3.0 ready signal. This capability, being introduced at the 2024 NAB Sjpw is offered in Cobalt’s 9905-MPx fully featured, multi-function 3G/HD/SD Quad-Path Up/Down/Cross Converter/Frame Sync/Embed/De-Embed openGear audio processor. 

The 9905-MPx also includes the ability to convert four channels of 1080i SDR to 1080p HDR for ATSC 3.0 and support for 3D-LUTs as a standard feature for all paths with available color correction for downstream HDR systems.  This way, stations can get started in ATSC 3.0 by automatically generating a 1080p HDR feed from their existing 1080i or 720p SDR feed, and later switch to a native HDR signal. 

The company also reported that the COBALT INDIGO 2110 – ST 2110 interface is now available on multiple cards.  

The new COBALT INDIGO OG-2110-BIDI4-GATEWAY is a bi-directional quad-channel native ST 2110 interface to SDI I/O available in the openGear form factor. The transmit and receive paths of the GATEWAY can operate simultaneously. The GATEWAY includes support for ST 2022-7 seamless redundancy switching, as well as IS 04/05 NMOS for automatic discovery and configuration. Cobalt also offers the SMPTE ST 2110 interface as an add-on to COBALT’S 9905-MPx or 9904-UDX-4K popular openGear processing cards with the simple addition of the INDIGO 2110-DC-01 daughter-card option. 

For the first time, Cobalt will be showing a new factory-installed option for SMPTE ST 2110 input, the INDIGO 2110-DC-02, to its existing PACIFIC 9992-ENC openGear card.  The option supports up to 4 inputs at 3G and lower resolutions, or one input at 4K resolution, with full NMOS support. Each encoder channel can be individually configured for SDI or ST 2110 operation. 

The combination of the award-winning PACIFIC 9992-ENC with the ST 2110 input interface option creates a very powerful integrated solution that can be directly deployed in a ST 2110 facility for local encoding, low-latency transport over the Internet using RIST, or to drive a traditional ASI workflow, without having to deploy separate gateway devices.  The ability to mix traditional SDI and ST 2110 feeds in the same device and support for IPMX provides even greater flexibility, the company reported. 

Brand new for NAB 2024, Cobalt is introducing the COBALT ARIA AUD2-DANTE and the COBALT ARIA AUD4-DANTE– DANTE cards in openGear form factor that offer dual and quad-channel units with up to 12G DANTE/AES/MADI/Embed and De-Embed functions with Frame Sync capabilities. The cards feature two gigabit Ethernet ports, a 32x32 or 64x64 configuration, and a full audio router mixer. 

The DANTE capability can also be available on Cobalt’s 9904-UDX/9905-MPx processing cards for maximum functionality and flexibility.

It will also be showing the COBALT WAVE family of routers, which are flexible, simple to use and easily integrated into any variety of applications with support for signals up to 12G-SDI. 

At NAB 2024, the recently released 32x32 crosspoint solution is being highlighted, the company said. The new unit fits into a 4U frame, same as the COBALT WAVE RTR-64x64. Both feature full-size BNC connectors, have a single 10/100/1000 Ethernet port for IP-based control, and offer RP-168 switching support. The web-based control allows full setup, salvos, monitoring, and preset management. This compact design is specifically optimized for 12G SDI operation but handles lower SDI rates with ease, as well as ASI and MADI.  Cobalt routers feature an open modern control API for third party integration, as well as support for traditional control protocols.

Cobalt’s WAVE 9942-RTR 12x12 and 9942-RTR 24x24 routers in openGear form factor will also be shown.  

The company also announced that the COBALT WAVE Control Panels are now available in four configurations. 

Control of the COBALT WAVE routers is accomplished by Cobalt’s growing line of control panels developed to accommodate the WAVE router family.  At NAB the COBALT WAVE CP-44 and COBALT WAVE CP-42L are joining  the existing 78 and 84L button panels.  The COBALT WAVE CP-44 features 44 back-lit buttons while the COBALT WAVE CP-42L features 42 back-lit LCD dot matrix display buttons. The WAVE panels allow different setups to be stored and recalled from the browser to provide extremely flexible operations. After customizing the panel, simply upload the configuration to a different panel for rapid changes on the network.  The control panels are easily customizable for almost any application using Lua scripts.   

For further information visit: www.cobaltdigital.com. 

THAMES DITTON, England—Imagine Communications has announced that Italy’s largest pay TV operator, Sky Italia, has migrated its Rome operations center to SMPTE ST 2110 video infrastructure with NMOS integration and JPEG XS compression using Imagine Communications’ Selenio Network Processor (SNP) and Magellan Control System. 

Sky Italia, which is part of Sky Group Limited, will also leverage the flexible Imagine infrastructure to provide high-quality, low-latency connectivity from the Rome facility to its headquarters in Milan, the companies said. 

“Migrating to a modern, IP-based infrastructure as part of a planned facility refresh was a forward-looking but practical decision that has delivered multiple, immediate benefits,” explained Gabriele Ubertini, director of group origination & distribution platform, Sky. “The flexibility of the 2110 standard and NMOS protocol inherent in the Imagine platforms enabled the fast, easy deployment of a best-in-class, seamlessly integrated system that has improved our operational efficiencies and will enable us to easily scale as our business requirements evolve in the future.”

Sky Italia used a planned technology refresh as an opportunity to migrate to more flexible and scalable ST 2110 IP-based infrastructure. Working with local systems integrator Allyn Srl, Sky Italia deployed a turnkey, open-standard solution that supports uncompressed IP video and audio signal routing within the facility; JPEG XS compression for high-quality, low-latency inter-facility connectivity; and NMOS-based orchestration of all networked connected devices, the companies reported. 

At the core of the new system, Imagine’s SNP serves as an IP gateway, a signal converter and a JPEG XS encoder/decoder, enabling ultra-low-latency, production-quality signal transfer from Milan to Rome and vice versa. A Calrec audio router featuring native ST 2110 connectivity seamlessly integrates into the system to handle audio shuffling and mux/demux of the high number of audio tracks within the video streams. The routing infrastructure leverages an Arista spine-leaf architecture, with uplink to central cores, Imagine said. 

“The SNP’s support for JPEG XS standard is a real value-add that will enable us to lower the costs of video connectivity between our two facilities by using less bandwidth for signal transport,” explained Fabio Mattei, Sky technical project lead. 

Quality of service is guaranteed via the bandwidth management API supported by Imagine’s Magellan Control System, which provides orchestration of multiple streams and control of ST 2110 devices across the network through NMOS. Imagine is now using NMOS in nearly every project deployment to integrate ST 2110 endpoints from other leading vendors, enabling customers to build best-of-breed solutions leveraging the cameras, switchers, audio, and replay technologies that their creative teams prefer, the company explained. 

“The benefits of advancements such as NMOS and JPEG XS are motivating media companies to consider ST 2110 for new infrastructure projects and enabling them to deploy and manage multi-vendor IP media workflows with much greater confidence and ease,” said Mathias Eckert, senior vice president and general manager EMEA and APAC at Imagine Communications. “Imagine is committed to open, standards-based systems and working with partners around the industry to enable best-of-breed systems that benefit our customers like Sky.”

For more information on visit https://www.imaginecommunications.com. 

LONDON—Gravity Media has named Beth Lowney as the new general manager of its brand-new Production Center in London (White City). 

In her new role as general manager, Beth will oversee operations at the next-generation Production Center, act as the main point of contact for partners including ATP Media and Formula E and set the tone for the client experience at WestWorks. 

Beth will continue to be a key member of Gravity Media’s Business Development team and focus on delivering a strong pipeline of exciting new opportunities at the facility, the company said.  

“We are delighted to announce Beth as the general manager of our second Production Centre in London,” explained Ed Tischler, Gravity Media’s managing director. “Her extensive experience in the industry and valuable knowledge of remote production make her an invaluable asset to our business. We believe that her unique perspectives will further strengthen our ability to deliver exceptional results and maintain our position as a leader in the industry.” 

Gravity Media unveiled its latest expansion at IBC 2022. The 50,000-square-foot facility features best-in-class technology to support both on-premise and distributed remote production workflows.

The state-of-the-art facility is based around a fully-fledged 2110 IP media fabric with dedicated master control rooms, six dedicated production control rooms with dedicated audio control rooms, seven flexi control rooms, multiple off-tube commentary booths, two studios, lighting and vision control facilities, fast turnaround and craft edit, flexi desk production spaces, media management and client desking.

Beth Lowney joined Gravity Media in 2022 as business development manager – outside broadcasts & projects, with over eight years of experience working across major global sporting events. 

Prior to joining Gravity Media, Beth previously worked at the International Tennis Federation and she arrived with proven success in event servicing, broadcast production, sales and distribution and the ability to deliver excellent client service.

As broadcast and media manager at the ITF, she managed the team to deliver broadcast production at all major events including the Davis Cup & Billie Jean King Cup Finals, alongside handling worldwide distribution. As event manager, she worked closely with National Federations and Sponsors to achieve a professional cohesive package for all stakeholders, also servicing Davis Cup and Fed Cup ties at an operational level to ensure compliance with ITF standards and official regulations.

MARLOW, U.K.—TSL has announced that it is working to help broadcasters migrate to IP infrastructures by launching the MPA1-MIX-NET. Building on the success of its MPA1-MIX family of monitor devices, the MIX-NET extends functionality to ST 2110 AoIP networks.

The intuitive 1U monitor unit provides 64 channels through a 1G AoIP connection, and a further 64 x MADI channels with an optional MADI SFP to provide user access to a maximum of 128 inputs, TSL reported. 

The unit also has native support for NMOS IS-04 and IS-05. Featuring eight dedicated rotary controls to create a monitor mix of up to eight mono or stereo sources, operators can bank up to 16 independent mixes which can be recalled with a user-friendly 'scroll to select' function.

Like previous MPA1 units, development of the MPA1-MIX-NET was driven by changing market requirements, TSL explained. Designed in collaboration with global production giants NEP, the units are lined up for installation in its upcoming roster of ST 2110-compliant trucks and studio installations.

“Operator feedback for our MPA1-MIX MADI and Dante units has always been super positive,” says Joe Signorino, vice president of systems design and integration for NEP’s U.S. Broadcast Services Team. “The control layout is user-friendly with plenty of room to access individual controls, it can be operated without having to look directly at it and basic operations do not require button pushes or menu navigation. We just wanted the same functionality in an ST 2110 environment.”

“TSL has always listened to the market and is always responsive to it; they understood what we were striving to achieve straight away, and the development of the MPA1-MIX-NET has enabled us to provide our clients with the same flexible and reliable monitoring they already know and love,” he added. 

Designed for a variety of operational positions, MPA1-MIX models make it easy to create a variety of custom mixes. With no complex menu structures to navigate and key information such as gain, metering and source labels clearly displayed on its integrated colour screen, thousands of broadcast professionals use them every single day, TSL said. 

The introduction of the MPA1-MIX-NET extends TSL’s MPA1 range to six user-friendly MIX units and six SOLO variants for very simple audio monitoring. All are 1U high and have a compact unit depth of 100mm, while a fanless design makes them suitable for installation in all locations.

In addition, with distributed and remote production models becoming more established as broadcast workflows, the MPA1-MIX-NET features comprehensive web and SNMP support. Its built-in web server and integrated Ethernet connection are designed to enable remote configuration and operation of networked units via a web browser, whilst SNMP integration enables a broadcast control system to automate configuration changes, TSL reported. 

“The broadcast environment is constantly evolving and the expansion of the MPA1 family gives broadcasters the opportunity to choose the interface that best suits their needs,” says TSL’s products and technology director, Mark Davies.  “The range offers support for ST 2110, 3G/HD/SD-SDI, Dante, MADI, AES and analogue interfaces, in both solo and mix versions. As manufacturers it’s our job to stay connected with our customers and ensure we support them as their workflows continue to change, with no compromise in performance.”

CHAMPAIGN, Il—Cobalt Digital Inc. will be at NAB Show NY demo-ing its latest products for live video production and master control.

Cobalt, a founding partner in the openGear initiative, will be highlighting its 9904-UDX-4K card that has been enhanced with its Indigo 2110-DC-01, an option that offers support for high-density native 4K ST 2110 audio and video processing on openGear form factor. 

The company will also show its new version of the SafeLink Gateway as a virtual machine, and a higher-density solution of +MPx-DANTE-64x64, the industry’s first license-based quad-channel 3G-SDI bridge to Dante audio.

Cobalt will also conduct multiple demonstrations including ST 2110 processing, its line of compression products with a synchronized decoding demo of RIST (Reliable Internet Streaming Transport), and a new feature from Technicolor that allows reversible inverse tone mapping SDR to HDR, followed by SL-HDR1 in seamless fashion.

Cobalt will be in Booth #915 at NAB Show New York, Oct. 19-20 at the Javits Center.

NEVADA CITY, Calif.—Telestream has announced new functionality for its Lightspeed Live Capture platform with plans to introduce new hardware interfaces – 12G and ST 2110 – in the latest version (3.3) of the Lightspeed Live Capture system.

“This new functionality is a product of customer requests,” comments Scott Matics, senior director of product management at Telestream. “In particular, the move towards IP-based production workflows is gaining momentum and this development places Lightspeed Live Capture in the vanguard of live IP production scenarios.”

First introduced in 2019, Lightspeed Live Capture targets broadcast engineering and operations personnel who need to capture content from tape or from live event production scenarios. It has been used extensively at global sports events such as the FIFA Men’s & Women’s World Finals in Russia and France and at the Tokyo Games.

A key feature of Lightspeed Live Capture is its resilience and reliable operation, even within mission critical live production environments. This new version enables users to capture media over 12G and ST 2110, aiding the transition to IP-based workflows.

For many 4K/UltraHD workflows today, up to 4x 3G-SDI connections may be deployed to carry and create a full 4K/UltraHD image. 

12G-SDI simplifies that with transmission of the full 4K signal across a single 12G-SDI cable (12G-SDI is 11.88 Gbps, ST 2082). 

With this new functionality, Lightspeed Live Capture represents a scalable, automated, multichannel IP and SDI capture solution for ingesting live or tape-based media directly into production, post- production, and broadcast workflows, Telestream reported. 

Lightspeed Live Capture processes video in 16-bit space to preserve total source quality and it records in a wide variety of mezzanine file formats for delivery to local shared storage, SAN, NAS, object storage (S3), FTP, Aspera and more.

“The ability for broadcasters and OTT service providers to live stream over IP at scale with equivalent resilience and efficiency to linear broadcasts is becoming a critical business driver,” added Scott Matics. “These new strategic enhancements to LightSpeed Live Capture highlight our efforts to support customer needs with orchestrated IP workflows within larger content delivery ecosystems.”

More information on Lightspeed Live Capture can be found here.  

LONDON—One of the two Technical Emmys that SMPTE will pick up at the NAB Show later this year (in person or otherwise) was awarded for its work standardizing 2110.

Building on earlier work at the Video Services Forum (VSF), the first four parts of ST 2110 were published by SMPTE in late 2017, to provide for a standardized interconnect of media across an IP-based network. This has the additional benefit of providing a common backbone for the facility, instead of broadcasters having to worry about running the correct type of cable and signal to various locations. Engineering personnel can easily configure and control network switches and routers remotely, allowing them to work from wherever they are.

DUAL PURPOSE

One purpose of 2110 was to get the industry onto a single standard, according to John Mailhot, systems architect for IP convergence at Imagine Communications. He edited ST 2110 documents through publication. “We watched what happened in the audio industry where vendors worked in different directions creating a dozen audio over Ethernet systems all incompatible with each other.”

The premise of 2110 was to avoid similar fragmentation and to consign the proprietary nature of black box development—which had begun to hinder systems installation and business growth under SDI—to history.

Rival approaches to video over IP, notably Aspen (championed by Evertz) and Sony’s Networked Media Interface (“and the prospect of more,” says Mailhot), were eventually subsumed under the 2110 umbrella.

Also driving development was the desire to replace arcane point-to-point signal transport with an entirely new essence-based mechanism.

“Studios built with SDI were constrained by what cables were used,” says Bruce Devlin, vice president of standards for SMPTE and chief media scientist for Dalet Digital Media Systems. “Trying to change a facility’s purpose involved physical uplift and fixing of patch panels. In no way was this giving the versatility you needed to be a responsive studio business.

“The dream of 2110,” he adds, “was to put down cabling with enough bandwidth and then figure out what you were going to put on it and in what direction the streams were going to flow.”

A key part of the work was to mirror the rock-solid timing of SDI by incorporating precision timing protocols derived from IEEE 1588.

Devlin says, “We’ve gone from SDI—where timing, video, audio, some metadata and unidirectional routing were all locked together on one cable—to a general-purpose cable that has logically (rather than physically) separate flows for every flavor of video, audio and metadata. Each stream is separately routed and separately timed.

“The beauty of ST 2110 is that it allows this complexity,” Devlin adds. “It does everything from SD all the way up to 8K RGB 12-bit uncompressed to a solution demanding a 100GB link streaming video in one direction. In either case you are using the same protocols, the same switching, the same standard IT architectures.”

From that standpoint 2110 is about as successful as anything the TV industry has ever done, Mailhot says. “At the beginning [2110 compatible product] was built speculatively. Today, it is available because the market demands it.”

For just about any piece of kit you could need in a TV facility—multiviewers, cameras, replay systems—buyers have the option of one whose primary interface is ST 2110.

“Where 2110 excels is building large-scale facilities,” Mailhot adds. “Legacy projects were built around fixed sized matrices and almost no matter how big they were, six months you’d wish it was just a bit larger. In IP there are limits too but you can build an IP system with 2110 and evolve it over time to scale really extraordinary sizes.”

The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), an industry group focused on education and adoption of IP standards for media, also characterizes 2110 as a success and “a world removed from the market confusion of 2015,” according to AIMS Chairman Mike Cronk, who is also vice president for advanced technology at Grass Valley. “The number of systems deployed and the scope and breadth of companies deploying 2110 has increased.”

It’s not all been plain sailing.

“There was definitely a lack of education at the outset,” admits Devlin. “Today we’ve got quite a lot of education about the fundamentals of the technology but what is missing is the ‘junior Jedi’ level of apprentice training. With new technologies being introduced faster than educators can create courses, I don’t know where to send enthusiastic students to learn in-camera VFX or IP lighting control or ST 2110 operational needs. I can see the industry re-invigorating the apprentice type training in these cutting-edge technologies because it’s the only way to scale quickly.”

Feedback from early 2110 installs is that the standard could use some simplifying. Cronk says, “Large facilities might have a 3000 input x 10,000 output IP equivalent router and while the switches are a standard Cisco, Arista or Mellanox, if you have to manually type in IP addresses in an excel sheet, it quickly becomes tedious. For every video source you might have 16 separate audio and eight data streams so one active goal is to make a 2110 system more plug and play.”

COLLABORATIVE EFFORT

An under-reported success of 2110 is the collaboration that has had to take place among different organizations. Sharing the Emmy honor with SMPTE are VSF, European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA). Together, they formed the Joint Taskforce on Network Media (JT-NM) to coordinate the effort. 

“These four organizations have made the 2110 ecosystem system successful,” commends Devlin. “The JT-NM meet every couple weeks to try to keep the super tanker moving forwards. The rudder movements have to be aligned early enough for the ship to turn.”

The VSF is at the heart of the group exploring transport and connectivity issues. Its TR-03 and TR-04 recommendations were the building blocks for transporting essences (individual signals) rather than the composite media.

AMWA took the lead on providing the core control and management software, which equates to straightforward interoperability between products from a wide range of manufacturers.

The EBU’s role is to keep its finger on the pulse of users. “It is collecting user requirements for the next things we should look at next,” says Devlin. “They are trying to figure out, if we’re to use 2110 as an ecosystem rather than simply as a better piece of string to connect a camera to a screen, then what do we have to do to make it better?”

EVOLUTION OF THE STANDARD

The underlying business model of broadcasters has been decimated by OTT. Finances for huge broadcast infrastructure projects, such as studio refurbs or new builds, has been curtailed. Add in Covid-era shuttering of near all live studio-based production—for which 2110 was principally designed—and its replacement by remote workflows, and ST 2110 faces something of an identity crisis.

“It is not really that 2110 is the wrong standard, it’s that the means of content consumption has started to change rapidly,” Devlin says. “The global pandemic accelerated this when live sports and stage events, all the stuff that 2110 is dedicated to, almost vanished overnight.

“The result is far less investment into live infrastructure overall and what investment there is is switched to remote live and remote scripted infrastructure. Investment in a lot of production is not hitting the 2110 nail on the head at the moment.”

The JT-NM thinks it has a role to play in adapting 2110 for content shuffling between facilities (or between OB and studio) and more broadly in live remote scenarios.

“We’re having to find ways to use the 2110 ecosystem to connect nano-second accurate studio environments with remote operations over the internet or in the cloud where hard and fast PTP accuracy may not exist,” Devlin explains.

An option for this is the Internet Protocol Media Experience (IPMX), a proposed set of standards and specs designed to address the ProAV industry’s need for protocols that ensure interoperability for AV over IP. IPMX is promoted by AIMS and AMWA and is based on 2110. A quarter of AIMS’ 100+ members have a foot in both broadcast and ProAV camps.

“It seems silly to have a hard wall between gold-plated 2110 excellence and the exuberance and creativity of the vast pool of those who can’t afford 2110 in the ProAV space,” Devlin says. “How do you bridge the two to make something that is better than both of those?”

He adds, “Covid has forced us to look at this area. It helps to get more creatives included into what might otherwise be an ivory tower of exclusivity.”

Mailhot points out that remote production actually involves equipment either virtualized in the cloud or physically racked in a room and that 2110 while the operating team controls the kit remotely; “2110 still does its job of being the data plane even as the mechanisms the operations team uses to make production decisions are remoted.”

He says there is increasing interest in compressed schemes in the context of 2110 with JPEG XS the frontrunner. Detailed specs for how JPEG XS can be mapped into a 2110-22 ecosystem as a mezzanine compression are all but complete at the VSF. Vendors like Imagine plan to add JPEG XS capability to product this year.

“2110 in its uncompressed native form is built around the notion that bandwidth is free and cheap on a campus but we are working to use JPEG XS to get to and from cloud,” Mailhot says.

FUTURE POTENTIAL

The pandemic may have stalled heavyweight infrastructure projects but demand for ST 2110 product solutions is expected to return.

“The reason is that people get hooked on 4K,” surmises Devlin. “We can shoot, store and process in 4K and content shot in it has a long tail. As soon as you try and shoot in 4K, particularly a live event, a lot of other tools start to struggle.”

He also points to the rise of game engines and virtual sets within mainstream production as the new benchmark for quality.

“To generate VFX in-camera on multi-camera shoots like ‘The Mandalorian,’ you will need high bandwidth to work with uncompressed 4K and 8K,” Devlin said. “With shows of this calibre every bit counts. For this reason, even scripted content producers will realize that the network infrastructure they need will be 2110.”

To move forward with the design and deployment of a SMPTE ST 2110 network, Robert Welch, technical solutions lead at Arista, has a simple piece of advice: work backwards.

“Try to figure out what you are trying to do with it [the network], and then go in reverse,” said Welch during his “Proper Network Design and Considerations for SMPTE ST 2110” presentation, the final session at the virtual AIMS (Alliance for IP Media Solutions) IP Oktoberfest 2020.

Asking questions up front is the key to succeeding. “I want to understand what’s going on because I am building the network based on the end nodes, not the other way around,” he said. “You don’t decide the network first and then figure out what to do with it.”

During his 30-minute presentation, Welch examined a variety of questions that must be answered. The first set of questions pertained to determining the connectivity requirements of end nodes, including whether there is an out-of-band management interface, whether there is a specific interface for control or multiple interfaces—if the latter, do they share the same IP address, and which interface or interfaces is PTP (Precision Time Protocol) on?

”As a network architect, what you are trying to do is reduce constraints—constraints in learning, constraints in bandwidth, constraints in deployment [and] constraints in knowledge,” he said.

Welch also discussed non-blocking and blocking architectures, beginning with a description of spine-leaf network architecture.

“The spine is typically just an interchange,” he said. “So it’s really just a connect between the other leafs. Or, do you connect other high-bandwidth devices to it? This is one of those decisions you have to make.”

Drilling down into the details, Welch talked about PTP and doing it right to keep it protected. “It is the most valued transport that you have,” he said.

When architecting a network, do not “link routes from blue to amber or amber to blue,” he explained. “You don’t want the PTP-only links to carry the multicast streams, or even control or monitoring, things like that” he said.

Welch laid out a couple of ways to keep PTP separate, including creating an unused VLAN with no traffic other than PTP as well as making it a routing interface without an IP address.

Another practice to avoid is “overflowing your bandwidth,” and Welch illustrated the point with an example based on the Imagine SNP (Selenio Network Processor) with two 100 Gb/s ports.

“For every 100 Gig link.. go[ing] to a leaf, I’m going to need 100 Gig link going to a spine. In fact, I would venture to say if I had four links of 100 Gig, I would need five or more links between these leafs and the spine,” he said.

This approach is very costly and amounts to oversubscribing. It also raises the question of why there’s a non-blocking fabric in play at all, he said.

“You want everything [in the network] being active and use what you have, OK?” he said. “And not worry about the constraints.”

One solution is thinking about the spine-leaf being internal to the switch. “The switch has multiple network processors—or ASICs—on it, and internal to it is a fabric,” he said.

“There’s two types of fabric. There’s one that’s more crossbar-oriented where flows can get pinned, and there’s another type that turns each individual flow into multiple cells. It breaks it up so you’re not using the entire fabric.”

“What you want to do as an architect is figure out what the flows are and can you do line-break flows of 100 Gig and multiple 100 Gigs using one architecture or the other,” he explained.

For the network architect, it’s necessary to think about capacity, node connectivity and constraints up front to avoid overflow, he said.

Welch also discussed the difference between the three types of network traffic: unicast—one-to-one initiated by a client and connected to a service; broadcast—one-to-everything on the VLAN; and multicast—one-to-“wherever you want do the join,” he said.

“This is where it [multicast] comes in,” he said. “You could have a transmitter that doesn’t have a receiver until it’s needed—like the output of multiple cameras.”

However, without a querier and querier IP address, what results is “flooding,” said Welch. “Your multicast becomes a flood.”

In essence, the multicast becomes a broadcast without a querier and querier IP address on the switch, he added.

Understanding the different types of multicast is also important to being able to figure out how to diagnose problems that may arise, he explained.

Welch recommended network architects make wise choices about network typology, understand end node requirements from “a physical, logical and flow perspective” as well as a security perspective, and the holistic aspect of architecting the network up front.

“If you do that, and do that well, you are going to be a hero and make people happy,” he concluded.

WHITTLESFORD, England—A trio of new IP gateways are now being shipped by Crystal Vision, all of which are compatible with both ST 2110 and ST 2022 video.

The Crystal Vision IP gateways—M-GWSDIIP-6, M-GWIPSDI-6 and M-GWIPIP-6—are software apps running on the Marble-V1 media processor hardware that are designed for transporting uncompressed video over 10GbE IP networks. IP inputs and outputs are individually selectable between ST 2022 and ST 2110, allowing the gateways to be used with both protocols, including at the same time if required.

The M-GWSDIIP-6 and M-GWIPSDI-6 gateways are meant for integrating SDI into an IP environment and IP into an SDI environment. The M-GWIPIP-6 is an IP to IP translator app for when different IP areas are connected together. Each gateway features six channels and have flexible internal routing, removing the need for additional distribution amplifiers and routing switches.

All three gateways are now available for purchase.

For more information, visit www.crystalvision.tv.

PITTSBURGH—Networking for media professionals continues its evolution as the broadcast industry gradually and incrementally moves from serial digital interface (SDI) infrastructures to one steeped in the world of Ethernet, IP, and software based managed.

With the 2017 year-end publication of SMPTE ST 2110—the new standard for IP video over a managed network—engineers, network administrators and broadcast technicians are now faced with learning how to address the growing features and capabilities found in a managed, high-bit-rate, real-time professional media network environment. Having the necessary tools at their fingertips, along with the understandings of how to build, operate and manage these systems using commercially available, common off-the-shelf hardware, will be essential in helping these new users adapt to a paradigm shift in the way media transport, at a stream/flow level, operates.

AMWA, NMOS AND SDN

In harmony with the physical network topology comes the software-based control and management platform we’ll be using in the future. Solutions such as those developed by the Advanced Media Workflow Association and identified as NMOS (Networked Media Open Specifications) Interface Specifications IS-04, IS-05, and IS-06 are built upon the foundations of software-defined-networking or “SDN.”

This overview introduces SDN and how it fits with IP video in a professional media network. The term SDN is not the marketing term augmented with extra letters and used by several manufacturers to describe their control/management solutions. Instead, and more succinctly, SDN is associated with the wide-ranging concepts for the network infrastructure and managed operations. In this context, SDN offers capabilities for the identification, registration, and flow management of the network—in its entirety. The principles of SDN therefore apply to the entire network and not just to controlling specific devices or components that live on that network.

ST 2110 standards clearly address the physicality of the network from the interoperability perspective. It ensures that those devices residing on the network can successfully send and receive packets in an unconstrained manor. None of the ST 2110 standards contend with the control or application planes of the network. Hence, significant work is still needed to achieve useful interoperability and automation in professional networked media environments.

MODELS AND BEST PRACTICES

In 2013, several industry bodies came together to formulate the Joint Task Force on Networked Media (JT-NM), which was tasked with coordinating how network control mechanisms and applications planes might be addressed. JT-NM’s output was the formation of a “reference architecture” (RA) for interoperability (i.e., “JT-NM RA”).

At its most basic level, the JT-NM RA identifies models and best practices for what may be needed at four layers: operation, application, platform and infrastructure. Those resolutions and their development are entirely software-based and bring forward the roots of SDN.

SDN is an emerging architecture that is dynamic, manageable and cost-effective and can adapt to the environment in which it is applied to, making it ideal for the high-bandwidth, dynamic nature of today’s applications. SDN is applicable to high-performance computing (HPC), asset management, to transaction management, and to media-centric environments—such as those found in the ST 2110 standards.

What is fundamental to SDN is that the architecture decouples the network control and forwarding functions, enabling the network control to become directly programmable (i.e., “programmatically enabled”) with an underlying infrastructure which is abstracted for applications and network services (Fig. 1).

SDN architectures are directly programmable. In other words, network control is directly programmable because it is decoupled from the forwarding actions found in other conventional network systems.

TRAFFIC FLOW

SDN by nature must be completely agile. By abstracting control from the forwarding elements, administrators can dynamically adjust the traffic flow on a network-wide basis. This means the administrator (which is likely an automation solution versus a human) can adjust the flow of the network traffic to meet changing needs. For example, if the network traffic flow for a signal system is built up for a 3G (1080p60) data packet flow, it means up to three 3G signal flows can be provisioned on a single 10G link. Should another signal be requested to flow through the same port, over-subscription (connecting multiple devices to the same switch port to optimize switch use) would occur. SDN would have knowledge of these limitations and reroute (as necessary) the traffic through an alternate, less congested port. Ideally this is done automatically, with the user never knowing the flow attributes or paths. Switches become an agile, flexible component of the overall network—something that in traditional networking might require reprogramming at the switch-console level.

Programmatic configuration is another key component in SDN. This allows network administrators the ability to configure, secure, manage and optimize all their resources quickly and dynamically. Utilizing automated SDN applications, programs which users can write themselves (or “interfaces” like those in NMOS) no longer depend on proprietary software or hardware controllers, such as those required in traditional SDI-video matrices. Configurations now become “vendor neutral” and applicable to multiple switch vendors, end-point devices and other resources. Fig. 2 summaries what SDN is and is not.

CLOUD-BASED

SDN need not necessarily be associated with cloud computing services; albeit most cloud services depend upon SDN to automate and manage their own resources dynamically. Essentially, SDN replaces those “static architectures” found in traditional networks, decentralizing the hard-set nature of the network and allowing for a flexible, adjustable and extensible architecture—further promoting the differences previously expected from the traditional SDI-video routing solutions.

Karl Paulsen is CTO at Diversified and a SMPTE Fellow. He is a frequent contributor to TV Technology, focusing on emerging technologies and workflows for the industry. Contact Karl atkpaulsen@diversifiedus.com.

BEAVERTON, ORE.—Tektronix has added support for the SMPTE ST 2110 suite of standards for professional media over IP networks to its PRISM media analysis solution, the company announced today. It also has added new field-upgradable signal generation capabilities to the analysis tool for use in testing IP and 12G-SDI for hybrid/SDI networks.

As facility infrastructure evolves from SDI to IP, broadcast engineers and IT professional must manage hybrid SDI and IP environments. The addition of SMPTE ST 2110 signal generation to PRISM, which can be connected to any broadcast signal in a facility, means users now have a comprehensive measurement, network analysis and troubleshooting tool, the company said.

The new MP-GEN option module for PRISM can inject known good signals into the network to check signal paths and system redundancy, thus allowing users to identify where connectivity errors and other problems originate, Tektronix said. It does so by providing ST 2110-20, -30 and ST 2022-7 test patterns that can be used on IP networks and on 12G-SDI for hybrid/SDI networks.

PRISM’s new ST 2110 support provides generation, connectivity and analysis for: ST 2110-10, system timing; -20, uncompressed active video; -30, uncompressed PCM audio; -40, ancillary data; and -21, traffic shaping uncompressed video.

More information is available on the Tektronix website.

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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers today announced publication of the first four of its suite of SMPTE ST 2110 standard for professional media over managed IP networks.

They include:

· SMPTE ST 2110-10: timing and definitions;

· SMPTE ST 2110-20: uncompressed active video;

· SMPTE ST 2110-30: uncompressed PCM audio;

· SMPTE ST 2110-21: traffic shaping and delivery timing of uncompressed video.

The SMPTE ST 2110 suite of standards specifies carriage, synchronization and the description of separate elementary essence streams over professional internet protocol networks in real time. The standards suite is appropriate for live production, playout and other professional media applications, according to SMPTE.

“Professional media is a uniquely challenging field because of its real-time nature and high quality-of-service requirements, both of which consumers may take for granted," said SMPTE President Matthew Goldman, senior vice president of technology, TV and media at Ericsson, in a SMPTE press release announcing publication of the standard.

"The standardization of SMPTE ST 2110 documents provides broadcasters, producers and media technology suppliers with the tools they need to meet these requirements while working in the IP realm."

Beginning in February 2018, SMPTE will offer a course devoted to ST 2110 in its virtual classroom. Existing related courses include SMPTE's Internetworking, Routing & Switching Programs courses, as well as the Essentials of IP Media Transport for Broadcasters.

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers has made major progress on its SMPTE ST 2110 suite of standards for professional media over managed IP networks.

During IBC 2017 in Amsterdam this month, SMPTE announced official approval of three parts of this suite of standards: ST 2110-10, -20 and -30.

Those three address how everything works end to end, uncompressed video and uncompressed (PCM) audio, respectively, says Matthew Goldman, president of SMPTE.

SMPTE is an ANSI-accredited international standards organization and as such must follow due process in the way it creates standards, explains Goldman, who also is SVP of technology, TV and media at Ericsson.

So it’s not entirely to be unexpected that each of the components in the suite would be on slightly different schedules as the committees responsible for each complete their work, including balloting and revisions, on different schedules, he explains.

Next up for the standards suite is -21, which deals with video timing. “Basically, it addresses how you do [IP] traffic shaping so you can maintain the quality of service needed in this area.”

Unless unexpected issues arise, SMPTE ST 2110-21 will become an approved standard before the 2017 Annual SMPTE Technical Conference and Exhibition, Oct. 23-26, in Hollywood, Calif., he says.

The draft ballot on the -40 standard, which addresses ancillary data, closed this week, and the whole core 2110 standard, which includes SMPTE ST 2110-10. -20, -21, -30 and -40 is expected to be completed by the end of 2017, says Goldman.

Some SMPTE watchers may remember the organization was also working on SMPTE ST 2110-50, which deals with how SDI over IP fits into the timing system of 2110.

The work continues, but the document designation has changed, says Goldman. No longer is it SMPTE ST 2110-50, but rather SMPTE ST 2020-8.

“It’s the same document,” says Goldman. “It was simply considered to be misplaced. It really fits in the 2022 family of documents much better.”