WALTHAM, Mass.—At the 2025 IBC Show, Sept. 12-15 at the RAI Amsterdam, Zixi will demonstrate innovations that help content owners, broadcasters, sports leagues, service providers, and OTT platforms deliver live video with greater quality, security, flexibility, and cost efficiency.

Zixi will showcase solutions that address key challenges in live video workflows across three critical areas:

• Contribute – Automating content acquisition, switching, and contribution.
• Process – Normalizing and regionalizing content for any audience.
• Deliver – Ensuring reliable IP distribution over satellite, fibre, and the internet at a lower cost.

The Zixi Platform supports a wide range of needs, including blackout restrictions, regionalized content delivery, multiple protocols, and diverse internet connectivity. By simplifying workflows and removing interoperability barriers, Zixi enables businesses to scale live video while reducing costs, the company said.

New Capabilities at IBC 2025
Zixi will unveil several innovations designed to expand interoperability and streamline live video workflows:

• Zero Latency Frame Thinning for smooth streaming over congested networks.
• Mobile application turning smartphones into Zixi-enabled cameras and encoders.
• Modernized UI for Zixi Broadcaster.
• ESNI (Event Scheduling Notification Interface) integration for precise switching using SCTE 224.
• TAMS (Time Addressable Media Store) integration for rapid turnaround workflows, compliance, archiving, and collaboration.
• SPTS (Single Program Transport Stream) Re-Multiplexing for regionalised delivery.

Partner Ecosystem & Podcast Studio
Zixi will highlight its rebranded partner ecosystem, built on interoperability and co-innovation, with partners including:

• Uplynk – Delivering IP-based streaming workflows that replace satellite and fibre with scalable, personalized distribution.
• Osprey Video – Offering professional-grade encoders and decoders that integrate with Zixi for reliable, low-latency IP video transport.
• Videon – Providing edge computing capabilities through the LiveEdge Platform, optimised for REMI production, graphics, and advertising, seamlessly integrated with Zixi orchestration.
• Zixi will also host a live meet-me room, allowing customers and partners to exchange content and showcase hands-on interoperability across IBC demos.

IBC Accelerator Programme
Zixi is participating as a vendor in the “Master Control Room in the Cloud” project, led by the BBC and RTE. This initiative explores orchestrating live event control across multiple vendors and clouds, including advanced stream handling such as audio track shuffling, standards conversion, and deep essence inspection.

Speaking Sessions include "The Future of Media Streaming: Ecosystems, AI and the New Content Economy" in Hall 4 on Friday, Sept. 12 and "Next Gen Streaming Infrastructure: How the Cloud is Coming of Age," Saturday, Sept. 13 in Hall 5. For more information on these events, visit https://show.ibc.org/content-everywhere-feature.

Zixi will be in Stand 5.A85.

HACKENSACK, NJ—LiveU will spotlight its latest technical collaborations around efficient story-centric workflows and cloud collaboration in its expanded EcoSystem at the 2025 NAB Show in Las Vegas, April 6-9. With its IP-Positive architecture, the LiveU EcoSystem is designed for easy interoperability between production systems, enabling broadcasters and other organizations to speed up and optimize production processes.

Gideon Gilboa, LiveU's Chief Product Officer and General Manager (Americas), said, "Creating more value from video and solving customers' pain points—that's our goal. With ever-faster news cycles and the growing demand for more content, these creative workflows enable faster turnarounds, more stories to be covered and an end to costly manual processes. By expanding the LiveU EcoSystem and seamlessly connecting the systems behind the scenes, we free creators up to concentrate on what matters most—crafting compelling content—while opening the doors to new monetization streams and serving expanding digital audiences."

The LiveU EcoSystem is a modular set of best-of-breed components, allowing customers to deploy different configurations and workflows, aligned with their production requirements. It is underpinned by LiveU’s resilient and low latency LRT (LiveU Reliable Transport) protocol and further enhanced by LiveU IQ (LIQ), LiveU's revolutionary connectivity solution.

At the core of these new integrations is the LiveU Ingest automatic recording and story metadata tagging solution. LiveU Ingest allows live content to be accessed from anywhere and is interoperable with other production tools, connecting live video from the field and growing files with NRCSs (newsroom computer systems), AI-enabled transcription, MAM (media asset management), and storage systems.

Key highlights include:

Story-Centric Workflows:

• LiveU + Dina, Mimir + Trint: This new AI-enabled integrated solution creates immediate value by ingesting live content, making it instantly accessible alongside rich, searchable metadata (via Dina) and growing real-time transcription (via Trint) in Mimir's MAM system. Content is easier to find and edit so that editors can begin working in real-time from any location as files continue to grow. Content can also be re-used and repurposed for new revenue-generating opportunities. See the solution in action at booths #SL6826 (Dina and Mimir), #SL6005 (Trint) and #SL4911 (LiveU).
• LiveU + Marquis + Avid: LiveU and Marquis are now bringing growing file support to Avid systems to streamline news and sports production workflows. The enhanced solution gives customers the ability to begin editing as soon as live recording starts and supports metadata-based auto-ingest for improved efficiency. See the solution in action at booths #SL4528 (Marquis), #SL1516 (Avid) and #SL4911 (LiveU).
• LiveU + AP Storytelling: LiveU and AP Storytelling are teaming up to support a story-centric workflow whereby AP Storytelling is able to generate story metadata in LiveU Central allowing field operators to easily select them and assign them to any live transmission. Live content is recorded in LiveU Ingest with the relevant associated metadata providing a faster news turnaround. See the solution in action at booths #SL1905 (AP Workflow Solutions) and #SL4911 (LiveU).

Streamlined Creative Collaboration
LucidLink and LiveU enable live content to be brought directly into LucidLink's storage collaboration platform as part of a seamless cloud-based workflow for content creators, broadcasters, and production teams. LiveU DataBridge provides essential connectivity for remote LucidLink users to connect and collaborate from anywhere. See the solution in action at booths #SL2705 (LucidLink) and #SL4911 (LiveU).

Visitors to the LiveU booth will experience hands-on demonstrations showcasing how these technologies integrate with existing broadcast infrastructures and emerging cloud-based production environments.

In addition, experts from Tupelo Honey, AWS, Vizrt and LiveU will be presenting tried and tested solutions for efficient live cloud sports production based on REMI, hybrid lightweight production workflows. The session will take place on Tuesday, April 8 between 2:00-2:30 PST at the Creator Lab Theater B – South Hall Lower.

WALTHAM, Mass.—Zixi and Google Cloud are forming an alliance designed to help with the delivery of end-to-end broadcast quality live video solutions over IP using the Google Cloud infrastructure for media, telecommunications and entertainment verticals.

The partnership sees the integration of Zixi’s Software-Defined Video Platform (SDVP) with Google Cloud, using the Google Cloud infrastructure and platform capabilities, as well as Zixi APIs. This lets users deploy Zixi Broadcasters using Zixi ZEN Master and have access to telemetry data on the network, transport, intra-cloud delivery and associate edge devices in the end-to-end workflow, per Zixi. 

In addition, Zixi SDVP has been natively integrated with Google Compute Engine storage to facilitate contribution and distribution to content and broadcast partners. Zixi SDVP accepts 17 industry protocols and containers, including Zixi, NDI, RIST, SRT, TCP, BBR, Multipath TCP and WebRTC.

For more information, visit www.zixi.com.  

NDI –the open protocol NewTek developed to enable sharing video across an IP network, and now a distinct brand entity of the Vizrt Group—has evolved since its introduction in 2015 into something far more than an IP transfer mechanism for live production, says Matt Allard, NewTek marketing manager.

Continued developed has propelled the IP protocol into new applications and markets, ranging from multicamera-multilocation live shoots and post production to broadcast, mobile and a slew of Pro AV verticals, such as houses of worship, corporations, government and education, he says.

Join the community for IP production – NDI Central. A curated social media feed in partnership with NewTek.

A couple of things are helping NDI to gain traction in Pro AV applications. First, the protocol is software-based. While it can leverage an FPGA designed for it, NDI isn’t dependent upon the presence of special-purpose hardware to work, says Allard. That contrasts with other IP standards used to transport media in AV applications that require a hardware implementation.

(Allard notes this is also a difference between NDI and broadcast IP protocols that are dependent on having the right transmitters and receivers in place.)

Second, NDI may be a bit more robust than other IP protocols in use for AV applications, he says.

“Pro AV was very much more distribution-oriented, so more unidirectional,” says Allard. “Whereas NDI is much more bidirectional and multistream, so it is a little bit more robust.”

At the 2019 NAB Show in April, NewTek announced NDI 4.0, which expands the scope of the protocol beyond IP transport to enable recording.

When available, NDI 4.0 will make it possible for developers to wrap an NDI stream on the fly in a .MOV wrapper, says Allard.

“That makes it possible to lay it to any type of storage mechanism so I can archive it, store it, and of course, reuse it,” he explains.

This, combined with NDI’s new import tool for Adobe Creative Cloud, means Adobe Premiere users can import NDI content, store it in their bins and pull files directly onto their timelines to begin editing just as they would with any other type of media file, he says.

When they are recorded, NDI files pick up a computer time tamp for every frame –an “interesting twist,” in the words of Allard.

“If you have been recording multiple files and they are timestamped when you bring them into Premiere and lay them on the timeline they are synced up without the need for extra software,” he explains.

NDI uses the timestamp from a simple NTP (network time protocol) server, which makes it possible to sync recorded sources from multiple places and multiple systems, he adds.

Development of the NDI protocol is also keeping pace with the changes in the way people consume content. Specifically, the latest version of the protocol provides for non-traditional video aspect ratios, frame rates and resolutions to support the mobile devices people increasingly use to watch video, he added.

“As pretty much everybody knows mobile is and will become a more important aspect of production—both input and output,” says Allard.

“Now, you are no longer limited to traditional video screens and formats in terms of what you can get in and push out.”

NDI will also highlight support for mobile devices during IBC 2019 at Stand 7.C12 in Amsterdam. (IBC 2019 will be held at the RAI Amsterdam, Sept. 13-17.) 

For Additional Resource, click here.

TORONTO—The Technical Committee for the World Broadcasting Union has unanimously voted to endorse the European Broadcasting Union’s “Technology Pyramid for Media Nodes,” a guidance that spells out the basic steps needed to comply with the SMPTE-2110 standard for audio and video transport over IP.

Similar to the USDA’s “food pyramid,” which prioritized the types of foods recommended for daily consumption, the Technology Pyramid categorizes the minimum user requirements to build and manage an IP-based media facility.

Unlike the food pyramid, however, the Technology Pyramid categorizes the building elements for an IP-facility based on current availability of technologies and the need for future standards work. Hence, media transport is at the top of the pyramid because it is the most widely available and developed standard, while security is at the bottom of the pyramid, characterizing that part of the standard as “rarely available.”

The WBU endorsed the EBU’s use of the pyramid to illustrate the current status of SMPTE-2110, adding that many aspects of the standard related to configuration, discovery and security remain unfinished.

“Broadcasters planning the move to new IP production facilities for Television or Radio should engage manufacturers with the Technology Pyramid for Media Nodes and ascertain their degree of compliance,” said Michael McEwen, Head, WBU Secretariat. “Further, the missing standards need to be completed as soon as possible so that broadcasters can make the important migration to IP with the required assurance.”

CINCINNATI—IBC 2019 will serve as an opportunity for GatesAir to demonstrate the latest application to its Intraplex Ascent transport platform that supports video over IP transport alongside audio. Known as the Ascent SRT Gateway, the new tool manages video and audio content for point-to-multipoint distribution.

The Intraplex Ascent was originally introduced as a next-gen audio over IP platform at the 2019 NAB Show. It lives on the COTS x86 server and is compliant with the AES67 standard. Now with VoIP support, Ascent can support any real-time, IP-based broadcast video protocol, as well as ATSC 3.0 and DVB-T/T2. The system also offers Secure Reliable Transport streams on a centralized platform, and is integrated with GatesAir’s Dynamic Stream Splicing software.

Dubbed Ascent SRT Gateway, the new platform supports reliable and encrypted transport of video content both in point-to-point and point-to-multipoint configurations. The addition of DSS software will support duplication of SRT streams with video and embedded audio over separate network paths, using a single stream-splicing buffer for hitless protection against errors and failures. The application can also scale to support additional streams and destinations as needed, with video bandwidth speeds of up to 200 Mb/s at base level.

GatesAir offers its core Intraplex Ascent platform in two form factors, a 1RU server with configurable options for physical and AES67 channels, and a software-only system that operates in a virtualized container. Both support up to 32 audio channels.

The new Intraplex Ascent features will be part of GatesAir’s presentation at booth 8.D60 during IBC 2019.

Chelmsford, Mass. – July 8, 2019 – Tony Mastantuono, product manager of Broadcast Pix™, will be part of a video-over-IP panel discussion on Wednesday, July 10, at the Alliance for Community Media 2019 Annual Conference (Booth 15) in Portland, Ore. The conference runs July 10-12, and Broadcast Pix will demo its BPswitch™ integrated production switcher in the ACM exhibit hall during the first two days of the conference.

Mastantuono will showcase GovTV, the San Diego-based company that offers remote live production of government meetings using a BPswitch IP-based workflow model, during the discussion. “You hear the term ‘video-over-IP’ a lot in our industry right now, but we want to go beyond the buzzword,” he explained. “This technology can really help PEG channels with government meeting coverage and other applications. GovTV is one success story – we want to help ACM members develop their own IP-based workflows.”

In the exhibit hall, Broadcast Pix will demo its new Version 7.5 software, a major upgrade for BPswitch that provides browser-based switching on mobile devices through the Broadcast Pix Commander™ touchscreen control platform. It offers IP-based remote control of servers and robotic cameras, access to all workflow tools, and full-motion viewing of production elements through a standard internet connection. Version 7.5 also offers enhanced control for routers, cameras, and streaming CDNs – as well as exciting improvements for its optional BPfusion CG automation software.

All BPswitch systems include a full complement of built-in workflow tools, including the NewBlueNTX multi-layer 3D motion graphics CG, multiple channels of clips and graphics, keyers with DVEs, program recording, clip and graphic stores, file-based macros, ClearKey™ chromakey and Virtual Studios virtual sets, and customizable BPview™ multi-view. BPswitch IX, the newest model in the BPswitch product family, features six network inputs that support NDI and RTSP sources, and is ideal for auditoriums, conference rooms, and other facilities equipped with remote cameras that are switched from a central control room.

About Broadcast Pix
With a tightly coupled switcher and 3D motion graphics CG, Broadcast Pix provides the most fully integrated live video production systems with patented control and automation technology. From compact units to large-scale, multi-system solutions, every Broadcast Pix features an extensive toolset that makes it easy to optimize and customize your workflows locally and over IP. Plus, its BPNet ecosystem provides secure cloud services and asset management. Founded in 2002, Broadcast Pix has customers in more than 100 countries and is the leader in fully integrated production switchers for government, broadcast, streaming, live event, and visual radio applications. Learn more at www.broadcastpix.com.

Broadcast Pix, Broadcast Pix Commander, BPswitch, BPview, and ClearKey are trademarks of Broadcast Pix, Inc. Patented. Switchers are made in USA.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – June 19, 2019 – TVU Networks, the global technology and innovation leader in live IP solutions, today announced its partnership with Stringr, the premium video marketplace for custom, high-quality, video content. Stringr’s network of professional and amateur videographers is now available through the TVU Global Grid, the Cloud platform for content owners to contribute and pull video, enabling assets to be shared and sold on a global scale. The relationship leverages Stringr’s robust network of videographers and the established global presence of the TVU Grid distribution platform.

TVU Grid is an IP-based switching, routing and distribution system. With TVU Grid, stations can route live video streams over IP networks to one or more Grid-enabled news stations anywhere in the world with sub-second latency. Using its TVU Global Grid platform, users can exchange, share, and sell video content. Users can view public video sources that are available around the world, and request to take the stream and make it available for their own viewing audience. For a demo of TVU Grid, watch here.

Stringr allows users to access its content library and request custom footage from over 90,000 videographers around the world. In addition, broadcasters, publishers and brands in the U.S. and U.K. can access Stringr’s livestreaming function, which launched earlier this year. Users will now be able to put out requests through TVU Grid, and as a videographer in Stringr’s network begins sharing live footage, it will be transmitted directly to TVU Grid.

“The TVU Grid is used by thousands of newsrooms around the world,” said Brian McNeill, COO and Co-Founder of Stringr. “Integrating Stringr will give TVU users all the benefits of our platform, without having to flip between the two, therefore saving time, cutting unnecessary costs and maintaining content quality.”

The Stringr/TVU Grid workflow is seamless. A joint customer requests video from Stringr. When one of Stringr’s 90,000+ videographers goes live with video matching the request, the feed is sent through Stringr, straight into TVU Grid. From there, the joint customer can take the feed just as they would for any other TVU content.

“By incorporating Stringr’s network through TVU Grid, our customers have the best of both worlds – high-quality, low latency live video distributed through TVU Grid with the extensive Stringr videographer marketplace,” said TVU Networks’ CEO Paul Shen. “The combination enables our customers to deliver breaking news faster than ever before and opens up monetization opportunities for their own content. It makes the live production process much simpler with a streamlined workflow while providing greater flexibility and more options for dynamic content.”

A mutual customer brought the two companies in touch with one another, and the opportunity to partner grew from that initial connection. Both TVU Networks and Stringr executives saw the value in a solution combining TVU Grid’s access to global live coverage with Stringr’s ability to source live footage. “The combination of these two products allows our partners to get more live coverage, quickly, cost effectively, and within the same workflow they’ve always used,” added McNeill.

TVU Networks and Stringr are currently working with a major cable network and plan to expand to other partners shortly.

Cypress, CA, May 28, 2019 – A range of flexible video production switchers, video servers, and graphics systems that consistently support both 12G-SDI/4K and 3G-SDI/HD resolution will be a focal point of the FOR-A® booth at the upcoming InfoComm Show in Orlando. Demonstrating video production solutions for corporate video, worship, sports and live event applications, FOR-A will exhibit in Exhibit Hall, West Level 2, Booth 1861 during the show which runs from June 8-14 in the Orlando Convention Center.

FOR-A’s booth lineup includes the HVS-490 and HVS-1200 HANABI switchers, Variant Systems Group’s Envivo Studio production suite and Envivo Replay sports and live event replay solution, ClassX content creation and graphics playout solution, and the ODYSSEY Insight video server.

The compact HANABI HVS-490 opens the door to more affordable 4K production. HDMI 2.0b specification support provides 4K output to a multi-viewer. Offering exclusive features, including MELite™ technology, which extends the switcher’s 2 M/Es to offer 6 M/E performance, the HVS-490 is designed for use in any live environment, including mobile shoots, events, and in-house corporate productions. The switcher provides users with event memory and macro functions, as well as integrated frame synchronizers and multi viewers - making it easy to set up quickly for live performances.

The HANABI HVS-1200, a compact 4K/HD compatible switcher, builds on the features of the HANABI HVS-490 video switcher and adds 12G-SDI support as standard. The switcher also utilizes a single cable for image processing and is configurable as both a 12G-SDI/4K and as a 3G-SDI/HD switcher. In HD mode, the switcher accepts up to 40 inputs, and in 4K mode it accepts up to 10. In 4K mode, the switcher provides 2 M/E performance (1 M/E + 1 MELite™), and in HD mode it’s a 6 M/E (2 M/E + 4 MELite) switcher virtually.

Just introduced at NAB 2019, Variant Systems will showcase the new Envivo Studio to InfoComm attendees. Shown for the first time at InfoComm, Envivo Studio is an all-in-one live production system that includes a clip player, still store, shot box, and powerful capabilities, including:

- Live switcher (cut camera inputs)

- Internal keyer (multi-layer overlay)

- Switcher support (key/fill)

- Drive multiple venue screens (IMAG)

- VDCP control

- 24hr loop record inputs

- Built-in slow-motion replay

- Coaching review tool

- Time shift

FOR-A is the exclusive distributor of Variant Systems Group’s Envivo Studio and Envivo Replay sports and live event replay solution in the U.S. and Canada, along with Central and South Americas. Envivo Replay offers a complete replay solution packaged in an intuitive user interface with continuous multiple iso-channel recording capabilities, simultaneous clip storage of multiple angles to clip bins, playlists for highlights playback, built-in branding capabilities, direct publishing to social media platforms, and support for high speed super slow-motion cameras. At InfoComm, both Envivo systems will be shown with a Dante audio interface, enabling the systems to support uncompressed, multi-channel, low latency digital audio over a standard Ethernet network. Studio and Replay also support NDI (Network Device Interface), a free protocol for Video-Over-IP, developed by NewTek.

A demo of the latest ClassX solution of 2D/3D character generation and live motion graphics and playout software integrated with FOR-A video switchers will be on the FOR-A Infocomm stand. ClassX’s graphics suite of solutions is popular with universities, digital signage, live event, and sports production applications. FOR-A is the exclusive distributor of ClassX in North, Central and South America. The agreement provides broadcasters and live event producers with the ability to create and play out ClassX real-time broadcast graphics integrated with FOR-A video switchers.

ClassX offers a complete solution with pixel-perfect, real-time 2D and 3D motion graphics and titling, SportsGraphics, SocialServer, MOS newsroom interface, clip playing automation, picture-in-picture and a multi-functional scripting facility. ClassX is 12G-compatible and supports Dante digital audio for playout.

ODYSSEY’s Insight Production Server is a multi-channel playout system, available in a two- or four-channel configuration. Offering a Web interface for control from any device with a web browser (no installation required), the video server provides a wide range of supported wrappers and codecs for media contribution and video play out with time delay playback. Insight's flexible event processor allows users to connect multiple devices and interact with FOR-A production video switchers, routing switchers, CG generators, GPIO-connected devices and other studio equipment to orchestrate event triggering for a seamless production. 

WAYNE, NJ (April 3, 2019) – JVC Professional Video, a division of JVCKENWOOD USA Corporation, has expanded its CONNECTED CAM product line with the 500 Series of streaming handheld camcorders, which are designed to optimize both image processing and IP performance. Introduced in late 2018, the three compact 4K cameras – the GY‑HC500 base model, GY‑HC550 with advanced streaming and graphics, and GY-HC500SPC sports production camera – will be demonstrated next week at the 2019 NAB Show (Booth C4415) in Las Vegas, Nev.

The new 500 Series cameras can record to SSD (solid state drive) media in 10-bit ProRes 422 at 4K resolution and 50/60p frame rates. The cameras also records several other native 4K UHD and HD file formats to support a wide range of workflows, and the GY‑HC550 adds MPEG-2 and MXF recording as well.

When paired with any ProHD Bridge product, all 500 models provide reliable 1080p streaming performance up to 20 Mbps with SMPTE 2022 forward error correction, low latency (less than 500ms), and return video and IFB. The GY-HC550 also includes dual external antennas with built-in wireless LAN, integrated GPS, and Zixi™ error correction with automatic repeat request (ARQ).

All 500 Series cameras feature a 1-inch 4K CMOS imager and integrated 20x zoom lens with built-in ND filters and manual zoom, focus, and iris control rings. For creative flexibility, the cameras record HDR footage in the HLG (hybrid log gamma) mode or 10-bit J-Log mode, and support 120 fps slow-motion HD recording.

Both the GY-HC550 and GY-HM500SPC include integrated lower-third and full-screen titling options for recorded or streamed video output without an external CG. The GY‑HC500SPC also offers professionally designed, high-resolution score overlays for a number of sports, and users can add logos or icons to customize graphics. Camera operators can update scores using a Wi-Fi connected smartphone or tablet, or receive real-time data automatically in venues where a Sportzcast Scorebot is integrated with the scoreboard. For coaches, the GY‑HM500SPC is compatible with DV Sport and XOS Digital technologies for critical video analysis.

“Connectivity is the foundation of JVC’s IP-based production solutions, and our new 500 Series cameras provide unbeatable production-over-IP workflow solutions with amazing images,” said Joe D’Amico, vice president, JVC Professional Video. “Broadcasters can use the GY‑HC550 for breaking news in the field without a microwave truck, then stream live coverage of a local sporting event including graphics without a production truck. News departments will be more mobile and be able to deliver more live content to their viewers than ever before with the affordable new 500 Series.”

Dual SDHC/SDXC media card slots offer redundant, relay, backup, and proxy recording modes. Other 500 Series features include a four-inch, high resolution LCD screen for menu navigation, LCOS viewfinder, dual XLR inputs, 3G-SDI and HDMI video outputs, and M.2 drive slot for external SSD recording. The cameras are expected to ship in June, with MSRP starting at $3,900 for the GY-HC500.

JVC will also demonstrate its GY-HC900 and GY-HC900ST CONNECTED CAM models at NAB. Both cameras feature three 2/3-inch CMOS sensors to produce full HD images, plus an industry B4 lens mount and four-position optical filter. For news-over-IP applications, the GY-HC900 has built-in Wi-Fi, dual external antennas, streaming/FTP performance up to 20Mbps, and SMPTE 2022 forward error correction and Zixi error correction with ARQ for reliable transmission. The GY-HC900ST studio camcorder, with full streaming and recording capabilities, integrates seamlessly with the JVC FS-900 camera module for an affordable fiber-based studio solution.

ABOUT JVC PROFESSIONAL VIDEO
Headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey, JVC Professional Video is a division of JVCKENWOOD USA Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of JVCKENWOOD Corporation. The company is a leading manufacturer and distributor of broadcast and professional video equipment, as well as D-ILA front projection systems. For more information, visit JVC’s website at http://pro.jvc.com or call (800) 582‑5825.

Traditional media companies such as large studios and networks are facing an enormous amount of competition from newcomers to the media business. One such newcomer, Netflix, invested $13 billion last year in creating original content—something like 700 pieces of content for 21 countries around the world, most of it available only over the internet.

So, first and foremost, traditional content providers must find multiple ways to reach consumers and to establish direct connections through their own websites. A channel on cable television or direct-to-home satellite just won’t cut it anymore; it is vital also to get content onto OTT platforms and to social and digital media platforms.

There was a time that media companies could throw a signal up on satellite and tell the world to go downlink that content and take it to air. In this one-size-fits-all model, where everyone accessed the same content, costly satellite capacity wasn’t a major concern. With the recent explosion in the number of possible destinations, as well as in the ways people can consume content, the cost of satellite has become prohibitive. It has become difficult, even impossible, to attract the minimum number of eyeballs needed to make it a worthwhile transport mechanism.

OTT delivery via IP networks, however, overcomes this challenge by enabling the agglomeration of micro markets. While a single market might only contribute 10,000 pairs of eyeballs, the combination of many such markets might yield tens of millions of viewers. In fact, the only way traditional media companies can effectively reach broad audiences and compete with Netflix, Hulu, and other new giants in the market is to leverage the Internet for content distribution. It’s the only ubiquitous public resource that’s available almost anywhere in the world.

In serving many different markets, media companies face a second critical challenge: creating and delivering content that is specific to each of those markets. This means addressing differences in the types and sizes of displays commonly used to consume content. It means accommodating demographic differences and the preferences and requirements of different regions.

Neither of these two drivers—the need to distribute content across numerous destinations and the need to target content for those destinations—for IP-based content delivery is going away any time soon. There really is no choice but to leverage IP networks, and so the question becomes, “How do I do it?”

Anyone who thinks the internet was designed to tally high-value content that requires reliable and timely delivery, is in for a shock. The internet was architected to optimize one or the other, not both. In recent years, however, the shortcomings of the internet for timely media delivery have been addressed by the creation of robust transmission services built on an architecture with attributes uniquely fit to the video transport market. Providing a compelling alternative to satellite, a sophisticated managed IP network offers reliable, timely content delivery while retaining all of the ubiquity advantages of the internet. Best-in-class IP transmission services today can guarantee ultra-low latency, broadcast quality, and incomparable security.

What benefits can media companies realize when they take advantage of IP delivery? For one, they can create as many versions of content as is financially viable. Because each specific version, or strand, can be delivered to the appropriate target audience, companies gain the ability to monetize their content—programming and advertising—uniquely across all variety of platforms, destinations, and devices.

Secondly, beyond more effective monetization, media companies also gain the ability produce or customize content anywhere in the world. Whether all at a single studio, at multiple facilities around the world, or even in public clouds such as Amazon AWS or Microsoft Azure, a company can create or adapt content—load it up with specific ads, specific close captioning, specific graphics, subtitling or whatever it might be—wherever it makes the most financial and operational sense, and then send it on from any site for distribution. With this flexibility, media companies have unprecedented freedom in leveraging their resources to create and deliver content tailored for the target audience.

IP-based content delivery is compelling for a third and very important reason. When working with an IP transmission services provider, media companies needn’t take on infrastructure costs or the expense of managing that infrastructure. They can test content in various markets without risking capital and operating expenditures—millions in infrastructure. Instead, leveraging a scalable and elastic IP network, a media company can freely adjust different components of content creation and delivery to find the most economical and most effective way to produce or adapt content and to deliver it to a receptive market. Thanks to financial flexibility as well as scaled flexibility, a media company can afford to try a particular market and then decide it just isn’t a fit for its content. The company can move on, having paid only on a consumption basis rather than on a sunk cost basis that will need to be amortized over time.

Taken altogether, these benefits ultimately demonstrate that IP transmission services providers can equip media companies to get the widest possible audience and the highest or optimum level of monetization at a variable cost basis.

At this point in the evolution of the media industry, there is no question that media companies must be able to customize and deliver content to fragmented audiences watching on different platforms and devices. It is clear that the one-size-fits-all model dictated by expensive satellite capacity isn’t feasible in this fragmented media marketplace. Moreover, the development of networks and technologies to support IP-based media delivery has advanced significantly, enabling use of the internet to support highly reliable, flexible, and cost-effective distribution and monetization of content across the globe. In the current media landscape, IP-based transport is proving to be a great business decision.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – March 20, 2019 – TVU Networks, the global technology and innovation leader in live IP solutions, today announced a partnership with KT Corp., the largest telecom company in South Korea, to bring UHD broadcast over KT’s 5G enterprise network. Under terms of the agreement, KT and TVU Networks will work collaboratively to establish an enterprise 5G network and related broadcast capabilities in Korea.

KT, formerly known as Korea Telecom, showcased the world’s first trial 5G services during the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games in February 2018. KT also broadcast live the last concert of K-pop group Wanna One on its IPTV service, Olleh TV, earlier this year. The broadcast was delivered through set-top boxes and mobile devices using the 5G network. KT is expected to launch the network’s full-scale commercialization in April. 

This recent partnership marks a major step in TVU Networks’ continued commitment to 5G technology. The company has been at the forefront of 5G from the very beginning, with its transmitter product line supporting 5G. TVU Networks continuously collaborates with regional providers around the world in their 5G deployment efforts, looking to implement that technology within its video over IP solutions.  

“We’re thrilled to be part of such a pioneering effort that reflects our own continued commitment to the power and possibility of 5G,” said Paul Shen, CEO, TVU Networks. “Video is now what most people watch on their smart phones, but to take the quality of services offered and accessibility of video to the next level requires the low latency, high speed, and ultra-connectivity that 5G provides. The backbone of the 5G network pairs perfectly with our ability to acquire, manage and deliver the ultimate 4K video over IP.”  

TVU Networks will work closely with KT to provide 4K UHD broadcast technology and services that meet KT’s 5G device standards. KT will provide technical support such as device standards and a testing environment. 

Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS), one of Korea’s three major broadcasting companies, is working with KT to develop the broadcast capabilities of this new 5G network. SBS is a customer of TVU Networks and introduced TVU Networks’ capabilities to KT. Assisting SBS in these efforts is TVU Network’s Seoul-based reseller iCRAFT.  

“We’re clear that 5G networks will be critical as we provide our customers with the optimal mobile video experience,” said Park Hyun-Jin, Senior Vice President of KT’s 5G Business Unit. “The data capacity, speed and low latency in the network will enable innovations unlike anything we’ve seen before. We know that TVU Networks is the ideal partner to take this next step in our company’s evolution. And we’re positive our customers will agree.” 

TVU Networks has over 2,500 customers in more than 85 countries. The TVU Networks family of IP transmission and live production solutions gives broadcasters and organizations a powerful and reliable workflow to distribute live video content to broadcast, online and mobile platforms. TVU has become a critical part of the operations of many major media companies. The TVU Networks suite of solutions has been used to acquire, transmit, produce, manage and distribute professional-quality live IP HD footage as an integral part of news, sports and major global events. For more information about TVU Networks solutions, please visit www.tvunetworks.com. 

As Cisco’s annual global internet traffic reports have shown in recent years, video is the No. 1 driver of explosive usage growth.

And with the emergence of 4K-UltraHD, the trend is only accelerating.

According to Cisco’s Visual Networking Index, the amount of traffic crossing the global internet will increase by 153% to around 356 exabytes a month by 2022, with video accounting for 82% of traffic.

By 2022, Cisco estimates that nearly two-thirds (62%) of connected flat panel TVs will support 4K. By that time, the far denser data requirements of 4K-UltraHD resolution will account for 2% of global internet traffic.

Of course, traffic growth will also be driven by the proliferation of internet of things. Also by 2022, Cisco predicts that machine-to-machine modules will be located on 51% of global devices, with their connections accounting for 6% of global IP traffic.

Now matter what’s driving the growth, the spike in internet usage is startling. More traffic will cross the internet in 2022, Cisco predicts, than in the entire span of 1984-2016 combined. And in five years, 60% of the world’s population will be using the internet.

“The size and complexity of the internet continues to grow in ways that many could not have imagined. Since we first started the VNI Forecast in 2005, traffic has increased 56-fold, amassing a 36 percent CAGR with more people, devices and applications accessing IP networks,” said Jonathan Davidson, senior VP and general manager, Service Provider Business, Cisco. “Global service providers are focused on transforming their networks to better manage and route traffic, while delivering premium experiences. Our ongoing research helps us gain and share valuable insights into technology and architectural transitions our customers must make to succeed.”

Editors note: Updated, Nov. 7.

WASHINGTON--Government Video Expo, the Mid-Atlantic’s largest video trade show, is partnering with SMPTE for an all-day series of tutorials on the basics of IP for media, including a look at SMPTE-2110, the new standard for video transport over IP. 

“SMPTE in DC: Essential Technology Advances for Media Pros” will take place Wednesday, Nov. 28., and you can register to attend here. For more information on the show, visit www.gvexpo.com. 

Here is the agenda:

9–9:30 a.m.

• Open, Welcome and an Introduction to Professional Video Over IP

Video over IP networks and the internet has existed for more than two decades. Why is SMPTE developing Studio Video over IP (SVIP) — a new set of standards for video over IP? Why are they needed? What is the difference between streaming video and SVIP?

Peter Wharton, President, Happy Robotz

9:30-10:30 

• High Dynamic Range: The Best TV Picture You’ve Ever Seen

This HDR presentation will introduce HDR and discuss HDR standards, terminology and the history of dynamic range. The advanced part of the presentation will cover HDR transfer curves and comparing HDR profiles, as well as compatibility with SDR displays and the consumer adoption of UHD HDR TVs. Although Ultra HD and HDR are usually mentioned together, high-dynamic range is not limited to UHD. HDTV can also benefit from a dramatic improvement in picture quality. HDR offers a more realistic picture, similar to the way we see things in real life. In the future, it’s likely that multiple HDR profiles, optimized for either live TV or post-produced movies, will be utilized.

John Humphrey, Vice President Business Development, Hitachi

11:00-Noon

• Building Scalable Facilities Using SMPTE 2110

The new set of SMPTE standards (ST 2110) provides a technical underpinning for building large-scale media facilities with uncompromised picture quality and low latency, with scalability to large image formats (4K, 8K and beyond) and advanced color depths and spaces. This talk is an overview of the new standards, and also covers the practical details of implementing large-scale systems including control APIs and network topology.

John Mailhot, Systems Architect for IP Convergence, Imagine Communications

Noon–1:00 p.m.

• How Smooth Are Your Packets? Implementation Realities and Best Practices of IP and PTP

This session is a tutorial on the what you need to know to understand the challenges we face in the process of making the transition to IP-based transport for video, audio and data. This move toward infrastructure efficiency has brought new technical challenges requiring broadcast engineers to gain an understanding of the technology and the latest techniques needed to monitor these signals.

The development of SMPTE ST 2110 is a suite of standards that provide encapsulation of uncompressed video within IP packets and for live IP production carrying separate streams of video, audio and data packets. This new standard also allows for SMPTE ST 2022-6 that provides encapsulation of uncompressed SDI as well as ST 2059 for system timing.

This session will take a look at the basic structure of the packets for ST 2022 and ST 2110, how variable delay across the network introduces jitter at the receiver and how measurements can be made on the stream. Latency in the network can produce out-of-order packets or corruption of the data causing packets to be dropped. Therefore, it is important to monitor the stream to ensure an error-free network to ensure transmission of the high bit rate media and how these errors affect the actual video and audio signal. For redundancy in the media network, SMPTE ST 2022-7 can be used to provide a Path One and a Path Two stream so that the downstream device can determine which path is the most appropriate to use. Measurement of the integrity of both paths is important and we will look at ways of monitoring the signal paths.

Karl Kuhn, Sr. Field Video Application Engineer, Tektronix

1–2 p.m.
LUNCH

2:00–3:00

Myths and Realities of Security of Professional Media Over Managed IP Networks

It seems that nearly every day there is another story about an IP network breach. Now "they" want to build professional media creation facilities with IP at the core? What are the risks? And, are the risks as bad as "they" say? Find out the facts about IP network security in this must-see SMPTE session at Government Video Expo!

Thomas Bause Mason, Director Standards Development, SMPTE

3:00–4:00

• The People Side: Managing Change and Skills Transition

The accelerating pace of technological change requires an increased focus on an organization's top resource — its people. This presentation will provide insights, practical approaches and tools for managing change, building and retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce.

John McCoskey, Industry Executive, Eagle Hill Consulting - Technology, Media & Entertainment

For more information and to register for GV Expo, visit www.gvexpo.com.

GLENDALE, CA.—National TeleConsultants (NTC) has joined the Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), a nonprofit industry group working to foster the adoption of open standards for moving from SDI- to IP-based media networks.

NTC provides strategic technology and operations consulting, engineering design, software development, and systems integration to the media and entertainment industry. Clients rely on NTC's industry expertise to select, customize, develop, and deploy innovative advanced technology solutions. 

AIMS comprises broadcast and media companies and technology suppliers working together to promote industry standards for transmitting video, audio, and ancillary information over IP infrastructure in professional applications, as well as products based on those standards.

"Open standards developed by SMPTE, AES, EBU, and AMWA and promoted by AIMS are an important foundation for the transition to all-IP workflows in television production and distribution," said Ken Long, NTC principal consultant, who led an NTC team that provided systems-integration support for the IP Showcase interoperability demonstration at the 2018 NAB Show and who will represent NTC in the AIMS Technical Working Group. "We believe strongly in the AIMS roadmap, which seeks to tie all those standards together into a single system that benefits all of us."

NTC is expanding its participation in industry-wide activities to accelerate the IP transition.

"We see IP technology as fundamental to our clients' efforts to meet increasing audience expectations for technical quality while improving flexibility and reducing costs," said Laurie Morse, head of corporate strategy at NTC. "That's why we found it so important to be a part of the charge toward an all-IP world."

WAYNE, NJ (Oct. 16, 2018) – JVC Professional Video, a division of JVCKENWOOD USA Corporation, today announced the SFE-CAM Dockable Bridge, a Dual Link bonded LTE uplink that connects directly to its 800 and 900 Series cameras. It supports live HD streaming from multiple JVC cameras to HD-SDI decoders or IP video server at the station, as well as Facebook Live or other CDNs. The SFE-CAM Dockable Bridge is part of a connected workflow that will be demonstrated at the 2018 NAB Show New York (Booth N333), which runs through Oct. 18 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City.

Featuring Peplink’s patented SpeedFusion VPN Bonding technology, the SFE-CAM Dockable Bridge combines multiple cellular, wired, and Wi-Fi connections to create a robust and secure VPN connection. An upgraded version of the ProHD Dockable Bridge introduced last year, it is ideal for live ENG reports or webcasts.

The self-contained SFE-CAM Dockable Bridge, positioned between the battery and ProHD GY‑HM850/890 or CONNECTED CAM GY-HC900 camera body, plugs into the camera’s USB or LAN port for a clean, professional look. It can also be detached and used with other IP-enabled CONNECTED CAM, 4KCAM, ProHD, and JVC PTZ camera models. Plus, the SFE-CAM Dockable Bridge functions as a secure, battery-powered hotspot in the field, and its Wi‑Fi‑First feature bonds to local or public hotspots when available to reduce cellular data charges.

Equipped with dual cellular modems with redundant SIM slots, the SFE-CAM Dockable Bridge accepts SIMs from Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint. It aggregates up to four different network links (LTE x 2, plus Wi-Fi or Ethernet), and supports global LTE coverage for worldwide operation. Other features include internal MIMO high efficiency antennas, two RJ-45 connectors for wired LAN/WAN connections, and a built-in GPS receiver for tracking the unit’s location with the ProHD Bridge Command Center.

“The SFE-CAM Dockable Bridge Bridge is the best choice for stations that rely on run-and-gun coverage,” said Edgar Shane, general manager of engineering, JVC Professional Video. “It connects directly to our 800 and 900 Series cameras, so you don’t need to carry additional equipment. You get a reliable, convenient, and affordable live broadcast alternative to microwave and satellite.”

Available in versions for Anton/Bauer or V‑mount batteries, the SFE-CAM Dockable Bridge is available now and has an MSRP of $3,495.

ABOUT JVC PROFESSIONAL VIDEO

Headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey, JVC Professional Video is a division of JVCKENWOOD USA Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of JVCKENWOOD Corporation. The company is a leading manufacturer and distributor of broadcast and professional video equipment, as well as D-ILA front projection systems. For more information, visit JVC’s website at http://pro.jvc.com or call (800) 582‑5825.

# # #

WAYNE, NJ (Oct. 9, 2018) – Following the successful launch of the GY-HC900 2/3-inch broadcast camcorder at the 2018 NAB Show, JVC Professional Video, a division of JVCKENWOOD USA Corporation, has expanded its CONNECTED CAM product line to include the new 500 Series of streaming handheld camcorders. The three new cameras – the GY‑HC500 base model, GY‑HC550 with advanced streaming and graphics, and GY-HC500SPC sports production camera – will be introduced at NAB Show New York (Booth N333), which runs Oct. 17-18 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City.

Connectivity remains at the core of JVC’s IP-based production solutions, and CONNECTED CAM models are designed to optimize both image processing and IP performance. Designed for live IP production and high-quality 4K acquisition, the new 500 Series cameras can record to SSD (solid state drive) media in a wide variety of formats, including 10-bit ProRes 422 at 4K resolution and 50/60p frame rates. A number of other codecs and recording formats are also available including H.264 and MPEG-2, ensuring a wide range of workflows can be supported.

All three 500 Series cameras also include dual SDHC/SDXC media card slots with redundant, relay, backup, and proxy recording modes. Users can choose economical SD memory for excellent results or SSD for uncompromised production quality recording – or record to SSD in 4K while simultaneously recording HD or proxy files to SD media. Any or all clips can be uploaded via Auto FTP during production.

For reliable 1080p streaming performance up to 20 Mbps, the 500 Series features SMPTE 2022 forward error correction. When paired with any ProHD Bridge product, all models provide bi-directional live streaming with low latency (less than 500ms) and return video and IFB. The GY-HC550 also includes dual external antennas with built-in wireless LAN, integrated GPS, and Zixi™ error correction with automatic repeat request (ARQ).

The 500 Series cameras are built around a new 1-inch 4K CMOS imager and integrated 20x zoom lens with three-ring control and built-in ND filters. When shooting in HD, lossless 40x dynamic zoom is possible. The cameras can achieve up to 12 stops of dynamic range with high sensitivity and low noise. Users can record HDR footage in the HLG (hybrid log gamma) mode or 10-bit J-Log mode, which expands dynamic range by 800 percent with film-like latitude. Plus, the cameras record in a variety of native 4K UHD and HD file formats, and support 120 fps slow-motion HD recording. The GY-HC550 adds MPEG-2 and MXF recording as well.

“No other competing 1-inch camcorder in this category comes close to our connectivity. The new 500 Series delivers a complete production-over-IP workflow solution in a compact form factor,” said Joe D’Amico, vice president, JVC Professional Video. “With the GY‑HM550, stations can deliver live coverage of breaking news in the field without a satellite or microwave truck, and then provide single-camera live coverage of regional sporting events complete with graphics without a mobile production unit. For coaches, the GY‑HM500SPC provides stunning 4K/60p images with DV Sport and XOS Digital compatibility for more critical video analysis.”

Both the GY-HC550 and GY-HM500SPC include integrated lower-third and full-screen titling options for recorded or streamed video output without an external CG. The GY‑HC500SPC also offers professionally designed, high-resolution score overlays for a number of sports, and users can add logos or icons to customize graphics. Camera operators can update scores using a Wi-Fi connected smartphone or tablet, or receive real-time data automatically in venues where a Sportzcast Scorebot is integrated with the scoreboard.

Other 500 Series features include a four-inch, high resolution LCD screen for menu navigation, LCOS viewfinder, dual XLR inputs, 3G-SDI and HDMI video outputs, M.2 drive slot for external SSD recording and future enhancements, and IPX2 water resistant rating for operation in inclement weather. The cameras are expected to ship in January 2019, with MSRP starting at $3,900 for the GY-HC500.

Model                MSRP

GY-HC500        $3,900
GY-HC500SPC  $4,400
GY-HC550         $5,500

ABOUT JVC PROFESSIONAL VIDEO
Headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey, JVC Professional Video is a division of JVCKENWOOD USA Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of JVCKENWOOD Corporation. The company is a leading manufacturer and distributor of broadcast and professional video equipment, as well as D-ILA front projection systems. For more information, visit JVC’s website at http://pro.jvc.com or call (800) 582‑5825.

# # #

BOTHELL, WA.—Membership in the Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) has climbed to 96 companies following the alliance’s merger with the Media Networking Alliance (MNA) late last year, AIMS announced today.

[Read: AIMS And MNA Merge]

"Like AIMS, MNA members were committed to adopting a standards-based approach to interoperability. In their case, it was interoperability between various IP-based audio networks via the use of AES67, and they made tremendous strides toward that goal," said Michael Cronk, AIMS chairman of the board.

[Read: 

More than 20 companies have joined AIMS since the merger, including:

· ALC Networx

· Attero Tech

· Alteros Inc.

· Axis

· BBC

· Bosch

· Digigram

· Direct Out

· DongGuan 3G Audio Technology Co. Ltd.

· Focusrite

· Genelec

· Hangzhou Linker Technology

· Luminex

· LYNX- Technik

· Mellanox

· Merging Technologies

· Ningbo Soundking

· QSC

· Suzhou FITCAN

· TOA

· Ward-Beck Systems

· Wheatstone Corp.

· Yamaha

The AIMS-MNA merger came after nearly two years of collaboration. The merged organization will continue to be called AIMS and will be governed by the AIMS bylaws, the alliance said. AIMS continues to work on common methodologies for transport, registration and discovery, connection management and other areas related to interoperability.

"By merging with AIMS, these companies are having even broader impact on the industries they serve — and they're a driving force behind true industry-wide AV IP interoperability across the broadcast, installed systems, and live sound markets,” said Cronk.

MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA—At NAB 2017, Grass Valley will showcase multiple parts of its concept of the “Broadcast Data Center,” including Cisco 9200/9300 IP media network kits, GV Node v2.0 and GV Convergent v1.3—both now supporting the proposed SMPTE ST-2110 standards; Densité IPG-3901 v2 modules, which enable a flexible, scalable IP transition; and the Kaleido-IP for monitoring all IP formats from one platform.

Grass Valley has established a strong relationship with Cisco to help guide the ongoing development of IP networking solutions for the broadcast and media markets, including convenient purchase and support options for Cisco IP Switches. Using Cisco Nexus 9200 and 9300 Switches, Grass Valley offers a bundled product offering featuring commercial off-the-shelf Cisco Switches, licenses for non-blocking media support and joint service offerings. These bundles integrate with all of Grass Valley’s IP-enabled products, accelerating installation and setup and ensuring compatibility with all of Grass Valley’s IP Broadcast Data Center solutions.

GV Node v2.0, an all-in-one IP processing and routing platform, enhances the capabilities of the COTS switch with broadcast-centric features, including vertically accurate video switching with quiet audio transitions. GV Node v2.0 continues to support advanced SDI-based workflows to leverage existing systems while making way for live telecasts over end-to-end IP.

As more broadcasters adopt IP solutions, GV Convergent v1.3 creates a cohesive control platform regardless of workflow type to provide a reliable IP fabric/SDI router control and configuration system. The system is both infrastructure and signal format agnostic to adapt to specific facility needs and allow broadcasters to make real-time modifications through an intuitive interface and custom system configurations.

The Densité IPG-3901 v2 modules continue to drive the adoption of IP in broadcast facilities by bridging the gap between SDI and IP. The newly upgraded IP Gateway provides advancements such as support of VSF TR-04 (the proposed SMPTE ST 2110-50/30) for independent video and audio management and SMPTE ST 2022-7 for redundancy. The IPG-3901 continues to offer a proven solution for 4K UHD over one-wire, reducing the complexity and wiring of quad-link installations, while maintaining proper video timing over an IP network.

The Kaleido-IP multiviewer is enhanced with support for 4K HEVC, as well as SMPTE ST 2022-6 and the proposed SMPTE ST 2110 for uncompressed video over 10G, 25G and 40G connectivity to make it an ideal platform for simpler workflows by enabling uncompressed, DVB MPEG TS and OTT (HLS) formats to be monitored on the same device.

Grass Valley is demonstrating its networking solutions at NAB in booth SL106.

BOTHELL, WASH. — The Alliance for IP Media Solutions announced the results of a recent survey conducted of its members revealing that many are moving quickly to bring SMPTE 2110-compliant products to market by the end of 2017. ST-2110 comprises a suite of standards for media over IP networks, and is currently in final draft stage, AIMS SAId.

Of the AIMS members who responded to the survey — many of whom are major vendors to the broadcast and media industry — 72 percent said they will begin shipping final-draft SMPTE ST 2110 standards-compliant products this year. Those surveyed were asked to identify product categories that would be generally available beyond alpha, beta, or proof-of-concept merchandise. Respondents mentioned products spanning 25 categories, including routers, line cards, video servers, switchers, encoders, audio and video processors, cameras, multiviewers, and integrated playout.

“These survey results reveal that our members are investing heavily in technology that’s compliant with the latest SMPTE video-over-IP standards and are working diligently to supply full-fledged products that cover a wide swath of the broadcast workflow,” said Michael Cronk, AIMS board chair. “Ultimately that brings the entire industry closer to the goal of a unified IP-based infrastructure.”

At the upcoming IP Showcase at the 2017 NAB Show, AIMS members will participate in SMPTE ST-2110 interoperability demonstrations and showcase some solutions expected to come to market in the coming year.

MUNICH, GERMANY—Rohde & Schwarz has created a family of video boards for both SDI and video over IP. The first entrant, the R&S Prios SDI, offers the SDI interfaces and also supports 10G Ethernet for video over IP. It can be configured for eight independent 1080p60 video channels or for two 4K/UHDp60 channels. 

R&S said the SDI interfaces are implemented by means of up to four swappable SFP modules, each with two SDI ports. Two of the SDI modules can be replaced with 10G Ethernet modules, making the R&S Prios SDI compatible with the advanced video-over-IP technology. Supported protocols will include SMPTE 2022 for data transmission and SMPTE 2059 for synchronization. Data is transmitted uncompressed in line with SMPTE 2022-6. If necessary, forward error correction in line with SMPTE 2022-5 can be enabled to compensate for the loss of IP packets. Redundant transmission with seamless protection switching in line with SMPTE 2022-7 is also supported. Additional protocols are planned to follow.

The R&S Prios SDI allows OEM customers to integrate the board into their own products. Prios SDI allows customers to convert their products in the field from a pure SDI to a hybrid SDI/video-over-IP configuration. E.g., multiple SDI cameras can be connected directly to the board, whose signals can then be transmitted via a network to centralized recording equipment or to remote editing stations.

Virtual studio applications especially benefit from the low latency made possible by the fast PCIe 3.0 x8 bus. The four SFP cages combined with the half-length design make the R&S Prios SDI very compact. As a result, applications involving complex interfacing tasks that previously often required multiple interface boards can now be implemented on small servers of only one unit.

The software development kit for the R&S Prios family of video boards is compatible with the R&S Atomix line of video boards. Applications that support R&S Atomix boards can be adapted for use with R&S Prios boards.

The R&S Prios SDI video board is now available from Rohde & Schwarz. Video-over-IP capability can be retrofitted.

BOTHELL, WASH. — The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) announced that it added the IS-04 specification to its roadmap. IS-04 is the Discovery and Registration API from the Advanced Media Workflow Association and is said to provide “a uniform way to query the registry, and provides connection management capabilities. It also describes a method for peer-to-peer discovery in order to permit operation on a link-local only or smaller network deployment.” AIMS said IS-04 “defines how IP-enabled devices can discover each other and connect compatible IP streams as part of a workflow. Furthermore, IS-04 automates that process, making discovery and connection more fluid than in a conventional SDI environment.“

AIMS, a consortium of media operations and their technology suppliers, “exists to develop a practical, common upgrade path from SDI to IP using the standards, recommendations, and technologies that are already being studied. IS-04 will assist in that effort by providing a defined and agreed-upon method for devices to discover, register, and operate with one another as workflows change over time — whether those changes take place over years, months, days, or even hours.”

“IS-04 provides the next level of interoperability beyond transporting data. By adding it to our roadmap, AIMS is not just advocating for protocols related to video, audio, and data transport, but for protocols that determine how multivendor solutions can create seamless interoperable environments,” said Michael Cronk, AIMS board chair. “The membership agreed that a common approach to managing discovery and registration was important, as such an approach provides a clearly defined way for SMPTE 2022-6- and SMPTE 2110-compliant devices to find and connect to each other. This allows us to leverage the benefits of IT and networking technologies to create a more flexible and scalable solution than conventional SDI routing systems will allow.”

Also see...

January 17, 2017
Grupo Globo and Fuyoh Video Sign on With AIMS

December 1, 2016
Barella and Warman Elected AIMS Board Members

November 17, 2016
AIMS Launches Japan Subgroup

November 2, 2016
Four New Members for AIMS

September29, 2016
AIMS Adds Six New Members

September6, 2016
AIMS Adds Axon and EMC, Hits Milestone

September1, 2016
Ross Signs on With AIMS Alliance

July 26, 2016
Riedel Communications Signs Up With AIMS

July 11, 2016
Deltacast, Florical Systems Join AIMS Team

July 6, 2016
Advantech Enlists With AIMS

June 28, 2016
Coveloz Joins AIMS

June 23, 2016
AIMS Adds Macnica Technology

June 13, 2016
AIMS Receives IABM ICG Endorsement

May 19, 2016
Mediaproxy Signs on to AIMS Alliance

May 5, 2016
Broadcast Solutions and EMG Join AIMS

April 26, 2016
Broadcast Solutions Becomes AIMS Member

April 14, 2016
Evertz, Fox Networks Group Join AIMS

March 28, 2016
Cobalt Digital, Net Insight Sign Up for AIMS

March 17, 2016
Dejero, Utah Scientific Join AIMS

March 2, 2016
AIMS Members Pull Off 'First' Open Standards Live IP Remote

February 12, 2016
AIMS Sets Board, Working Group Chairs

January 12, 2016
Video-Over-IP: AIMS, ASPEN Compared

LOS ANGELES— Happy New Year 2016! Well, I had thought to start the new year with a fresh topic, maybe something non-controversial such as high dynamic range or 8KTV. But as 2015 was wrapping up, new developments in IP transport of live uncompressed (or mezzanine compressed) video have compelled me to continue on with this theme of video-over-IP.

In my last few musings, I compared the real-time transport of video streams using IP standards, such as SMPTE 2022, versus the conventional use of serial digital interface over coax. In conclusion, while SDI is still relevant and has recently been upgraded to 12 Gbps rates, IP transport of video is an upcoming method proposed by many of the major equipment vendors. (See “12 Gb SDI Cost, Cables and Capabilities,” Dec. 9, 2015.)

In late 2015, there were announcements from two organizations promoting video-over-IP. One is called AIMS (Alliance for IP Media Solutions) and the other is called ASPEN (Adaptive Sample Picture Encapsulation). AIMS is supported by Imagine Communications, Grass Valley (Belden), Cisco, Arista Networks, Snell Advanced Media, EVS Broadcast among others. ASPEN is led by Evertz with support from For-A, Ross, Abekas, AJA Video Systems, ChryonHego, Hitachi, Sony, Tektronix, VizRT among others.

While both organizations support the idea that the future of video transport will use IP-like protocols for switching and delivery, they differ in how they manage the important requirement of video synchronization. AIMS builds on SMPTE 2022 (which, if you recall, came from the Video Services Forum) as a method to use standard IP packet distribution for live video. The core timing is derived from the use of IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol to generate RTP with RTMP timestamps. While SMPTE 2022-6 specifies the packetization of the whole SDI signal into packets, there are ongoing efforts in SMPTE to standardize the individual packetization of video, audio and associated data (VSF has standardized this approach in TR-04).

ASPEN builds on a proprietary method developed by Evertz, based on MPEG-2 Systems transport over IP. Currently documented via RDD 37 (Registered Disclosure Document) as well as SMPTE ST 302 and 2038. MPEG-2 Systems (ISO 13818-1) synchronize video and audio streams via an embedded system clock (27 MHz) using a 90 kHz counter as part of an adaptation header.

Both proposed standards also include mezzanine compression to reduce internal bandwidth. AIMS uses TICO, a wavelet-based intraframe compression method (undergoing SMPTE standardization). ASPEN uses JPEG 2000, an ISO standard (15444-1). JPEG 2000 has a range of compression ratios from “mathematically lossless” 2:1, to a more aggressive visually lossless compression of 4:1 or higher.

What are the important considerations? First, SDI is still a valid approach, one which is standardized, well understood and is routinely used for video production. The second consideration is that each of the video-over-IP approaches uses different methods to encapsulate video, audio and data and to provide proper synchronization. Finally, video-over-IP methods have been demonstrated as workable and have been adopted by several notable video production facilities.

Will these two approaches be interoperable? Lets hope so, if only via the brute force method of converting to SDI and then re-packetizing. Clever solutions should evolve that can enable the interchange between AIMS and ASPEN encapsulated video and audio signals.

There is also uncertainty regarding the use of commercial off-the-shelf IP switches for transport of live video and audio signals. Which IP switches will support which protocol? And there are other considerations regarding IP distribution of video and audio streams such as routing optimization algorithms, directory services (what’s in which packet) and latency/bandwidth management.

So our wish for 2016? Let’s hope that all the promises of AIMS and ASPEN come to fruition.

Jim DeFilippis is CEO of TMS Consulting, Inc., in Los Angeles. See more of his contributions in the Author’s Archive.

Corridenda: Steve Reynolds, ​chief technology officer of Imagine Communications, has pointed out that AIMS is focused on un-compressed video and audio transport and routing, and while they have may eventually support compressed video on their roadmap, they have not selected TICO or any other mezzanine video compression method. Further the transport of audio is standardized using AES 67 with the use of SMPTE 2059 (IEEE 1588 PTP) as the common synchronization method. The primary documentation for AIMS encapsulation methodology is found in VSF TR-03 (component RFC 4175) and TR-04 (SMPTE 2022-6).

Mo Goyal, director of product marketing for Evertz, speaking on behalf of ASPEN, would like to clarify that ASPEN defines the mapping of uncompressed UHD/3G/HD/SD over MPEG-2 Transport Stream (ISO/IEC 13818-2) while SMPTE 2022-2 provides the mapping of TS to IP. Further, at this time ASPEN has not documented nor selected JPEG 2000 or any other mezzanine compression technology at this time for use of transport video over IP. ~ Jim D.

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS--Just prior to the IBC Show in September, NewTek, a San Antonio, Texas-based provider of live TV production systems announced the introduction of NewTek NDI, a new open standard for live production IP workflows over Ethernet networks. Broadcast Engineering Extra recently spoke with NewTek CEO Dr. Andrew Cross to discuss the current state of video over IP, the standards involved and how NewTek NDI could impact the future of live video production.

BROADCAST ENGINEERING EXTRA:What are the biggest challenges currently for using IP for live production?
CROSS: First of all, there's so many pieces to an IP production, it's a bit hard to answer this with a one line answer. Obviously, you've got the file-based part of it. You've always got B-roll, you've always got titles, you've always got graphics, things like this. Those are probably using IP today, using centralized storage systems already. That part is probably fine.

It's the live video feeds part which is a challenge because I think this is something where there are no good standards. People are using SDI, they're using HDMI and maybe a few people are still using analog video of some kind. That is just something that's remarkably hard to do in IP today.

There are some solutions. You can buy boxes that convert in and out of IP, but you're going to fight those really hard because if you've got two different parts, you aren't guaranteed they're going to have the same latency; it's a mess. If you have some sources coming in in IP and some are not, how do you make sure they're in sync with each other? That's really a difficult problem at the moment.

BEE: Newtek NDI is an open source protocol for using IP and live production. Can you explain the genesis of this standard and why did you pursue this path?
CROSS: If you look at the standards that are out there, like SMPTE 2022-6 and the new TR03 standard, in large part what they are trying to do is take a traditional SDI feed and now put it pretty much one for one over IP. And the other real place where they differ [from NDI] is that you kind of run out of bandwidth on IP pretty quickly because it's not as high bandwidth as SDI. They are looking at three to one compression and there's no standard in either of these things in regards to what kind of compression should be used, although, I think that's the direction everything's going.

Read through the standards and you’ll see what I mean. Imagine if you want to start a company and you’re thinking "OK, IP video's big. So we can do cool things with it. We can make computer applications, we can make cool pieces of technology that talk IP and put video over IP." And now read through one of these standards and try to imagine that without a million bucks behind you how you could possibly implement that in software. Because the problem is these protocols have really, really tight timing requirements.

For instance, in TR03, they need 10 microsecond timing accuracy for each scan line of video. There's just no way that a computer system without customized hardware is ever going to be able to achieve that.

The big benefit of IP is that every computer system in the world can talk with it. You can pipe it around, you can write applications and do things that were never thought of before. If you look at almost any other industry it's going to be the small companies with cool ideas; they're going to revolutionize this industry. Yet, the existing standards are really only taking SDI and putting it over IP and that just doesn't seem where the future of IP video can be. But there is a place for that. So, in many ways I don't see what we're doing is counter in any way to the existing standards.

NewTek comes from the computer end of the spectrum. We've been building real-time computer-based processing systems for 10-15 years, and we've been doing video over IP for 10 of them. Over those 10 years we've worked out how to get IP video in and out in ways that our products can work with and what we actually did with NDI is take that and open it up to everybody and with that, we can bring in a huge number of vendors that already support this.

BEE: Was NDI already available with NewTek products and now it’s just the case that you’re opening it up to everybody?
CROSS: Yes, it has gone by a variety of names. For years, we’ve had the ability to take video from a Vizrt virtual set system, for example, and send it over IP into a NewTek Tricaster. We've done the receiving, they've done the sending. We've been relatively open about giving anybody the ability to send us video. And we've had the SDK for a long time. What we've done now is opening up all parts of this—the sending part is open, but now the receiving part is open. Even those vendors making competitive products.

People making TV monitors or video monitors now can all receive the feeds from this. Right along with this is the ability to find sources on the network, so If you have a laptop running Power Point, you can run the NDI mirroring application on that PC. There are sources available for anybody doing live production work on that local network to see. So our APIs make it very easy to find sources on that network to then bring the video in or to send video out to them.

BEE:There has been a lot of talk about the fact that video switching is hampering the move to IP. Can you comment on how NewTek handles IP within the switching environment?
CROSS:  Absolutely. We were actually showing this at our IBC Show booth. We had Tricasters with 12-plus inputs all coming in over IP. And because we've been doing this for some time and we're not starting now, we've got compression and it's all standardized, built into our system. We can work with what is basically baseband compression; it's similar quality to say, ProRes or DNXHD. At IBC, this meant that we had lots of streams over a relatively low bandwidth connection with very low latency on a standard 1 Gbps connection. This is something that we're actually going to have in the market here very, very soon. Think a few weeks, not a few months.

BEE:How will the introduction of New Tech NDI affect the company's future product development?
CROSS:  A question I get asked a lot—and is directly related to this—is “why on earth would you take all this effort you've put into IP—working with lots of other companies—and just open that up for everybody else to use?” Ultimately, the reason for that is I think that NewTek believes very strongly that the future of live production is going to move towards IP and quite frankly, we make products that have done this for a long time, and are particularly well suited to this. The faster we can help get IP adoption in the market, the better—the better for us, our customers and really the better for everybody. We see the future of video transport being over IP. It just makes sense for so many reasons. Clearly, you're going to see more and more products where IP is increasingly important in them.

BEE: This is an industry that has been built on standards. Do you think that the standards-making bodies are moving too slow and is that one of the reasons why you introduced NewTek NDI?
CROSS: That's a great question. First of all, I should say our attempt with NDI is not to circumvent standards bodies. I have reached out to everybody who has worked on each one of these different standards and said "Look, we've got this huge installed base. We're making it very easy for people to build products that work over IP. We have probably about a 100,000-plus systems in the market today that can already talk these protocols. Why don't we work together on making this something that's more broadly accepted?" We're not looking to own or control this. We would be very happy to work alongside somebody else to merge what we're doing with them. We're very open to that. Our intent is not to try to lock off part of the market or anything like that. Otherwise, we never would have just opened this up. We want to enable IP video.

Clearly the standards bodies are slowly getting there, but, at least from a NewTek perspective, we tend to come from a different end of the market.

If you were a high end broadcaster and you're looking at an SDI cable and you're saying "How on earth do you get this into IP?" you're going to build an IP solution that looks very much like an SDI cable. Quite frankly, because the people driving the standards bodies have tended to be people who have been driven by the top ends of broadcast, the standards look like that. Now, I'm not being critical of them, in fact that's why I'm saying that I think there's a great opportunity for somebody like us who tend to come from the other end of the spectrum to work with somebody to make these things coexist.

I actually see that NDI, in many ways is not competitive with SMPTE 2022-6 or the new TR03 or any of the others. I think they're trying to achieve a slightly different goal. If you look at almost any area of technology— such as computing—the things that become software-based ultimately tend to win out in almost every area of technology. Custom hardware tends to not be on the winning end of that spectrum over any sustained period of time. So, what we're trying to do with NDI is make something that's very compatible with that.

BEE:When will we start seeing products or technology from other vendors that are compatible with NDI?
CROSS:  They already exist. We're going to be releasing tools within a few weeks that take NDI and attach it to any of the commodity capture cards out there. For instance, if you have a Blackmagic card that can access a network input source, if you have an AJA output card somewhere else in the building you can just send these from one place to another over IP. We have more than 100 companies that support this.

ATLANTA—From the Video Services Forum: VSF announced today the draft publication of Technical Recommendation TR-03 “Transport of Uncompressed Elementary Stream Media over IP,” produced by the VSF Studio Video over IP Activity Group.

The VSF SVIP Activity Group was tasked with developing a standard for video-over-IP without SDI encapsulation with a specific concentration on live production. The group studied and documented requirements within the broadcast plant including video, audio, ancillary data, grouping, timing, sequencing, identities, and latency. It then researched current and proposed solutions, and developed a gap analysis between the requirements and existing solutions.

The TR is based on the Real Time Protocol (RTP) architecture developed by the IETF. It utilizes IETF RFC 4175 to carry uncompressed video, AES67 for uncompressed audio, IETF draft-ietfpayload-rtp-ancillary for ancillary data, and IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol for timing and synchronization.

Chair of the SVIP Activity Group, Michael Bany, senior engineer at DVBLink, Inc., said, “We are very proud that over 60 representatives from 30 companies in the broadcast industry attended SVIP meetings that lead to TR-03. I feel that this TR represents a true consensus of the industry regarding transport of uncompressed media over IP for production purposes.”

”We expect the use of live video-over-IP to enhance the flexibility and agility of our broadcast production plant,” said Thomas Edwards, vice president of Engineering & Development at Fox Networks Engineering and Operations, who participated in the SVIP Activity Group, “and we believe that VSF TR-03 plays a significant role in making that vision a reality.”

The draft TR is “TR-03 - Transport of Uncompressed Elementary Stream Media over IP” (Published as a draft.)

Also see...
October 22, 2015
“UHD In a Hybrid SDI/IP World”
“There are more and more technology partnerships between vendors; this is something I’m seeing more and more of, which I haven’t seen in the past.”

October 20, 2015
“ SDI vs. IP: Packet to Packet”
If one looks at the delay through an IP switch, it is due to the necessity to buffer the packets as they arrive, are processed and then sent out. Depending on the switch design, the traffic load, and the packet size, the performance required in terms of packet loss dictates the buffer sizes.

October 14, 2015
“ SDI vs. IP: Which Switch is Which?”
If major industries, including manufacturing, transportation, telecommunications, commerce and banking, have adopted IP, why not real-time video production?

NEW YORK—The technology to stream video over Internet Protocol has been around for more than 20 years, but it has really only been in the past decade that great strides have been made in its use in video production.

Video-over-IP also comes in many form factors.

Consumers know it mainly as a method for pushing video signals over the Internet directly to the consumer as an alternative to cable or broadcast as an over-the-top streaming service, but it is also a way to transfer file-based media on network-based computers. However, in the world of production, video-over-IP is a method for pushing signals over Ethernet, and is widely being seen as a replacement for SDI.

Video over IP offers numerous advantages, because video can be processed on a computer, while on the production side there are now countless software-enabled solutions. There are multiple options for utilizing video over IP, and one that is increasingly used among content producers and vendors is SMPTE 2022-6, which was ratified in 2012.

SMPTE 2022 AND INTEROPERABILITY
In the latter configuration the SMPTE 2022-6 standard is getting widespread support, and several vendors have announced new products and showed off the interoperability that it offers to broadcasters. SMPTE 2022 was first introduced in 2007 and has expanded to cover more types of IP video transport—positioning video-over-IP as a replacement for SDI.

Wes Simpson “SMPTE 2022-6 offers a number of advantages as it was designed for long-haul contribution style networks,” said Wes Simpson, an industry consultant and author of TV Technology’s Video Networking column. “It was specifically designed to handle up to 1080p video, where you don’t need the bells and whistles.”

What makes SMPTE 2022-6 so attractive, however, is that it offers the ability to use a single standard for high-bitrate, uncompressed signals.

“It is basically the only game in town as it allows the customer to buy equipment from two different manufacturers and send uncompressed signals between them,” Simpson said. “There are no other standards that can offer that today.”

The ability to utilize this interoperability was demonstrated at the 2015 IBC Show, where EVS and Imagine Communications showcased how the 2022-6 standard could handle a video-over-IP stream between the two companies’ respective products. Imagine further demonstrated how the stream could be delivered through routers from four different hardware vendors including Cisco, Arista, Brocade and HP.

“It was exciting to see the interoperability across four switch vendors,” said Brick Eksten, vice president of strategy at Imagine Communications. “This was very much a vendor-to-vendor proof point as it can back haul video and allow for interaction with different equipment.”

Eksten told TV Technology that the company has fully embraced the standard, and has worked closely with its industry partners to ensure that there is a “choreograph between equipment from the different manufacturers.”

LIVE FROM IBC
Video-over-IP could be a real game changer for live production, something EVS was quick to point out at IBC.

“For us, the next frontier is using IP as the infrastructure to execute live production,” said James Stellpflug, vice president of product marketing for the French-based provider of live video production gear. “We’ve been using IP for a long time in the industry in various different levels, whether it be for contribution or inside our broadcast centers for moving files around.”

Video-over-IP will likely replace SDI, and that would also mean a savings in weight, a factor that isn’t often addressed but remains an issue for production teams in the field.

“IP is gaining traction because cabling is expensive and cables are heavy,” said Aaron Behman, who oversees the video and visions strategy at Xilinx, a San Jose, Calif. Provider of semiconductors. “The DOT [Department of Transportation] has restrictions on how heavy vehicles can be. At the same time, video-over-IP offers more and more channels of video with multiple cameras at locations.”

Given that fans of live events—notably sports events such as NASCAR races—want to see as much of the action as possible, this provides that added support.

“There is no doubt that people want to see it all, and you want to be able to provide more immersive video, but also not be concerned that you’re running into weight restrictions,” Behman said. “2022-6 is a building block and it allows video to be sent over Ethernet.”

The TICO Alliance is a group of broadcast equipment manufacturers and media companies that advocates the creation of a lightweight compression technology that will be used in IP-based live production ecosystems to allow users to seamlessly leverage the existing SDI-based workflows to 4K/UHD.WHAT ABOUT UHD?
The main downside to SMPTE 2022-6 is that it isn’t exactly future proof. While it could be seen as a building block that allows video to be sent over Ethernet, the standard is considered to be a transition and can’t handle 4K/UHD raw uncompressed video easily—as SMPTE 2022-6’s pipe supports 10 GB while UHD is about 12 GB.

Compression solutions are already in the works however, and one option touted by some in the industry is TICO, a patent-pending, visually lossless, light-weight compression that specifically has been designed for the industry to move 4K content over active 3G-SDI and IP networks.

“TICO, which essentially means ‘tiny codec’ is gaining traction with big names in the industry,” Behman said. “The industry sees this as a way for 2022 to support 4K/UHD, as it is used to give the video a ‘little haircut,’ and compress it enough to get it down the pipe.”

TICO is just one of several codecs, but these are still essentially stop-gap measures as the industry determines how to best handle UHD video-over-IP.

“TICO is still in its early stages,” said David Ross, CEO of Ross Video, whose company is a member of the TICO Alliance. “You also have to pay a TICO royalty, so it isn’t a perfect solution.”

David Ross Given that the industry is moving to UHD, Ross questioned why IP is being so widely embraced—especially with 2022-6 as the standard.

“2022-6 is industry’s first attempt, but I think it is D2 all over again,” Ross added, referring to the short-lived Ampex videocassette format introduced in the late ’80s. “It is a standard, but it isn’t where the industry will end up. If all we want to do is replace an SDI cable [with Ethernet cable] that is one thing, but this isn't going to be a long-lasting standard.”

ALTERNATIVES TO SMPTE
For those reasons noted above, SMPTE 2022-6 is far from the only game in town. Other vendors have introduced their own respective solutions. At IBC, NewTek introduced its own royalty-free network device interface—NDI open protocol for IP production—with an SDK that will hit the market in Q4.

“Our new NDI protocol SDK will be available to any developer that wants to use it starting in Q4,” said Scott Carroll, spokesperson for the San Antonio-based provider of live production systems. “It will allow any NDI-enabled device to be recognized and share resources with other NDI-enabled resources connected to a LAN on standard Ethernet, allowing producers to maintain their investments in SDI cameras and current network infrastructure. NDI will be included in an update to TriCaster Advanced Edition in Q4 that will add four more inputs to any current TriCaster model.”

Newtek NDI is an IP-based protocol that will allow any NDI-enabled device to be recognized and share resources with other NDI-enabled resources connected to a LAN on standard Ethernet.
NDI is bidirectional, allowing devices to communicate with one another, but more importantly it makes it easy for a production facility to move into video-over-IP without having to make a large capital investment in a high bandwidth network or having to replace SDI devices, according to the company.

Evertz introduced its ASPEN platform for encapsulating uncompressed video-over-IP at the NAB Show, and at IBC, the Burlington, Ont.-based provider of video distribution technology announced a partnership with Ross to add 10GE IP interfaces with ASPEN support for Ross Video’s flagship Acuity series of production switchers. This collaborative effort will allow the use of another alternative to SMPTE 2022-6 in IP-based broadcast production facilities. The Acuity production switchers can be directly connected to Evertz’ Software Defined Video Networking (SDVN) high-capacity switching cores, and allow broadcasters to combine traditional SDI infrastructure with IT-centric hardware and software.

“This can be deployed in a facility and provide individual flows for audio, video and data, all over a single wire,” said Mo Goyal, product marketing manager at Evertz.

Although Goyal admits that “2022-6 is a good method for transporting video-over-IP,” the downside is that it requires auxiliary equipment if you need to re-embed audio into the mix. This is where he noted that ASPEN could help users on the production side break away from the rigid structure of SDI.

With ASPEN, “audio can come from one site and video from another and that offers greater flexibility in the production environment,” Goyal said. “It also reduces the need for all that extra gear, so our package switch is independent. We see ASPEN as the format that completes the puzzle.”

WAKEFIELD, MASS—A group consisting of some of the world’s largest technology companies has announced the formation of a technology alliance to develop next generation video codecs for IP-based video. 

Founding members for the “Alliance for Open Media” include Amazon, Cisco, Google, Intel, Microsoft, Mozilla and Netflix. The group says its desire for an “open and interoperable” next generation video standard will “meet growing demand for top-quality video, audio, imagery and streaming across all devices of all kinds and for users worldwide.” It says the “open source project” is designed to develop new formats “in the public interest.” 

Although the word “standards” is nowhere to be found in the group’s announcement, it’s clear that the group is using its technology heft and worldwide reach to avoid the financial obligations that come with deploying current next-gen standards such as HEVC, the standard most likely to handle 4K. “The Alliance for Open Media brings together the leading experts in the entire video stack to work together in pursuit of open, royalty-free and interoperable solutions for the next generation of video delivery,” the group said in its announcement.

The new codecs will be based on current alliance video member formats such as Mozilla’s Daala, Google’s VP10 and Cisco’s recently announced Thor royalty-free codecs and will target the increasing use of high-resolution video, such as 4K, over IP. “As resolutions and framerates increase, the need for more advanced codecs with ever-better compression ratios will only grow,” said David Bryant, in a blog on Mozilla’s website. “We believe that Daala, Cisco’s Thor and Google’s VP10 codec combine to form an excellent basis for a truly world-class royalty-free codec.”

The initial project, according to the alliance, will focus on developing a new codec based on member contributions, along with binding specifications for media format, content encryption and adaptive streaming. More information on the alliance, including how to join, will be made available later this year.