By Kieran Kunhya, managing director, Open Broadcast Systems
Jenny Priestley 1 hour ago
By Kieran Kunhya, managing director, Open Broadcast Systems
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin> By Kieran Kunhya, managing director, Open Broadcast Systems
https://www.tvbeurope.com/features/what-is-holding-back-ip-adoption title=Share via Email class=share-email>
There has been a lot of cynicism around using IP for contribution and production. While for some that cynicism remains, the technology is improving and already reaching many millions of viewers on a daily basis. This, coupled with the fact that most people are already watching on an IP enabled device, such as their phone or tablets, means that video providers are beginning to consider IP as the de facto form of contribution and soon production.
However, there remain some challenges to overcome which include reducing latency, but are mainly caused by an unwavering mindset.
Increasing Adoption
Over the last few years, we have seen a big growth in IP connectivity. More and more places across the globe are connected, often with business-grade connectivity. This doesn't necessarily mean typical broadcast quality connectivity however so many high end providers are not ready to move to IP. Instead, at the high end of the market, the video provider will generally use traditional satellite or private fibre connectivity. However, what we are seeing is a rise of providers especially in the mid-end of the market, looking to get more content to viewers and on more platforms. They are also looking to increase engagement, which is being achieved in a number of ways, including delivering multiple camera angles from live events and getting highlights out quicker. This is the kind of case where we see IP connectivity being used more and more.
At the same time, technology cycles are moving much more quickly these days and this is being driven by a growing need for instant coverage while keeping costs low. In the case of IP, the rise in breaking news, especially in the UK at the moment, is having a particular impact and has really accelerated the push of IP over the last few years.
Latency and Quality
Latency and quality are often cited as the main reason for not moving to IP. However, we are used to using satellites in the field and there is inherent latency with sending something into space. Ultimately, the latency challenges with IP are not as bad as people think. A lot of that comes down to shifting the mindset.
We know that big amounts of latency is a concern for video providers so it is something we have been working hard to reduce. Our latest software gets end-to-end latency down to just 60 milliseconds, one of the lowest latencies achievable in the industry across any full-frame contribution encoder. We can do this whilst not compromising on picture quality.
That said many current workflows still base themselves around traditional broadcast production latencies when the end user is now watching on an OTT device, where the downstream OTT workflow has tens of seconds of latency or sometimes even minutes. One can argue that saving milliseconds of latency during the production and contribution process makes limited difference to the overall latency.
Compressed vs Uncompressed
The choice between compressed and uncompressed can be quite confusing and it depends on what the operational goals are. Sometimes broadcasters may use compressed video using cloud playout to maximise flexibility, but then distribute it at the final stage using traditional broadcast technologies such as SDI. Currently, we see a real mixture from our customers in terms of compressed vs uncompressed. Some operators want traditional feeds, but some, especially the large ones, take content and keep it in the compressed domain. In many cases, operators want the best of both and actually will take in compressed feeds and treat them as uncompressed. Staying uncompressed is beneficial when there is significant downstream picture processing such as graphics insertion. Both types of workflow have their pros and cons and it is important that the decision is made carefully.
Standards
Along with mindsets, standards is by far the biggest barrier to IP adoption right now. The SMPTE ST2110 standard is the most commonly associated standard for compressed video. However, as with many video standards, it is not designed for Cloud usage at all. Unfortunately, it's a standard which is really designed for the past, not for today and certainly not for the next 40 years. It comes with a lot of legacy baggage and is simply put not flexible enough to adapt to new methods of contribution. Even with on-prem deployments there are significant interoperability challenges between equipment, especially with the numerous methods of handling audio.
Standards need to evolve. Uncompressed content within the cloud, and cloud facilities generally, are designed for other IT processes, not for broadcast, and there is definitely something missing from the uncompressed domain.
The Reliable Internet Stream Transport (RIST) protocol is going the right way to give providers something to work towards that is actually designed for the IP domain. It is a protocol for interoperable low latency contribution (compressed) quality video via unmanaged networks, including the internet. It is based on the Video Services Forum's TR-06-1 technical recommendation document and the collaboration of all leading vendors and global broadcast operators. What it does is gives us a simple yet highly effective method for interchanging professional signals between different vendors.
It is clear that standards are needed but what we have currently is simply not designed for today's TV environment. I sincerely hope the cloud playout standards come up with their own, even non cloud-n
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
10/06/2026
DAZN-owned digital-media company launches three fan-first series leaning into cr...
10/06/2026
Clear-Com has announced the appointment of Jason Dino as Southwest Regional Sales Manager USA, covering Southern California and the Southwest region. Dino joins...
10/06/2026
An 11% decrease in number of global broadcast deals reflects the organization...
10/06/2026
The Women Without Boundaries Awards recognize women whose work is advancing the future of media, broadcast, AV, workplace technology, digital experience, and re...
10/06/2026
Today is match day minus two for FIFA and HBS. On Thursday, there will be two ma...
10/06/2026
SES is supporting broadcast distribution of the world's biggest football tou...
10/06/2026
NDI has announced that BirdDog has become the first hardware manufacturer to achieve full NDI 6.3 compatibility across its complete lineup of cameras, encoders,...
10/06/2026
Vince Caputo and Scott Carter, winners of the 2026 Sports Emmy for Outstanding Post Produced Audio have been announced as presenters for the 2026 SVG Advanced A...
10/06/2026
FOX One today unveiled a slate of new product features and enhancements designed to elevate the viewing experience for fans on the official streaming platform o...
10/06/2026
Primary production partners Dome Productions and Raycom Sports once again played...
10/06/2026
The Women in Sports Filmmaking Experienceship is an immersive professional devel...
10/06/2026
The league has expanded its HSAN architecture for the NBA Finals to manage more ...
10/06/2026
The inaugural MoonPay X Games League (XGL) Winter Draft will take place Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at Cosm Los Angeles from 7-9 p.m. PT. The event will strea...
10/06/2026
The University of Oklahoma (OU) Athletics Department and Learfield have announce...
10/06/2026
The Video Services Forum (VSF) has released TR-06-4 Part 8, a new specification for RIST Satellite-Hybrid: Out-of-Band Method. The specification creates a mecha...
10/06/2026
Riedel Communications provided the communications infrastructure for the 14th World Live Neurovascular Conference (WLNC) in Lisbon, supporting live medical proc...
10/06/2026
A still from The Doom Generation by Gregg Araki (Courtesy of Sundance Institute)
By Lucy Spicer
Have you checked out our Sundance Film Festival 101 list yet...
10/06/2026
Get Hands-On with Interfaces & Mic Preamp Brands
If youre after a new interface or preamp, then GearExpo UK is the place to be! Well have a whole host of au...
10/06/2026
November 13-14 2026, The Midway, San Francisco
Following their recent rebranding, MONO Music Conference (formerly Music Expo) have officially announced thei...
10/06/2026
Debut instrument free for limited time
deFORM is the debut release from newly founded developer ebbandflow, and it's being offered as a free download fo...
10/06/2026
Alone Australia Season 4: Meet the Cast
10 June, 2026
Media releases
WATCH THE TRAILER
Smash-hit survival series Alone Australia drops its highly anticipa...
10/06/2026
DEADLY THEN, DEADLY NOW, DEADLY ALWAYS: SBS & NITV IGNITE NAIDOC WEEK 2026 WITH ...
10/06/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF advance laser-based drone defense with THORIS LCS Rohde & Schwarz is showcasing THORIS at ILA 2026: A sovereign, end to end counter...
10/06/2026
MAHLE and Rohde & Schwarz develop application for sensor testing of modern drive...
10/06/2026
Production and Development Funding supports the creation of compelling, commercially viable, artistic and culturally relevant South African screen content. Deve...
10/06/2026
Media buyers and sellers can now compare YouTube reach from computer, mobile, an...
10/06/2026
Accedo, Humans not Robots, and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) have announced the launch of Ecoflow X. Formerly an IBC Accelerator project, ...
10/06/2026
Frequency, the engine powering the world's leading streaming television channels, today announced that James Smith has joined the company as General Manager...
10/06/2026
At the 14th World Live Neurovascular Conference (WLNC) in Lisbon, Riedel Communications provided the communications infrastructure for live medical procedures s...
10/06/2026
Globecast, a leading provider of broadcast, media, and entertainment managed services, today announced the launch of its Content Exchange platform powered by Or...
10/06/2026
Klvr will showcase how venues, integrators and production teams are rethinking disposable battery usage at InfoComm 2026 (Las Vegas, June 17-19, booth #N6311). ...
10/06/2026
The Video Services Forum (VSF) has further enhanced the Reliable Internet Streaming Transport (RIST) protocol by incorporating a new feature, RIST Satellite-Hyb...
10/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/06/2026
10 Jun 2026
VEON's Banglalink Brings Every World Cup 2026 Match to Football...
10/06/2026
Wednesday 10 June 2026
How to watch every ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 match live on Sky Sports
Where is the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 availabl...
10/06/2026
Wednesday 10 June 2026
P RLA brings first-ever Beautifully Clean Oral Care'...
10/06/2026
Wednesday 10 June 2026
Sky reveals pulse-pounding first teaser trailer for upco...
10/06/2026
Wuppertal June 10, 2026
Riedel Artist at the Heart of the 14th World Live Neurovascular ConferenceAt the 14th World Live Neurovascular Conference (WLNC) in Li...
10/06/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Showcases New Mobile Experience, Collections and Games Vision in APAC
Product
10 June 2026
GlobalSouth KoreaJapan
Link copied to c...
10/06/2026
Back to All News
Ready to Join? The Netflix Fan Club Arrives at Cannes Lions
Business
10 June 2026
Global
Link copied to clipboard
Download all assets
N...
10/06/2026
Chemists snap together complex 3D molecules from highly reactive radicals-without losing their shape Scripps Research team develops stereoretentive radical-radi...
09/06/2026
Kiswe announces an expanded long-term partnership with ONE Championship (ONE), t...
09/06/2026
SiriusXM will broadcast FOX Sports' English-language commentary for all 104 FIFA World Cup 2026 matches from June 11 through July 19, available to subscribe...
09/06/2026
EVS has announced it is changing its corporate name from EVS Broadcast Equipment to EVS, reflecting the company's expanded portfolio beyond broadcast equipm...
09/06/2026
Fox Corporation and the NFL have announced a multi-year agreement to bring NFL c...
By Kieran Kunhya, managing director, Open Broadcast Systems
