
Imagine Communications Cassidy Phillips argues that IP systems built on COTS hardware and SMPTE ST 2110 standard are not a science project
By Contributor
Published: July 5, 2022
Imagine Communications' Cassidy Phillips argues that IP systems built on COTS hardware and SMPTE ST 2110 standard are not a science project
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
IP, SMPTE ST 2110, 4K, UHD, remote production. These are tech terms that have headlined white papers and webinars across the electronic media industry for the last few years. What I want to talk about is real-world, practical applications that show these technologies are ready and relevant not a science project.
It was back in 2018 that Imagine Communications was the lead technology partner on two major ST 2110 UHD projects: the 24/7 production and broadcast centre for QVC Japan and the live production truck for tpc Switzerland.
While QVC and tpc are both forward-thinking media organisations, they embarked on these projects not simply because they were at the bleeding edge of technical development, but because they believed this new architecture was technically practical and made good business sense.
Three years of solid, consistent, reliable output later, what can we learn from the experience?
Scaling up and out Today, the capability for UHD production - 4K and high dynamic range (HDR) - is expected at the top end. Major sports and cultural events, typical of the assignments for tpc's truck, will be broadcast in 4K today and archived for future re-use. But UHD is extremely demanding of bandwidth: four times that required for HD (even more with High Frame Rate).
This need to scale up and out is one of the biggest drivers in the move to IP. We needed to find a way to handle 12 Gb/s signals without racks full of big-iron routers, tie-lines and distribution amplifiers. Outside broadcast engineers, in particular, cannot afford the additional weight in trucks that are always close to the limit.
SMPTE ST 2110 is the answer. With it, you can fit up to eight UHD streams on just one strand of single-mode fibre. And that fibre can carry the signal as far as 40 kilometres without the need to re-amplify.
That fibre can be routed in enterprise-class, off-the-shelf ethernet switches - capable today of hosting the equivalent of a 384 x 384 UHD router per rack unit. Double that if the edge devices are bidirectional.
This means much more than just reducing the size of the switch in the truck, vital though that is. It means you can put the cameras and the production equipment at a greater distance. Any distance, given access to the fibre.
And that means remote production - cameras at the venue, control room at the broadcaster's base - is now perfectly feasible, without limiting technical or creative quality in any way. The director sees the pictures in real time; the video engineer tracks the cameras in real time; audio stays in sync with the video. The router and the production switcher act just as they always did: With smart systems engineering, the most complex system can sit under a single control panel.
Incidentally, some may try to tell you that IP is power hungry. Do not be fooled. A 512 x 512 SDI router will occupy at least 25 rack units and draw more than 9kW of power. A 2RU COTS switch will handle 768 x 768 UHD sources and destinations and draw only 3.6kW.
You may not need that much capacity now, but with a 100 gigabit ethernet switch scaling is simple. Scaling an SDI infrastructure will, sooner or later, require a significant investment in more hardware, rack space, power and air conditioning.
Proven in the real world As our friends at tpc and QVC Japan have found over the last three years, ST 2110 and COTS technologies continue to prove themselves time and again. And we continue to put the valuable experience we gained in those pioneering ST 2110 deployments to good use in customer installations around the world.
For example, we recently provided Sinclair's Tennis Channel with core infrastructure for a large-scale ST 2110 live production centre featuring a cloud-based environment for pop-up live events. This allowed Sinclair to spin up live channels around the 2021 Miami Open tennis tournament, marking the first time that any broadcaster had supported such a high-profile live sporting event via live real-time cloud playout. They used the same platform for coverage of the 2021 French Open from Roland Garros.
In short, IP systems built on COTS hardware and the recognised SMPTE ST 2110 standard are proven in challenging real-world environments. They guarantee performance today and seamless scalability for the future. And they're definitely not a science project.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
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...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
LYNX Technik, provider of modular signal processing solutions for broadcast, post, and professional AV will showcase its latest signal processing solutions at B...
19/05/2026
Media Links, a leading developer and manufacturer of IP media transport solutions, has announced the integration of its Xscend platform with Skyline Communicat...
19/05/2026
Collaboration expands regional partner ecosystem as Media Links showcases IP media transport solutions on stand 4M4-4 and alongside Clearcast Asia on stand
Me...
19/05/2026
Company Highlights Labor-Saving Control and Custom Branding Opportunities Designed to Increase Integrator Profitability
LynTec, a leading manufacturer of ele...
19/05/2026
Mago Studio Moves AI Video Beyond Prompts with New Production-Focused Tools
Brie Clayton May 18, 2026
0 Comments
New Capabilities Bring Controllable, ...
19/05/2026
It May be Time to Stop and Take an AI Breather
Brie Clayton May 19, 2026
0 Comments
If the rock you stay on starts to roll, jump clean. Or you'll...
18/05/2026
Despite a bumpy start to the year, the provider of event-production support and ...
18/05/2026
Daktronics has partnered with the University of North Carolina to manufacture and install 11 LED displays totaling more than 10,000 square feet and more than 14...
18/05/2026
CBS LA has announced a multi-year partnership with the Los Angeles Rams, covering exclusive local broadcasts of Rams preseason games, weekly year-round programm...
18/05/2026
Skyline Communications has announced an integration between its DataMiner xOps p...
18/05/2026
eCLUTCH, the hybrid esports platform powered by iKOMG, has announced an expansion of its distribution across Europe, MENA, Africa, and Asia, along with new cont...
18/05/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/05/2026
With 22 games this season, the production team looks forward to tweaking and enhancing the coverage
After 8,660 days off the air, the WNBA returned to NBC yest...
18/05/2026
(L-R) Midori Francis and Natalie Erika James attend the Saccharine premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 22, 2026, in ...
18/05/2026
Last night, the Spotify Podcast Awards in Mexico returned to the country's capital. Now in its second year, the evening honors creators whose voices are hel...
18/05/2026
ZEN-Core synth goes mobile
Roland's powerful ZEN-Core software synthesizer has just been introduced to the iPad, offering a convenient entry point into ...
18/05/2026
Versatile new limiter plug-in announced
Based in Sheffield, UK, fedDSP offer a range of plug-ins that span the music production, live sound and high-end med...
18/05/2026
A new use for convolution?
Viiri Audio's debut plug-in aims to do something a little different with convolution processing, allowing users to adjust all...
18/05/2026
Delta Goodrem shines for SBS as more than 3.27 million Australians tune in for E...
18/05/2026
The Australian Defence Force uses L3Harris T4 and T7 robots for explosive ordnan...
18/05/2026
Continued investment across Europe and Germany is expanding local teams and improving access to stock, regional expertise, and specialist broadcast support.
CV...
18/05/2026
Agentic AI inference at one-tenth the cost per token with NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL7...
18/05/2026
18 May 2026
Dubai and New York, May 18, 2026 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a glob...
18/05/2026
Monday 18 May 2026
Sky News offers ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes for just...
18/05/2026
Comscore March 2026 Consumer AI Chatbot Usage Rankings Show Claude Gaining Share OpenAI's ChatGPT maintains lead while Anthropic's Claude continues to c...
17/05/2026
Delta Goodrem's Eurovision Eclipse marks end of a stellar run
17 May, 2026
Media releases
Bulgaria wins Eurovision 2026
Relive every spellbinding mome...
17/05/2026
Back to All News
Oasis Premieres on Netflix June 19
Entertainment
17 May 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Summer, sunshine, the beach, parties. T...
16/05/2026
Helps to deliver a clean, balanced midrange
Developed alongside Newfangled Audio, the latest plug-in in Eventide's software collection has been designed...
16/05/2026
Brings onboard stem rendering to RANE System One
Engine DJ have just released Engine DJ 5.0, a free update for their Engine DJ OS embedded hardware and Engi...
16/05/2026
Boris FX Continuum Pairs AI Precision and Advanced Creative Controls
Jessie Electa Petrov May 16, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic de...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Seattle Sounders FC and Seattle Reign FC, in partnership with RAVE Foundation an...
15/05/2026
Dan Brumm has served as sound designer on Bluey, the Australian children's t...
15/05/2026
The Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA) and Shure Incorporated are accepting applications for the 6th annual Mark Brunner Professional Audio Schola...
15/05/2026
Netflix has announced an expanded NFL schedule for 2026 and beyond under a four-year partnership extension with the NFL through the 2029-30 season. Each season,...
15/05/2026
Ateme is supporting TVRI (Televisi Republik Indonesia) with a contribution and d...
15/05/2026
Concacaf has announced the launch of a new website and mobile app built on Deltatre's FORGE platform. Concacaf.com and the mobile app, available on iOS and ...
15/05/2026
Eutelsat has announced the launch of QBC Business Economic Channel by Qatar Media Corporation, broadcasting in 4K/UHD via Eutelsat's 7/8 West video neighbo...