The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (also known as the AIMS Alliance or simply AIMS) had a ubiquitous presence at the recent IBC 2016 in Amsterdam. Dozens of manufacturers looked to demonstrate their commitment to the Alliance and the SMPTE SD-2110 standard, which is currently in draft form but is expected to solve many of the issues that today make IP-based production and signal transport in a video facility less than perfect.
The IP Interoperability Zone gave IBC attendees a hint at a future with full interoperability for IP-based production.
The proof of concept came in the form of the IP Interoperability Zone at the show, which brought together IP-based production equipment from various vendors and was supported by various industry associations. The highlight was a Sandbox LiveIP Studio from VRT Belgium, which was used as a live TV studio for the trade show's TV channel.
I can't remember the last time AES, the EBU, AMWA, SMPTE, and VSF all got together and had a coordinated effort to demonstrate something like this, says AIMS Chairman Mike Cronk. There used to be tape wars, and now the industry has come together in a way that it hasn't before. Everyone involved has an extreme sense of accomplishment, but there are more steps to be taken.
Cronk describes AIMS as a not-for-profit trade alliance comprising members that support the concept of IP signal transport but also know that the value of that transport is directly proportional to the number of people, companies, and systems using the same standard.
If we fragment. there isn't a lot of value, he says. But, if you want to use open standards and specifications and identify a roadmap, then join AIMS.
The importance of SMPTE SD2110, which is currently in its drafting stage, cannot be undersold: it will allow video, audio, and metadata to be separated into three different IP addresses, a move that will allow things like breakaway audio or adding a language track to be easily accomplished.
It will mean much more flexibility for a production. At the VSF Interop meeting in Houston earlier this summer, there were 30 companies that proved they can also have interoperability via SD-2110, says Cronk. That is a pretty good achievement and shows that everyone is moving in the same direction.
Simply put? Talk of a format war has dissipated, and that is great for the industry, he adds. SMPTE SD-2110 will solve a lot of issues related to the comfort level of using IP.
In the VRT studio, equipment from 14 vendors used the current 2022-6 standard for video (where the video, audio, and metadata elements cannot be separated) and AES67 for audio and no SDI gateways, demonstrating that IP end-to-end is a reality today.
SMPTE SD-2110 will make it even better, and it will be a true SMPTE standard that everyone will be able to build equipment to, says Cronk. And more equipment choice means best-of-breed equipment can be used.
The demonstration area also showed the importance of PTP (Precision Time Protocol) timing, which allows clock accuracy on a network in the sub-microsecond range.
You can transport time information over the same switch without multiple cables, black burst, or timecode, says Cronk. And every RTP packet has a 64-bit time stamp so that all the cameras have the same time-stamp info, which opens up the door for creative things in the future.
Also demonstrated was automated device discovery and registration.
With this, Cronk explains, you can take a Grass Valley camera, a Sony camera, or another device, and, when you connect it to the network, it will automatically populate data about what the device is into the control system, shrinking the time for setup.
Getting Pragmatic
While it was pretty clear that discussions about IP-based workflows and deployments were definitely a major focus at IBC 2016, there was also a serious dose of pragmatism among many broadcasters and production professionals.
The SD-to-HD transition occurred over a number of years. The IP transition could take a long time because of capital-investment cycles, adds Cronk. Some can make the move to IP because they have a greenfield site; others will be SDI for a long, long time.
So part of the industry conversation about IP is on how the industry will realistically get from SDI to IP without increasing cost and/or risk or disenfranchising staffers.
There is still a need for forums where the industry can get together and discuss why someone should go IP, the business ramifications of it, and how operators react to going IP and how it makes a difference, adds Cronk. But what we had at IBC was an important first step.
More important, he thinks there will be plenty of room for both traditional engineers and IP professionals: The experience we have had in deployments is, a pure IP person can't cut it, nor can a pure-video person. I think there is quite a bit of job security if you're an engineer willing to learn a few things on the side. But, ultimately, it will get down to individual use case, what someone can do with IP, and whether or not there is a benefit.
Most recent headlines
18/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
18/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
18/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
18/12/2025
Long-term agreement includes the SES SCORE platform and hybrid distribution worldwide to deliver more than 5,000 hours of golf tournaments annually featuring th...
17/12/2025
Investigative journalists across the Western Balkans and T rkiye continue to con...
17/12/2025
Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame Inducts 10 Industry Icons During Unforgettable ...
17/12/2025
ESPN to Debut MNF Playbook with Next Gen Stats, a New AI-Driven NFL Data-AltCastThe series, powered by Adrenaline TruPlay AI, launches Dec. 22 and runs through ...
17/12/2025
Inaugural Optum Golf Channel Games Debut Under the Lights' in Primetime on ...
17/12/2025
The right playlist is essential on New Year's Eve, building the energy as you get ready and keeping it high as you count down to midnight. This year, Spotif...
17/12/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
17/12/2025
Audiences Watched Over 103 Billion Minutes of TV on Thanksgiving Day
NFL Games ...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
KPop Demon Hunters Stars Visit Berklee for Weeklong Celebration Andrew Choi and EJAE, who voiced the film's main characters and contributed to its soundtr...
17/12/2025
December 17 2025, 17:00 (PST) Dolby and LG Unveil a New Era of Home Audio With ...
17/12/2025
Wednesday 17 December 2025
Heated Rivalry will be coming to Sky and streaming service NOW on 10 JanuaryTurn on cookies to view this content. Go to Privacy opti...
17/12/2025
Back to All News
Inside The Unseen World Of Indian Customs: Netflix Reveals The...
17/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix announces PAPARAZZI KING: the docu series coming to Ne...
17/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils First Look at Jo Nesbo's Detective Hole Pr...
17/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Welcomes Warner Bros. Discovery Board Recommendation
Business
17 December 2025
Global
Link copied to clipboard
After Careful Revi...
17/12/2025
RT has announced that Kathy Fox has been appointed Commissioning Editor with re...
17/12/2025
The Hao AI Lab research team at the University of California San Diego - at the forefront of pioneering AI model innovation - recently received an NVIDIA DGX B...
17/12/2025
Editor's note: This post is part of Into the Omniverse, a series focused on ...
17/12/2025
With the new season of Dancing with the Stars shimmering in the not-too-distant future this New Year, the celebrity and dancer pairings of the twelve couples ha...
16/12/2025
Hawkins has landed on Spotify, just in time for Stranger Things Season 5, Volume...
16/12/2025
Wherever you are, your favorite music and audio content should go seamlessly with you. That's why Spotify has partnered with NAVER Corp, Korea's leading...
16/12/2025
2025 Wrapped arrived bigger and bolder than ever. This year's experience is designed to be ultra personal and shareable, with new features like Wrapped Part...
16/12/2025
Three 12-kilowatt Advanced Electric Propulsion System thrusters, supplied by L3Harris Technologies, form the core of Gateway's propulsion system. Pictured i...
16/12/2025
The challenge facing America's defense industrial base is not just about speed - its about rebuilding the foundation that makes speed possible. Our nations ...
16/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
16/12/2025
SEVILLE, Spain Canal Sur, the public broadcasting service for Andalusia, Spain, has completed a total technology refresh based on Pebble's resilient, softwa...
16/12/2025
NEW YORK Teleprompting hardware provider Telescript International has acquired all software code and intellectual property previously owned by Telescript West. ...
16/12/2025
As cable operators face increased competition from 5G fixed wireless access providers, a new report from Ookla Research finds that T-Mobile is the FWA speed lea...
16/12/2025
Apple has announced a major upgrade to the Apple TV app for device owners outside the Apple ecosystem with news that the Apple TV app for Android now supports G...
16/12/2025
Space42 grows Direct-to-Device partner ecosystem through a Memorandum of Underst...
16/12/2025
16 Dec 2025
VEON Announces Release Date for Full Year and Fourth Quarter 2025 R...
16/12/2025
16 Dec 2025
VEON's Kyivstar Invests in Renewable Energy in Ukraine with Acq...
16/12/2025
Back to All News
Emma Appleton, Fares Fares, Frida Gustavsson and Jakob Oftebro...
16/12/2025
Back to All News
Docu-reality My Korean Boyfriend Gets a Trailer and Premiere D...
16/12/2025
Harmonic's XOS Advanced Media Processor Improves Streaming Video Quality and Boosts Viewer Engagement SAN JOSE, Calif. - Dec. 16, 2025 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: ...
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (also known as the AIMS Alliance or simply AIMS) had a ubiquitous presence at the recent IBC 2016 in Amsterdam. Dozens of manufacturers looked to demonstrate their commitment to the Alliance and the SMPTE SD-2110 standard, which is currently in draft form but is expected to solve many of the issues that today make IP-based production and signal transport in a video facility less than perfect. 
