“All-IP” is often framed as a clean modernization: fewer cables, more flexibility, and infrastructure aligned with mainstream IT practice. Inside real broadcast facilities, the experience has been more complicated. As media moved onto shared network fabrics, complexity redistributed itself into configuration, timing, segmentation, discovery, and the places where engineering and IT overlap.

Modern facilities blend IP-native and legacy equipment, and their behavior depends as much on commissioning decisions and vendor maturity as on the standards themselves. The result is an environment that looks simpler from a distance but demands a different kind of day-to-day understanding.

When Wiring Disappeared, Complexity Found New Places to Live
In SDI facilities, physical layout expressed most of the design. Signal flow could often be understood by following a cable between devices. Routing was predictable, and faults left visible clues in the rack.

IP systems compress those visible paths into a handful of fibers capable of carrying dozens of HD streams plus associated audio and metadata. The environment looks simpler from a cabling perspective, but the design logic did not vanish — it moved into configuration.

Address plans, multicast ranges, naming rules, VLAN boundaries, timing hierarchies, and orchestrator behavior now determine how a facility behaves. Small inconsistencies in any of these areas can produce wide-ranging effects that are difficult to interpret without a shared view of the fabric.

Responsibility for that fabric now sometimes resides with IT. Security policies often restrict direct switch access, leaving broadcast engineers working at the edges of systems they once controlled end-to-end. Diagnosing issues now depends on both groups and on how well system behavior is understood across teams.

Hybrid architectures sit on top of this reality. Many endpoint devices still process video and audio internally as SDI or HDMI. Cameras, monitors, playback servers, and audio processors often add IP interfaces only at the perimeter. As a result, most modern facilities consist of an IP core surrounded by SDI-to-IP gateways.

Those gateways are long-lived elements — frequently FPGA-based and later repurposed as converters, multiviewers, or audio tools as the environment matures. Hybrid operation reflects endpoint maturity, available budgets, and legacy workflows, not a lack of commitment to IP.

How Modern IP Systems Actually Behave — and Why It Often Surprises
Once configuration becomes the design, system behavior depends heavily on vendor interpretation. Two facilities built on the same standards can still act very differently.

Traffic models provide a clear illustration. Some fabrics rely on IGMP joins initiated by endpoints. In these environments, an endpoint requests a multicast stream and the switch forwards it, often applying bandwidth expectations based on address ranges — for example, one block for 1.5 Gb/s flows, another for 3 Gb/s, and a third for 12 Gb/s UHD.

Other platforms lean on controllers that explicitly authorize flows before the fabric forwards anything, placing the logic in software rather than in address plans. Both approaches are valid, but they require different troubleshooting instincts.

Device maturity introduces further variation. Common patterns include HD-only ST 2110 support with UHD still on the road map, a lack of redundancy, or inconsistent HDR support across levels. Discovery and NMOS behavior can deviate from orchestration expectations, creating situations where advertised capabilities exist but cannot be used as intended.

Earlier IP deployments often worked around such limitations by having external devices subscribe to the desired multicast and translate it to a single address that a problematic endpoint device could statically subscribe to — a pattern that can still surface when systems rely on older discovery implementations. Many of these gaps first appear during commissioning rather than design.

Timing follows a similar pattern of divergence. Traditional SDI systems relied on black burst — a single, stable reference that kept everything aligned in a straightforward way. PTP, by contrast, distributes timing over multicast and depends on the placement of boundary clocks, redundancy models, and a GPS source.

A facility may appear synchronized even as timing asymmetries accumulate. When they finally surface, the loss of alignment can be sudden and broad. Understanding what happened depends on visibility into how the switches handle timing and on coordination between engineering and IT teams responsible for the underlying network.

Where Hidden Complexity Emerges: Audio, Metadata, and Security Boundaries
Many of the thorniest issues in IP environments arise in places that attract less attention in early planning. Audio and metadata are prime examples.

Under SDI, video, audio, and ancillary data traveled together. In ST 2110 environments, they are carried as separate essences. A single video stream is paired with one or multiple audio multicasts, each carrying multiple audio channels within the stream, while a workflow needs only a subset.

Isolating those channels typically involves mixers, routers, or audio shufflers. Some manufacturers handle this automatically, which reduces operator burden but can obscure the paths signals actually take. Metadata introduces comparable decisions: Captions, multiple languages, SAP, and descriptive audio often require timing adjustments or reinsertion points to keep everything aligned. Early design choices determine how manageable these relationships become later.

Security and segmentation introduce their own hidden dependencies. Production VLANs must support performance while limiting exposure. Some segments cannot reach the internet; others must stay isolated from corporate networks. Contribution devices — bonded cellular receivers, remote encoders, cloud gateways — often require dual network paths to keep external risk from crossing into internal workflows.

WAN circuits add another dimension. Multicast contribution may share bandwidth with monitoring or file‑transfer workflows, and bottlenecks often appear only under actual load rather than during design.

As equipment is brought online, these layers surface most clearly. Commissioning becomes the point where theoretical design meets real system behavior. Discovery issues, timing mismatches, unsupported combinations, and vendor‑specific patterns emerge only when systems are exercised in practice.

Engineers present at this stage gain insight into why certain exceptions exist; those who join later inherit decisions without that context. Once a facility is live, operational caution limits the ability to revisit early changes. A small adjustment made under deadline can shape behavior for years if not examined before launch.

The Human Impact at the Center of the Transition
The shift toward IP reshapes engineering roles in uneven ways. SDI’s deterministic behavior created expectations that do not always match IP’s conditional, policy-driven workflows. Some engineers adjust slowly as long-familiar tools behave differently in an IP environment.

Others anticipate continuity and then face situations that require new diagnostic habits. Engineers newer to the industry often adapt quickly, while experienced teams bring operational judgment that remains essential even as the foundations shift.

Experience continues to influence outcomes, though its expression changes. As environments grow more interdependent, responsibilities expand toward interpreting workflow needs, coordinating across vendors, mentoring newer staff, and explaining why specific design decisions matter. Familiarity with on-air requirements provides context that purely theoretical knowledge cannot replace.

Organizational structure also shapes how teams adapt. Some facilities place most control within IT, reducing the level of direct access broadcast engineers once had. Others rely on engineering leads who serve as system stewards and primary points of contact for IT and security groups. Clearly defined responsibilities help teams navigate the shift with fewer surprises.

The transition to IP continues to redraw familiar boundaries inside facilities, and engineering teams absorb much of that change. Tools, standards, and roles will keep evolving, but the work of making systems understandable and supportable still falls to the people who stand between design and day-to-day operation. That is where the real continuity lives.

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."

Across the media landscape, from storage, to metadata, to transcoding and editing, post-production workflows need to be connected together. But as the industry transitions to the cloud, broadcast services and infrastructure are becoming increasingly fragmented. 

Many large media companies are choosing a mix and match approach, selecting the tools and solutions that best fit the needs of different departments. This makes sense of course. With no two workflows the same, organizations need technology to be tailored to specific business requirements. 

Historically the only way to achieve this level of customization was through bespoke development. But now as trends lean towards productization, Software as a Service, and Infrastructure as a Service, it’s possible to mix out-of-the-box solutions with custom elements. 

The challenges come, however, when sections of the chain don’t fit together well. Without the right connections, there is no synergy within media infrastructure and APIs won't mesh properly. This results in a lot of miscommunication. Users can request what they need, but workflows won't be able to deliver. Which inevitably results in workarounds, that will ultimately compromise the system.

Language Comprehension
The media and broadcast chain is defined by complexity. In an ecosystem where solutions are developed by multiple vendors, APIs are the connections that hold everything together. Occasionally described as a "contract" between a provider and a user, an API is an agreement for developing and integrating software and infrastructure. 

APIs establish the technical detail needed for systems to interact appropriately in different circumstances. They enable systems to retrieve asset information from media archives, perform editing and content processing functions, as well as effectively monetize content and manage costs. 

When integrating systems, APIs also help to maintain security, and implement user authentication across multiple sites. Large media companies need to support both on-premise, and cloud-based workstations, switching seamlessly between environments. 

Comprehensive integration means multiple elements can be configured and managed through a centralized platform; this helps keep valuable content safe and traceable. A successful integration means that systems understand each other, and as a result they can fulfill the needs of different operators. But to do this effectively they must speak the same language.

Assessing Fluency
API implementations and their quality can vary significantly, so it is important for organizations to assess API fluency when selecting tools or working with systems integrators. I could tell you that I speak French, but in reality, my language skills might only extend to asking where the cinema is. Knowing individual adjectives isn’t enough to be proficient in a language. Unless you understand the myriad of ways that words can be stitched together, you can’t have a real conversation. 

Language proficiency is determined by levels of expertise. Starting with elementary proficiency, moving through professional working proficiency, right through to native or bilingual proficiency—it’s therefore important to ascertain the level someone is working at. The same is true of technical integration. 

When implementing multiple APIs, media companies need to be confident in a level of fluency from a product or systems integrator. For application-based solutions, companies should have access to comprehensive documentation, for a range of use cases. Often, this fluency level isn’t fully put to the test until it’s too late and companies are committed. So asking for detailed information upfront is crucial.

Preventing Misunderstandings
In some cases, companies may have invested in a partnership or selected a specific technology because, for example, it claims to have AWS S3 API compatibility. But it is only once the integration process starts, that stakeholders realize the fluency level isn’t high enough for their professional ambitions to be realized. There are two sides to a conversation. There is asking a question, but there is also understanding the response. It requires extensive experience, and a deep technical understanding, to tell a system what it wants to hear in various situations.

Companies need to know the right questions to ask from the start and be clear on the details needed to troubleshoot challenges. This is the difference between vague conversation and using specific terminology to resolve problems. In some situations, workarounds might have been put in place to connect solutions together. 

But the integration process is more than a series of features and functionality to tick off. It’s not enough to say that a solution will allow for ‘X’ integration, or a service provider can build ‘X’ plug-in. Solutions must be adapted to accommodate the many nuances that occur, when workflows are spread across large operational structures.

When ‘Yes’ Translates to ‘Not Really’
Diversity of solutions, processes, and vendors is an inevitability within the media and broadcast industry. Companies could have one partner for metadata, one partner for playout, and another for VOD packaging. With multiple parties at the table, organizations need a service-orientated translator, who can do more than just procure solutions. But they also need transparency. Solutions and integrations need to be clearly defined, and those integrating systems need to offer non-proprietary options that best fit the brief.  

All too often when asked a direct question around a specific piece of functionality the response is ‘yes, you could build that with our API’. Half the stakeholders hear a positive response and the box is ticked. The other half hear that they’ll need to custom build it themselves, then integrate with a vendor’s API where it fits in. The reality is somewhere between the two.

What’s required is the necessary level of fluency in the API language, to make it happen. The right translator supports the integration process from start to finish, they understand how to phrase technical solutions in a way the system can comprehend. Even with a mix and match approach to products and services, everyone should be able to participate in the broader conversation of a media workflow.

NEW YORK—Deloitte Consulting has acquired M&E tech firm National TeleConsultants LLC. The acquisition expands Deloitte Consulting into the increasingly diversified field of M&E systems integration with a focus on software engineering for media and “establishes it as a leader in spearheading comprehensive end-to-end digital transformations for the media supply chain,” the company said.

“The rapid adoption of streaming and direct-to-consumer content experiences has revolutionized the media business, driving unprecedented change among broadcasters, studios and content creators,” said Mic Locker, principal and telecommunications, media and entertainment leader, Deloitte Consulting LLP. “This acquisition bolsters Deloitte Consulting’s world-class software engineering capabilities and squarely aligns with the firm’s deep domain expertise, growing our media practice to include in-depth engineering for media and broadcast.”

Glendale, California-based NTC specializes in the media supply chain—from hardware to infrastructure, and from software engineering to modern delivery. A team of experienced software and product engineers will join Deloitte Consulting to drive a full range of complex, technical transformations, including business strategy, technical design and engineering solutions.

“We are thrilled to join forces with Deloitte Consulting, and we look forward to helping our clients drive business agility through the power of market-leading technology,” said current NTC leaders Peter Adamiak and Laurie Morse, who will become managing directors at Deloitte Consulting LLP.

Over the past five years, Deloitte Consulting has made significant acquisitions in the software and product engineering space, including but not limited to the acquisition of substantially all the assets of Dextra Technologies, a product engineering services and embedded software firm and the acquisition of HashedIn Technologies, a cloud native software engineering and product development firm

Deloitte Consulting has also entered into an agreement to acquire substantially all the assets of BIAS Corporation, a cloud consulting firm and a leader in the Oracle cloud infrastructure market, which is expected to close in the near term. Deloitte Consulting’s demonstrated leadership in software and product innovation will help clients transform for the future.

It’s NTC’s expertise in cloud technologies that will help expand the company’s engineering services for M&E, according to John Footen, formerly with NTC and currently managing director, M&E for Deloitte Consulting.

“The NTC group has a lot of cloud expertise,” Footen said. “We work together with them on some buildouts of facilities and our team has done a lot of the strategy, project management program management-type work. So bringing NTC into the fold enables us to do all the various aspects of a program, including the engineering and implementation tasks as well.”

Emeryville, Calif., Dec. 3, 2019 – Advanced Systems Group (ASG), a leading media technology and engineering firm, today announced Steve Young joined the company on Nov. 4 to direct business operations and organizational development for the company’s systems integration business.

An industry veteran, Young spent more than 15 years with Sony Electronics. As the director of system solutions, he managed the Sony Professional Solutions Project Delivery Group, and was responsible for developing and deploying broadcast, media and entertainment, and enterprise AV solutions. Most recently, he spent two years as COO for David Carroll Associates.

“We are very excited to welcome Steve to the ASG team,” said Dave Van Hoy, president of ASG. “He understands how to maximize technology and manage projects to deliver the best results for our customers.”

Young is based in the company’s main office in Emeryville. Contact Young at 510-654-8300 or syoung@asgllc.com.

About ASG:
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area with offices in the New York Metro Area, Los Angeles, and the Rocky Mountain Region, Advanced Systems Group LLC has provided engineering, systems, integration, support, and training to the multimedia creative and corporate video markets for more than 20 years. With unmatched experience in high-speed shared storage, media asset management, archiving, editing, color and VFX systems, ASG has become one of the largest installers of post-production and shared storage systems in North America. Highly focused on customer success, the ASG team has installed and supported more than 500 storage networks, along with production and post-production systems. As part of its complete solution approach, ASG also offers a range of managed services, providing expert staffing for media production and IT services on a temporary or ongoing basis. For more information, visit www.asgllc.com or call 510-654-8300.

EMERYVILLE, CALIF., Oct. 29, 2019 – Advanced Systems Group (ASG), a leading media technology and engineering firm, today announced Michael Hession joined the company on Sept. 25 to manage business and financial operations.

An industry veteran, Hession spent several years handling the finances for AKG Acoustics. When the company was acquired by Harman International, he was named CFO, vice president, and general manager of the Orban Division, which included Studer North America. He also co-founded Octiv, Inc., which was acquired by Plantronics in 2005. Previously, he served as vice president for finance and operations for Klotz Digital. Most recently, Hession served as director of finance for Nutiva.

“Through his diverse background, Michael has proven himself to be a strong leader in financial operations,” said Dave Van Hoy, president of ASG. “He understands both the business and technical needs of our customers, which make him a valuable addition to the ASG team.”

Contact Hession at 510-654-8300 or mhession@asgllc.com.

About ASG:
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area with offices in the New York Metro Area, Los Angeles, and the Rocky Mountain Region, Advanced Systems Group LLC has provided engineering, systems, integration, support, and training to the multimedia creative and corporate video markets for more than 20 years. With unmatched experience in high-speed shared storage, media asset management, archiving, editing, color and VFX systems, ASG has become one of the largest installers of post-production and shared storage systems in North America. Highly focused on customer success, the ASG team has installed and supported more than 500 storage networks, along with production and post-production systems. As part of its complete solution approach, ASG also offers a range of managed services, providing expert staffing for media production and IT services on a temporary or ongoing basis. For more information, visit www.asgllc.com or call 510-654-8300.

Production facilities have many reasons to consider moving: more space, a better layout, cost savings. Coupled with record low interest rates and changes in the media industry landscape, it is no surprise that we see new facilities and consolidations announced almost every month.

I’ve reviewed my notes from overseeing dozens of moves to prepare a brief guide to help with your planning. Some of this might seem obvious, but each is drawn from an eyewitness account, and represents experience learned the hard way.

PLAN FIRST, THEN TALK
Companies don’t build new facilities all the time so they instinctively reach for the phone. External help from architects, systems integrators, and mechanical teams is often brought in early.

That impulse undervalues important information best gathered from within, free of outside bias. Start by defining the goals of the move: cost savings, new technology, expanding or new business? A move is the perfect opportunity to reinvent tired work practices, but it is hard. Ask first: How much change are we willing to accommodate? Are we willing to change people’s roles? What pushback are we likely to get? How will we measure the benefits of this change?

Those answers should guide every conversation and decision, including which consultants to consider. (Consultants should not help make the decision that will lead to their hire!) Clear project objectives protect the evaluation process and ensure that you hire the right firms.

WORKFLOW COMES BEFORE SPACE
People tend to think of workflow as something reserved for techies who handle editing systems, but it’s not. Workflow is all about how your organization works together.

You know that light switch in your house whose function you’ve never figured out? You can avoid that by designing high-level workflows first. That allows architectural plans to be optimized to suit the facility, rather than forcing critical workflows to fit. High-level workflow definitions will help develop adjacency plans that guide the architects. Ask yourself:

• What workgroups benefit from face-to-face communication?
• Where are sightlines important?
• Which rooms need to be live 24x7 versus only during the business week?

Answers to questions like these should drive your plans.

DEVELOP A THREE-DIMENSIONAL FINE-TOOTHED COMB
Architects and engineers will give you thousands of drawings to review. You need to visualize these in three dimensions. Go over every line, circle and symbol and, yes, ask questions:

• Is there sufficient support in the wall to support that bank of monitors?
• Are the power systems diverse enough to cover a breaker failure?
• Is that outlet for the monitor at 18 inches above the floor or 54?
• Is the air-conditioning sufficient and redundant to support a 24x7 room?
• Will the mechanical systems reduce the available headroom and destroy the sightlines we hoped for?
• And the hardest question of all… “Okay, what’s missing?”

Small errors in drawings lead to surprisingly expensive construction change orders and delays. They can be hard to catch, but it is worth the effort. Facility problems are easy to see, but difficult to repair. Errors on paper are hard to see, but easy to fix.

PURGE, PURGE, PURGE
If your business has been around for awhile then your workflows have likely accumulated extra steps, kludged work-arounds and inefficient communication. You might even have a redundant department or two.

Render workflows down to the bone. What steps really have value? Eliminate everything else. Don’t pass up the chance to start fresh. These opportunities are rare.

A WORD ABOUT RECYCLING
Don’t hinder new workflows or miss opportunities for the sake of an old video server. You’ll waste many times that device’s value paying labor costs while staffers wait for transcodes that could have been eliminated. If you have not gotten rid of tape, now is the time. (If you must, keep a machine in the dub room for archival stuff). Do remember to save your old software licenses, which are often transferable and upgradable.

FORWARDING THE MAIL
Transitions are never easy. Ask a lot of questions during the design phase to avoid dead-ends and catch limitations before they are too late to correct. Consider:

• Will you cut over all at once or stage the transition?
• Do facilities need to work in parallel for a period of time?
• How will your news-room operate during the transition?
• Will teams move by show or by function?
• How much double staffing is needed?
• How will that staff be hired and paid for?
• If you are moving equipment, how will it be staged?
• Can systems be cut in half to function in both places at the same time?

A GROWING FAMILY NEEDS SPACE
Your new facility is just the beginning of a 10-20 year commitment. That requires both a very long glance into your crystal ball, as well as preparation for changes that might come just 2-3 years after the doors open. Again, it comes down to questions. Here are some that I insist clients consider:

Business questions:
• What are likely business drivers over that time?
• How will those changes drive personnel and technological choices?

Space questions:
• Can we build with enough flexibility so that equipment can be easily changed?

Technical questions:
• What do we know about how technology is going to change the operation in the future?
• Can we plan to be HD today and UHDTV (or more) later? Do we need to implement UHDTV now?
• How much excess capacity do you need in the data centers and cable raceways to support a change to the next generation equipment 8-10 years from now?

Moving is a challenge that is only made more complicated by your need to get on with day-to-day work while the new facility is under development. It is very tempting to pick up the phone and start bringing in help. Make sure that first call is to someone who can help you ask, and answer, the right questions.